Vrndavana, India April 17, 1975
Only to His devotees does Lord Krsna
reveal the deepest knowledge of the soul and God.
sri-bhagavan uvaca
idam tu te guhyatamam
pravaksyamy anasuyave
jnanam vijnana-sahitam
yaj jnatva moksyase 'subhat
"The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Arjuna, because you are never envious of Me, I shall impart to you this most confidential knowledge and realization, knowing which you shall be relieved of the miseries of material existence." Bhagavad-gita 9.1
Sri-bhagavan uvaca. This word, bhagavan, I have explained many times. Bhagavan means the supreme authority. Krsna's authoritative power has been analyzed by Srila Rupa Gosvami: Cent percent power or cent percent qualification is in Krsna. Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam: "Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
Even though other persons in the Vedic literature may sometimes be addressed as Bhagavan, that does not mean that they are equal to the Supreme Person. Sometimes Narada Muni is addressed as Bhagavan. Lord Siva is also addressed as Bhagavan. Not only visnu-tattva [God and His full expansions], but others are also sometimes addressed as Bhagavan. But in order to particularly point out Krsna, it has been said in the Srimad-Bhagavatam [1.3.28], krsnas tu bhagavan svayam: "Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
Bhagavan is Krsna because Krsna has cent percent qualities of Bhagavan. That is analyzed in Caitanya-caritamrta. Krsna is cent percent Bhagavan. Others are also Bhagavan, visnu-tattva. Narayana is also Bhagavan. But Srila Rupa Gosvami has analyzed that Narayana is ninety-four percent, not cent percent.
Bhagavan is sad-aisvarya purnah, full in six opulences: beauty, wealth, strength, fame, knowledge, and renunciation. That Bhagavan is Krsna. Expansions of Krsna are also sad-aisvarya purnah, but the full opulence is not displayed. Even Lord Ramacandra did not display the full opulence of Krsna, even though our authority Madhvacarya has accepted Him as Bhagavan.
Ramadi-murtisu kala-niyamena tis han. Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is existing as the Supreme Person along with Rama, Nrsimha, Varaha many thousands of avatars. They are also Krsna. Kesava dhrta-rama-sarira jaya jagadisa hare. Kesava dhrta-mina-sarira jaya jagadisa hare. Krsna exists with all the incarnations, not that He exists only as Krsna. So when we speak of Krsna, we mean all His expansions and incarnations.
Therefore it is said, ramadi-murtisu kala. They are kala. Kala means partial expansion, not full expansion. Full expansions are called purna. They are also Bhagavan. But krsnas tu bhagavan svayam means that bhagavatva the authority of Bhagavan is fully expressed in Krsna, not in others. Therefore in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, after the list of different incarnations, it is said, ete camsa-kalah pumsah krsnas tu bhagavan svayam: All the incarnations mentioned are partial expansions and expansions of the expansions, or expansions of Krsna's power, saktyavesa-avatara. Lord Buddha is a saktyavesa-avatara. There are many saktyavesa-avataras.
In this way Krsna always exists along with His expansions and incarnations. But the real, original Personality of Godhead is Krsna. Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. Bhagavad-gita is being spoken by Krsna. But in order to distinguish Him, Vyasadeva writes sri-bhagavan uvaca. He does not write sri-krsna uvaca, because he wants to distinguish: krsnas tu bhagavan.
Knowledge From The Supreme
We are pledged to receive knowledge from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is our mission in Krsna consciousness. Here is knowledge given by Krsna. Idam tu te guhyatamam pravaksyamy anasuyave: "Now I am giving you this knowledge, very confidential knowledge."
Krsna says that this knowledge is guhyatamam. Guhya means "confidential," guhyatara means "more confidential," and guhyatamam means "most confidential." Positive, comparative, and superlative. Guhya is positive, guhyatara is comparative, and guhyatamam is superlative.
Brahma-jnana, or knowledge of Brahman, spirit, is guhya, confidential, because if you achieve brahma-jnana you become the most important person within the material world. That stage is called brahma-bhutah. And brahma-bhutah is the stage of the brahmana, or above that. To become brahma-bhutah, brahma-jnani, is guhya, confidential knowledge.
The next stage is Paramatma realization. Brahmeti paramatmeti. Isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese 'rjuna tishati [Bg. 18.61]. There are two different souls. One is Paramatma, and He is present everywhere. The Mayavadis, impersonalists, say there is no difference between atma, the individual soul, and Paramatma, the Supersoul, but that is not a fact. Atma is present within one body. I am atma; you are atma. Dehino smin yatha dehe [Bg. 2.13]. Asmin dehe means "in this body." I am atma, you are atma, but I am not Paramatma. Paramatma is different. Paramatma is Krsna, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, situated in everyone's heart. That understanding is guhyataram, more confidential.
