Srīmad Bhāgavatam – 11.11.22 | HH Bhānu Swāmī Mahāraj | ISKCON Chennai | May 15, 2021
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda
Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare
Reading from śrīmad bhāgavatam Canto 11 Chapter 11 Verse 22.
SB_11.11.22
यद्यनीशो धारयितुं मनो ब्रह्मणि निश्चलम् ।
मयि सर्वाणि कर्माणि निरपेक्ष: समाचर ॥ २२ ॥
yady anīśo dhārayituṁ
mano brahmaṇi niścalam
mayi sarvāṇi karmāṇi
nirapekṣaḥ samācara
Synonyms
yadi — if; anīśaḥ — incapable; dhārayitum — to fix; manaḥ — the mind; brahmaṇi — on the spiritual platform; niścalam — free from sense gratification; mayi — in Me; sarvāṇi — all; karmāṇi — activities; nirapekṣaḥ — without trying to enjoy the fruits; samācara — execute.
Translation
My dear Uddhava, if you are not able to free your mind from all material disturbance and thus absorb it completely on the spiritual platform, then perform all your activities as an offering to Me, without trying to enjoy the fruits.
Purport
If one offers one’s activities to Lord Kṛṣṇa without trying to enjoy the results, one’s mind becomes purified. When the mind is purified, transcendental knowledge automatically manifests, since such knowledge is a by-product of pure consciousness. When the mind is absorbed in perfect knowledge, it can be raised to the spiritual platform, as described in Bhagavad-gītā (18.54):
brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā
na śocati na kānkṣati
samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu
mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām
“One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman. He never laments nor desires to have anything; he is equally disposed to every living entity. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto Me.” By absorbing the mind in the transcendental form of Lord Kṛṣṇa, one can surpass the stage of ordinary transcendental knowledge, by which one simply distinguishes oneself from the gross and subtle material bodies. Spiritually enriched by loving devotional service to the Lord, the mind is completely purified of all tinges of illusion. Through intense concentration on one’s relationship with the Personality of Godhead one comes to the highest standard of knowledge and becomes an intimate associate of the Personality of Godhead.
By offering one’s activities to the Personality of Godhead, one purifies one’s mind to some extent and thus comes to the preliminary stage of spiritual awareness. Yet even then one may not be able to fix one’s mind completely on the spiritual platform. At that point one should realistically assess one’s position, noting the lingering material contamination within the mind. Then, as stated in this verse, one should intensify one’s practical devotional work in the service of the Lord. If one artificially considers oneself to be supremely liberated or if one becomes casual on the path of spiritual advancement, there is serious danger of a falldown.
According to Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, the Lord previously explained to Uddhava jñāna-miśrā bhakti, or devotional service mixed with the impure desire to enjoy transcendental knowledge. In this verse the Lord clearly reveals that transcendental knowledge is an automatic by-product of loving service to the Lord, and in the next verse the Lord begins His explanation of pure devotional service, which is completely sufficient for self-realization. The desire to enjoy spiritual knowledge is certainly a material desire, since the goal is one’s personal satisfaction and not the pleasure of the Supreme Lord. Therefore Lord Kṛṣṇa here warns Uddhava that if one is not able to fix one’s mind in trance on the spiritual platform, then one should not go on simply theoretically discussing what is Brahman and what is not Brahman. Rather, one should engage in practical devotional service to the Supreme Lord, and then spiritual knowledge will automatically awaken in one’s heart. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (10.10):
teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ
bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam
dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ
yena mām upayānti te
“To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.”
Similarly, in the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Lord Brahmā warns that one should not neglect the auspicious path of bhakti and instead take up the useless labor of mental speculation. By mere philosophical speculation one cannot fix one’s mind on the spiritual platform. Many great philosophers throughout history had abominable personal habits, which proves that they could not fix themselves on the spiritual platform by mere speculation on philosophical categories. If one is not fortunate enough to have executed devotional service to the Lord in one’s past life, and if one is therefore addicted to mere speculation on the differences between matter and spirit, one will not be able to fix one’s mind on the spiritual platform. Such a person should give up useless speculation and engage in the practical work of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, absorbing himself twenty-four hours a day in the mission of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In such missionary work for the Lord’s sake, one should never try to enjoy the fruits of one’s work. Even though the mind is not completely pure, if one offers the fruits of one’s work to the Lord, the mind will quickly come to the standard of pure desirelessness, in which one’s only desire is the Lord’s satisfaction.
