Introduction a Introduction
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TEXT 45 >a˘-yaeÖvaNaPaaiYaNYaaSavRl/aek-MaheěrMa( ) SavaeRTPatYaPYaYa&b]řk-ar The Supreme Lord said: One who worships Me in unalloyed devotional service achieves My shelter. I am the ultimate cause of all the universes. My pure devotee achieves
the liberation known as särńöi, whereby he achieves opulence like Mine. However, one who worships My impersonal feature attains säyujya mukti, the liberation of merging
into My effulgence of Brahman. TheSupremeLord is theultimate causeof this materialworld’screation,maintenance, and destruction. He is the supreme object of knowledge. By worshiping Him by means of
unalloyed devotional service, one attains His shelter. wiTaSvDaMaRiNai jaNaivjaNaSaMPaŕaeNaicraTSaMauPaEiTaMaaMa( ))46))
In this verse, the Lord concludes His instructions. executing his occupational duties and remaining aloof from bad association, he will gradually rise to the platform of pure goodness and thus receive the treasure of unalloyed
devotional service to the Lord. This is life’s ultimate goal. v Sa WvMaŮi˘-YauTaaeiNa>é[eYaSak-r>Par> ))47))
After describing pradhäëé bhütä bhakti, the Lord herein talks about guëébhütä system are dovetailed in My devotional service, they award one the supreme perfection of life.
The path of renunciation entails giving up all varieties of sense gratification, and so it is very difficult for ordinary people to perform. Those who are engaged in the
devotional service of the Lord under proper guidance automatically achieve the result of renunciation because all of their activities are offered at the lotus feet of the Lord.
Thus it should be understood that unalloyed devotion for the Supreme Lord is the ultimate fruit of engaging in the occupational and religious duties prescribed within the
WTatae_i>aihTa&SaaDaae>avaNPa*C^iTaYaŔMaaMa( ) YaQaaSvDaMaRSa&Yau˘-ae>a˘-aeMaa&SaiMaYaaTParMa( ))48))
“Descriptions of Varëäçrama-dharma” with the commentaries of Çréla Viçvanätha knowledge, whereas the pure devotees remain engaged in devotional service eternally. Also described in this chapter are the different practices of the yogés, beginning with
The Supreme Lord, Çré Kĺńëa said to Uddhava, “One who is actually wise, who knows the science of the self and is endowed with spiritual insight, rejects this material world
of dualities and the so-called knowledge that facilitates enjoying it. He instead engages himself in trying to satisfy the Supreme Lord, the master of all. This is called pure
devotional service. Transcendental knowledge is superior to ordinary pious activities, such as the chanting of mantras, but pure devotional service is even superior to the
cultivation of transcendental knowledge.” After this, when Çré Kĺńëa was asked by Uddhava to explain in detail the processes
of acquiring transcendental knowledge and devotional service, the Lord related the same instructions that the greatest of Vaińëavas, Bhéńmadeva, had imparted to Mahäräja
Yudhińöhira after the battle of Kurukńetra. Following this, after being asked about yama and other practices of yoga, the Lord described the twelve kinds of yama, beginning
with nonviolence, and twelve types of niyama, beginning with cleanliness. é[q>aGavaNauvac YaaeivŰaé[uTaSaMPaŕ> AaTMavaNNaaNauMaaiNak-> )
MaYaaMaa}aiMad&jaTvajaNa&cMaiYaSaNNYaSaeTa( ))1)) This chapter describes renunciation as practiced by the jďänés, and the eternal devotional service that is practiced by the pure devotees, as well as the practices of the
A conditioned souls must somehow free himself of his illusory existence, which has entrapped him since time immemorial. One means for accomplishing this is the practice
of the eight-fold yoga system after renouncing all material desires. By this difficult process, one can gradually lift himself above the darkness of ignorance. However,
when one is actually situated on the transcendental platform, there is no more need to cultivate spiritual knowledge for the purpose of dispelling his material entanglement. For
example, a man haunted by a ghost may take help from mantras, herbs, and other such remedial measures. However, when he is no longer possessed by the ghost, all such things
have no practical value for him. Here, the word vidyä refers to knowledge acquired by philosophical speculation, mystic yoga practice, austerities, and so on. Such knowledge of
the illusory nature of material existence certainly dispels ignorance, and there are many Vedic scriptures that impart such knowledge. After one gives up his false identification
with the material body and mind, one must further advance by engaging in the loving service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When one becomes advanced in Kĺńëa
consciousness, there is no more need to dispel illusion. The scriptures recommend that one adopt the processes of karma, jďäna, and state is due to their material conception of life. When the conditioned souls are under the influence of the three modes of material nature, they are filled with mundane conceptions and puffed up because of false ego. Because of false ego, the conditioned