First of all, to understand brahma-jnana, or self-realization, is confidential. That is not ordinary knowledge. It is above ordinary knowledge. Therefore it is called guhya. Guhya means confidential. Nobody understands even atma-tattva.
srotavyadini rajendra
nrnam santi sahasrasah
apasyatam atma-tattvam
grhesu grha-medhinam
[Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.1.2]
Grhesu grha-medhinam. Those who are living within family life cannot understand atma-tattva, self-realization. Sukadeva Gosvami is advising Pariksit Maharaja that people are too busy with ordinary things to inquire about atma-tattva. An ordinary, worldly man purchases huge volumes of newspaper, and he is interested in the contents. But he is not interested in understanding Bhagavad-gita, where atma-tattva is described. People are not interested.
Sukadeva Gosvami told Pariksit Maharaja that for the ordinary man there are thousands and thousands of news items. We can see so many magazines technical, musical, cinema magazines and ordinary news in so many editions of every newspaper in every city. So this is a fact. Srotavyadini rajendra nrnam santi sahasrasah. Sahasrasah means thousands and thousands and thousands. Why are people busy with so many newspapers, and why they are not interested in hearing Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam? Because apasyatam atma-tattvam: They do not know that the real purpose of life is to understand atma-tattva. Why do they forget? Grhesu grha-medhinam. They have made a vow to maintain the family and to have some enjoyment from family life.
Family life means society, friendship, and love. There is a song by the poet Vidyapati: Ta ala saikate vari-bindu-sama, suta-mita-ramani-samaje. The exact English equivalent is "society, friendship and love." Everyone is busy with society, family, friends, country, nation, community. And what is the composition of these? Suta means children; mita means friends; and ramani means woman. If a man has a beautiful woman, he thinks it is very nice.
So people are busy. The other day we spoke with a guest in Hyderabad. He is very busy with this suta-mita-ramani-samaje. Everyone is.
Somebody may ask, "Unless there is happiness, why should people be interested in these?" There is happiness certainly. But the great poet Vidyapati has compared it to a drop of water in the desert. The desert requires huge quantities of water. Nowadays, practically in every country, especially in India, every land is just like a desert for want of water. You see in Vrndavana that so much land is lying vacant. No agriculture. Why? There is want of water. There is no sufficient supply of water. So in this way, if there is scarcity of water, then gradually these places will be converted into deserts.
So Vidyapati uses the word desert because a desert requires a huge quantity of water. Similarly, in this material world we are trying to be happy in society, friendship, and love. Suta-mita-ramani-samaje. But the happiness we are getting is compared to a drop of water in the desert. If in the vast desert we say that we want water and somebody brings a drop of water and suggests we take it, it will be very insignificant. The offer has no meaning. Similarly, our heart desires real pleasure, transcendental bliss. So if we are put into this desert suta-mita-ramani-samaje where is the benefit?
This song is confirmed in Srimad-Bhagavatam, where it is said apasyatam atma-tattvam: People do not know the aim of life. They are satisfied with this drop of water in the desert. It will never mitigate the dryness. The desert is a vast tract of dry land, and if somebody says, "All right, take one drop of water," what is the meaning? It has no meaning.
Similarly, we are spirit souls. We are hankering after Krsna. That is our inner desire. What happiness shall we get with this society, friendship, or love? That is not possible. There is some happiness temporary happiness, very small quantity, so-called happiness but it will never satisfy you. Because we are eternal, we are trying to get eternal happiness.
For The Non-Envious
Krsna is speaking here. Idam tu te guhyatamam pravaksyamy anasuyave. Asuya means envious. Everyone is envious of Krsna. That is demoniac. Take Kamsa, for example. In this tract of land, Mathura, there was Kamsa. He was so envious that he ordered his servant, "As soon as Krsna is born, please bring the child. I shall kill Him." That is asuya.
At the present moment, practically the whole world wants to be godless. Everyone is trying to prove that there is no God, there is no Krsna. This sentiment we find everywhere, especially in the Communist countries. If you become a demon, a Communist, or in favor of them, then you are also infected with asuya, envy of Krsna. Then you cannot understand Krsna.
Krsna is very strict. But devotees are very lenient. Krsna doesn't want to speak with demons. But the devotees are so kind, they go to the demons and pray, "Kindly hear. Kindly hear about Krsna."
Therefore a devotee is more merciful than Krsna. Krsna doesn't speak to the demons. Bhagavad-gita was spoken to Arjuna because he is a devotee: bhakto 'si me sakha ceti. Krsna was very strict. About Bhagavad-gita Krsna said, ya idam paramam guhyam mad-bhaktesu abhidhasyati: "One who speaks this confidential knowledge amongst the bhaktas . . ." He recommends the bhaktas, devotees. But the devotees go to the abhakta, nondevotees, transgressing the order of Krsna because they are so merciful: "All right, Krsna has rejected them. Let me try. Let me try." This is the position of the bhaktas. They are not only nonenvious of God, but they are also nonenvious of everyone.
