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(a) Sanatana-yoga taught in Chapter 4 refers to the eternal activities performed by the living entities
(b) Two divisions of sacrificial action
- Sacrifice of one’s material possessions – Such sacrifice, if not dovetailed for spiritual
realisation, then such sacrifice becomes material
- Knowledge of the self, which is pure spiritual activity – to perform a sacrifice with a spiritual objective is the perfect sacrifice
(c) Two divisions of spiritual activity
- Understandings of one’s own self
- Truth regarding the Supreme Personality of Godhead
(d) Who can understand these two divisions of spiritual activity – One who follows the path of Bhagavad-gita as it is.
(e) Benefit of such understanding
- Such a person can easily understand the transcendental activities of the Lord as discussed in the beginning of this chapter
- One who does not understand Bhagavad-gita is faithless and is misusing his fragmental independence.
- In spite of such instruction one who does not understand the real nature of the Lord is a fool number one.
(f) How to remove ignorance – By gradual acceptance of the principles of Krishna consciousness
(g) How to awaken Krishna consciousness
- By different types of sacrifices (4.25 – 4.29)
- Common basis of all sacrifices – “regulated action” based on one important factor – “Self realization”
- Real student of Bhagavad-gita – One who seeks that objective of self-realization
(h) How to study Bhagavad-gita
- Under a bona-fide spiritual master, with service and surrender
- Follow the path as expressed in the Bhagavad-gita itself
- Beware of self-interested people after personal self-aggrandizement
(i) Who is liberated from the very beginning of the study of Bhagavad-gita
- One who understands Lord as the Supreme Person and His activities as transcendental
(a) Result of following instruction of Bhagavad-gita – one becomes free from all doubts by the grace of “transcendental knowledge”.
(b) Result of action in full Krishna consciousness
- He is well established in self-knowledge.
- He is undoubtedly above the bondage to action.
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(a) Result of following instruction of Bhagavad-gita – one becomes free from all doubts by the grace of “transcendental knowledge”.
(b) Result of action in full Krishna consciousness
- He is well established in self-knowledge.
- He is undoubtedly above the bondage to action.
(a) Best of all standard and authoritative revealed scriptures – “Bhagavad-gita”
(b) Different categories of disqualified people
- Persons who are almost like animals have no faith or knowledge of standard revealed scriptures.
- Even if they have knowledge, or can sight passages from, the revealed scriptures, have actually no faith.
- Even if they may have faith in scriptures, they do not believe in, or worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
(c) Who is the worst – Those who have no faith and is always doubtful, make no progress at all
(d) Solution to success
- Follow the principles of revealed scriptures with faith and rise to the platform of knowledge
- Only this knowledge will promote one to the transcendental platform of spiritual understanding.
- Follow in the footsteps of great acharyas who are in the parampara and attain success.
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(a) Best of all standard and authoritative revealed scriptures – “Bhagavad-gita”
(b) Different categories of disqualified people
- Persons who are almost like animals have no faith or knowledge of standard revealed scriptures.
- Even if they have knowledge, or can sight passages from, the revealed scriptures, have actually no faith.
- Even if they may have faith in scriptures, they do not believe in, or worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
(c) Who is the worst – Those who have no faith and is always doubtful, make no progress at all
(d) Solution to success
- Follow the principles of revealed scriptures with faith and rise to the platform of knowledge
- Only this knowledge will promote one to the transcendental platform of spiritual understanding.
- Follow in the footsteps of great acharyas who are in the parampara and attain success.
(a) Defines “faithful” – One who thinks that simply by acting in Krishna consciousness, one can attain the highest perfection.
(b) How to attain faith – Discharge of devotional service and chanting Hare Krishna (cleanses the heart of material dirt).
(c) Who can attain perfection in Krishna consciousness without delay – One who is faithful to Krishna and controls the senses.
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(a) Defines “faithful” – One who thinks that simply by acting in Krishna consciousness, one can attain the highest perfection.
(b) How to attain faith – Discharge of devotional service and chanting Hare Krishna (cleanses the heart of material dirt).
(c) Who can attain perfection in Krishna consciousness without delay – One who is faithful to Krishna and controls the senses.
(a) There is nothing so sublime and pure as transcendental knowledge
- Ignorance is the cause of bondage
- Knowledge is the cause of liberation
(b) Knowledge is the mature fruit of devotional service
- Such a person enjoys peace within himself
- Does not search for peace elsewhere
(c) The last word in Bhagavad-gita:
- Knowledge and peace culminate in Krishna consciousness
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(a) There is nothing so sublime and pure as transcendental knowledge
- Ignorance is the cause of bondage
- Knowledge is the cause of liberation
(b) Knowledge is the mature fruit of devotional service
- Such a person enjoys peace within himself
- Does not search for peace elsewhere
(c) The last word in Bhagavad-gita:
- Knowledge and peace culminate in Krishna consciousness
(a) Analogy: Knowledge compared to fire – burns all reactions to material activities
(b) Two types of reactions: pious and impious; priori and posteriori (Ref. Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad) – both burnt
(c) 4 stages of reaction – All are burnt by transcendental knowledge
1. Reaction in the making
2. Reaction fructifying
3. Reaction already achieved
4. Reaction a priori
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(a) Analogy: Knowledge compared to fire – burns all reactions to material activities
(b) Two types of reactions: pious and impious; priori and posteriori (Ref. Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad) – both burnt
(c) 4 stages of reaction – All are burnt by transcendental knowledge
1. Reaction in the making
2. Reaction fructifying
3. Reaction already achieved
4. Reaction a priori
(a) Analogies:
- Knowledge compared to boat – Material world is compared to an ocean, even an expert swimmer cannot swim across the ocean but has to be lifted out of the ocean by a suitable boat.
