Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

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

Now after describing the Kshetra Krishna in next verse will describe the 20 element of knowledge. 

 

This is the longest set of verse which Srila Prabhupada puts together because these verses are describing one theme i.e. Jyana 

Chp13 Overview

1: Arjuna’s 6 questions:

Kshetra, Kshetra-jna which is answered 

now He is going to Jyana then after that will be Jneya

2-7: Kshetra &  Kshetra-jna (Answer to 3rd and 4th questions)

8-12: Jnana (Answer to 5th question)

13-19: Jneya (Answer to 6th question)

20-26: Prakrti & Purusha (Answer to 1st and 2nd questions)

27-35: Jnana-chakshu – Bonus section where Krishna offers Jyana Chaksu (the eyes of knowledge by which one can see reality beyond how it appears at a material level of perception) 

 

Bg 13.8-12

amānitvam adambhitvam
ahiṁsā kṣāntir ārjavam
ācāryopāsanaṁ śaucaṁ
sthairyam ātma-vinigrahaḥ

indriyārtheṣu vairāgyam
anahaṅkāra eva ca
janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-
duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam

asaktir anabhiṣvaṅgaḥ
putra-dāra-gṛhādiṣu
nityaṁ ca sama-cittatvam
iṣṭāniṣṭopapattiṣu

mayi cānanya-yogena
bhaktir avyabhicāriṇī
vivikta-deśa-sevitvam
aratir jana-saṁsadi

adhyātma-jñāna-nityatvaṁ
tattva-jñānārtha-darśanam
etaj jñānam iti proktam
ajñānaṁ yad ato ’nyathā

Synonyms: 

amānitvam — humility; adambhitvam — pridelessness; ahiṁsā — nonviolence; kṣāntiḥ — tolerance; ārjavam — simplicity; ācārya–upāsanam — approaching a bona fide spiritual master; śaucam — cleanliness; sthairyam — steadfastness; ātma–vinigrahaḥ — self-control; indriya–artheṣu — in the matter of the senses; vairāgyam — renunciation; anahaṅkāraḥ — being without false egoism; eva — certainly; ca — also; janma — of birth; mṛtyu — death; jarā — old age; vyādhi — and disease; duḥkha — of the distress; doṣa — the fault; anudarśanam — observing; asaktiḥ — being without attachment; anabhiṣvaṅgaḥ — being without association; putra — for son; dāra — wife; gṛha–ādiṣu — home, etc; nityam — constant; ca — also; sama–cittatvam — equilibrium; iṣṭa — the desirable; aniṣṭa — and undesirable; upapattiṣu — having obtained; mayi — unto Me; ca — also; ananya–yogena— by unalloyed devotional service; bhaktiḥ — devotion; avyabhicāriṇī — without any break; vivikta — to solitary; deśa — places; sevitvam — aspiring; aratiḥ — being without attachment; jana–saṁsadi — to people in general; adhyātma — pertaining to the self; jñāna — in knowledge; nityatvam — constancy; tattva–jñāna — of knowledge of the truth; artha — for the object; darśanam — philosophy; etat — all this; jñānam — knowledge; iti — thus; proktam — declared; ajñānam — ignorance; yat — that which; ataḥ — from this; anyathā — other.

Translation: 

Humility; pridelessness; nonviolence; tolerance; simplicity; approaching a bona fide spiritual master; cleanliness; steadiness; self-control; renunciation of the objects of sense gratification; absence of false ego; the perception of the evil of birth, death, old age and disease; detachment; freedom from entanglement with children, wife, home and the rest; even-mindedness amid pleasant and unpleasant events; constant and unalloyed devotion to Me; aspiring to live in a solitary place; detachment from the general mass of people; accepting the importance of self-realization; and philosophical search for the Absolute Truth – all these I declare to be knowledge, and besides this whatever there may be is ignorance.

 

It is significant that Krishna started this description by

 amānitvam means humility 

and adambhitvam is pridelessness

What is the difference between two?

 Amānitvam means not to be proud when we have reason to be proud 

and adambhitvam means do not be proud when we don’t have reason to be proud. 

Sometimes some people keep a façade to look bigger than what they are, when a person is billionaire and he thinks I am billionaire that is pride when a person is not billionaire and he is thinking I am a billionaire that is Dhambha, hypocrite.

