BG 3.10 – Talk at the Yoga Society of Greater Dallas

Giriraj Swami: We read from the Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, Chapter Three, Karma-yoga, Text Ten.

TEXT 10

saha-yajñāḥ prajāḥ sṛṣṭvā

purovāca prajāpatiḥ

anena prasaviṣyadhvam

eṣa vo ‘stv iṣṭa-kāma-dhuk

TRANSLATION

In the beginning of creation, the Lord of all creatures sent forth generations of men and demigods, along with sacrifices for Viṣṇu, and blessed them by saying, “Be thou happy by this yajña [sacrifice] because its performance will bestow upon you everything desirable for living happily and achieving liberation.”

COMMENT

Please repeat.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

The material creation by the Lord of creatures (Viṣṇu) is a chance offered to the conditioned souls to come back home – back to Godhead. All living entities within the material creation are conditioned by material nature because of their forgetfulness of their relationship to Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Vedic principles are to help us understand this eternal relation, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ. The Lord says that the purpose of the Vedas is to understand Him. In the Vedic hymns it is said: patiṁ viśvasyātmeśvaram. Therefore, the Lord of the living entities is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also (2.4.20) Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes the Lord as pati in so many ways:

COMMENT

What does pati mean, p-a-t-i? What does pati mean? Wait wait, raise your hand. Okay, behind Naimisharanya Prabhu.

Devotee: Possessor.

Giriraj Swami: Possessor.

Devotee: Owner.

Giriraj Swami: Owner.

Devotee: Husband.

Giriraj Swami: Husband, yes. They are all true, but husband is good, protector also.

PURPORT (continued)

In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also (2.4.20) Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes the Lord as pati in so many ways:

śriyaḥ patir yajña-patiḥ prajā-patir

dhiyāṁ patir loka-patir dharā-patiḥ

patir gatiś cāndhaka-vṛṣṇi-sātvatāṁ

prasīdatāṁ me bhagavān satāṁ patiḥ

The prajā-pati is Lord Viṣṇu, and He is the Lord of all living creatures, all worlds, and all beauties, and the protector of everyone. The Lord created this material world to enable the conditioned souls to learn how to perform yajñas (sacrifices) for the satisfaction of Viṣṇu, so that while in the material world they can live very comfortably without anxiety, and after finishing the present material body they can enter into the kingdom of God.

COMMENT

So, who wants to live in the material world very comfortably without anxiety? Partha, he was the first to raise his hand. Oh, doesn’t everyone? Why aren’t you raising your hands? And then, who wants to enter the kingdom of God after the present lifetime? Oh, okay, I see, that’s good, that’s unanimous. And what is the method for living comfortably without anxiety and in the end, entering the kingdom of God?

Devotee: Through Krishna consciousness.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, but how specifically? Partha?

Devotee: Yajña.

Giriraj Swami: Yajña. Yes, sacrifice, exactly.

PURPORT (continued)

The Lord created this material world to enable the conditioned souls to learn how to perform yajñas (sacrifices) for the satisfaction of Viṣṇu, so that while in the material world they can live very comfortably without anxiety, and after finishing the present material body they can enter into the kingdom of God. That is the whole program for the conditioned soul.

COMMENT

But what is the whole program for the conditioned soul? Okay, I’ll read it again. And I’m going to ask again, so pay attention and remember.

PURPORT (continued)

The Lord created this material world to enable the conditioned souls to learn how to perform yajñas (sacrifices) for the satisfaction of Viṣṇu, so that while in the material world they can live very comfortably without anxiety, and after finishing the present material body they can enter into the kingdom of God. That is the whole program for the conditioned soul.

COMMENT

So, according to this verse and purport, what is the whole program for the conditioned soul?

Devotee: To perform yajña.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, to perform yajña, sacrifice. And then, what is the result? Wait, raise your hands because too many people are speaking at the same time. Okay, yes?

Devotee: Satisfaction.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, to satisfy Vishnu, that is the purpose. And then, what do we get? What happens to us? Yes?

Devotee: We live comfortably without anxiety.

