An Address by Giriraj Swami to Leaders of Hindu Organizations October 23, 2009 Houston<\/p>\n
This year, Gita Jayanti, the day on which Lord Krsna spoke the Bhagavad-gita to Arjuna, will be celebrated on November 28.<\/p>\n
The Bhagavad-gita is also known as the Gitopanisad and is considered one of the Upanisads. The title Bhagavad-gita is sometimes translated as \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Song of God.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Gita mean \u00e2\u20ac\u0153song.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d God, Krsna, is so sublime that whatever He speaks is music and poetry. The word bhagavan has been analyzed by Vedic authorities. Bhaga means \u00e2\u20ac\u0153opulence\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and is related to the word bhagya: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153good fortune.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d And van means \u00e2\u20ac\u0153one who possesses.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d So bhagavan means \u00e2\u20ac\u0153He who possesses all opulence in full.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
aisvaryasya samagrasya viryasya yasasah sriyah jnana-vairagyayos caiva sannam bhaga itingana<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Full wealth, strength, fame, beauty, knowledge, and renunciation\u00e2\u20ac\u201cthese are the six opulences of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Visnu Purana 6.5.47)<\/p>\n
For example, wealth. All of us possess some wealth. I may have ten dollars, but if I look further I will find someone who has a hundred dollars. And if I look still further, I will find someone who has a thousand dollars, and a million, and a billion. But no one can say that he has all the wealth in all creation, that no one is equal to him or greater than him in wealth. When we come to that person who has all wealth\u00e2\u20ac\u201cno one is equal to or greater than him\u00e2\u20ac\u201cthat is Bhagavan, Krsna.<\/p>\n
The Bhagavad-gita was originally spoken by Krsna to Arjuna. As stated in the Gita (4.1),<\/p>\n
sri-bhagavan uvaca imam vivasvate yogam proktavan aham avyayam vivasvan manave praha manur iksvakave \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcbravit<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna, said: I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvan, and Vivasvan instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Iksvaku.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Lord Krsna originally spoke the Gita to Vivasvan, the sun-god, who spoke it to his son Manu, who in turn spoke it to Iksvaku. In this way the knowledge was passed on through disciplic succession from one to the next to the next. But in the course of time, that chain became broken.<\/p>\n
evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo viduh sa kaleneha mahata yogo nastah parantapa<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way. But in course of time the succession was broken, and therefore the science as it is appears to be lost.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Bg 4.2) Nasta means \u00e2\u20ac\u0153spoiled.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d You may have a nice plate of prasada, but if you leave it aside and it becomes old and contaminated, it becomes nasta, spoiled. It is food, but you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get the benefit. So, to get the real benefit of the Bhagavad-gita, one must receive it through parampara (evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo viduh).<\/p>\n
Five thousand years ago, Lord Krsna detected that the chain was broken and that, consequently, the knowledge was lost. So He came again and spoke the Bhagavad-gita again, to Arjuna: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Now, Arjuna, you become the first recipient of this knowledge in the new chain, so that the knowledge is received and presented as it is.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Srila Prabhupada called his translation of the Gita the Bhagavad-gita As It Is. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153As it is\u00e2\u20ac\u009d means as Krsna spoke it five thousand years ago and as Arjuna understood it.<\/p>\n
How did Arjuna understand it? First, he accepted Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead:<\/p>\n
arjuna uvaca param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan purusam sasvatam divyam adi-devam ajam vibhum<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the ultimate abode, the purest, the Absolute Truth. You are the eternal, transcendental, original person, the unborn, the greatest.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Bg 10.12)<\/p>\n
And he accepted everything that Krsna said as true: sarvam etad rtam manye yan mam vadasi kesava\u00e2\u20ac\u201c\u00e2\u20ac\u009dKrsna, I totally accept as truth all that You have told me.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Bg 10.14) \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I accept whatever You say, in toto.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He did not discriminate that he liked some parts of the Gita and not other parts. Sarvam etad rtam manye: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I accept in toto everything that You have said.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d If we begin to discriminate, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I like this portion, but I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like that portion,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d we become implicated in ardha-kukkuti-nyaya, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153half-hen\u00e2\u20ac\u009d logic.<\/p>\n
