BG 6.24 – By Chanting Everything Can Be Revealed to Us

Giriraj Swami: 

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

Reading from Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, Chapter Six, “Dhyāna-yoga,” 

TEXT 24

sa niścayena yoktavyo
yogo ‘nirviṇṇa-cetasā
saṅkalpa-prabhavān kāmāṁs
tyaktvā sarvān aśeṣataḥ

manasaivendriya-grāmaṁ
viniyamya samantataḥ

TRANSLATION

One should engage oneself in the practice of yoga with determination and faith and not be deviated from the path. One should abandon, without exception, all material desires born of mental speculation and thus control all the senses on all sides by the mind.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

The yoga practitioner should be determined and should patiently prosecute the practice without deviation. One should be sure of success at the end and pursue this course with great perseverance, not becoming discouraged if there is any delay in the attainment of success. Success is sure for the rigid practitioner. Regarding bhakti-yoga, Rūpa Gosvāmī says:

utsāhān niścayād dhairyāt
tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt
saṅga-tyāgāt sato vṛtteḥ
ṣaḍbhir bhaktiḥ prasidhyati

“One can execute the process of bhakti-yoga successfully with full-hearted enthusiasm, perseverance, and determination, by following the prescribed duties in the association of devotees and by engaging completely in activities of goodness.” (Upadeśāmṛta 3)

As for determination, one should follow the example of the sparrow who lost her eggs in the waves of the ocean. A sparrow laid her eggs on the shore of the ocean, but the big ocean carried away the eggs on its waves. The sparrow became very upset and asked the ocean to return her eggs. The ocean did not even consider her appeal. So the sparrow decided to dry up the ocean. She began to pick out the water in her small beak, and everyone laughed at her for her impossible determination. The news of her activity spread, and at last Garuḍa, the gigantic bird carrier of Lord Viṣṇu, heard it. He became compassionate toward his small sister bird, and so he came to see the sparrow. Garuḍa was very pleased by the determination of the small sparrow, and he promised to help. Thus Garuḍa at once asked the ocean to return her eggs lest he himself take up the work of the sparrow. The ocean was frightened at this, and returned the eggs. Thus the sparrow became happy by the grace of Garuḍa.

Similarly, the practice of yoga, especially bhakti-yoga in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, may appear to be a very difficult job. But if anyone follows the principles with great determination, the Lord will surely help, for God helps those who help themselves.

COMMENT

Here Lord Krishna advises us how to practice yoga, and the same instructions apply to us engaging in the practice of bhakti-yoga. He says sa niścayena, that one should practice with strong determination. Srila Rupa Gosvami uses the same word in Upadeśāmṛta: utsāhān niścayād dhairyāt, one should be determined. One should not give up; one should be determined in devotional service and achieving success in the end. Utsāhān means enthusiasm. Srila Prabhupada explains that Krishna consciousness is not just ideal meditation or imaginative ecstasy, but it is practical activity, so we should be enthusiastic.

Some people are afraid of practical activity because they fear they will become entangled. They are impersonalist. They are not enthusiastic for activity. Krishna consciousness means cultivation. If we not enthusiastic for any activity or any cultivation because they are afraid of entanglement. And why they are afraid of entanglement because they do not see the relationship between the world and the Lord. After all, they are impersonalists, Mayavadis. They think that the world is maya, so they want to avoid the world. They want to avoid activities, thoughts, desires, and emotions. They want to negate everything because, according to them, everything is maya, illusion. Therefore, they cannot be enthusiastic. But the devotees of the Lord can be enthusiastic because they see everything as the energy of Krishna. Therefore, they see that everything can be used in the service of Krishna without fear.

Materialistic persons see everything as potential objects of sense gratification. For example, if a materialistic man goes into the forest, he does not do it to remember Krishna but he might think the forest is a good place to earn money because there are so many trees to cut and sell. Similarly, they think about how to take advantage of the situation to earn money or enjoy sense gratification. Similarly, a lusty man, everywhere he goes he sees the woman. Even if goes to forest, he may think that he will get woman there. So, materialistic person always thinks about how to take advantage of the situation to earn money or enjoy sense gratification. On the other hand, a devotee thinks about how to take advantage of the situation to serve the Lord. Just as the materialist is enthusiastic to make money or enjoy sense gratification, a devotee can be more enthusiastic about how to utilize everything in Krishna’s service and especially how to engage living entities in Krishna’s service because they are also the property and energy of Krishna. Therefore, a devotee is very enthusiastic to preach and bring people to the service of Lord Krishna.

Srila Prabodhananda Saravati who was great devotee of Lord Chaitanya composed nice verse where he says, viśvaṁ pūrṇa-sukhāyate, that he sees the whole world as full of happiness. Now, how do we see the whole world as full of happiness? There is verse in Bhagavad-gītā which says, duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam, it is a place of misery and temporary. The answer is that a devotee sees everywhere as an opportunity to serve Krishna. How does one achieve such consciousness? Only by the mercy of the Lord. By receiving the merciful glance of Lord Chaitanya, one can see the world as full of happiness. Therefore, the devotee does not mind where he is. You may know the story that King Citraketu was flying through the sky in a celestial airplane and he passed over an assembly of sages in the presence of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva was sitting in front of the assembly of sages with Mother Parvati by his side. King Citraketu had some doubts about how Lord Shiva, the personification of religion, could sit with Parvati by his side, especially in the presence of sages?