souls think themselves to be the enjoyers of this temporary material world. When facing competition, they attempt to defeat their opponents so that they can maintain their
attempts to indulge in temporary and insignificant material enjoyment. Whenever there is an absence of knowledge of self-realization, a conditioned soul,
being under the control of false ego and devoid of devotional service to the Supreme Lord, yearns for liberation. However, such desires for liberation are another manifestation
of false ego. When one’s knowledge of self-realization is directed to the service of the Supreme Lord, so that one is actively engaged in the service of the Lord—that is the
perfection of karma and jďäna. A living entity that has fallen from his constitutional position is naturally covered
by conceptions of karma and jďäna. The ignorance that is the result of the misuse of one’s minute independence, coupled with the desire to lord it over material nature,
leads one to attempt to bring the Supreme Lord under one’s control. Such an illusion created by perverted knowledge induces the conditioned soul to think that he is the
enjoyer of all that he surveys. Due to the absence of devotional service, such a person thinks himself to be non-different from the Supreme Lord, and thus readily accepts
the philosophy of Mäyäväda. When under the shelter of Mäyäväda philosophy, a living entity falls into various inauspicious situations because of his ignorance of spiritual
variegatedness. Although appearing to be engaged as a transcendentalist, such a person’s material conception of life is evident because he sees everything in a spirit of enjoyment
and thus utilizes his senses for personal sense gratification. A self-realized soul who has crossed the boundary of inauspiciousness is not attracted
to cultivating knowledge by direct perception or hypotheses, which are the domain of mundane philosophers. He is liberated from the darkness of ignorance and has graduated
to the platform of pure devotional service by accepting a spiritual master in disciplic succession. Such a self-realized soul gives up the impersonal Brahman conception of
the Absolute Truth, as well as all desires for fruitive activities, and thus remains fixed in unalloyed devotional service to the Lord. He directs all of his activities and whatever
knowledge he possesses to the service of the Supreme Lord. The result is that he attains the blissful state of eternal existence, being situated in his eternal constitutional duty of
loving devotional service to the Supreme Lord. jaiNaNaSTvhMaeveí>SvaQaaeRheTauęSaMMaTa> ) SvGaRęEvaPavGaRęNaaNYaae_QaaeRMad*TaeiPa[Ya> ))2))
Someone may question, “Should one give up the practice of devotional service at some stage, just as one gives up speculative knowledge after attaining liberation?” The
Supreme Lord says, “Devotional service should never be given up. I am the ultimate object of worship and so how could one consider giving up My worship? I am the ultimate
goal of truly learned transcendentalists, and I am also the means for attaining freedom from delusion. This was previously described by Me in the Bhagavad-gétä, in the verse
beginning with brahmabhüta prasannätma, as well as this verse: Elevation to the heavenly planets is the cause of material happiness and attaining liberation is the negation of material distress. It is I who am the supreme goal of the
The Supreme Lord is the object of worship for all the foremost philosophers of the universe, such as the great sages, headed by Sanaka. Life’s goal, the means of attaining it,
and freedom from material desires are easily attained if one simply surrenders unto the Supreme Lord. Those who renounce fruitive activities and mental speculation in order
to take shelter of devotional service are not interested in endeavoring for any other goal of life.
jaNaivjaNaSa&iSaÖa>Pad&é[eď&ivduMaRMa ) jaNaqiPa[YaTaMaae_TaaeMaejaNaeNaaSaaEib>aiTaRMaaMa( ))3))
Persons who have achieved perfection by means of philosophical and realized knowledge know My lotus feet to be the supreme goal of life. Because such learned transcendentalists are always engaged in trying to please Me, they are very dear to Me. COMMENTARY The Lord herein establishes the truth that He is the supreme destination for all learned transcendentalists. An intelligent person knows that the Lord’s lotus feet are the ultimate goal of life and not the impersonal Brahman. Those who are topmost transcendentalists know the impersonal Brahman to be the bodily effulgence of the lotus-eyed Supreme Lord. Such a person is certainly very dear to the Lord. PURPORT When a living entity is fixed in self-realization through devotional service and is endowed with transcendental knowledge and its practical application, he attains the perfection of life. Fortunate people serve the Supreme Lord by serving such a dear devotee. This is the actual process for pleasing the Supreme Lord. Learned transcendentalists who are always engaged in My devotional service are very dear to Me. Material knowledge, or even knowledge of impersonal Brahman, is extremely insignificant. By the cultivation of such knowledge, one attains material enjoyment and liberation, but this is not the ultimate goal of life.