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī states that if one does not have faith in the personal form and activities of the Personality of Godhead, one will not have the spiritual strength to remain perpetually on the transcendental platform. In this verse the Lord is definitely bringing Uddhava, and all living entities, to the conclusion of all philosophy — pure devotional service to the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa.
In this regard, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura points out that one who is bewildered by false ego may not want to offer his activities to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, even though this is the actual way of rising above the influence of the modes of material nature. Because of ignorance one does not know that he is the eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa and instead is attracted by the duality of material illusion. One cannot become free from such illusion by theoretical speculation, but if one offers one’s work to the Personality of Godhead, one will clearly understand his eternal, transcendental position as a servant of the Lord.
HH Bhānu Swāmī Mahārāj
So the previous verse introduced, a more devotional aspect of knowledge. We see a similar type of verse in the Bhagavad Gītā and that is in Chapter 12, where the Lord says, if you cannot fully concentrate on me, then you do abhyās – practice. If you cannot do practice, then you practice offering the result to me and become niṣkāma.
Not all people are qualified to practice pure bhakti. And of course, if you do bhakti, then we should do pure bhakti rather than mixed. However, the Lord accepts all of these different types of bhakti and introductions to them. But we should not equate them all with pure bhakti. But we cannot use the argument, Kṛṣṇa accepts this, so therefore I can do this type of bhakti. In the Bhagavad Gītā, Kṛṣṇa says, some people approach because they’re in misery and they want relief from the misery. Some people want material gain, etc, some people want knowledge. But Kṛṣṇa says, I accept them all. But it’s true, Kṛṣṇa accepts all these forms of bhakti, but he actually prefers pure bhakti.
So, even before bhakti, there are various methods like karma yoga, jñāna yoga, and aṣṭāṅga yoga. So, Kṛṣṇa recommends these processes also. They are mentioned in the Vedas, they’re mentioned in Bhagavad Gītā, they’re also mentioned in śrīmad Bhāgavatam. And Kṛṣṇa praises all of these processes. But again, we cannot equate all this with pure bhakti. When it’s unqualified completely for bhakti, then one must do these processes. But if we have faith, then we can practice pure Bhakti. So that is preferable. The Lord prefers bhakti to these other things. Therefore, at the end of Bhagavad Gītā Kṛṣṇa says, give up all dharmas, and just surrender to me.
So, the lowest process that’s acceptable in the vedas is karma yoga. And this has two broad divisions. The first is we call, sakāma karma yoga, where we have material desires to fulfill in doing the karma yoga. Of course, karma yoga also includes a little bhakti. But it is formulated to help people fulfill their material desires. Ultimately, of course, the whole point of the varṇāśrama system, to please the Lord. But in sakāma karma yoga, that is not so apparent. The people desire artha and kāma. So, they will do sacrifices to go to svarga. So, of course, we call this karma kāṇḍa also.
A higher stage is to do the same activities, avoiding of course, actions simply to go to svarga loka etc. This is called niṣkāma karma yoga. So, we follow the duties of the varṇāśrama system. The Kṣatriyas follow Kṣatriya rules, the Brāhmaṇas follow Brāhmaṇa rules, Vaiśyas follow vaiśya rules, and the śūdras follow śūdra rules. However, unlike the lower stage of sakāma karma yoga, they don’t do those activities simply to get svarga loka or enjoyment in this life and the next. Of course, that is difficult for people. They will only do an activity if they get some results for themselves. So therefore, even to come from the sakāma karma yoga to the niṣkāma karma yoga may be very difficult for many people.
