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(a) Two examples of pretenders
- Many pseudo-mediators who misrepresent themselves as belonging to high parentage, and…
- Great professional men who falsely pose that they have sacrificed everything for the sake of advancement in spiritual life
(b) Prescribed duties are meant to ‘cleanse of heart’ (Refer to Text 3.4 Focus of Learning box)
(c) What is the heart’s contamination or the polluted propensities – Desire to lord over material nature which manifests as the desire for sense gratification.
(d) Renunciation for the purpose of maintenance of body and soul is condemned in this verse
- Without purification by prescribed duties, one should never attempt to be a so-called transcendentalist.
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(a) Two examples of pretenders
- Many pseudo-mediators who misrepresent themselves as belonging to high parentage, and…
- Great professional men who falsely pose that they have sacrificed everything for the sake of advancement in spiritual life
(b) Prescribed duties are meant to ‘cleanse of heart’ (Refer to Text 3.4 Focus of Learning box)
(c) What is the heart’s contamination or the polluted propensities – Desire to lord over material nature which manifests as the desire for sense gratification.
(d) Renunciation for the purpose of maintenance of body and soul is condemned in this verse
- Without purification by prescribed duties, one should never attempt to be a so-called transcendentalist.
(a) What is Prime ‘svartha-gati’ or the ‘goal of self-interest’
- To reach Vishnu, which implies to be free from material bondage and enter God’s kingdom
(b) Purpose of ‘Varnashrama’ institution – Designed to lead one gradually to this ‘goal of self-interest’
- This implies that a sincere householder can also reach this destination by regulated service in Krishna consciousness
(c) “Sincerity” means
- Live a controlled life based on sastras and
- Carry out your business without attachment
(d) “Sincere sweeper is better than charlatan meditator”, who adopts show-bottle spiritualism to cheat innocent public.
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(a) What is Prime ‘svartha-gati’ or the ‘goal of self-interest’
- To reach Vishnu, which implies to be free from material bondage and enter God’s kingdom
(b) Purpose of ‘Varnashrama’ institution – Designed to lead one gradually to this ‘goal of self-interest’
- This implies that a sincere householder can also reach this destination by regulated service in Krishna consciousness
(c) “Sincerity” means
- Live a controlled life based on sastras and
- Carry out your business without attachment
(d) “Sincere sweeper is better than charlatan meditator”, who adopts show-bottle spiritualism to cheat innocent public.
This purport focuses on some possible characteristics of such pretenders.
(a) Show-bottle spiritualist – They make of show of yogic meditation which is “of no value”
(b) No value of the show of meditation
- It is of no value because “mind is impure”, dwelling upon sense enjoyment
- His knowledge has no value because the effects of such a sinful man’s knowledge are taken
away by illusory energy of the Lord
(c) Greatest cheaters – May speak dry philosophy to bluff sophisticated followers, but they are the greatest cheaters
- One who makes a show of being a yogi while actually searching for the objects of sense
gratification must be called the greatest cheater
(d) What they should understand – They should understand the following:
- For sense enjoyment one can act in any capacity of the social order,
- But if one follows the rules and regulations of his particular status he can make gradual progress in purifying his existence.
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This purport focuses on some possible characteristics of such pretenders.
(a) Show-bottle spiritualist – They make of show of yogic meditation which is “of no value”
(b) No value of the show of meditation
- It is of no value because “mind is impure”, dwelling upon sense enjoyment
- His knowledge has no value because the effects of such a sinful man’s knowledge are taken
away by illusory energy of the Lord
(c) Greatest cheaters – May speak dry philosophy to bluff sophisticated followers, but they are the greatest cheaters
- One who makes a show of being a yogi while actually searching for the objects of sense
gratification must be called the greatest cheater
(d) What they should understand – They should understand the following:
- For sense enjoyment one can act in any capacity of the social order,
- But if one follows the rules and regulations of his particular status he can make gradual progress in purifying his existence.
(a) Premature sannyasa is harmful
- Premature renunciation is harmful because soul is always active
o Either it has to be engaged in service of Krishna or
o Under illusory energy where it may acquire three modes
(b) Thus this verse sets criteria on when one should take sannyasa
- Depending on the kind of modes one is affected by, sastras present different prescribed duties
o to purify us from affinity of modes
o to bring us to the level of jnana, with the knowledge of difference between body and soul
- Thus when sufficiently purified, one can take sannyasa
(c) “Ultimate goal of Sannyasa, or any purificatory processes“ is to reach to the point of becoming Krishna conscious” (Ref. SB 1.5.17)
(d) Krishna consciousness turns yoga-ladder into an elevator – Therefore contact with Krishna (through contact with devotee) at any step of yoga ladder will speed up the process of purification.