TaPaSTaqQa|JaPaaedaNa&Paiv}aa Naal&/ku-vRiNTaTaa&iSaiÖ&YaajaNak-l/Yaak*-Taa ))4))
404 UDDHAVA-GÉTÄ COMMENTARY The word jďäna kalayä means “even a fraction of spiritual knowledge.” PURPORT The position one attains by engaging his purified senses in the service of the Supreme Lord after realizing his constitutional position cannot be obtained by performing pious activities, undergoing austerities, visiting holy places, chanting mantras, or giving in charity.
TaSMaaJjaNaeNaSaihTa&JaTvaSvaTMaaNaMauÖv ) jaNaivjaNaSaMPaŕae>aJaMaa&>ai˘->aavTa> ))5))
Çré Kĺńëa says: “Give up everything else and simply worship Me.” This is the explanation of Çrédhara Svämé.
Realized knowledge enables one to perceive his original spiritual form. Every living being has an eternal spiritual identity, which remains forgotten until revived by the practice of devotional service to the Lord. Without at least a theoretical understanding of one’s spiritual self, it is not possible to advance in devotional service beyond the neophyte platform. The words jďätvä svätmänam in this verse indicate that everyone can realize his original spiritual identity and return to the eternal abode of the Lord.
jaNaivjaNaYajeNaMaaiMaîaTMaaNaMaaTMaiNa ) SavRYajPaiTa&Maa&vESa&iSaiÖ&MauNaYaae_GaMaNa( ))6))
The Perfection of Spiritual Knowledge 405 In ancient times, great sages worshiped Me through the sacrifice of Vedic knowledge and spiritual enlightenment, knowing Me to be the Supreme Lord of all sacrifice and the Supersoul in everyone’s heart. As a result, these sages achieved the supreme perfection of attaining My eternal abode. COMMENTARY One may question, “Who possesses real knowledge and understands how to practically apply that knowledge?” In reply, Çré Kĺńëa said: By engaging in the sacrifice of cultivating transcendental knowledge, the sages of bygone age had worshiped Me as the Lord within their hearts. They worshiped Me as the Supersoul, the Lord of all sacrifices, and thus achieved the perfection of life. PURPORT Being covered by gross and subtle designations, the conditioned soul forgets his actual identity. When one renounces his conditional state of existence by engagement in the devotional service of the Lord, one comes to the understanding that the Supreme Lord is the only object worthy of worship. By thus worshiping the Lord in full knowledge of the self, the sages of ancient times had attained the supreme abode of the Lord. TEXT 7 TvYYauÖvaé[YaiTaYaińivDaaeivk-arae MaaYaaNTaraPaTaiTaNaaŰPavGaRYaaeYaRTa( ) JaNMaadYaae_SYaYadMaqTavTaSYaik&-SYaur( AaŰNTaYaaeYaRdSaTaae_iSTa Tadev MaDYae ))7))
406 UDDHAVA-GÉTÄ COMMENTARY “By coming to the platform of realized knowledge, the jďänés achieve the ultimate goal of life and yet, they remain far from attaining Me. My dear Uddhava, one who understands My nature will easily cross beyond the spell of nescience.” This instruction of the Lord is not only meant for Uddhava but for everyone. The transformations of the material body, which are born of the three material modes of nature, have nothing to do with the pure spirit soul. The spell of illusion that causes one to identify with the temporary material body was not there in the beginning, nor will it remain after liberation from conditional life. The living entity is completely spiritual but at present he identifies with his mundane form, which is temporarily manifested. For the spirit soul, there is no birth and death. Under illusion, he thinks, “Now I am alive, later on I will be dead, sometimes I am happy and sometimes I am miserable. The soul has nothing to do with the transformations of the material body and when one is enlightened by spiritual knowledge, his relationship with the material body is terminated. Actually, the soul is distinct from the material body although he temporarily identifies himself with it. The example is given that a man walking in the forest may see a rope but consider it to be a snake. Such perception is mäyä, or illusion, although the rope actually exists and a snake also exists in another place. Illusion thus refers to the false identification of one object with another. It is only due to ignorance that the living entities come in contact with mäyä, or illusion. If his conditional state were eternal, then it would be his constitutional position and would not be dispelled by the attainment of transcendental knowledge. Saintly persons do not approve of that conception of liberation whereby one loses his individuality. PURPORT One cannot realize the Absolute Truth as long as he misidentifies with the gross and subtle bodies. The gross body and the subtle mind are by nature continuously changing, being under the influence of the three modes of material nature. The pure spirit soul, however, is not subjected to any change or transformation. Eternity and temporality do not go side by side. For example, the illusion of accepting a rope as a snake is temporary. The rope is real and the snake is real but the act of mistaking a rope for a snake is illusion. When the understanding of the rope’s presence is awakened, at that very moment, the temporary misconception of it being a snake is automatically dispelled. Knowledge of the eternal, which is without beginning or end is distinct from all kinds of temporary conceptions. The conclusion is that it is not desirable to praise the material body and mind while neglecting the spirit soul.
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