Causelessmercy - Ebook - Bhagavad Gita As It Is - 2.4

Bhagavad-gita As It Is
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

CHAPTER TWO

Bg2.54

TEXT 54

arjuna uvaca

sthita-prajnasya ka bhasa

samadhi-sthasya kesava

sthita-dhih kim prabhaseta

kim asita vrajeta kim

arjuna uvaca—Arjuna said; sthita-prajnasya—of one who is situated in fixed Krsna consciousness; ka—what; bhasa—language; samadhi-sthasya—of one situated in trance; kesava—O Krsna; sthita-dhih—one fixed in Krsna consciousness; kim—what; prabhaseta—speak; kim—how; asita—does remain; vrajeta—walk; kim—how.

TRANSLATION

Arjuna said: What are the symptoms of one whose consciousness is thus merged in Transcendence? How does he speak, and what is his language? How does he sit, and how does he walk?

PURPORT

As there are symptoms for each and every man, in terms of his particular situation, similarly one who is Krsna conscious has his particular nature—talking, walking, thinking, feeling, etc. As a rich man has his symptoms by which he is known as a rich man, as a diseased man has his symptoms, by which he is known as diseased, or as a learned man has his symptoms, so a man in transcendental consciousness of Krsna has specific symptoms in various dealings. One can know his specific symptoms from the Bhagavad-gita. Most important is how the man in Krsna consciousness speaks, for speech is the most important quality of any man. It is said that a fool is undiscovered as long as he does not speak, and certainly a well-dressed fool cannot be identified unless he speaks, but as soon as he speaks, he reveals himself at once. The immediate symptom of a Krsna conscious man is that he speaks only of Krsna and of matters relating to Him. Other symptoms then automatically follow, as stated below.

sri-bhagavan uvaca

prajahati yada kaman

sarvan partha mano-gatan

atmany evatmana tustah

sthita-prajnas tadocyate

sri bhagavan uvaca—the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; prajahati—gives up; yada—when; kaman—desires for sense gratification; sarvan—of all varieties; partha—O son of Prtha; manah-gatan—of mental concoction; atmani—in the pure state of the soul; eva—certainly; atmana—by the purified mind; tustah—satisfied; sthita-prajnah—transcendentally situated; tada—at that time; ucyate—is said.

The Blessed Lord said: O Partha, when a man gives up all varieties of sense desire which arise from mental concoction, and when his mind finds satisfaction in the self alone, then he is said to be in pure transcendental consciousness.

The Bhagavatam affirms that any person who is fully in Krsna consciousness, or devotional service of the Lord, has all the good qualities of the great sages, whereas a person who is not so transcendentally situated has no good qualifications, because he is sure to be taking refuge in his own mental concoctions. Consequently, it is rightly said herein that one has to give up all kinds of sense desire manufactured by mental concoction. Artificially, such sense desires cannot be stopped. But if one is engaged in Krsna consciousness, then, automatically, sense desires subside without extraneous efforts. Therefore, one has to engage himself in Krsna consciousness without hesitation, for this devotional service will instantly help one on to the platform of transcendental consciousness. The highly developed soul always remains satisfied in himself by realizing himself as the eternal servitor of the Supreme Lord. Such a transcendentally situated person has no sense desires resulting from petty materialism; rather, he remains always happy in his natural position of eternally serving the Supreme Lord.

duhkhesv anudvigna-manah

sukhesu vigata-sprhah

vita-raga-bhaya-krodhah

sthita-dhir munir ucyate

duhkhesu—in the threefold miseries; anudvigna-manah—without being agitated in mind; sukhesu—in happiness; vigata-sprhah—without being too interested; vita—free from; raga—attachment; bhaya—fear; krodhah—anger; sthita-dhih—one who is steady; munih—sage; ucyate—is called.

One who is not disturbed in spite of the threefold miseries, who is not elated when there is happiness, and who is free from attachment, fear and anger, is called a sage of steady mind.

