Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

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

Bg 12.5

kleśo ’dhika-taras teṣām
avyaktāsakta-cetasām
avyaktā hi gatir duḥkhaṁ
dehavadbhir avāpyate

Synonyms: 

kleśaḥ — trouble; adhika–taraḥ — very much; teṣām — of them; avyakta — to the unmanifested; āsakta — attached; cetasām — of those whose minds; avyaktā — toward the unmanifested; hi — certainly; gatiḥ — progress; duḥkham — with trouble; deha–vadbhiḥ — by the embodied; avāpyate — is achieved.

Translation: 

For those whose minds are attached to the unmanifested, impersonal feature of the Supreme, advancement is very troublesome. To make progress in that discipline is always difficult for those who are embodied.

 

There are two words which is very negative Klesha, struggle and duhkham, misery 

kleśo ’dhika-taras, ’dhika-taras means mostly 

teṣām of them, who are they? As referred in previous verse they will get Kelsha. 

avyaktāsakta-cetasām, so their consciousness is attached to the impersonal manifestation that means they are attracted to the impersonal aspect of the AT.

avyaktā hi gatir duḥkhaṁ, those who make avyaktā as goal of their life, this process is very difficult to them.

dehavadbhir avāpyate, those who are embodied, avāpyate, 

So it is difficult for us to conceive on form less. Material is negative aspect devotion is positive aspect and impersonal Brahman is 0. Giving my material forms and trying to concentrate mind on “Nothing” on the “Attribute Less”, “Activity Less” Brahman it is very much difficult for everyone in general and especially for the embodied soul. 

Just as it is very difficult to create and maintain a vacuum it is similarly difficulty to create a vacuum in consciousness, what is there to thing about? It is very – very difficult.

In several verses Krishna has established that His personal form is highest…Aham Servas Prabho…Mata Parantern na anyat 7.7, 9.10 Maya Adheksen Prakriti so many places 

Avajananti Mam Mudha 

9.11 and 7.24 are two imp verses where Krishna very clearly says the impersonal aspect is not the highest and those who think that impersonal is higher than personal is completely mistaken. 

Our obsession for material becomes less and less when we raise from lower modes to higher modes, when one is in goodness one is more contemplative and one can surely think about more features of the Absolute Truth.

When we are in passion we have to act at bodily level a lot, when we are in goodness our activity is more at the intellectual level, we do not need to act at the bodily level.

Ramanujacharya has mentioned that the eight attributes which is mentioned here are strikingly similar to the attributes of Atma Krishna has mentioned in 2nd chapter Avyakvoyam, achintyoyam…2.23 to 2.26 

So Ramanujacharya has explained in bit different way that Arjuna is asking if someone focuses on Atma and then progress and other person just focuses on You who is better? 

By cultivating Atam Jyan we can be detached from matter and attached to the spiritual truth. 

In first 6 chapters in BG Mam has come very less but from Ch 7 to Ch 12 it is very frequent almost every second verse. For focus on first 6 chapters is detaching from material body and acting in that mode of detachment so that one progress towards Absolute Truth, so it was all based on Atma Jyan.

So Arjuna question is which is better Ch 2- Ch 6 Atam Jyan or Ch 7- Ch12 Bhagavat Chintan? And Krishna clearly said that those who fix their mind on Me they are better situated and as He moves forward He elaborates on that.

End of transcription.