However, this is the stage which is preferred by Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad Gītā. We will see in Bhagavad Gītā that when Kṛṣṇa praises karma yoga, it is usually this niṣkāma karma yoga, he is praising. So, why would a person do the activities at all if he doesn’t get any result for himself? Actually, he does get a result even though he doesn’t desire it. So, he continues to rise up and become purified in the guṇas. Through the process of niṣkāma karma yoga, the person becomes fixed in sattva guṇa. So that is the practical result. And of course, if one is very fixed, then one can rise after death to higher planets. However, the person practicing is not desiring to go to these planets. So, this process fixes one in sattva.
So, Kṛṣṇa also modifies this process to do the niṣkāma karma yoga with no desire for getting enjoyment for yourself, and you offer the results to Kṛṣṇa. So, in this karma yoga, we get an introduction of some bhakti and we see that represented in this verse, also, do all your activities for me. Another thing, do all activities for Kṛṣṇa, that is bhakti yoga. However, this is actually distinct from bhakti yoga. It is still part of karma yoga. You offer the activities you perform in the varṇāśrama system to the supreme Lord. Or we can say, you offer the results of your activities to Kṛṣṇa. So, if you are Vaiśya, you follow the Vaiśya rules, and with the money that you get, you offer it to the Lord. So, if you are Vaiśya, you follow the Vaiśya rules, and with the money that you get, you offer it to the Lord. So, Kṛṣṇa says, you offer me a fruit or flower etc, and the Lord accepts it. So, that is devotion.
However, if we look at the activities of bhakti yoga, they are different. We also offer a leaf, a fruit, a flower to Kṛṣṇa in bhakti yoga. However, the acts we do in bhakti yoga don’t require any modification. We are simply doing the activity to please Kṛṣṇa. So, in the karma yoga, we are taking the activities of karma yoga and purifying them by connecting them with Kṛṣṇa. But, the activity of chanting the Lord’s name or hearing about the Lord don’t need any purification. The activity itself is bhakti. So, though the offering results to Kṛṣṇa through karma yoga is good, simply chanting the Lord’s name, hearing about the Lord, etc., the direct activities of bhakti yoga are much more powerful to invoke the Lord’s mercy.
For those who are attached to the varṇāśrama system, yes, let them do that bhakti yoga(niṣkāma karma yoga), become detached from any material results and offer the results to Kṛṣṇa. So, that is a compromise. So, the next step above this is you can continue your activities of varṇāśrama and offering the results to the Lord, but you do direct bhakti such as chanting the Lord’s name, hearing about the Lord, etc., worshipping the Lord in the temple, etc. So, that’s higher. So, in doing the bhakti, one can continue those activities of karma yoga and varṇāśrama, but one should not have material desires in it. Or we’ll see some devotees give up that whole varṇāśrama system and just do the bhakti.
So, in any case, the activities of bhakti are much superior to karma yoga, niṣkāma karma yoga, and niṣkāma karma yoga with an offering of the results to the Lord.
Q&A
1.) Śrīla Prabhupāda in Bhagavd Gītā mentions about the individual soul and supreme soul sitting on the same tree and individual soul is enjoying the fruits of the tree. But still, the soul is pure, how is it tinged with material enjoyment?
So, we can say the soul is pure in one sense, because the soul can never be changed, you can throw it in water, it doesn’t get wet, you can burn it in fire, it doesn’t burn, so it’s not affected by matter. However, the consciousness of that ātmā can get affected by ignorance. So, that is the bird in the tree that is eating the fruit, it is affected by ignorance. It tries to become an independent enjoyer.
2.) Maharaj, in Bhagavad Gītā, chapter 3, text 29, where Kṛṣṇa says that wise people should not unsettle the ignorant who are bewildered by modes of material nature, and let them continue what they are doing. So, how do we appreciate this fact and not preach to these people?
