BG 5.2

Giriraj Swami: 

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

We reading from Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, Chapter Five – “Karma-yoga- Action in Kṛṣṇa Consciousness,”

TEXT 2

śrī-bhagavān uvāca

sannyāsaḥ karma-yogaś ca

niḥśreyasa-karāv ubhau

tayos tu karma-sannyāsāt

karma-yogo viśiṣyate

TRANSLATION

The Personality of Godhead replied: The renunciation of work and work in devotion are both good for liberation. But, of the two, work in devotional service is better than renunciation of work.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Fruitive activities (seeking sense gratification) are cause for material bondage. As long as one is engaged in activities aimed at improving the standard of bodily comfort, one is sure to transmigrate to different types of bodies, thereby continuing material bondage perpetually. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (5.5.4–6) confirms this as follows:

nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma
yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti
na sādhu manye yata ātmano ‘yam
asann api kleśa-da āsa dehaḥ
 
parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto
yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam
yāvat kriyās tāvad idaṁ mano vai
karmātmakaṁ yena śarīra-bandhaḥ
 
evaṁ manaḥ karma-vaśaṁ prayuṅkte
avidyayātmany upadhīyamāne
prītir na yāvan mayi vāsudeve
na mucyate deha-yogena tāvat

“People are mad after sense gratification, and they do not know that this present body, which is full of miseries, is a result of one’s fruitive activities in the past. Although this body is temporary, it is always giving one trouble in many ways. Therefore, to act for sense gratification is not good. One is considered to be a failure in life as long as he makes no inquiry about his real identity. As long as he does not know his real identity, he has to work for fruitive results for sense gratification, and as long as one is engrossed in the consciousness of sense gratification one has to transmigrate from one body to another. Although the mind may be engrossed in fruitive activities and influenced by ignorance, one must develop a love for devotional service to Vāsudeva. Only then can one have the opportunity to get out of the bondage of material existence.”

Therefore, jñāna (or knowledge that one is not this material body but spirit soul) is not sufficient for liberation. One has to act in the status of spirit soul, otherwise there is no escape from material bondage. Action in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not, however, action on the fruitive platform. Activities performed in full knowledge strengthen one’s advancement in real knowledge. Without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, mere renunciation of fruitive activities does not actually purify the heart of a conditioned soul. As long as the heart is not purified, one has to work on the fruitive platform. But action in Kṛṣṇa consciousness automatically helps one escape the result of fruitive action so that one need not descend to the material platform. Therefore action in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is always superior to renunciation, which always entails a risk of falling. Renunciation without Kṛṣṇa consciousness is incomplete, as is confirmed by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in his Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.258):

prāpañcikatayā buddhyā

hari-sambandhi-vastunaḥ

mumukṣubhiḥ parityāgo

vairāgyaṁ phalgu kathyate

“When persons eager to achieve liberation renounce things related to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, thinking them to be material, their renunciation is called incomplete.” Renunciation is complete when it is in the knowledge that everything in existence belongs to the Lord and that no one should claim proprietorship over anything. One should understand that, factually, nothing belongs to anyone. Then where is the question of renunciation? One who knows that everything is Kṛṣṇa’s property is always situated in renunciation. Since everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa, everything should be employed in the service of Kṛṣṇa. This perfect form of action in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is far better than any amount of artificial renunciation by a sannyāsī of the Māyāvādī school.

COMMENT

So we continue the discussion of the question asked by Arjuna in the first verse of the present chapter. 

arjuna uvāca

sannyāsaṁ karmaṇāṁ kṛṣṇa

punar yogaṁ ca śaṁsasi

yac chreya etayor ekaṁ

tan me brūhi su-niścitam

Arjuna said: O Kṛṣṇa, first of all You ask me to renounce work, and then again You recommend work with devotion. Now will You kindly tell me definitely which of the two is more beneficial?

So, ordinary conditioned souls identify with the body, and therefore they think that the gratification of the senses is the way to attain happiness. Some people identify with the mind, and they think that mental speculation is the way to happiness. But when one realizes that he is actually not the body, or the mind, but rather a spirit soul, part and parcel of Krishna, then he realizes that the way to happiness is devotional service to Krishna. The natural function of the part is to serve the whole. If the part tries to enjoy independent of the whole, then the part will suffer. Srila Prabhupada gives the example that if the hand wants to enjoy rasagullās independent of the stomach, in other words, if the hand wants to just absorb the benefit of the rasagullā directly, the hand will get no benefit. But if the hand offers the rasagullās into the stomach, then the stomach and the whole body is nourished, including the hand. So because we are part and parcel of Krishna, our natural function is to serve Him. And when we try to enjoy independent of Him we suffer, and when we try to satisfy Him, and give pleasure to Him, we become satisfied. 

