Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

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

12-15: How Krishna assists us in our material existence and our spiritual endeavor

So what is the connection between the two How Krishna assists us in our material existence that is described from 12 to 14, and our spiritual endeavor.

So the correlation between this verse and previous verse is previous verse said that people should have Jyana Chakshu so that they can pursue the atma, but the question comes up what if a person is not able to pursue the atma, what if a person is at the bodily level itself, and the person is not so developed in consciousness in thinking, to be able to perceive the soul, then can such a person makes spiritual advancement, or is it that for such a person spiritual advancement is blocked. No it is not blocked, no Krishna starts talking about Himself and how the Jyana Chakshu works in different way,  Jyana Chakchu perceive the atama or we can try and perceive hand of God, we can try to perceive Krishna’s role in our life. What is the difference in perceiving Atma Tattva, actually perceiving atma tattva requires more critical thinking more intellectual sophistication more in depth penetration and contemplation that is not always easy, but even if somebody is at material level of consciousness who is not able to perceive spiritual reality, it doesn’t matter, if one can see the hand of God in material things. Whatever material things we have we cannot get even those by ourselves, even those come to us by the arrangement of the Lord, that is talked about in next verse.

15.12-15: Get Jnana by perceiving higher arrangement in material world

So we want Jyana Chakchu we can’t perceive the atma but still we can get some Jyana we can start perceiving spiritual reality in terms of Krishna’s hand, higher arrangement.

12th verse – talks about Cosmological arrangement, Cosmological refers to the universe

13 th verse – talks about Terrestrial arrangement, Terrestrial refers to the earth

14 th verse – talks about Physiological arrangement, Physiological refers to the body and mind.

15 th verse – talks about Spiritual arrangement

The atma is encased in various coverings, so at a broad level we are in material world, that is the broad covering around us, then within material world we are on a particular planet, on earth which is referred by terrestrial, so in this enclose also we need some facilities for living, and within that we are living in this body, so body also needs to be maintained, so let us look at how Krishna arranges for our maintenance at material level by looking at some examples.

Bg 15.12

yad āditya-gataṁ tejo
jagad bhāsayate ’khilam
yac candramasi yac cāgnau
tat tejo viddhi māmakam

Synonyms: 

yat — that which; āditya–gatam — in the sunshine; tejaḥ — splendor; jagat — the whole world; bhāsayate — illuminates; akhilam — entirely; yat — that which; candramasi — in the moon; yat — that which; ca — also; agnau — in fire; tat — that; tejaḥ — splendor; viddhi — understand; māmakam — from Me.

Translation: 

The splendor of the sun, which dissipates the darkness of this whole world, comes from Me. And the splendor of the moon and the splendor of fire are also from Me.

yad āditya-gataṁ tejo, 

āditya-gataṁ is sun shine  

yad āditya-gataṁ tejo, the splendor of the sun shine

jagad bhāsayate ’khilam, so the whole universe gets illumined by the sun

yac candramasi yac cāgnau, and the moon and fire 

tat tejo viddhi māmakam, that tej comes from Me, that effulgence comes from Me.

What does this means yad āditya-gataṁ tejo, Krishna has used same three things sun moon and fire in 15.6, 

na tad bhāsayate sūryo
na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ

So what Krishna is saying in spiritual world these three are not required because spiritual world is self-luminous but that is not the case with material world, in material world the reality is not self-luminous, so we need sources of illumination, and also source of nutrition. Without the energy coming from Sun nothing has been possible, 

So the important point is tat tejo viddhi māmakam, that there effulgence comes from Me.

Although sun light may appear as the mechanical process but the important point is who has started the process and who is maintaining the process.

tat tejo viddhi māmakam means this illumination is by my arrangement. We may study the arrangement but beyond is the arranger beyond the design is the designer, 

  tat tejo viddhi māmakam

So Krishna is saying I make the arrangement by which existence of this material world is possible. So this is Krishna’s arrangement at the cosmological level.

Purport: The unintelligent cannot understand how things are taking place. 

They may say sun is there enjoy and live but that is how animals are living when sun comes birds starts chirping etc. Animals doesn’t think why. They just think season has come enjoy. They think only on how. We humans should not only think how but we should also think why. So science largely focuses on how question. 

So although atma is eternal but this verse we have to look from materialistic person stand. 

We have discussed earlier about theism, deism and atheism.

In material world Krishna is not involved but He oversees and by touch of His sight things works. Maya adkshena prakriti suete sa charachara. 

When we look at the majesty of material nature we understand that it is all by Krishna’s arrangement. 

So even a person at material level of consciousness needs some backgrounds for existence and enjoyment and these backgrounds doesn’t come by chance they come by divine plan and through recognition of that divine plan one can appreciate Supreme Lord.

End of transcription.