The word muni means one who can agitate his mind in various ways for mental speculation without coming to a factual conclusion. It is said that every muni has a different angle of vision, and unless a muni differs from other munis, he cannot be called a muni in the strict sense of the term. Nasau munir yasya matam na binnam. But a sthita-dhi-muni as mentioned herein by the Lord, is different from an ordinary muni The sthita-dhi-muni is always in Krsna consciousness, for he has exhausted all his business of creative speculation. He has surpassed the stage of mental speculations and has come to the conclusion that Lord Sri Krsna, or Vasudeva, is everything. He is called a muni fixed in mind. Such a fully Krsna conscious person is not at all disturbed by the onslaughts of the threefold miseries, for he accepts all miseries as the mercy of the Lord, thinking himself only worthy of more trouble due to his past misdeeds; and he sees that his miseries, by the grace of the Lord, are minimized to the lowest. Similarly, when he is happy he gives credit to the Lord, thinking himself unworthy of the happiness; he realizes that it is due only to the Lord’s grace that he is in such a comfortable condition and able to render better service to the Lord. And, for the service of the Lord, he is always daring and active and is not influenced by attachment or aversion. Attachment means accepting things for one’s own sense gratification, and detachment is the absence of such sensual attachment. But one fixed in Krsna consciousness has neither attachment nor detachment because his life is dedicated in the service of the Lord. Consequently he is not at all angry even when his attempts are unsuccessful. A Krsna conscious person is always steady in his determination.

yah sarvatranabhisnehas

tat tat prapya subhasubham

nabhinandati na dvesti

tasya prajna pratisthita

yah—one who; sarvatra—everywhere; anabhisnehah—without affection; tat—that; tat—that; prapya—achieving; subha—good; asubham—evil; na—never; abhinandati—prays; na—never; dvesti—envies; tasya—his; prajna—perfect knowledge; pratisthita—fixed.

He who is without attachment, who does not rejoice when he obtains good, nor lament when he obtains evil, is firmly fixed in perfect knowledge.

There is always some upheaval in the material world which may be good or evil. One who is not agitated by such material upheavals, who is unaffected by good and evil, is to be understood to be fixed in Krsna consciousness. As long as one is in the material world there is always the possibility of good and evil because this world is full of duality. But one who is fixed in Krsna consciousness is not affected by good and evil because he is simply concerned with Krsna, who is all good absolute. Such consciousness in Krsna situates one in a perfect transcendental position called, technically, samadhi.

yada samharate cayam

kurmo ’nganiva sarvasah

indriyanindriyarthebhyas

tasya prajna pratisthita

yada—when; samharate—winds up; ca—also; ayam—all these; kurmah—tortoise; angani—limbs; iva—like; sarvasah—altogether; indriyani—senses; indriya-arthebhyah—from the sense objects; tasya—his; prajna—consciousness; pratisthita—fixed up.

One who is able to withdraw his senses from sense objects, as the tortoise draws his limbs within the shell, is to be understood as truly situated in knowledge.

The test of a yogi, devotee, or self-realized soul is that he is able to control the senses according to his plan. Most people, however, are servants of the senses and are thus directed by the dictation of the senses. That is the answer to the question as to how the yogi is situated. The senses are compared to venomous serpents. They want to act very loosely and without restriction. The yogi, or the devotee, must be very strong to control the serpents—like a snake charmer. He never allows them to act independantly. There are many injunctions in the revealed scriptures; some of them are do-not’s, and some of them are do’s. Unless one is able to follow the do’s and the do-not’s, restricting oneself from sense enjoyment, it is not possible to be firmly fixed in Krsna consciousness. The best example, set herein, is the tortoise. The tortoise can at any moment wind up his senses and exhibit them again at any time for particular purposes. Similarly, the senses of the Krsna conscious persons are used only for some particular purpose in the service of the Lord and are withdrawn otherwise. Keeping the senses always in the service of the Lord is the example set by the analogy of the tortoise, who keeps the senses within.

visaya vinivartante

niraharasya dehinah

rasa-varjam raso ’py asya

param drstva nivartate

visayah—objects for sense enjoyment; vinivartante—are practiced to be refrained from; niraharasya—by negative restrictions; dehinah—for the embodied; rasa-varjam—giving up the taste; rasah—sense of enjoyment; api—although there is; asya—his; param—far superior things; drstva—by experiencing; nivartate—ceases from.