So we shouldn’t brag what we don’t have also don’t brag even if we don’t have anything. 

In general people wanted to look big in the eyes of world I am this and this, and when they brag they become small in the eyes of people. Such people are always depending on other’s praise. So those who try to look big in other eyes are small. 

Krishna says that only these 20 are knowledge and outside this is not knowledge, so Krishna describes knowledge in terms of virtues and not in terms of information. 

A technical knowledge is important but a technical knowledge alone is not important, because it will not make any person’s character. Most of the knowledge in today’s world focuses on earning and not on character development. The purpose of an education is to develop character and not only earn and live.

SP Purport: This process of knowledge is sometimes misunderstood by less intelligent men as being the interaction of the field of activity.

That means some people think that this is Kshetra Vikar as talked in previous verse. But this is not Kshetra-Vikara but it is path of Kshetra Vimukti, one has to get liberated from Kshetra for that this process is used. But actually this is real process of knowledge.

SP Purport: But actually this is the real process of knowledge. If one accepts this process, then the possibility of approaching the Absolute Truth exists. This is not the interaction of the twenty-four elements, as described before. This is actually the means to get out of the entanglement of those elements.

SP describes that among all these the most important point is described in the first line of the eleventh verse. Mayi cānanya-yogena bhaktir avyabhicāriṇī: the process of knowledge terminates in unalloyed devotional service to the Lord.

So within Jyana one element is described as Bhakti so actually this is one element from the perspective of Jyanis, as we know that Jyanis also practice Bhakti, we will discuss yoga ladder later but we should know that even Jyanis has to practice Bhakti at some level, only when they practice Bhaki they get realizations and then they get liberation also. 

Bhakti has to be there in all processes. 

So Krishna is talking about Jyana Sadhana here and Jyanis has to develop certain qualities, and these qualities also help in the path of devotion that is how Srila Prabhupada explains to us how a devotee can understand and develop these qualities. 

When we have a disease there will be symptom and then there is solution so similarly 

janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-
duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam

Is symptom. So perceiving these miseries are like tip of iceberg below that is misdirection of our consciousness, the bigger problem is our consciousness instead of being directed to spirit it is misdirected to matter, 

and misdirection from spirit to matter causes verities of bad qualities. And redirection of matter to spirit is redevelopment of those virtuous qualities. 

So there is surface problem there is deeper problem and there is solution. So surface deeper problem is Janma Mritu Jara Vyadhi, deeper surface problem is all these qualities mentioned here are not there, and what is the solution? So the solution is :

mayi cānanya-yogena
bhaktir avyabhicāriṇī

That to the extent we start practicing Bhakti to the extent we start embracing the path of devotion to that extent we will start making spiritual advancement, and to the extend we will make rapid advancement and go back to God Head. And then we will go beyond janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi also. 

As a person who takes deeper treatment will be able to free himself from deeper problem and surface problem.

Srila Prabhupada mentioned that “ācāryopāsanaṁ śaucaṁ” is most important among these and that is the basis on which other things progress. 

Srila Prabhupada explanation of these are very classic:

Humility means that one should not be anxious to have the satisfaction of being honored by others.

We accept respect but we don’t expect respect.

A devotee primarily focuses on how best can I serve Krishna in any situation.  

SP Purport: As for actual advancement in spiritual science, one should have a test to see how far he is progressing. He can judge by these items.

So Srila Prabhupada is giving a very balanced perspective on one side he is saying if we practice Bhakti we will develop these good qualities and other side he is saying if we are practicing Bhakti we should have these qualities. That means he is saying the test of spiritual advancement is these qualities. So in one sense we don’t have to do anything extra to develop these qualities we have to practice Devotional services and these qualities will come.  While practicing DS we should also see that these qualities are coming. 

Example when a patient is sick he takes medicine and his parameters under observation improves. 

SP Purport: Non Violence: Nonviolence is generally taken to mean not killing or destroying the body, but actually nonviolence means not to put others into distress. People in general are trapped by ignorance in the material concept of life, and they perpetually suffer material pains. So unless one elevates people to spiritual knowledge, one is practicing violence. One should try his best to distribute real knowledge to the people, so that they may become enlightened and leave this material entanglement. That is nonviolence.