A farmer had a hen that was laying eggs. But the farmer thought that only the hind portion was valuable, because that part was giving eggs, but that the neck portion was simply troublesome, because it just ate food. He concluded, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I will cut the neck portion, which is just a botheration, and keep the hind portion, which gives eggs.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d And when he did, of course, the hen died and there were no more eggs.<\/p>\n
One verse in the Bhagavad-gita that is very popular among some people states, karmany evadhikaras te: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You are entitled to do your duty.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d They think, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I can do my duty. I can go to work. I can make and spend money. I can take care of my family, live with my family, enjoy with my family and friends. That is a precious instruction.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d But when they come to sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja\u00e2\u20ac\u201cgive up all varieties of religiousness and surrender to Krsna\u00e2\u20ac\u201cthat is a little troublesome, and they want to cut that part: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really need it. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll just keep the really valuable part: I can do my duty.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
In order to get the full benefit of the Bhagavad-gita, it is essential to accept it as it is. Devotees who have accepted it as it is and applied its principles in their lives have undergone extraordinary transformations. This knowledge can really help people. And any genuine person who gets something good will naturally want to share it with others. Anyone who has really imbibed the nectar of the Bhagavad-gita, gotten the benefit of the Bhagavad-gita, will want to share the knowledge with others. It is natural. If you are eating a nice plate of prasada and taste something really good, it is natural to say, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You should try this; it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s really good.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Or, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You should try this with this; it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a really good combination.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Anyone\u00e2\u20ac\u201cany child\u00e2\u20ac\u201cwill do that. So when you actually experience the benefit of the Bhagavad-gita in your life, you will naturally want to share the knowledge with others so that they too can benefit and become happy.<\/p>\n
Now, why did Krsna choose Arjuna to be the first student of the Bhagavad-gita? Arjuna was not a sannyasi. He was a married man. And he was not a brahmana. He was a warrior. Why Arjuna? Krsna explains,<\/p>\n
sa evayam maya te \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcdya yogah proktah puratanah bhakto \u00e2\u20ac\u2122si me sakha ceti rahasyam hy etad uttamam<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153That very ancient science of the relationship with the Supreme is today told by Me to you because you are My devotee as well as My friend and can therefore understand the transcendental mystery of this science.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Bg 4.3) The main qualification for understanding the Gita is bhakto \u00e2\u20ac\u2122si me, to be Lord Krsna\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s devotee. And later Krsna says that one should hear the Gita with faith and without envy (sraddhavan anasuyas ca srnuyad api yo narah).
\n(Bg 18.71) This is a most important point: to get the true benefit of the Gita, one must be a devotee.<\/p>\n
What does it mean to be a devotee? Sometimes the word devotee is used quite broadly. To begin, let us understand devotee in contrast to karmi, jnani, and yogi. These are all technical (as well as general) terms. A karmi engages in fruitive work. He works for personal gain: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I have worked and earned. Now I have the right to enjoy the fruit.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d That is 90 percent of the world. People work, and they feel, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I have earned the money, so I have the right to spend it\u00e2\u20ac\u201con myself, on my family, on my community, on my country\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\n(or whatever limited or extended concept of sense gratification he or she has). But the Gita says no. Karmany evadhikaras te ma phalesu kadacana: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Bg 2.47) The fruits belong to Krsna.<\/p>\n
If you invite a carpenter to your house and give him wood and nails and glue\u00e2\u20ac\u201ceverything he needs\u00e2\u20ac\u201cand say, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I want you to build me a cabinet,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in the end, to whom does the cabinet belong\u00e2\u20ac\u201cto the carpenter or to you? It belongs to the proprietor, not the worker. The worker has assembled the ingredients supplied by the proprietor, but that doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make him the owner.<\/p>\n
This entire material creation, this entire cosmic manifestation\u00e2\u20ac\u201cthe elements are provided by Krsna. The earth we tread; the water we drink; the air we breathe; the fire, or electricity, we use\u00e2\u20ac\u201ceverything belongs to Him, and we cannot rightly claim any of it for ourselves. We may assemble the elements in different ways, but it all belongs to Him and is meant to be used for His purposes.<\/p>\n