The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.

Unless one is transcendentally situated, it is not possible to cease from sense enjoyment. The process of restriction from sense enjoyment by rules and regulations is something like restricting a diseased person from certain types of eatables. The patient, however, neither likes such restrictions, nor loses his taste for eatables. Similarly, sense restriction by some spiritual process like astanga-yoga, in the matter of yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, etc., is recommended for less intelligent persons who have no better knowledge. But one who has tasted the beauty of the Supreme Lord Krsna, in the course of his advancement in Krsna consciousness, no longer has a taste for dead material things. Therefore, restrictions are there for the less intelligent neophytes in the spiritual advancement of life, but such restrictions are only good if one actually has a taste for Krsna consciousness. When one is actually Krsna conscious, he automatically loses his taste for pale things.

yatato hy api kaunteya

purusasya vipascitah

indriyani pramathini

haranti prasabham manah

yatatah—while endeavoring; hi—certainly; api—in spite of; kaunteya—O son of Kunti; purusasya—of the man; vipascitah—full of discriminating knowledge; indriyani—the senses; pramathini—stimulated; haranti—throws forcefully; prasabham—by force; manah—the mind.

The senses are so strong and impetuous, O Arjuna, that they forcibly carry away the mind even of a man of discrimination who is endeavoring to control them.

There are many learned sages, philosophers and transcendentalists who try to conquer the senses, but in spite of their endeavors, even the greatest of them sometimes fall victim to material sense enjoyment due to the agitated mind. Even Visvamitra, a great sage and perfect yogi, was misled by Menaka into sex enjoyment, although the yogi was endeavoring for sense control with severe types of penance and yoga practice. And,of course, there are so many similar instances in the history of the world. Therefore, it is very difficult to control the mind and the senses without being fully Krsna conscious. Without engaging the mind in Krsna, one cannot cease such material engagements. A practical example is given by Sri Yamunacarya, a great saint and devotee, who says: “Since my mind has been engaged in the service of the lotus feet of Lord Krsna, and I have been enjoying an ever new transcendental humor, whenever I think of sex life with a woman, my face at once turns from it, and I spit at the thought.”

Krsna consciousness is such a transcendentally nice thing that automatically material enjoyment becomes distasteful. It is as if a hungry man had satisfied his hunger by a sufficient quantity of nutritious eatables. Maharaja Ambarisa also conquered a great yogi, Durvasa Muni, simply because his mind was engaged in Krsna consciousness.

tani sarvani samyamya

yukta asita mat-parah

vase hi yasyendriyani

tasya prajna pratisthita

tani—those senses; sarvani—all; samyamya—keeping under control; yuktah—being engaged; asita—being so situated; mat-parah—in relationship with Me; vase—in full subjugation; hi—certainly; yasya—one whose; indriyani—senses; tasya—his; prajna—consciousness; pratisthita—fixed.

One who restrains his senses and fixes his consciousness upon Me is known as a man of steady intelligence.

That the highest conception of yoga perfection is Krsna consciousness is clearly explained in this verse. And, unless one is Krsna conscious, it is not at all possible to control the senses. As cited above, the great sage Durvasa Muni picked a quarrel with Maharaja Ambarisa, and Durvasa Muni unnecessarily became angry out of pride and therefore could not check his senses. On the other hand, the King, although not as powerful a yogi as the sage, but a devotee of the Lord, silently tolerated all the sage’s injustices and thereby emerged victorious. The King was able to control his senses because of the following qualifications, as mentioned in the Srimad-Bhagavatam:

sa vai manah krsna-padaravindayor
vacamsi vaikuntha-gunanavarnane
karau harer mandira-marjanadisu
srutim cakaracyuta-sat-kathodaye

mukunda-lingalaya-darsane drsau
tad-bhrtya-gatra-sparse’nga-sangamam
ghranam ca tat-pada-saroja-saurabhe
srimat-tulasya rasanam tad-arpite

padau hareh ksetra-padanusarpane
siro hrsikesa-padabhivandane
kamam ca dasye na tu kama-kamyaya
yathottamasloka-janasraya ratih