A soul goes through various species to get human bodies and when in human form it has opportunities to get liberation, not allowing a soul to take path of devotional service where it gets liberation and Bhakti is violence towards soul.

E.g. Doctor is not giving proper medicine so that patient is not able to get discharged is a violence toward patient. 

So real violence is not interfering in people’s recovery.

We have discussed tolerance earlier, we should see that small things in life doesn’t distract us from a bigger goal is tolerance. E.g. someone insult me something went wrong in my life in daily routines that should not distract me from ultimate purpose

Ārjavam, is simplicity or truthfulness, so a devotee is not unnecessary diplomatic / political,

SP has made an interesting  point here: Because a bona fide spiritual master is a representative of Kṛṣṇa, if he bestows any blessings upon his disciple, that will make the disciple immediately advanced without the disciple’s following the regulative principles. Or, the regulative principles will be easier for one who has served the spiritual master without reservation.

So SP is acknowledging here that somebody can become spiritually advance without even following regulative principles. Regulative principles are important but it is not that important ultimately it is one’s attraction towards Krishna and Bhakti  

Bhakti Sanjayate Bhakti, actually it is ones attraction towards Krishna developed by one’s connection with devotees, when one associated with those who have Bhakti then by that association we also get Bhakti and thus we make spiritual advancements. 

So Bhakti Sanjayate Bhakti, so the regulative principle is easier to follow for one who has served spiritual master without reservation, there are two ways one becomes automatically advanced by serving spiritual master even without following the regulative principles conversely one gets strength by serving spiritual master, so ultimately one has to serve the spiritual master and attraction to devotees is propellant to spiritual path. It is not just the following of the regulative principles. 

SP Purport: Unless we have a pessimistic view of this material life, considering the distresses of birth, death, old age and disease, there is no impetus for our making advancement in spiritual life.

This pessimism is more of realism. E.g. somebody who is thirsty when given half glass of water and one can debate whether he is pessimistic or optimistic but if he is given empty glass then there is no question of such a debate.

So denying reality is not optimism but is a stupidity. 

When there is pessimism when there is no solution but we have solution of these problems of life.

SP Purport: As for detachment from children, wife and home, it is not meant that one should have no feeling for these. They are natural objects of affection. But when they are not favorable to spiritual progress, then one should not be attached to them. The best process for making the home pleasant is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

 

We were discussing difference between affection and attachment, affection refers to natural, emotional human connection which is there and which has to be there, it is vital for relationships to exist, when we are relating to people we have to relate to them as complete person we can’t say a person that I love your soul but I can’t care for your body. E.g. SP in his Vyasa Puja amidst grand celebration ask a devotes who is limping that what happened to him and during Vyasa Puja SP gave him prescription on how to prepare a homemade medicine so that he can be cured. 

So in relationship when we take care we need to take care of the body, the mind and the soul. 

Protection doesn’t mean just spiritual protection, telling people this is right and this is wrong, this is good for you and this is bad for you. That is important but along with that people should also feel valued, people should feel cared, people should feel cherished the success of our movement is very much dependent on how we can steadily inspire devotees to keep doing practicing devotional service throughout their life, so once a person comes to the shelter of Krishna, taking care of a person who has come to the shelter of Krishna is also important so that the person can go on life long and feel cared and inspired. 

So often the emphasis on detachment from family members can have a negative effect in terms of irresponsibility, detachment is not an irresponsibility, detachment means a lack of excessive emotional entanglement in material things, whereas irresponsibility is unwillingness to shoulder a burden which is actually one’s own, so if a person is in family life then the person has to take care of family.

Earlier days family were staying in temple and once temple authorities told Mata jis that distributing SP books are more important than taking care of your babies, it is motherly instinct to take care of her child and then one mata ji wrote a letter to Srila Prabhupada, and Srila Prabhupada wrote back strongly that what is this strange things as a mother Vaikuntha Children, and children are gift of God.

So Srila Prabhupada wanted to avoid both the extremes, on one side he doesn’t want mata jis to avoid home responsibilities for the sake of missionary activities, and the same time he did not want them to be restricted to the home activities and be not allowed to participate in missionary activities. There has to be balance. So the same applied to the husbands also. Husband has to take care of family; detachment doesn’t mean that one neglects one’s family members need emotionally or spiritually so one should be affectionate but not attached. We may say that it is not easy to divide the line but need not have to always walk on the line sometimes we will be on left and sometimes we will be on right and overall we will be move in the right directions. 

