Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan

What is Arjuna response we will discuss next 

 

Bg 10.12-13

arjuna uvāca
paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma
pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān
puruṣaṁ śāśvataṁ divyam
ādi-devam ajaṁ vibhum

āhus tvām ṛṣayaḥ sarve
devarṣir nāradas tathā
asito devalo vyāsaḥ
svayaṁ caiva bravīṣi me

Word for word: 

arjunaḥ uvāca — Arjuna said; param — supreme; brahma — truth; param — supreme; dhāma — sustenance; pavitram — pure; paramam — supreme; bhavān — You; puruṣam — personality; śāśvatam — eternal; divyam — transcendental; ādi–devam — the original Lord; ajam — unborn; vibhum — greatest; āhuḥ — say; tvām — of You; ṛṣayaḥ — sages; sarve — all; deva–ṛṣiḥ — the sage among the demigods; nāradaḥ — Nārada; tathā — also; asitaḥ — Asita; devalaḥ — Devala; vyāsaḥ — Vyāsa; svayam — personally; ca — also; eva — certainly; bravīṣi — You are explaining; me — unto me.

Translation: 

Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the ultimate abode, the purest, the Absolute Truth. You are the eternal, transcendental, original person, the unborn, the greatest. All the great sages such as Nārada, Asita, Devala and Vyāsa confirm this truth about You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me.

We have completed Chatur Sloki BG and how it gives the essence of the Gita Based on its context and content, context has come after how Krishna said He will speak Paramam Vachah, the Supreme Words and Arjuna gives his conclusive understanding after that and content is it covers Sambandha, Abhideya and Prayojana. It shown how Jayna is part of Bhakti and it is integrated into Bhakti.

So let us look at one more aspect of this Jayna and then we will move forward to next verse 

Symbiotic Relationship between knowledge and devotion

10.8 describes Knowledge leads to devotion, iti matvā bhajante māṁ
budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ. One who understands this that Krishna is the source of everything the ultimate reality, such a person acquires knowledge and becomes whole hearted devoted to Me. 

So here Krishna is telling that knowledge will lead to devotion. 

Then in subsequent verses in 10.10-11 He says Devotion will lead to Knowledge. 

bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam
dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ

That devotion will give knowledge

So how to understand this? Devotion to Knowledge and Knowledge to Devotion? So what comes first?

So there has to be some basic understanding about Krishna then as we renders service, knowledge deepens, knowledge increases our affection further and when we serve Krishna with affection He will give greater knowledge to us. Symbiotic Relationship between the two.

This knowledge which Krishna is talking about both in the beginning and at the end this has nothing to do with impersonal Jayana because the first knowledge He talks about is knowledge of Krishna’s glories that is 

ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo
mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate

then second knowledge He talked about is 

dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ
yena mām upayānti te

This is also knowledge which enables one to come closer to Sri Krishna.

So this is Bhakti anukul Jayana.

So Bhakti Yoga integrates within it Jayana but it is not dependent on Jayana.

Bhakti yoga is independent of jnana-yoga, but it also incorporates jnana within itself.

In fact all the process of Yoga depends on Bhakti Yoga.

So right now also while studying BG we are not following process of Jayana Yoga but it is Sravan Smarnam Vishnu …It is Bhakti.

So our purpose is Krishna our process is Krishna and source is also Krishna 

Jnana of impersonal brahman is pratikulato bhakti

But jnana of bhagavan is anukulato bhakti

 

So Arjuna is saying paraṁ brahma, You are the Supreme Brahma. 

Mayavadi and impersonlist are very found of speaking Vedic morphism Aham Brahmashmi which is true we are Brahman this is considered Maha Vakya of Upanishad from Shankaracharya so it is NOT Aham PARAM brahma asmi it is simply aham brahma asmi. Beyond aham Brahma asmi there is higher reality and that is reality of Krishna. Who is the Param Brahma e.g. I say I am Indian and PM says I am Indian so cannot say that I am PM. In Brahma also there is diversity or levels amidst unity.

paraṁ dhāma, you are the Supreme Abode, in 9th chapter Krishna said Mat Asthani Serva Bhutani, in one sense everything resides on Him, Krishna is maintaining everything in the universe and He is not burdened by that. He is also Supreme Abode for our heart’s aspirations, 

pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān

You are the purest and the greatest we are contaminated by various sins but transcendence are not contaminated but any of the modes not even by mode of goodness, He is the Supreme being Bhavan is respectful address of you, 

puruṣaṁ śāśvataṁ divyam

ādi-devam ajaṁ vibhum

puruṣa is very clear personalist reference and you are śāśvataṁ, so it is not that from impersonal light some temporary person is manifested, You are śāśvataṁ.  Divyam and You my Lord are transcendental, 

In 9.2 Krishna has said Aham Hi Adi Devanam Maharshi Nam…so here Arjuna is saying yes you are ādi-devam, there are many God but You are the source of all God. 

ajaṁ, in 9.3 Krishna has referred Himself as Aja here Arjuna is confirming same thing. 

Vibhum, you are great Anu refers to Jiva and Vibhum referred to Lord. 

So is this glorification by Arjun just like that or exaggeration? No because a very serious discussion is going here initially when it was friendly Krishna didn’t gave serious instructions only after Arjun surrenders as disciple Krishna gave serious instruction and also Arjun is saying it is not only I who is saying this but the great authorities who has studied the subject very well who are the scholars they are also saying this. 

āhus tvām ṛṣayaḥ sarve, all the great sages have said this. And give specific names also devarṣir nāradas tathā, asito devalo vyāsaḥ, svayaṁ caiva bravīṣi me 

Narada and Vyasa’s name will come again in this chapter when Sri Krishna is describing His Vibhutis, He will say among the celestial seers I am Narada, and among great Munis I am Vyasa. So even Krishna acknowledges these sages special position.

And Arjuna is saying you yourself has also spoken this. 

Krishna is an absolute truth and when He is speaking something while speaking a philosophy then that has to be taken as absolute authority. 

Scriptural evidence and personal experience both are important and when both are combined together then the conviction becomes very deep, jus on the basis of scripture endless debate can continue. 

Also ultimately authority has to decide what is best and for us the authority is Lord Chaitanya. 

The experiences in Bhakti Yoga are repeatable verifiable and in a general sense predictable. It is not just once in a while experience this doesn’t happen with sentimental kind of experiences.

End of transcription.