Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

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

Bg 18.58

mac-cittaḥ sarva-durgāṇi
mat-prasādāt tariṣyasi
atha cet tvam ahaṅkārān
na śroṣyasi vinaṅkṣyasi

Synonyms: 

mat — of Me; cittaḥ — being in consciousness; sarva — all; durgāṇi — impediments; mat–prasādāt — by My mercy; tariṣyasi — you will overcome; atha — but; cet — if; tvam — you; ahaṅkārāt — by false ego; na śroṣyasi— do not hear; vinaṅkṣyasi — you will be lost.

Translation: 

If you become conscious of Me, you will pass over all the obstacles of conditioned life by My grace. If, however, you do not work in such consciousness but act through false ego, not hearing Me, you will be lost.

This is most directly indicative verse in BG for the phrase Krishna Consciousness.

Sometimes people ask this question from where this term Krishna Consciousness come form, it doesn’t seem to be directly a vedic term. It looks more like a concept.

But mac-cittaḥ, mat is Krishna and cittah is consciousness and Krishna is very directly telling if you become conscious of Me mac-cittaḥ sarva-durgāṇi, durgāṇi is obstacles, all obstacles you will overcome, how? mat-prasādāt by My mercy, tariṣyasim means you will cross over all obstacles you will go beyond all obstacles. atha cet tvam ahaṅkārān, if however because of ahankar because of pride you do not do this then what will happen? 

na śroṣyasi vinaṅkṣyasi, vinaṅkṣyasi, you will be lost. If you don’ hear Me out of arrogance you will be lost.

So here we see Krishna is demonstrating instructing by contrasting. 

So 18.58 is direct reference to what will happen by direct practice of Krishna Consciousness what will happen by lack of practice of Krishna Consciousness. So with Krishna we flourish without Krishna we perish.

So Krishna has said this earlier also in 3.31 and 3.32 and 4.39-40 where He has said you will have one result if you have faith in Me you will get other result if you don’t have faith in Me. Then after that in 9.25 also Krishna is talking in contrasting where famously He says that Yanti Dev Vrata Devan Pitri Yanti Pitra Vrata Bhutani Yanti Butejya Yanti Mad Ya Ji No Pe Mam. So depending upon whom we choose to worship we will get result accordingly. So instructing by contrasting indicates that Krishna is giving us choices BG is not so much a book of commandments, it is a book of choices and consequences,  

mat-prasādāt tariṣyasi, Prasad means mercy, tariṣyasi means float over almost, Krishna has used same word when He talked about surrender to Him in 7.14, When He said 

mām eva ye prapadyante
māyām etāṁ taranti te

taranti, means to float over, so material ocean is a dangerous ocean and we can easily sink into that ocean, but by Krishna’s mercy we will float over it, So Krishna has also talked about crossing the material ocean Tesa Aham Samuderta Mritu Samsar Sagarat, Aham Samuderta Mritu Samsar, I am the deliverer from the material ocean. Whether we are devotees or not obstacles will be there for everyone, the difference is in attitude in consciousness what purpose the problem serve? So for devotees and non-devotees the problems serve different purposes, for non-devotees suffering leads to frustrations but for devotees suffering leads to realization renunciation and devotion. 

Transcending problem means not letting the problems dominate our consciousness, but becoming Krishna conscious.

In S.B. demigods were not able of please Lord Narshimhadev by their prayers, whereas Prahllad Maharaj was able to do so, in SB 7.8 end Indra prays to Sri Narashimhadev and prayed to Him that because of Hiranyakashupu’s power and cruelty he has started dominating our heart and because of which we couldn’t think of You, worship You and perform sacrifices for You, now that he is being killed by You and our heart is freed from his domination now we will be able to continue our services and sacrifices for You and other duties, in contrast Prahllad Maharaj said whatever may happen I have been completely fixed in your service my dear Lord. So he said that I am not concern about the miseries of material existence, I simply wanted to glorify You my dear Lord and I wanted to gets others to glorify you. This is the difference between mixed devotion and pure devotion. So don’t tell Krishna how big our problems are but tell problems how big Krishna is. 

As Srila Prabhupada writes, a devotees may be perplexed but he is never discouraged. 

atha cet tvam ahaṅkārān, ahaṅkārā means I am great in this context it means I am big enough to solve any problem that comes to me, I don’t need anyone else,

na śroṣyasi vinaṅkṣyasi, na śroṣyasi, if a person thinks I am big enough to solve any problem I don’t hear Krishna, vinaṅkṣyasi, one will be lost because when I don’t hear anyone that means I am hearing my mind, because our mind is already working to drag us down to make our life miserable, so we need protection so that we are not dragged down by mind.

Without Krishna we suffer, na śroṣyasi vinaṅkṣyasi. It is not that when my life become problem free then I become conscious of Krishna it is other way when I become conscious of Krishna my life become problem free.

Srila Prabhupada Purport: One should note very carefully that one who is not active in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is losing himself in the material whirlpool, in the ocean of birth and death.

End of transcription.