“King Ambarisa fixed his mind on the lotus feet of Lord Krsna, engaged his words in describing the abode of the Lord, his hands in cleansing the temple of the Lord, his ears in hearing the pastimes of the Lord, his eyes in seeing the form of the Lord, his body in touching the body of the devotee, his nostrils in smelling the flavor of the flowers offered to the lotus feet of the Lord, his tongue in tasting the tulasi leaves offered to Him, his legs in traveling to the holy place where His temple is situated, his head in offering obeisances unto the Lord, and his desires in fulfilling the desires of the Lord … and all these qualifications made him fit to become a mat-parah devotee of the Lord.” (Bhag. 9.4.18-20)

The word mat-parah is most significant in this connection. How one can become a mat-parah is described in the life of Maharaja Ambarisa. Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana, a great scholar and acarya in the line of the mat-parah, remarks: “mad-bhakti-prabhavena sarvendriya-vijaya-purvika svatma drstih sulabheti bhavah.” “The senses can be completely controlled only by the strength of devotional service to Krsna.” Also the example of fire is sometimes given: “As the small flames within burn everything within the room, similarly Lord Visnu, situated in the heart of the yogi, burns up all kinds of impurities.” The Yoga-sutra also prescribes meditation on Visnu, and not meditation on the void. The so-called yogis who meditate on something which is not the Visnu form simply waste their time in a vain search after some phantasmagoria. We have to be Krsna conscious—devoted to the Personality of Godhead. This is the aim of the real yoga.

dhyayato visayan pumsah

sangas tesupajayate

sangat sanjayate kamah

kamat krodho ’bhijayate

dhyayatah—while contemplating; visayan—sense objects; pumsah—of the person; sangah—attachment; tesu—in the sense objects; upajayate—develops; sangat—attachment; sanjayate—develops; kamah—desire; kamat—from desire; krodhah—anger; abhijayate—becomes manifest.

While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises.

One who is not Krsna conscious is subjected to material desires while contemplating the objects of senses. The senses require real engagements, and if they are not engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, they will certainly seek engagement in the service of materialism. In the material world everyone, including Lord Siva and Lord Brahma—to say nothing of other demigods in the heavenly planets—is subjected to the influence of sense objects, and the only method to get out of this puzzle of material existence is to become Krsna conscious. Lord Siva was deep in meditation, but when Parvati agitated him for sense pleasure, he agreed to the proposal, and as a result Kartikeya was born. When Haridasa Thakur was a young devotee of the Lord, he was similarly allured by the incarnation of Maya Devi, but Haridasa easily passed the test because of his unalloyed devotion to Lord Krsna. As illustrated in the above-mentioned verse of Sri Yamunacarya, a sincere devotee of the Lord shuns all material sense enjoyment due to his higher taste for spiritual enjoyment in the association of the Lord. That is the secret of success. One who is not, therefore, in Krsna consciousness, however powerful he may be in controlling the senses by artificial repression, is sure ultimately to fail, for the slightest thought of sense pleasure will agitate him to gratify his desires.

krodhad bhavati sammohah

sammohat smrti-vibhramah

smrti-bhramsad buddhi-naso

buddhi-nasat pranasyati

krodhat—from anger; bhavati—takes place; sammohah—perfect illusion; sammohat—from illusion; smrti—of memory; vibhramah—bewilderment; smrti-bhramsat—after bewilderment of memory; buddhi-nasah—loss of intelligence; buddhi-nasat—and from loss of intelligence; pranasyati—falls down.

From anger, delusion arises, and from delusion bewilderment of memory. When memory is bewildered, intelligence is lost, and when intelligence is lost, one falls down again into the material pool.