So, the idea that furtive work brings misery is correct. But most people think otherwise. They think that furtive activity will bring happiness. They think that by working, and getting money they can spend money to buy things, and then the things they buy will make them happy, either in the direct sense, they will become comfortable, their bodies will be more comfortable, or in the subtle sense, people will be impresses with what they have, and then people will like them better, or accept them more. But, the gratification of the gross senses, or even the gratification of the mind in the form of false prestige cannot satisfy the person, who is the soul. But the irony is, or the misfortune is that people don’t see it. They try, and try, and try, and try. They think that, “I tried to enjoy material thing, and I haven’t succeeded in getting happy, but if I get some more then maybe I wilI be happy. So they keep pursuing the same illusory goal.

I used to like to quote the exchange between the newspaper reporter [Unintelligible  00:23:30–31] who was the richest man in the world then, and the reporter asked him, “In one word what is your philosophy of life? Can you tell us your philosophy of life in one word?” and he said, “Yes, More.” He said, ‘More, More, that was his philosophy of life.” And the reporter said, “You are the richest man in the world, you can have anything you want at any time. So when you are alone, when no one is around you, when you are completely free, “what do you think about?” And he said, “how to pay the bills.”

So any one, the beggar on the street up to the richest man in the world is thinking more or less the same thing; “How can I get more, to pay the bills?” In other words, their greed exceeds their capacity to pay. An ordinary person may try to buy a car that he really can’t afford. So he will get the car on credit, and the richest man in the world may want to buy some new, multinational corporation, but he also can’t afford to pay for it. So he gets it on credit, and therefore the ordinary person, and the rich person are both thinking how to pay the bills, how to pay the finances, or how to pay the installments. So the conclusion is no one is satisfied. If you want more, it means you are not satisfied with what you have. If you are satisfied with what you have then you are not thinking how to get more. So both are miserable, the poor man and the rich man both are miserable. People whoever they are, but especially rich people, always like to bluff other people into thinking that they are happy. And that is why they buy more than they can afford. The same thing with ordinary people. They also try to buy more than they can afford. So they can bluff people into thinking that they are happy. So you have all these people bluffing other how happy they are, and under the influence of illusion, people think that actually the other person is happy, “I am not but the other person is. So if I get what the other person has, then I could become happy too.” And thus the illusion is perpetuated. 

But from the point of view of a person in knowledge, a person in Krishna consciousness, they are all miserable, they are all frustrated. They are not happy with what they have, and therefore they want more. And therefore, Caitanya-caritāmṛta says, bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī — sakali ‘aśānta’, that karmis who desire material enjoyment, the jnanis who wants liberation, and the yogis who want mystic power, all of them have desire. And therefore none of them is happy. kṛṣṇa-bhakta — niṣkāma, ataeva ‘śānta’, only the devotee of Krishna has no selfish desire, and therefore only He is peaceful. So we have to come to the stage of peacefulness, before we can be happy. Bhagavad-gītā says that without peace, where is the question of happiness? And to be peaceful we have to be satisfied with what we have. But materially we will never be satisfied with what we have. We can only be satisfied with what we have, if we become Krishna conscious. 

So how to become Krishna conscious? We are already in the material body, we have material senses, material mind, and we are always in touch with material objects. So what do we do? The Mayavadis think that the material world is false, and therefore they try to avoid material things, but the devotee knows that everything is the property of Krishna, including himself, and therefore he and everything else in the world, should be used in the service of the Lord. Now the philosophy is very clear, and simple, but the difficulty is that we are addicted to using material things, or trying to use material things for sense gratification. So even if we begin an activity with the idea of serving Krishna, and pleasing Krishna, when we come in contact with the material object, our old attachment, or our old habit for using them for sense gratification may take over. Therefore in the beginning, a devotee actually should be a little careful, and not think that he can use anything and everything for Krishna’s service. Because actually he may fall prey to the allurement of his senses, and the object of the senses. And although he began with the idea of using the things in Krishna’s service, he will end up using them for his sense gratification.