Giriraj Swami: We live comfortably without anxiety. And?

Devotee: We enter the kingdom of God at the end of the life.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, and at the end of life, we enter the kingdom of God. Very good.

PURPORT (continued)

That is the whole program for the conditioned soul. By performance of yajña, the conditioned souls gradually become Kṛṣṇa conscious and become godly in all respects. In the Age of Kali, the saṅkīrtana-yajña (the chanting of the names of God) is recommended by the Vedic scriptures, and this transcendental system was introduced by Lord Caitanya for the deliverance of all men in this age.

COMMENT

So, the Bhagavad-gītā is recommending the performance of yajña, or sacrifice. And what kind of yajña or sacrifice is especially recommended and appropriate for the present age, Kali-yuga? Yes?

Devotee: Saṅkīrtana-yajña.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, saṅkīrtana-yajña. And what does saṅkīrtana-yajña mean?

Devotee: Chanting the holy name of the Lord.

Giriraj Swami: Yes.

PURPORT (continued)

In the Age of Kali, the saṅkīrtana-yajña (the chanting of the names of God) is recommended by the Vedic scriptures, and this transcendental system was introduced by Lord Caitanya for the deliverance of all men in this age. Saṅkīrtana-yajña and Kṛṣṇa consciousness go well together. Lord Kṛṣṇa in His devotional form (as Lord Caitanya) is mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.5.32) as follows, with special reference to the saṅkīrtana-yajña:

kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ

sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam

yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair

yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ

“In this Age of Kali, people who are endowed with sufficient intelligence will worship the Lord, who is accompanied by His associates, by performance of saṅkīrtana-yajña.”

COMMENT

So here, the word sumedhasaḥ means intelligent, or good intelligence. And there is a contrary word in the Bhagavad-gītā, alpamedhasaḥ, which is used to refer to people who worship demigods. So, people who worship the demigods are less intelligent, and those who worship Lord Chaitanya or Krishna, by performance of saṅkīrtana-yajña, are very intelligent, like all of you.

PURPORT (continued)

Other yajñas prescribed in the Vedic literatures are not easy to perform in this Age of Kali, but the saṅkīrtana-yajña is easy and sublime for all purposes, as recommended in Bhagavad-gītā also (9.14).

COMMENT

Now, does anyone know what Bhagavad-gītā 9.14 says? People with smartphones are quickly. . . So, did you find it?

TEXT 14

satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ

yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ

namasyantaś ca māṁ bhaktyā

nitya-yuktā upāsate

COMMENT

Yes. So, satataṁ means always, kīrtayanto means chanting, kirtan, performing kirtan, chanting or glorifying, and māṁ means about Krishna. So, there is a harmony among the different Vedic scriptures, they say the same thing, and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam says the same thing, and Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā says the same thing, we should perform saṅkīrtana-yajña. All right, and what is the result?

Devotee: We go back to the kingdom of God.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, we enter the kingdom of God. And before then?

Devotee: We live comfortably without anxiety.

Giriraj Swami: We live comfortably without anxiety, okay. That is the whole program for the conditioned soul, very good.

So, specifically, we chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, as you know.

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

We have a few minutes left, do any of you have any questions or comments?

Devotee: His Holiness Giriraj Swamiji ki jaya! Prabhuji, Srila Prabhupada purport says ‘all men.’ So, does it include all the living beings, human beings?

Giriraj Swami: Yes. I was thinking of bringing up that point, what does it mean ‘all men’ when Srila Prabhupada says ‘all men.’ But ‘men’ includes women. It’s a linguistic convention. They say ‘men,’ but it includes women, all human beings. Mānuṣa, the descendant of Manu are men and women. Good point, thank you. Any other questions or comments? Yes?

Devotee: Prabhuji, it’s mentioned that saṅkīrtana-yajña and Krishna consciousness go well together. Saṅkīrtana-yajña is part of Krishna consciousness?

