Bhagavad-gita Introduction

The following is a discourse in the Bhagavad-Gita As It Is by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

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So, I shall speak on Bhagavad-Gita As It Is.

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The purpose of saying Bhagavad-Gita As It Is is explained that there are many editions of the Bhagavad-Gita.

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They are interpreted in their own way, giving up the spirit of Bhagavad-Gita.

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So this particular name, ‘As It Is’ significant,

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perhaps there is no other edition of Bhagavad-Gita where it is written ‘as it is.’

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In this connection, Professor Dimock of Chicago University has written a forward,

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and he very much appreciates the theme.

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He says, “Swami Bhaktivedanta comments upon the Gita from this point of view,

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and that is legitimate.”

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He accepts that Bhagavad-Gita As It Is is legitimate presentation of the great book of knowledge.

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He also says, “More than that, in this translation the Western reader has the unique opportunity

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of seeing how a Krsna devotee interprets his own texts.”

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So, about Krsna, the devotees actually can interpret about Krsna book.

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Others, if they are not devotee, how they can interpret on Krsna?

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Just like a member of a family can say very nicely about the head of the family,

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how outsiders can say about the family? That is not possible.

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Similarly, about Krsna, a Krsna devotee can speak nicely. Not others.

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Others have no right to speak about Krsna, and Krsna also, admits Arjuna

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as the right student of Bhagavad-Gita. In the beginning, Krsna says that,

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“I have selected you as my student because you are my friend and you are my devotee.”

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So, in other words, we can understand that Bhagavad-Gita can be understood who has

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intimate relationship with Krsna. This is, Krsna says, “You are my dear friend.”

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That he has intimate relationship with Krsna.

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Without becoming a devotee, nobody can be intimately related with Krsna.

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These are the factors to be understood.

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So, this Bhagavad-Gita was spoken five thousand years ago to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kuruksetra.

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The science of understanding God is there in this Bhagavad-Gita.

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Bhagavad-Gita is the science of God. Everything has got some science.

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Scientific book, to understand that particular subject matter.

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Similarly, there are different types of concepts of God.

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Generally, they take it as an idea but we don’t take it as idea.

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We take God as concrete fact. Just like you are seeing me, I am seeing you.

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This is concrete fact.

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Similarly, a God can be seen by you, and God is already seeing you.

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There is no doubt about it. But you can see also God.

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That process we have to understand, how to see God.

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That process is mentioned in all the Vedic scriptures.

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That is called bhakti-yoga, that process.

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Krsna also says in the Bhagavad-Gita.

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If anyone wants to know Krsna, what he is, then one has to accept the process of bhakti-yoga.

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There are different types of yogas.

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Yoga means linking oneself with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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So, speculating yoga will not help us. You have to take concrete yoga.

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Concrete yoga is Krsna Consciousness.

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So, we are giving our introduction of the Bhagavad-Gita

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that one has to understand Bhagavad-Gita as it is directed in the Bhagavad-Gita.

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There is direction. How to read Bhagavad-Gita.

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People are reading Bhagavad-Gita without taking the direction.

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This we have explained in the manner that if you take some medicine,

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there is some direction on the bottle, that this is the dose.

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You take so many drops so many times.

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That is direction. Similarly, for understanding Bhagavad-Gita actually,

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you have to accept the direction as given by the author himself, Krsna.

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He says that, long long ago, some forty millions of years ago,

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He first spoke this Bhagavad-Gita to the Sun-God.

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Sun-God transmitted the knowledge to his son, Manu.

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And Manu transmitted the knowledge to his son, Iksvaku.

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So, the raja-rsis, they are all kings. Manu is king, Maharaja Iskvaku is also king,

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and the Sun-God Vivasvan, he is also king. He is the king of the Sun planet.

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His grandson Iskvaku became the king of this planet, Maharaja Iskvaku.

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In this dynasty, which is known as Raghu-vamsa,

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Lord Ramachandra appeared. This is very old monarchical family.

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Iskvaku. vamsa, Raghu vamsa, vamsa mean family.

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So formerly, the kings, the head of the administrative executive,

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they used to learn the thesis or the injunction given by God.

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So according to Bhagavad-gita, only a devotee of Krsna,

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a person who is intimately related with Krsna, he can understand what is Bhagavad-gita.

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Arjuna, after hearing Bhagavad-gita from Krsna, he addressed him as Parambrahman…

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He understood Krsna as Parambrahman. Parambrahman means the Supreme Truth.

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Absolute Truth, Parambrahman. Brahman, the living entities, they are also called brahman,

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but living entities are not Parambrahman. Parambrahman means Supreme.

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So Arjuna addressed him as Parambrahman, and Paramdharman.

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Paramdharman means the resting place of everything.

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Everything is resting on the energy of the Supreme Lord.

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Therefore he is called Paramdharman.

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Just like all these planets are resting on the sunshine.

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Sunshine is the energy of the Sun globe.

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Similarly, this material energy is Krsna’s energy.

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And everything is material or spiritual. Everything is resting on Krsna’s energy.

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The resting place is Krsna’s energy.

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In another place, Krsna says maya tattam…

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Krsna says that, “In my impersonal feature, I am spread everywhere.” All pervading.

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God is all pervading by his impersonal feature, namely his energy.

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The example is given, just like heat is the energy of fire.

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Through fire it spreads by it’s heat and light.