A karmi engages in work and wants to keep the fruits for himself. A karma-yogi engages in work but gives the fruits to Krsna. A man may grow a tree, and the tree will produce fruits. A karmi will keep the fruits for himself, whereas a karma-yogi will give the fruits, or some of the fruits, to Krsna. The sakama-karma-yogi has selfish desires, but he still gives something to Krsna. If the tree produces a hundred mangoes, he may give one or two or ten or twenty to Krsna. And as he becomes purified, as he develops more faith and becomes more attached to Krsna, he will give more to Krsna. And eventually he may give all one hundred mangoes to Krsna, without any selfish desire (niskama-karma-yoga). But he will not be the loser. Krsna will give him His prasada, His mercy.<\/p>\n
The jnanis and often the yogis are impersonalists; they believe that God is ultimately impersonal\u00e2\u20ac\u201cnameless, formless, without qualities, without activities. They may even go so far as to think that Krsna\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s form is material, that just as we have a physical body made of flesh and bones and blood and stool, so does Krsna. And according to them, if Krsna is material, then His name, form, qualities, and activities are also all material. People may chant His name, but ultimately they have to go beyond that. People may worship His form, but they have to go beyond that. People may talk about His qualities and activities, but they have to go beyond that. Ultimately, according to them, we have to go beyond all these illusory forms and names and come to the all-pervading impersonal light and merge and become one with it. Then there is no you, no me, no Krsna\u00e2\u20ac\u201cnothing. Just oneness.<\/p>\n
In theory, that is also a possibility. But it is very rare to achieve that state, and very difficult. Lord Krsna explains in the Bhagavad-gita
\n(12.2-7):<\/p>\n
mayy avesya mano ye mam nitya-yukta upasate sraddhaya parayopetas te me yuktatama matah<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Those who fix their minds on My personal form and are always engaged in worshiping Me with great and transcendental faith are considered by Me to be most perfect.<\/p>\n
ye tv aksaram anirdesyam avyaktam paryupasate sarvatra-gam acintyam ca kuta-stham acalam dhruvam<\/p>\n
sanniyamyendriya-gramam sarvatra sama-buddhayah te prapnuvanti mam eva sarva-bhuta-hite ratah<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153But those who fully worship the unmanifested, that which lies beyond the perception of the senses, the all-pervading, inconceivable, unchanging, fixed and immovable\u00e2\u20ac\u201cthe impersonal conception of the Absolute Truth\u00e2\u20ac\u201cby controlling the various senses and being equally disposed to everyone, such persons, engaged in the welfare of all, at last achieve Me.<\/p>\n
kleso \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcdhikataras tesam avyaktasakta-cetasam avyakta hi gatir duhkham dehavadbhir avapyate<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153For 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.<\/p>\n
ye tu sarvani karmani mayi sannyasya mat-parah ananyenaiva yogena mam dhyayanta upasate<\/p>\n
tesam aham samuddharta mrtyu-samsara-sagarat bhavami na cirat partha mayy avesita-cetasam<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153But those who worship Me, giving up all their activities unto Me and being devoted to Me without deviation, engaged in devotional service and always meditating upon Me, having fixed their minds upon Me, O son of Prtha\u00e2\u20ac\u201cfor them I am the swift deliverer from the ocean of birth and death.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Not only is the impersonal path difficult, but the result is also not very satisfying, because ultimately everyone wants happiness and love. The two most basic human needs are to love and be loved. We want friends, we want family, we want community, and we are not happy without them. If you were a billionaire but could never see another living being, would you be happy? No. You would be so desperate for company, for relationship, that you would say, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want this wealth. I just want to be with people I love and who love me.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d In a way, this was Arjuna\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s thinking at the beginning of the Bhagavad-gita. He considered, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What is the use of winning a kingdom if in the course of the battle all my friends and family die? What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the use? With whom will I enjoy my kingdom?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d The thought of being without family and friends so overwhelmed Arjuna that he said to Krsna,<\/p>\n
na hi prapasyami mamapanudyad yac chokam ucchosanam indriyanam avapya bhumav asapatnam rddham rajyam suranam api cadhipatyam<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I can find no means to drive away this grief which is drying up my senses. I will not be able to dispel it even if I win a prosperous, unrivaled kingdom on earth with sovereignty like that of the demigods in heaven.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Bg
\n2.8)<\/p>\n
There is much truth to what Arjuna said at the beginning of the Gita, but that truth is on a lower level. By the mercy of Lord Krsna, after hearing the Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna was elevated to a higher, better understanding. He realized that perfect happiness and love were to be realized in relation to Krsna, and so Arjuna surrendered unto Him.<\/p>\n
Krsna gave Arjuna the choice. Krsna did not force him, because true surrender, or true love, is voluntary. Krsna gave Arjuna the freedom to deliberate and then decide:<\/p>\n
iti te jnanam akhyatam guhyad guhyataram maya vimrsyaitad asesena yathecchasi tatha kuru<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Thus I have explained to you knowledge still more confidential. Deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Bg 18.63) Yathecchasi tatha kuru\u00e2\u20ac\u201c\u00e2\u20ac\u009dYou can do whatever you like.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d We all have free will, given to us by God. But after hearing the Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna immediately responded, karisye vacanam tava: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I will do whatever You say.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d That is the position of the surrendered devotee.<\/p>\n