I met one old friend in Dallas, his name is Lalita Krishna dasa, and he did service with us in Juhu in 1974 or so. So he told me a story that every day he used to go out to preach, and because he was new, and less experienced, or less expert, he went to some of the further region. And he got maybe two rupees a day, for transportation. So one day, somehow he was feeling very hungry. He probably fell hungry most of the time but on one occasion when he felt hungry, he gave in to the desire, and he had gotten a cash donation. So he had ten rupees, and he decided to go into a shop and get something to eat. And just he when he was there another devotee passed by, named Dinanatha Prabhu. And Lalita Krishna Prabhu said he felt so bad. The first time he wanted to take anything for himself, and he got caught. So not caught, but another devotee saw him. Of course that is not the worst. That is probably one of the better examples of using Krishna’s property without authorization, and I need not go into some of the worst examples. But the fact is that when we deal with the object of the senses, we can fall back into our old habits, easily fall back into our old habits of trying to use material objects for sense gratification. So therefore we should be a little aloof. But the problem with staying aloof is that the desire remains there in the heart. The bad habit, sense gratification, remains so we need to reform our habit. So to reform our habit is by devotional service. We find ourselves in a paradoxical situation, that if we engage with material objects, we may fall prey to our old habits of sense gratification. But if we just try to remain aloof, then we don’t really purify our heart by devotional service, because we are not really able to chant, and hear about Krishna twenty-four hours in our present state. So we need some practical engagement. How to solve the dilemma, the paradox? And the way is to become more attached to Krishna consciousness than to sense gratification.

And the best way for people in such a condition, to become more attached to Krishna consciousness is through the association of more advanced devotees. The Bhāgavatam also says that, everyone knows that attachment to the material is the greatest cause of bondage for the conditioned soul. But the same attachment when transferred to the self-realized devotee of the Lord, opens the door to liberation. So if we have strong spiritual relationships, they will satisfy us, and then we won’t seek satisfaction by material accumulation, or acquisition. Attachment for more advanced devotees, and attachment for chanting of the holy name will help us. 

So Srila Rupa Gosvami, in going through the list of items of devotional service does not include renunciation as one of the items of devotional service. And to support his statement that renunciation is not an item of devotional service, he quotes or he has composed a verse that Srila Prabhupada quoted in the purport about phalgu-vairāgya. Phalgu-vairāgya is actually reference to the Phalgu river in Bihar. The Phalgu river in Bihar looks like dry land, or sand. But underneath the sand is the river. And if you go under the surface of the land, you find the current of the river. So renunciates without real Krishna consciousness are like the Phalgu river. They look like they are dry on the surface, but underneath the surface there is a strong current of material desire. So therefore just renunciation on material things, in the mood of the Mayavadis, who reject material things as illusion, is not sufficient to purify the heart of material desire. It is only when we develop spiritual desire, superior desire for devotional service, that we can overcome the material desire for sense gratification. And the Fourth Canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also repeats the same fact, that although the waves of the sense gratification are impossible to stop, for those who are devoid of devotional service, those who engage in the service of the Lord can overcome hard-knotted desire for sense gratification. And in the purport, Srila Prabhupada explains, or he elaborate on the idea that the river, the material desires, flow like waves of a river without cessation. So how can one stop them? 

But in the purport, Srila Prabhupada gives the example that yes, the wave of the river flow without cessation, but the river flows into the ocean. And sometimes, at high tides, the waves of the ocean over flood the river, and the waves of the ocean become more prominent then the waves of the river. So in the same way if one plans with intelligence, how to serve the Lord, the superior desire to serve the Lord can actually overwhelm the material desire for sense gratification. And therefore, the only way to overcome sense gratification is to employ the superior desire to serve Radha and Krishna. And that desire, as stated later in Bhagavad-gītā, develops by following the regulative principles of devotional service. But eventually the desire actually has to become strong, otherwise we will keep serving in the mechanical way but we won’t really develop the love, or attachment for Krishna, or Krishna consciousness. And mechanical service is probably better than nothing. It is not a very safe position to just engage in mechanical service, one actually has to come out of one’s own preoccupation as one’s self. Mechanical service means that one goes through the motions of the service, but within one’s mind one is actually thinking of himself, or herself. So we actually have to come out of the state of mechanical service, and really learn to think of others, to think of Krishna, or to think of superior Vaishnava, even learn to think of ordinary conditioned souls who need Krishna consciousness. And then one will develop the superior attachment, that will defeat the desires for sense gratification.

Hare Krishna.

Are there any questions or comments?

Devotee: When you were experiencing quite drama, something very serious.

Devotee: Can you speak a bit louder?

Giriraj Swami: I will repeat it. But you can try to speak louder. That is better, if they hear it directly.

Devotee: When you are experiencing a great trauma, a great bit of trouble comes into your life, and you were concentrating so much on that problem, that appears to be the most important thing in your life, thinking of Krishna at that time almost seems to take second place, because you are so overpowered by the trouble that you are thinking what is the easiest way of overcoming that?

Giriraj Swami: Do you have any idea?