We need to have clear understanding at least conceptually and philosophically. 

Affection is essential there is a verse in SB how married life is like a fortress, only in extreme cases when horizontal relationship is insurmountable obstacle to vertical relationship then some extreme action is required but we should not assume that the obstacle is insurmountable right from the beginning. In general we should try to practice for devotional service in such a way that it doesn’t unnecessarily disturb others and others includes our family members. 

We may say that even my chanting of Hare Krishna disturbing others, no we have to understand that more and less in most parts of the world we live in a democratic society and every individual has certain right to make certain choices so we should communicate to our family members that I feel inspired to live accordingly to certain principles and this is what I am going to practice and we don’t have to impose them on others but at the same time that doesn’t mean that we have to give up our devotional practices for the sake of others. 

So a good example of attachment is Dhritarastra and Duryodhana that means even if a person is going on wrong track one allows a person to go on wrong track and in fact one oneself support that wrong track because one cannot say no to that person that would be attachment.

So one has to be sensitive and careful in these things.

SP Purport: Naturally, when one is adapted to the spiritual way of life, he will not want to mix with materialistic men. That would go against his grain. One may test himself by seeing how far he is inclined to live in a solitary place, without unwanted association.

SP Purport: Talks about how one can spiritualize his family by chanting Hare Krishna, worshiping the Deities, discussing BG, basically the 5 potent limbs of devotional service taking Prasad, can spiritualize the home life. 

SP Purport: Naturally a devotee has no taste for unnecessary sporting or cinema-going or enjoying some social function, because he understands that these are simply a waste of time

The idea here is a devotee understands that there is priority in life, we have only so much time and we need to engage in serious devotional service, so how do we engage in serious devotional service? By using all our time in purposeful ways so there are certain forms of socialization which are considered normal in modern society but are they actually normal? Do they actually lead to bonding at a deeper level? People use the word hang-out. Hang-out with my friends, people go a gossip about other, go and drink together, people go and do all sorts of pointless things together, so is hanging out makes relationship deep and satisfying? Not necessarily. So it is not that devotees don’t want to have relationships, naturally we have relationship with family members and others, but the important point is a devotee will not socialize which is detrimental to one’s devotional service. Balancing is every individual has to do by their own. Within devotees community we socialize that is Krishna centered. When we socialize with other it should either helps our KC or at least not harm our KC. 

vivikta-deśa-sevitvam
aratir jana-saṁsadi

adhyātma-jñāna-nityatvaṁ
tattva-jñānārtha-darśanam

aratir jana-saṁsadi, not mixing where materialistic people mix, so a devotee focuses on not getting contaminated by material desire that doesn’t mean a devotee cannot mix with materialist people at all, but we have to understand that infections are always possible and we have to protect ourselves, so once one understand that adhyātma-jñāna-nityatvaṁ, that a spiritual knowledge alone will last that will inspire a person to search for spiritual knowledge with seriousness and gravity and tattva-jñānārtha-darśanam, and one tries to understand what the philosophical truth of life, and in this way one moves forward in one’s spiritual life.

etaj jñānam iti proktam
ajñānaṁ yad ato ’nyathā

Everything apart from this is ignorance, what does it mean? The word ignorance and knowledge can have multiple meaning in different context. The material knowledge what we study in school and college is also knowledge. It has its validity and utility in its own sphere.

Here Krishna is talking about Jyana primarily the Jyana which enables on to advance spiritualty and gain liberation from material existence. 

Krishna is not talking about Varnashram here, in Varanashram every varan has to learn their own skills and techniques.  

But the point is 

etaj jñānam iti proktam
ajñānaṁ yad ato ’nyathā

apart from this everything else is ignorance. The meaning of this is none of these helps us to come out of material ignorance. It may make things better within material existence temporarily, as Krishna has described earlier in this chapter about Jyana.

kṣetra-kṣetrajñayor jñānaṁ
yat taj jñānaṁ mataṁ mama

To understand the Kshetra and Kshetra-jna that is Jyana.

End of transcription.