Giriraj Swami: Well, he said Krishna consciousness and saṅkīrtana-yajña go well together. Krishna consciousness and saṅkīrtana-yajña go well together because saṅkīrtana-yajña increases our Krishna consciousness. And if we are Krishna conscious, we will want to perform saṅkīrtana-yajña. So, each supports the other, and therefore, Srila Prabhupada says they go well together. Yes, Partha?

Devotee: What’s the difference between kirtan and chanting?

Giriraj Swami: Well, kirtan literally means glorification. And chanting, just like we chant Hare Krishna, we can chant, generally, in one of two ways. One is kirtan, which is singing usually accompanied by musical instruments, and the other is japa. We have our chanting beads, japa-mālā, and we chant on these, and that is mainly for our own selves to hear, but others can also hear us and they can also benefit by hearing. So, the chanting can be done either softly and for one’s own self in japa, or loudly, usually in a group with musical instruments, in kirtan. So, we do both. For initiated devotees in ISKCON, the minimum requirement is to chant sixteen rounds daily, but we also perform kirtan. And kirtan, according to Srila Jiva Gosvami, kirtan has a special power to evoke spiritual feelings. So, we do both kinds of chanting. Any other questions or comments?

Devotee: If we get our enjoyment, what is the devas’ enjoyment in their spirituality?

Giriraj Swami: Sorry, whose enjoyment?

Devotee: The devatas. 

Giriraj Swami: Oh, the devatas, the demigods. Well, the demigods are devotees, but not pure devotees, generally. So therefore, in the Bhagavad-gītā, Krishna says that those who worship the devas or devatas are less intelligent and their worship is not proper, avidhi-pūrvakam, because they should actually worship Krishna. The Bhagavad-gītā says those who worship the demigods are less intelligent and their worship is not proper, plus the fruits of worshiping the demigods are limited and temporary, whereas the ultimate fruit of worshipping Lord Krishna is eternal, enter the kingdom of God. But the demigods, they enjoy a higher standard of material pleasure than people on the earth. Even on the earth, there are relativities. Generally speaking, people in America enjoy more than people in some poor country. It seems that quite a few Indians come to America. Why do you come to America? There is a different standard.

So, within the universe, there are different standards. So, the standard of living on the planets of the demigods is higher. But still,

ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ

punar āvartino ‘rjuna

mām upetya tu kaunteya

punar janma na vidyate

From the highest planet of Brahmaloka to the lowest, all are places of misery, where the repetition of birth and death take place. So, whether you are in India or America or China or the moon, there is still birth, death, old age, and disease. So, real happiness means becoming free from those miseries, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam. So, we should be aware of those miseries. That’s part of knowledge, part of the process of knowledge, and we should make a program to become free from those miseries, and the program is to go back home, back to Godhead. And that can be achieved by Krishna consciousness, by performance of saṅkīrtana-yajña, that is very important. Otherwise, we’ll have to suffer again and again and again. And Kali-yuga is only getting worse, it’s not getting better. So, we should get out as soon as possible. Hare Krishna. Any other questions or comments? Yes?

Devotee: Please accept my humble obeisances. [Unintelligible 00:39:52].

Giriraj Swami: Sorry, can you repeat that?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:40:08].

Giriraj Swami: Well, the traditional Vedic yajñas were recommended for a previous age, and they are not even possible to be performed in the present age. There are four ages that repeat in cycles like the four seasons. So, there is Satya-yuga, Treta-yuga, Dvapara-yuga, and Kali-yuga.

So, in Satya-yuga, the recommended process was meditation. In Treta-yuga, the recommended process was Vedic sacrifice. In Dvapara-yuga, the recommended process was temple worship. And in the present age of Kali-yuga, the recommended process is saṅkīrtana. So, those Vedic yajña were very elaborate, they involved tons of grains and ghee, and so they are not really practical. I mean, we do have our little fire yajña, which we do when we install deities, when we perform initiations, we have those. But Srila Jiva Gosvami says that every process, including Deity worship, should be accompanied with kirtan, the chanting of the holy names, because that’s the recommended method, it goes well with Krishna consciousness. And so, whatever we do, it should be accompanied by kirtan. Hare Krishna.