arjuna uvaca nasto mohah smrtir labdha tvat-prasadan mayacyuta sthito \u00e2\u20ac\u2122smi gata-sandehah karisye vacanam tava<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Arjuna said: My dear Krsna, O infallible one, my illusion is now gone. I have regained my memory by Your mercy. I am now firm and free from doubt and am prepared to act according to Your instructions.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Bg 18.73)<\/p>\n
Now we may be a little worried. We are back to that troublesome sloka, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d And we may wonder, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What are the implications of karisye vacanam tava: \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI am prepared to act according to Your instructions\u00e2\u20ac\u2122? What if Krsna tells me to give up my wife, my children, my business, my home? Then what?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d This is a problematic question, and some people may not want to pursue the course of surrender to Krsna, because they are afraid of the consequences.<\/p>\n
But there is some leniency here, some considerateness. Lord Krsna gives us a gradual process to come to the stage of surrender, because surrender is based on faith. When we have faith in someone or something, we can surrender. And if we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have faith, we won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t surrender. In this present Age of Kali, faith is very rare. It is very difficult to come by genuine faith. The society is materialistic, and everyone is cultured in the idea that they are independent, free to think and do whatever they like, without restriction. In fact, they are envious. Material life means envy\u00e2\u20ac\u201cfirst of Krsna. People think, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Why should I surrender to Him? I am also intelligent. I also know things. I can also speak and argue. Why should I surrender?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d And people find fault with Krsna: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Why did He tell Arjuna to fight? Why did He cause so many people to die?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d In particular, people who are envious find fault with Krsna. They can never understand the Bhagavad-gita. Therefore Lord Krsna says,<\/p>\n
idam te natapaskaya nabhaktaya kadacana na casusrusave vacyam na ca mam yo \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcbhyasuyati<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153This confidential knowledge may never be explained to those who are not austere, or devoted, or engaged in devotional service, nor to one who is envious of Me.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Bg 18.67) One must be a devotee, a bhakta. Only devotees are without envy.<\/p>\n
Still, Krsna, like a loving father, wants to bring all His sons and daughters to the highest perfection, even though He knows that it may take some time. A parent will want his child to grow to be strong and healthy and happy and intelligent and competent, and to take over the family\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s business. A genuine, loving parent will want to give everything to the child, but the parent first wants to see that the child is responsible enough.<\/p>\n
As I grew up, my father gave me a weekly allowance. My first allowance was five or ten cents. I was just a child, and he wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sure how I would use the money. Eventually he raised my allowance to twenty-five cents. And I felt so proud: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153My father really trusts me.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Twenty-five cents was quite a good amount for me then.<\/p>\n
So, the parents want to give to the children, but they also want to see that the children are responsible enough to take care of what they give them. In a similar way, Krsna wants to give us everything\u00e2\u20ac\u201ceven Himself\u00e2\u20ac\u201cbut He wants to see that we are qualified.<\/p>\n
Another analogy is a teacher in a classroom. The study of math begins with one plus one equals two. There is much more, but the students proceed step by step: addition, then subtraction, then multiplication, then division\u00e2\u20ac\u201cso many processes they have to learn.<\/p>\n
In the Bhagavad-gita, the first instruction is that you are not the body but the soul within the body. Aham brahmasmi. That is the beginning, and if we understand even one line of the Bhagavad-gita, from the very beginning, our lives will change.<\/p>\n
dehino \u00e2\u20ac\u2122smin yatha dehe kaumaram yauvanam jara tatha dehantara-praptir dhiras tatra na muhyati<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Bg 2.13) If we just understand that we are not the body but are the atma, the jivatma, within the body, that alone is enough to change our whole life. We will no longer act on the basis of the body, for sense gratification, but on the basis of the soul, for self-realization. In today\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s materialistic society one\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s whole endeavor is to get things for the body\u00e2\u20ac\u201cmy body, my wife\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s body, my children\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s bodies, my parents\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 bodies\u00e2\u20ac\u201cto make the body comfortable. But the body is just like a dress for the soul. Now, which is more important\u00e2\u20ac\u201cthe clothes or the person inside the clothes? The person, of course. The body itself is just a dress, which changes. The real person is the soul, who exists always.<\/p>\n
