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 linga and achara Krishna addresses Katham Chaitam, how does one transcends the modes. 

Bg 14.26

māṁ ca yo ’vyabhicāreṇa
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa guṇān samatītyaitān
brahma-bhūyāya kalpate

Synonyms: 

mām — unto Me; ca — also; yaḥ — a person who; avyabhicāreṇa — without fail; bhakti–yogena — by devotional service; sevate — renders service; saḥ — he; guṇān — the modes of material nature; samatītya — transcending; etān — all these; brahma–bhūyāya — elevated to the Brahman platform; kalpate — becomes.

Translation: 

One who engages in full devotional service, unfailing in all circumstances, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman.

Vyabhicār we often quotes in terms of regulative principle  AVyabhicār or NO Vyabhicār means no illicit relationship.

Here Krishna is speaking vyabhicār in terms of distractions that means there is something right path and the temptations takes us to the wrong path.

So ’vyabhicāreṇa means one doesn’t go to the wrong path

māṁ ca yo ’vyabhicāreṇa

bhakti-yogena sevate

So without getting distracted Bhakti Yogena Sevate.

This is the only verse in BG where Krishna used Bhakti Yoga directly.

The word Bhakti is used many times the word Yoga is used many times.

sa guṇān samatītyaitān,

such a person goes beyond the modes 

brahma-bhūyāya kalpate

attains the Brahman platform.

So while practicing unfailing devotional service one transcendent the modes. 

’vyabhicāreṇa is not Ahatuki, Ahatuki is unmotivated, ’vyabhicāreṇa is unfailing. We may be unfailing in our devotional but that does not mean that we are unmotivated. The difference is in terms of intention and execution, unmotivated is talking about intention, ’vyabhicāreṇa is more talking about execution. Even a Jyani who wanted to transcend the material nature and he understands that he has to take shelter of Supreme Being who is beyond the modes and only by taking His shelter can I go beyond, then the Jyani starts practicing Bhakti Yoga. We discussed earlier about Pradhani Bhut Bhakti and Guni Bhut Bhakti that means whether other process is present in greater percentage or lesser percentage in the functioning. So kevala Bhakti means 100% Bhakti, Guni Bhut is when other processes are more than 50%, Pradhani Bhut means Bhakti process is more than 50%. We remember that this chapter is in Jyana section and most of the verse here Krishna is not talking about the Bhakta practicing Bhakti here. Krishna is talking about a Jyani practicing Jyana Yoga that means practicing Philosophical discrimination, so a Jynai understand that if I wanted to go beyond the modes Bhakti is required so I will take shelter of Bhagvan also as discussed by Krishna. This Krishna has talked in items of knowledge from 13.8 to 12, that one becomes equipoised towards the things and one practices devotional service without any distraction without failing, there also same word is used and the essential point is the Jyani has to practice devotional service seriously and to the extent it practices devotional service seriously to the extent he makes advancement, for Jyani goal is not Krishna the goal may be impersonal Brahman.

For devotees Krishna is not just object of meditation but He is also objective of meditation (Goal of meditation).

But for Jyani Bhakti may be a tool but Bhakti may not be goal. Even for such a person Bhakti has to be practiced and if that person is a serious practitioner that person may also practice Bhakti uninterrupted. 

So now this poses a question what causes interruption in our Bhakti are the modes and what is said that if you wanted to go beyond the modes you have to practice uninterrupted Bhakti so is it impossible thing? So we can solve this problem by practicing whatever Bhakti we can and we move upward till we come to a level where we can practice Bhakti purely and seriously and by that we return back to Krishna. Gradually Subtle But Surely we return back to Krishna. That means we may not be able to transcend modes all the time. E.g. in the morning when we wake up we may feel very sleepy but if we got adequate rest as per our bodily needs then we push ourselves to get up, now we cannot control whether we feel fresh up or not when we get up in the morning, but we can still get up and put a fresh water and then feel fresh that means modes do not shackle us completely. Modes give us a little bit of freedom, we use that freedom and then expand that freedom more and more. E.g. a wrestler’s hand is fractured so in recovery stage he cannot have the same strength but gradually by lifting and moving hand comes back to the same stage. So the capacity to move the hand will increase gradually and whatever capacity one has one has to start with that. 

So similarly we cannot practice unbreakable devotional service right now but we can practice devotional service with as less break as possible in the present stage. We can practice with as much consistency as possible and then gradually we move forward and come to the level of pure devotion and we become unmotivated and uninterrupted practitioner of devotional service, the Jyanis practice devotional service then they will get a destination accordingly, if they are not offensive to Krishna and they are Brahmavadi they attain Brahman as Krishna will talk about in next verse. 

SP Purport: One should also note that all the forms of Kṛṣṇa are fully transcendental, blissful, full of knowledge and eternal.

That means we practices devotional service to any form of Krishna.

End of transcription.