By development of Krsna consciousness one can know that everything has its use in the service of the Lord. Those who are without knowledge of Krsna consciousness artificially try to avoid material objects, and as a result, although they desire liberation from material bondage, they do not attain to the perfect stage of renunciation. On the other hand, a person in Krsna consciousness knows how to use everything in the service of the Lord; therefore he does not become a victim of material consciousness. For example, for an impersonalist, the Lord, or the Absolute, being impersonal, cannot eat. Whereas an impersonalist tries to avoid good eatables, a devotee knows that Krsna is the supreme enjoyer and that He eats all that is offered to Him in devotion. So, after offering good eatables to the Lord, the devotee takes the remnants, called prasadam. Thus everything becomes spiritualized and there is no danger of a downfall. The devotee takes prasadam in Krsna consciousness, whereas the nondevotee rejects it as material. The impersonalist, therefore, cannot enjoy life due to his artificial renunciation; and for this reason, a slight agitation of the mind pulls him down again into the pool of material existence. It is said that such a soul, even though rising up to the point of liberation, falls down again due to his not having support in devotional service.

raga-dvesa-vimuktais tu

visayan indriyais caran

atma-vasyair vidheyatma

prasadam adhigacchati

raga—attachment; dvesa—detachment; vimuktaih—by one who has been free from such things; tu—but; visayan—sense objects; indriyaih—by the senses; caran—acting; atma-vasyaih—one who has control over; vidheyatma—one who follows regulated freedom; prasadam—the mercy of the Lord; adhigacchati—attains.

One who can control his senses by practicing the regulated principles of freedom can obtain the complete mercy of the Lord and thus become free from all attachment and aversion.

It is already explained that one may externally control the senses by some artificial process, but unless the senses are engaged in the transcendental service of the Lord, there is every chance of a fall. Although the person in full Krsna consciousness may apparently be on the sensual plane, because of his being Krsna conscious, he has no attachment to sensual activities. The Krsna conscious person is concerned only with the satisfaction of Krsna, and nothing else. Therefore he is transcendental to all attachment. If Krsna wants, the devotee can do anything which is ordinarily undesirable; and if Krsna does not want, he shall not do that which he would have ordinarily done for his own satisfaction. Therefore to act or not to act is within his control because he acts only under the direction of Krsna. This consciousness is the causeless mercy of the Lord, which the devotee can achieve in spite of his being attached to the sensual platform.

prasade sarva-duhkhanam

hanir asyopajayate

prasanna-cetaso hy asu

buddhih paryavatisthate

prasade—on achievement of the causeless mercy of the Lord; sarva—all; duhkhanam—material miseries; hanih—destruction; asya—his; upajayate—takes place; prasanna-cetasah—of the happy-minded; hi—certainly; asu—very soon; buddhih—intelligence; pari—sufficiently; avatisthate—established.

For one who is so situated in the Divine consciousness, the threefold miseries of material existence exist no longer; in such a happy state, one’s intelligence soon becomes steady.

Bg2.66

TEXT 66

nasti buddhir ayuktasya

na cayuktasya bhavana

na cabhavayatah santir

asantasya kutah sukham

na asti—there cannot be; buddhih—transcendental intelligence; ayuktasya—of one who is not connected (with Krsna consciousness); na—neither; ca—and; ayuktasya—of one devoid of Krsna consciousness; bhavana—mind fixed in happiness; na—neither; ca—and; abhavayatah—one who is not fixed; santih—peace; asantasya—of the unpeaceful; kutah—where is; sukham—happiness.

TRANSLATION

One who is not in transcendental consciousness can have neither a controlled mind nor steady intelligence, without which there is no possibility of peace. And how can there be any happiness without peace?