- Material world is also compared to blazing forest fire.
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(a) Analogies:
- Knowledge compared to boat – Material world is compared to an ocean, even an expert swimmer cannot swim across the ocean but has to be lifted out of the ocean by a suitable boat.
- Material world is also compared to blazing forest fire.
(a) Result of receiving knowledge from a self-realized soul
- One learns that all living entities are parts and parcels of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
(b) What is ‘Maya’
- Sense of an existence separate from Krishna is called ‘maya’
- Also to think that we have nothing to do with Krishna who is just a great historical personality and Absolute is only the impersonal Brahman
o Refutation:
▪ Impersonal Brahman is the effulgence of Krishna (Based on Bg. 4.27)
▪ Krishna is the cause of all causes, even the cause of millions of incarnations and all the living entities (Ref. Brahma Samhita 5.1)
(c) Material thought of Mayavadis
- Argument: Wrongly think that Krishna loses His own separate existence in His many expansions; This thought is material in nature
- Refutation: Failure of Mayavadis to understand the meaning of the Absolute
o Material understanding is that, when a thing is fragmentally distributed, it loses its own original identity.
o But “Absolute Truth” means: “1+1=1” and “1-1=1”.
(d) Example of “Maya” – Arjuna’s thoughts of temporary bodily conception
- To think oneself separate from Krishna under illusion
- To come under the bodily conception and recognize with the bodily relationships
(e) What does liberation / freedom from illusion mean – to know constitution as eternal servitor
- Only way to get get such pure knowledge – Only from bona-fide spiritual master
- Meaning of ‘Mukti’ – Ref. SB 2.10.6
(f) What is the entire teaching of the Bhagavad-gita targeted towards –
- Living entity is an eternal servitor
- Cannot be separated from Krishna at any time
- Any sense of identify apart from Krishna is maya
(g) What is the level of perfect knowledge – Supreme soul Krishna, is the supreme shelter of all living beings.
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(a) Result of receiving knowledge from a self-realized soul
- One learns that all living entities are parts and parcels of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
(b) What is ‘Maya’
- Sense of an existence separate from Krishna is called ‘maya’
- Also to think that we have nothing to do with Krishna who is just a great historical personality and Absolute is only the impersonal Brahman
o Refutation:
▪ Impersonal Brahman is the effulgence of Krishna (Based on Bg. 4.27)
▪ Krishna is the cause of all causes, even the cause of millions of incarnations and all the living entities (Ref. Brahma Samhita 5.1)
(c) Material thought of Mayavadis
- Argument: Wrongly think that Krishna loses His own separate existence in His many expansions; This thought is material in nature
- Refutation: Failure of Mayavadis to understand the meaning of the Absolute
o Material understanding is that, when a thing is fragmentally distributed, it loses its own original identity.
o But “Absolute Truth” means: “1+1=1” and “1-1=1”.
(d) Example of “Maya” – Arjuna’s thoughts of temporary bodily conception
- To think oneself separate from Krishna under illusion
- To come under the bodily conception and recognize with the bodily relationships
(e) What does liberation / freedom from illusion mean – to know constitution as eternal servitor
- Only way to get get such pure knowledge – Only from bona-fide spiritual master
- Meaning of ‘Mukti’ – Ref. SB 2.10.6
(f) What is the entire teaching of the Bhagavad-gita targeted towards –
- Living entity is an eternal servitor
- Cannot be separated from Krishna at any time
- Any sense of identify apart from Krishna is maya
(g) What is the level of perfect knowledge – Supreme soul Krishna, is the supreme shelter of all living beings.
(a) Bona fide path of religion
- Only that religion which comes from Lord and His disciplic succession (Ref. SB. 6.3.19 “dharmam tu…”)
- Manufacturing one’s own process is the fashion of foolish pretenders
(b) Non bona fide paths – mental speculations, dry arguments, independent study of books
(c) Secret of progress – Satisfaction of self-realized spiritual master
(d) Proper combination for spiritual understanding – Inquiry and submission
(e) How inquiries are effective – By submission and service
- One must be able to pass the test of the spiritual master, and when he sees the genuine desire of the disciple, he automatically blesses the disciple with genuine understanding.
- When the student is submissive and always ready to render service, the reciprocation of knowledge and inquires become perfect.
(f) Text 4.34 condemns blind following and absurd inquiries.
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(a) Bona fide path of religion
- Only that religion which comes from Lord and His disciplic succession (Ref. SB. 6.3.19 “dharmam tu…”)
- Manufacturing one’s own process is the fashion of foolish pretenders
(b) Non bona fide paths – mental speculations, dry arguments, independent study of books
(c) Secret of progress – Satisfaction of self-realized spiritual master
(d) Proper combination for spiritual understanding – Inquiry and submission
(e) How inquiries are effective – By submission and service
- One must be able to pass the test of the spiritual master, and when he sees the genuine desire of the disciple, he automatically blesses the disciple with genuine understanding.
- When the student is submissive and always ready to render service, the reciprocation of knowledge and inquires become perfect.
(f) Text 4.34 condemns blind following and absurd inquiries.