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(a) Premature sannyasa is harmful
- Premature renunciation is harmful because soul is always active
o Either it has to be engaged in service of Krishna or
o Under illusory energy where it may acquire three modes
(b) Thus this verse sets criteria on when one should take sannyasa
- Depending on the kind of modes one is affected by, sastras present different prescribed duties
o to purify us from affinity of modes
o to bring us to the level of jnana, with the knowledge of difference between body and soul
- Thus when sufficiently purified, one can take sannyasa
(c) “Ultimate goal of Sannyasa, or any purificatory processes“ is to reach to the point of becoming Krishna conscious” (Ref. SB 1.5.17)
(d) Krishna consciousness turns yoga-ladder into an elevator – Therefore contact with Krishna (through contact with devotee) at any step of yoga ladder will speed up the process of purification.
(a) When does one accept renounced order – only when one is purified by the discharge of prescribed form of duties.
(b) Purpose of “prescribed duties” – To purify the hearts of ‘materialistic men’
(c) “Refutation of empiric philosophers that by adopting sannyasa one becomes “As Good as
Narayana”
- Disadvantage of sannyasa without purification
o Disturbance to social order
o No success and no freedom from reaction.
(d) Practical application: Srila Prabhupada compares such ‘renunciation of activity’ to the ‘power of buddhi-yoga’
- Ref Bg. 2.40 “nehabhikramo naso…” – Even a little endeavor in transcendental service of Lord, even if performed without the discharge of prescribed duties, whatever he may be able to perform directly purifies and saves one from the greatest difficulties.
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(a) When does one accept renounced order – only when one is purified by the discharge of prescribed form of duties.
(b) Purpose of “prescribed duties” – To purify the hearts of ‘materialistic men’
(c) “Refutation of empiric philosophers that by adopting sannyasa one becomes “As Good as
Narayana”
- Disadvantage of sannyasa without purification
o Disturbance to social order
o No success and no freedom from reaction.
(d) Practical application: Srila Prabhupada compares such ‘renunciation of activity’ to the ‘power of buddhi-yoga’
- Ref Bg. 2.40 “nehabhikramo naso…” – Even a little endeavor in transcendental service of Lord, even if performed without the discharge of prescribed duties, whatever he may be able to perform directly purifies and saves one from the greatest difficulties.
(a) It compares the two paths of Sankhya-yoga and buddhi-yoga
- Sankhya-yoga or philosophical speculation
o Defined as the analytical study of the nature of spirit and matter
o For whom – This is the subject matter for persons who are inclined to speculate and understand things by experimental knowledge and philosophy.
- Buddhi-yoga or Direct Krishna Consciousness
o Described in Text 2.61 – Buddhi-yoga is to depend entirely on the Supreme (Krishna)
o By working in Buddhi-yoga one is relieved from the bondage of work (2.39)
(b) Both yogas are interdependent as religion and philosophy
- Religion without philosophy is “sentiment / fanaticism”, and
- Philosophy without Religion is “mental speculation”
(c) ‘Ultimate Goal’ is Krishna for both yoga processes
(d) ‘Purpose’ is to establish the real position of self with the Super-self
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(a) It compares the two paths of Sankhya-yoga and buddhi-yoga
- Sankhya-yoga or philosophical speculation
o Defined as the analytical study of the nature of spirit and matter
o For whom – This is the subject matter for persons who are inclined to speculate and understand things by experimental knowledge and philosophy.
- Buddhi-yoga or Direct Krishna Consciousness
o Described in Text 2.61 – Buddhi-yoga is to depend entirely on the Supreme (Krishna)
o By working in Buddhi-yoga one is relieved from the bondage of work (2.39)
(b) Both yogas are interdependent as religion and philosophy
- Religion without philosophy is “sentiment / fanaticism”, and
- Philosophy without Religion is “mental speculation”
(c) ‘Ultimate Goal’ is Krishna for both yoga processes
(d) ‘Purpose’ is to establish the real position of self with the Super-self