Therefore devotees are called karunikah, most merciful. Devotees are always tortured by the demons. The demons are prepared to torture even Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and great devotees also. Devotees tolerate all these tortures. Therefore the devotees are described as titiksavah, tolerant. Caitanya Mahaprabhu teaches, trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna: a devotee should be more tolerant than a tree. A devotee should learn this verse by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Karunikah. Devotees take the risk of preaching amongst the demons, the nondevotees, because they are karunikah, very merciful more merciful than Krsna.
Krsna says, "Do not speak this Bhagavad-gita to the nondevotees, because they will not accept it." Krsna says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]: "Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me." Who will accept this unless he is a devotee? The Mayavadi, the karmi [fruitive worker], the jnani [mental speculator], and the yogi cannot accept. They are envious: "I am Krsna. I am God. Why shall I surrender to Krsna? Why shall I accept Krsna as God?"
This is the position of the bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kami, those desiring material enjoyment, impersonal liberation, or mystic powers. You will find so many yogis who can play jugglery, magic, but who are not devotees. They will not surrender to Krsna. Such persons cannot understand Krsna. They cannot understand the science of Krsna. They cannot understand because Krsna does not disclose Himself to the nondevotees. So by their own attempt, however big a yogi or a jnani or a karmi they may be, they cannot understand Krsna. Krsna reveals Himself to the anasuyave, to one who is not envious. And that is the devotee. Anasuyave means the devotee, who is not envious of Krsna. Others karmi, jnani, and yogi are envious.
The karmis will say, "Work hard and get the result and enjoy. Why are you going to the temple to pray?" This is the philosophy of the Communists. "Why should you go to the church? Why should you go to the temple? Forget all these things. Work hard, earn money, and enjoy life." But that is demonic. Because they envy God, they are demons.
Devotee Of The Devotee
The science of God, or the science of Krsna, krsna-tattva, is never disclosed or revealed amongst the non-devotee demons. It can be revealed to, and be understood by, a person like Arjuna. Therefore it is said anasuyave: We should never be envious of Krsna and His devotees. You cannot think, "I am envious of the devotees, but I am not envious of Krsna." No, no. Krsna does not accept that kind of business. First of all you should be nonenvious of the devotees. Mad-bhaktah pujyabhyadhikah. "If you are envious of My devotee and try to become a devotee, that is not possible."
It is stated that one who is directly a devotee of Krsna is not a devotee, but one who is a devotee through His devotee he is a devotee. You should learn this philosophy. You cannot say, "But why shall I go through a guru or through a Vaisnava to Krsna? I can go directly. I am so qualified." No, you are not qualified. If you jump over like that, that is not acceptable. In Bengal it is said that one cannot jump over the horse to eat the grass in front of the horse. So one should be a devotee first of all. Tad-vijnanartham sa gurum eva abhigacchet. We must approach a bona fide guru to understand the science of Krsna. If you want to learn about Krsna, then you should be very humble and submissive to Krsna and His devotee anasuyave.
Real Scientific Knowledge
Jnanam vijnana-sahitam. Jnana this knowledge, most confidential knowledge is not sentiment. Vijnana-sahitam. It is science. In scientific knowledge you must know theoretically and practically. Not that you simply know that so much oxygen, so much hydrogen produces water by mixing. That is theoretical. You have to make water by mixing these two chemicals. That is practical. In the B.Sc. examination in the university, one is tested for both theoretical and practical knowledge.
The theoretical science in the Gita is sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja. Krsna says, "Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me." But when you really surrender, that is practical science. That is practical. If you decide to surrender that is called saranagati then you have to learn the science of how to become surrendered. That is vijnana. Jnana means theoretical knowledge, and vijnana means practical knowledge.
So we have to do it practically. Not that I think, "I have read Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam, so I have become a devotee." No. You should practically demonstrate in your life that you are actually a devotee. That is called vijnana-sahitam.
And if you learn this science, the result is you become liberated from asubha, the inauspicious condition of life. Yaj jnatva moksyase asubhat. What is that inauspicious condition of life? This materialistic life. People are thinking, "We shall make it subha." Subha means "auspicious." People think they can make material life auspicious by material adjustment, by having a nice car, a nice road, skyscraper buildings, and so many machines and bodily comforts. These are known as material advancement. But the sastra [scripture] says that it is all inauspicious.
If you want to become free from this inauspicious kind of life, then you should learn the science Krsna is teaching, not materialistic so-called science. You should learn the real science, sa-vijnana. That is how to surrender to Krsna, how to become nonenvious of Krsna.
This is a great science. We have to learn it. And this science of Krsna consciousness is spoken in this Ninth Chapter. If you become expert in this science, then you become free from inauspicious science, material science.
Thank you very much.