We also have our ninth offense to the holy name, don’t preach to the faithless people. So, in either case, qualification is necessary for a person to do a certain type of activity. We cannot tell a person who is not qualified for jñāna, to practice jñāna yoga and we cannot tell a person to do Bhakti Yoga if he is unqualified. But, we can make some arrangements so that they become qualified.
3.) Maharaj, as Sādhakas, when we hear the importance of practicing pure devotional service from pure devotees, it’s really appreciatable and we genuinely appreciate it. However, when it comes to practicing that pure devotional service, it doesn’t seem to be so easy.
Well, easy and difficult are relative terms. And of course, something which is difficult may also become easy if we know how to do it properly. Or something is difficult because we don’t know anything about it. Or something is difficult because we are lazy. There are many reasons why Bhakti may be difficult.
But actually, Kṛṣṇa says, Bhakti is easier than Karma Yoga or jñāna Yoga. If you want to do Karma Yoga properly, then you have to do everything exactly. If you make a little mistake, you will get bad results. King Nṛga gave the wrong cow to the wrong brāhmaṅa and he got cursed and became a lizard. You do a sacrifice, you make one mistake in a mantra, no result.
And of course, in Bhagavad Gītā, Kṛṣṇa says, Jñāna Yoga is full of kleśa, full of suffering. So, in that sense, Bhakti is much easier. Kṛṣṇa is not concerned so much about the mistakes and we don’t have to go for great austerities. In either case, whether it is Karma Yoga, jñāna Yoga or aṣṭāṇga Yoga or Bhakti Yoga, we do have to control the mind. However, in Bhakti Yoga, the process of controlling the mind becomes easier.
We engage the mind in devotional activities and the body and the senses in those activities. And if we say, well, it’s still too difficult, what can we do?
4.) Hare Kṛṣṇa Mahāraj. Maharāj, we see that Niṣkāma Karma Yogis do have faith on the Lord and they are also offering their results completely. So with this faith, can’t they qualify for pure bhakti directly?
Yes, this is a step towards pure bhakti if they don’t have material desires, etc. But they do have to have faith. So, they may offer in Karma Yoga, give the results to Kṛṣṇa and say, oh, that’s faith. But they may be doing that because someone told them to do it, but they don’t really have any devotion. So, when they make the offering with devotion and furthermore they adopt the process of hearing and chanting with devotion, then they can practice.
5.) Mahārāj, this question is about Bhagavad Gītā verse ‘teṣām satata yuktānām’ quoted in the purport. Lord gives the understanding by which one can come to him. How does he give that understanding for devotees in different levels? Whether it’s through direct means or how to understand that?
So, in two ways, internally of course, the Lord can guide the intelligence. We may not be aware. But somehow we get the intelligence to do the right things at the right time in devotional service. Externally, the Lord is giving instruction in the form of devotees and Guru.
6.) Mahārāj, this is a question with reference to ‘yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi’ verse(BG 9.27). Whether it deals with Karma Yoga or Bhakti Yoga. How to understand that?
So, this is often classed as offering the results of your work to Kṛṣṇa like this verse itself. It talks about whatever you sacrifice, give the result to me. So you’re doing your Karma Yoga, giving the results to Kṛṣṇa.
7.) For sāyujya Mukti, does Bhakti have hlādinī and Samvit śaktīs?
Well, it’s a very, very small quantity. There is some sense of happiness and there is at least consciousness of oneself. In that sense, there is a little bit. But there is no awareness of any other living entity including awareness of the Supreme Lord. So, in that sense, the Samvit is not really there.
8.) In Kali Yuga, Niṣkāma Karma Yoga appears to be impossible. So even Sakāma Karma Yoga appears to be impossible, being the case. How about the possibilities of Niṣkāma Karma Yoga?
Yeah, both are very difficult in Kali Yuga. So therefore, Kṛṣṇa says just do Bhakti Yoga.
Devotee: Thanks a lot, Mahārāj.
Devotee: Granthraj Sri Srimad Bhagavatam ki Jai. His Holiness Banu Swami Maharaj ki Jai. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupad ki Jai. Nitai Gaura Premanande HariHaribol.