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The fire is one place, but the heat and light is spreading.

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Similarly, Krsna is in his own abode, which is called Goloka Vrndavana.

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There is a planet in the spiritual world, the topmost planet.

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As the topmost planet within this universe is called Brahmaloka.

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Similarly, in the spiritual sky, there is the topmost planet which is called Goloka Vrndavana.

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That is Krsna’s place. Krsna is there.

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But He can expand himself by his different types of energies and by his different types of incarnations.

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It does not mean that when Krsna was present on this planet, Krsna was absent in Goloka Vrndavana.

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No. It is not like that. Just like I am now present here, I am absent in my apartment.

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Krsna is not like that. Krsna can be present everywhere.

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At the same time, he can remain in his own abode.

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That is described in the Brahma-samhita.

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Although he is in his abode, which is known as Goloka Vrndavana, he can expand himself everywhere.

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Everywhere. And actually he has done it. So we must know how he has expanded.

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In which way he is in contact with us. That is the science.

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In Bhagavad-gita, these things are explained.

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So Krsna is addressed here as Paramdharman. The resting place of everything.

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Everything is resting. Krsna also says

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Everything, material manifestations, is resting on him.

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But I am not there. These contradictory things.

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Everything is resting on him, but I am not there. But it is not contradictory.

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It is very simple to understand. Just like, all the planets, they’re resting on sunshine.

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But the Sun is far away from the planets. Some millions of miles away..

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But resting on the sunshine means resting on the Sun. That’s a fact.

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Therefore Krsna says…

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Pavitram means uncontaminate.

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When we come to this material world, we are also spirit soul, brahman,

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not exactly as good as Parambrahman, Krsna, but is still,

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because we are part and parcel of Krsna, we are also brahma. Pavitram.

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Pavitram means pure. Just like the particle of gold is also gold.

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If gold is pure, the particle also, pure.

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So Krsna comes to this world, we also come to this world. But we are contaminated.

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But Krsna is not contaminated. The example is, just like in the prison house,

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there are many prisoners but if the king, or some king’s representative, minister,

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goes into the prison, to inspect things, how things are going on,

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it does not mean that the king or his minister is also a prisoner. He is not prisoner.

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But we, living entities, we have been entangled with these material modes of nature.

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But Krsna never becomes involved in these modes of material nature.

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Therefore he is called pavitram paramam. Absolute. Pure. bhavan.

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bhavan means pure. And purusam. Purusam he is addressed as a person.

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God is never imperson. God is person. Exactly a person like you and me.

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And when He appeared on this planet exactly like a human being, two hands, two legs,

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walking like human being, talking, behaving like human being, everything.

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So God is Purusam. Purusam means man. I mean to say, male. Not female. Male.

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Without becoming male one cannot be enjoyer.

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In another place it is stated that Krsna is the Supreme Enjoyer.

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As soon as the word is used, enjoyed, he must be purusam, male.

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So that is described. Arjuna understood him. He is a purusam.

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Param Purusam, the Supreme Person. In another place Krsna is described as Purusottam,.

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The best of the males. So, purusam sasvatam. sasvatam means eternal.

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The Mayavadi philosopher, they think that the Absolute Truth is impersonal.

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Arjuna is being advised by Krsna, “What is God?”

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The conception of God, however we may speculate, it cannot be perfect

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because God is unlimited. All pervading. We are limited.

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So actually unless God Himself, He reveals Himself to the devotee,

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it is not possible to understand what is God.

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Therefore, God Himself, Krsna, is speaking about Himself, the processes is:

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One has to increase attachment for Krsna.

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We have got now attachment for material things, and we have to divert that.

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Our position is that we must have attachment for something that is fact.

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So now, on the bodily concept of life, we have got attachment to this body,

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and anything pertaining to this body, we have got attachment.

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Just like I have got attachment for my wife. Why?

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There are millions and thousands of women beautiful women.

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I have no attachment for them. But my attachment for my wife,

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even though she may not be very beautiful, is a fact. Why?

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Because due to her relation with my body.

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Similarly, I have got attachment for my country, I have got attachment for my home,

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my, so many things, because I am thinking I am this body,

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and anything in connection with this body, I am thinking mine.

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So at the present, my conception of ‘I’ and ‘My’ is wrong.

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Therefore, if we divert that attachment to Krsna, then we can understand Krsna,

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or God, perfectly well.

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Krsna is just like Sun, when there is sunshine, you can see the Sun

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and yourself also. Without sunshine, in the darkness of night,

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neither you can see the sun nor yourself.

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Therefore the process is… Developing Krsna Consciousness…

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This is the yoga. Yoga means connected.

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That yoga should be practiced in connection with Krsna.

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Therefore he said, mad asraya. Mad means me, or mine.

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Asraya means taking shelter. So either you take shelter of Krsna, or Krsna’s representative.

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Of course it is not possible for us to take shelter of Krsna

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because Krsna is not present at the present moment. But His representative is there.

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So one has to take shelter of His representative.

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And practice bhakti-yoga, concentrating his mind on Krsna.

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This is called Krsna Consciousness.

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One has to take shelter of a person who’s life is devoted to Krsna and under his direction,

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we have to practice how to develop Krsna Consciousness, and then Krsna will be revealed.

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The revelation, proportionate revelation is proportionate advancement in seeing Krsna directly.