Devotee: Yes, death of a close family, someone that one loved so much in the family, or somebody is terribly sick, that great attachment we have for that family member, seems to. . . what I am saying really is how do you overcome that pressing problem, and concentrate more on Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: Well, Srila Prabhupada has given an answer that such lamentation on the death of loved ones, or such concern for loved one is natural. But at the same time, we cannot give up our duties in Krishna consciousness. So we tolerate the disturbance, and continue with our duties. Now there are two types of situations here one where you can’t do anything about the situation, say the person has already departed, and one is where you may be able to do something, and in times of emergency one may just deal with the emergency. And one may not at the time, be able to chant one’s rounds, or make any separate effort to think of Krishna. But at the back of one’s mind, one should always be thinking of Krishna. The ultimate goal is Krishna, and the ultimate refuge is Krishna. But temporarily we can just deal with the emergency. But then when the emergency passes, we have to make up our rounds, whatever deficit we accrued in our devotional service. 

And then again the same principle, the association of devotees that taking shelter of the association of devotees will help us to be Krishna conscious even in the face of a calamity, or a loss. But if someone does undergo a calamity, and needs some time to deal with it, to grieve, or deal with it in some other ways, as long as one maintains the desires within one’s heart to recover from the situation, and get back to the regular duties of Krishna consciousness, then it is really not a fault to take some time to deal with the crisis, or the loss. But like anything else, one should not go overboard. To go overboard and you lost in the ocean, to stay on board. 

Devotee: That reminds me, many years ago there was a young child who died on the river. 

Giriraj Swami: [Unintelligible  00:47:34]

Devotee: That is right. [Unintelligible  00:47:43–47] who were able to maintain their strong belief.

Giriraj Swami; Yes.

Devotee: This was [Unintelligible  00:48:00–12]

Giriraj Swami: Well, sometimes our faith is tested, and we pass our tests, then we make a lot of advancement, some closer to Krishna. 

Devotee: [Unintelligible  00:48:54] one tends to just reject what [Unintelligible  00:48:58–00:49:00] and then this seems to be a tendency. I have seen the tendency that devotees had [Unintelligible  00:49:08–41]

Giriraj Swami: Well, again we come back to desire. Do we really desire to be Krishna conscious, but because we are older, our bodies are older, we can’t accept the same austerities we could when we were younger, or is our desire to enjoy, are we looking back and thinking, “I missed so much, when I came to Krishna consciousness, and accepted the discipline of Krishna consciousness?”

So are we looking back and thinking, ”Maybe I would like to try and enjoy some of the things, that I missed earlier. So then one has to decide is one going to go back, and try to experience what he or she missed. Or are we going to go forward, and just take what we need, because we are older and we may not be able to accept the same austerity, but basically just accept what we need, and stay focus on the goal of Krishna consciousness. And that is the decision everyone has to make for himself or herself. Am I going to go back and try to enjoy the things that I missed, or am I going to go forward, because every decision we make we will gain something from it, and we will lose something from it. So if we think we want to go back and enjoy some other things we missed, well we will get those things, but we will also miss something in our spiritual advancement. And if we decide we are going to keep going forward then we may miss some other things that we thought we might want to go back and experience. It is a decision everyone has to make for himself or herself. It does not mean that if one goes back, that one can’t go forward again. But one is going back, and if one gets older, it can be harder to gain the momentum to go forward again later. But one can do in the next life. Because what your desires are in the present life, they tend to continue in the next life. So if you feel that I missed out on so much, I want to enjoy life, or experience them, and then I will be more satisfied, I will be satisfied that whatever was to get, I got. Then I will be able to go forward. But again depending on the individual, he may not have the strength to get the momentum to go very fast again. So, he may or she may have to continue in the next life. 

So one has to consider. It is a decision that each of us has to make.

Devotee: [Unintelligible  00:53:48–50]

Giriraj Swami; Yes, yes. 

Devotee: So some may take longer than others?

Giriraj Swami: Yes.

Devotee: Is that what you are saying?

Giriraj Swami: Yes.

Devotee: If the desire is there.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, I think we assumed that the desire for Krishna consciousness is there. But it is mixed with other desires. So the question is how to deal with the other desires. What extent we should indulge them, or to what extent should we suppress them? Of course, the idea is to purify them. But again such purification requires strong practices, and good association. So if one does not have the strong practices, and good association then the question is okay, can’t just purify themselves so quickly. Then okay what do we do? Do I try to indulge them and get them out of the way, or do I try to neglect them, and try to go forward. And that is the decision. And there are consequences to both. There are consequences to both.

But yes, there are many intricacies, pertaining to each individual case. So we can’t really discuss all the different varieties of intricacies here but one should really think carefully before one makes the decisions. One should be aware of the intricacies, and consequences of the decision, and then be sure that he or she is making the decision, that he or she wants. 

Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā ki jaya!

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

Nitai-Gaura premānande.