vasamsi jirnani yatha vihaya navani grhnati naro \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcparani tatha sarirani vihaya jirnany anyani samyati navani dehi<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Bg 2.22)<\/p>\n
If we understand just this one point, from the very beginning of the Bhagavad-gita, our entire life will change. We will work for the benefit of the soul, which is our actual self and is part and parcel of the Supreme Self, God, Krsna, knowing that our real relationship is with Him, not with the body. And then, gradually, step by step, we will come to the conclusion of the Bhagavad-gita:<\/p>\n
man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru mam evaisyasi satyam te pratijane priyo \u00e2\u20ac\u2122si me<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me, and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Bg 18.65)<\/p>\n
sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami ma sucah<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Bg 18.66)<\/p>\n
Man-mana\u00e2\u20ac\u201calways think of Krsna. If you do that, you will naturally become a devotee of Krsna (mad-bhakto). You will worship Him (mad-yaji) and offer obeisance unto Him (mam namaskuru). It is so simple.<\/p>\n
The critical point is man-mana, to always think of Krsna. And how can we always think of Him? In the ninth chapter of the Gita Krsna says,<\/p>\n
satatam kirtayanto mam yatantas ca drdha-vratah namasyantas ca mam bhaktya nitya-yukta upasate<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Bg
\n9.14) Satatam kirtayanto mam\u00e2\u20ac\u201cif we always (satatam) engage in glorifying Krsna, chanting His holy name (kirtana), we will always think of Him.<\/p>\n
We are Hare Krsna devotees, and we are speaking about the Bhagavad-gita. What is the connection? The chanting of Hare Krsna is the real way to follow the instructions of Lord Krsna in the Bhagavad-gita. Sri Krsna Caitanya, the incarnation of Krsna for the present Age of Kali, who inaugurated the Hare Krsna movement five hundreds years ago, taught, kirtaniyah sada harih: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Always chant the holy name of Hari [Krsna].\u00e2\u20ac\u009d And in the Bhagavad-gita, Sri Krsna gives the same instruction: satatam kirtayanto mam\u00e2\u20ac\u201calways engage in kirtana, chanting the holy name of Krsna. So the chanting of Hare Krsna is really the fulfillment of Lord Krsna\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ultimate instruction in the Bhagavad-gita: man-mana\u00e2\u20ac\u201calways think of Krsna. Chanting is the best\u00e2\u20ac\u201cand easiest\u00e2\u20ac\u201cway to think of Krsna.<\/p>\n
Of course, we think of Krsna when we hear about Him from the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam, but for that we need a book or a reader. We think of Krsna when we see His Deity form, His murti, but for that we need a temple, a mandira, with a murti. There are so many ways of thinking of Krsna, but the beauty of chanting, either kirtana or japa, is that we need only our tongue and ears. In the Bhagavad-gita (10.25) Lord Krsna recommends, yajnanam japa-yajno \u00e2\u20ac\u2122smi: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Of sacrifices I am the chanting of the holy names [japa].\u00e2\u20ac\u009d This anyone can do. Young or old, black or white, man or woman, educated or uneducated\u00e2\u20ac\u201canyone and everyone can chant Hare Krsna and fulfill Krsna\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s instruction in the Bhagavad-gita.<\/p>\n
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, the authorized biography of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, relates an instructive story. While touring South India, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to the holy place of Sri Ranga-ksetra, where, in front of the temple, He saw a brahmana holding the Bhagavad-gita and crying, surrounded by people who were laughing and criticizing him. Sri Caitanya asked him, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Why are these people laughing?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d And he replied, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I am holding the Bhagavad-gita, but I am more or less illiterate. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know how to pronounce the words properly, and I do not know what they mean. But my guru ordered me to read the Gita, and so I read all eighteen chapters every day.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Caitanya Mahaprabhu inquired, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Why are you crying?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d And he replied, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153When I hold the Bhagavad-gita I see before me Krsna and Arjuna on the chariot. Krsna is acting as Arjuna\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s chariot driver. Taking the reins in His hands, He appears very beautiful. While seeing Lord Krsna instructing Arjuna, I weep in ecstatic happiness.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Then Lord Caitanya told the brahmana, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You are the true authority in the reading of the Bhagavad-gita. You know the real purport of the Bhagavad-gita.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d And He embraced him.<\/p>\n