Parvati understood the mind of Citraketu and cursed him to take birth as a demon. She said that all the great demigods like Lord Brahma had never dared to correct Lord Shiva, but Citraketu was so presumptuous to do so. She cursed him to fall down. However, King Citraketu did not object to the curse. He thought Parvati is my mother and she already curse to become demon so I must obey her. He accepted it willingly and continued. So, Lord Shiva glorifies the character of the devotee. He was not disturbed by the curse of Mother Parvati. Lord Shiva explained the reason for this: nārāyaṇa-parāḥ sarve na kutaścana bibhyati, a devotee of the Lord who is absorbed in the service of the Lord, is always equipoised, he is peaceful. svargāpavarga-narakeṣv api tulyārtha-darśinaḥ, he sees equally the heaven, hell, and liberation itself. He sees him all the same because he does not live in heaven or in health, he lives in Krishna in devotional service in Krishna consciousness. And he doesn’t care for liberation also because he is so satisfied with his engagement in devotional service that he doesn’t desire anything else, and he doesn’t desire liberation because he is already liberated. His devotional service is on liberated platform. Prabodhananda Saravati says the same thing that kaivalyaṁ narakāyate, that he sees impersonal liberation as hellish.

They want to merge and becomes one with God and cannot engage in devotional service. So devotional service is the greatest happiness. So, to be deprived of the opportunity for service will not help. So who is equipoised in any condition? One who is enthusiastic to Krishna. And here the Srila Prabhupada is the best example. He was so enthusiastic to preach Krishna consciousness. If anyone reads Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta, sees how Srila Prabhupada was enthusiastic to preach. Wherever he went, he only reminds that only he wanted to preach. Once some disciples were discussing Srila Prabhupada’s program with him and asking him where he wanted to go? And Srila Prabhupada said that I can go anywhere. I am just like a cow. Her service to give milk wherever she goes. So Srila Prabhupada was very enthusiastic to preach and he wouldn’t mind where he went as long as he had the opportunity to preach. Another time, the devotee was planning Srila Prabhupada’s schedule and he asked which schedule or which program would be more convenient? So, Srila Prabhupada replied that when one preaches there is no question of convenience when we preach, we have already sacrificed our convenience. So he is so enthusiastic to preach, utsāhān niścayād. And he was determined that I must spread Krishna consciousness, he would not accept defeat.

Even here at Hare Krishna land, there were so many obstacles and so many difficulties but he was determined. Sometimes, the difficulty seemed insurmountable but he was determined and the Lord helped, Krishna helped and Srila Prabhupada was successful in the end. Dhairyāt, and one must be patient. Even when Srila Prabhupada went to America, he was not successful at first and he was not successful. In fact, he used to go to the Scindia Steam Navigation Company office and see one of the next boat to India because people are not taking the Krishna consciousness, so maybe I should return. And he even wrote Srimati Morarji that how he is discouraged that people are not responding. So Srimati Morarji wrote back that you should stay and complete the mission, you should not come back. So, Srila Prabhupada was patient and the results came, results beyond anyone’s expectations. Then tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt, one must perform one’s duties in Krishna consciousness. It is our duty to get up early in morning. I must attend the maṅgala-ārati. It is our duty to chant Hare Krishna mantra. It is our duty to hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. There are so many duties that we must perform them. Srila Prabhupada gives the example that the winter is very cold but even in winter, one must take his bath. He cannot avoid his bath because in the old days people would take cold bath in the river and in the winter it was cold. The water was cold and the air was cold but still, even in winter one must take his bath, one must do his duties.

And in the summer, one must cook. Summer is hot in India. And when one go to kitchen, it become mote hot. But it doesn’t mean that because now summer has come, it is too hot so I won’t cook. Even in summer, one must cook, one must do one’s duty. So, in any conditions: heat or cold, pleasure or pain, dry or rain, we must do our duty. We should not be affected by the duality. And saṅga-tyāgāt, one should give up the association of mundane persons, materialistic persons. saṅgat saṅjāyate kāma, desire arises from association. So, if we associate with materialistic people, material desires arise. So, saṅga-tyāgāt, we should give up bad association, asat-saṅga-tyāga ei vaiṣṇava-ācāra. And sato vṛtteḥ, one should engage in activities in the mode of goodness, sattva-guṇa. sat also means devotees. So, one should engage in the activities in the mode of goodness in the association of devotees, following the previous authorities and saintly persons.

So, sa niścayena yoktavyo yogo ‘nirviṇṇa-cetasā, without deviation. tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt, one must perform his duty, no deviation. saṅkalpa-prabhavān kāmāṁs tyaktvā sarvān aśeṣataḥ, one should completely give up all material desires based on mental speculation. Soul has only one desire to only serve Krishna, so any other desire is not coming from soul but it is coming from the mind, the rascal mind. We should give those desires completely, not partially but completely. manasaivendriya-grāmaṁ viniyamya samantataḥ, one must control the senses by the mind. The mind is the center of the senses but higher than the mind is the intelligence, so with one’s intelligence one must control the mind. And higher than the intelligence is the soul, and higher than the soul is the Supersoul, so one must guide the intelligence by the instructions of the Supersoul or Krishna. And by the intelligence control the mind and by the mind control the senses. The Upanishads have given the example that the body is like a chariot. . .