Proud people may think, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oh, these Hare Krsna people can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t understand much. They don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know Sanskrit. They don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have the samskaras. Let them chant. It is good.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d But actually, by chanting the holy name of Krsna one awakens one\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s love for Him, which is the real purport of the Bhagavad-gita. By chanting, one fulfills the Lord\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s instructions in the Bhagavad-gita to always think of Him and sing His glories. Although some who chant may not be very learned or knowledgeable in a certain sense, if they are genuine devotees of Krsna, they are fulfilling the real purport of the Bhagavad-gita.<\/p>\n
aho bata sva-paco \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcto gariyan yaj-jihvagre vartate nama tubhyam tepus tapas te juhuvuh sasnur arya brahmanucur nama grnanti ye te<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oh, how glorious are they whose tongues are chanting Your holy name! Even if born in the families of dog-eaters, such persons are worshipable. Persons who chant the holy name of Your Lordship must have executed all kinds of austerities and fire sacrifices and achieved all the good manners of the Aryans. To be chanting the holy name of Your Lordship, they must have bathed at holy places of pilgrimage, studied the Vedas, and fulfilled everything required.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (SB 3.33.7)<\/p>\n
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness not only presents the knowledge of the Bhagavad-gita but also gives the practical means by which one can fulfill its purport\u00e2\u20ac\u201cto become a devotee of Krsna, always think of Him, worship Him, offer homage to Him, and preach His message. After personally surrendering to Krsna (sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja), one can go further and teach this knowledge. This is Lord Krsna\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s last instruction:<\/p>\n
ya idam paramam guhyam mad-bhaktesv abhidhasyati bhaktim mayi param krtva mam evaisyaty asamsayah<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153For one who explains this supreme secret to the devotees, pure devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me.<\/p>\n
na ca tasman manusyesu kascin me priya-krttamah bhavita na ca me tasmad anyah priyataro bhuvi<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Bg 18.68-69) The real conclusion of the Bhagavad-gita, built upon one\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s full surrender to Krsna, is to spread this message and become most dear to Krsna.<\/p>\n
This is the opportunity we all have now. On Gita Jayanti we think of Krsna, recite the Gita, and perform the yajna, but the real essence of the celebration is to bring more people to Krsna, to the wisdom of the Gita. As devotees, we want to bring others to Krsna, and when we do, Krsna is even more pleased. And that is what Gita Jayanti is really meant to do: to please Krsna, to bring the Bhagavad-gita to more people and bring more people to Krsna\u00e2\u20ac\u201cand make us dear to Krsna.<\/p>\n
It is a wonderful, wonderful opportunity. I have been chanting Hare Krsna and reading the Bhagavad-gita for forty years, and it is ever-fresh. Once, Srila Prabhupada told a New York Times interviewer, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Every day your employer is printing so many newspapers. On Sunday especially the paper is so big that one can hardly carry it. But after reading it for an hour, people throw it away. Here is this book\u00e2\u20ac\u201cthe Bhagavad-gita\u00e2\u20ac\u201cand people keep it and read it for a lifetime, and in this way it has been read for the past five thousand years. Give people such literature that will be taken and kept forever.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d And the reporter laughed\u00e2\u20ac\u201cand agreed.<\/p>\n
I am very grateful to all of you for having come this evening, after what was probably a long, hard day at work, braving the rush hour traffic. I am grateful that you came and spared your valuable time. And I look forward to working together with all of you on this wonderful project, which will be so beneficial to so many people. Srila Prabhupada\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s guru instructed him to preach the message of the Bhagavad-gita in English all over the world, telling him, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153This will do much good for you as well as your audience.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d So it is win-win-win. It will be beneficial for you, it will be beneficial for the people in general, and ultimately Krsna will be pleased. And that is our goal\u00e2\u20ac\u201cthat is what bhakti means\u00e2\u20ac\u201cto please Krsna. When Krsna is pleased, our life is successful and we are naturally satisfied and pleased.<\/p>\n
So we thank you very much.<\/p>\n
Hare Krsna.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
An Address by Giriraj Swami to Leaders of Hindu Organizations October 23, 2009 Houston This year, Gita Jayanti, the day on which Lord Krsna spoke the Bhagavad-gita to Arjuna, will be celebrated on November 28. The Bhagavad-gita is also known as the Gitopanisad and is considered one of the Upanisads. The title Bhagavad-gita is sometimes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-philosophy"],"views":4970,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/iskconuk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/iskconuk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/iskconuk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/iskconuk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/iskconuk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=260"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/iskconuk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/iskconuk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/iskconuk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/iskconuk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}