PURPORT

Unless one is in Krsna consciousness, there is no possibility of peace. So it is confirmed in the Fifth Chapter (5.29) that when one understands that Krsna is the only enjoyer of all the good results of sacrifice and penance, and that He is the proprietor of all universal manifestations, that He is the real friend of all living entities, then only can one have real peace. Therefore, if one is not in Krsna consciousness, there cannot be a final goal for the mind. Disturbance is due to want of an ultimate goal, and when one is certain that Krsna is the enjoyer, proprietor and friend of everyone and everything, then one can, with a steady mind, bring about peace. Therefore, one who is engaged without a relationship with Krsna is certainly always in distress and is without peace, however much one may make a show of peace and spiritual advancement in life. Krsna consciousness is a self-manifested peaceful condition which can be achieved only in relationship with Krsna.

indriyanam hi caratam

yan mano ’nuvidhiyate

tad asya harati prajnam

vayur navam ivambhasi

indriyanam—of the senses; hi—certainly; caratam—while herding over; yat—that; manah—mind; anuvidhiyate—becomes constantly engaged; tat—that; asya—his; harati—takes away; prajnam—intelligence; vayuh—wind; navam—a boat; iva—like; ambhasi—on the water.

As a boat on the water is swept away by a strong wind, even one of the senses on which the mind focuses can carry away a man’s intelligence.

Unless all of the senses are engaged in the service of the Lord, even one of them engaged in sense gratification can deviate the devotee from the path of transcendental advancement. As mentioned in the life of Maharaja Ambarisa, all of the senses must be engaged in Krsna consciousness, for that is the correct technique for controlling the mind.

tasmad yasya maha-baho

nigrhitani sarvasah

indriyanindriyarthebhyas

tasya prajna pratisthita

tasmat—therefore; yasya—of one’s; maha-baho—O mighty-armed one; nigrhitani—so curbed down; sarvasah—all around; indriyani—the senses; indriya-arthebhyah—for the sake of sense objects; tasya—his; prajna—intelligence; pratisthita—fixed.

Therefore, O mighty-armed, one whose senses are restrained from their objects is certainly of steady intelligence.

As enemies are curbed by superior force, similarly, the senses can be curbed not by any human endeavor, but only by keeping them engaged in the service of the Lord. One who has understood this—that only by Krsna consciousness is one really established in intelligence and that one should practice this art under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master—is called sadhaka, or a suitable candidate for liberation.

ya nisa sarva-bhutanam

tasyam jagarti samyami

yasyam jagrati bhutani

sa nisa pasyato muneh

ya—what; nisa—is night; sarva—all; bhutanam—of living entities; tasyam—in that; jagarti—wakeful; samyami—the self-controlled; yasyam—in which; jagrati—awake; bhutani—all beings; sa—that is; nisa—night; pasyatah—for the introspective; muneh—sage.

What is night for all beings is the time of awakening for the self-controlled; and the time of awakening for all beings is night for the introspective sage.

There are two classes of intelligent men. The one is intelligent in material activities for sense gratification, and the other is introspective and awake to the cultivation of self-realization. Activities of the introspective sage, or thoughtful man, are night for persons materially absorbed. Materialistic persons remain asleep in such a night due to their ignorance of self-realization. The introspective sage remains alert in the “night” of the materialistic men. The sage feels transcendental pleasure in the gradual advancement of spiritual culture, whereas the man in materialistic activities, being asleep to self-realization, dreams of varieties of sense pleasure, feeling sometimes happy and sometimes distressed in his sleeping condition. The introspective man is always indifferent to materialistic happiness and distress. He goes on with his self-realization activities undisturbed by material reaction.

apuryamanam acala-pratistham

samudram apah pravisanti yadvat

tadvat kama yam pravisanti sarve

sa santim apnoti na kama-kami

apuryamanam—always filled; acala-pratistham—steadily situated; samudram—the ocean; apah—water; pravisanti—enter; yadvat—as; tadvat—so; kamah—desires; yam—unto one; pravisanti—enter; sarve—all; sah—that person; santim—peace; apnoti—achieves; na—not; kama-kami—one who desires to fulfill desires.

A person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires—that enter like rivers into the ocean which is ever being filled but is always still—can alone achieve peace, and not the man who strives to satisfy such desires.

Although the vast ocean is always filled with water, it is always, especially during the rainy season, being filled with much more water. But the ocean remains the same—steady; it is not agitated, nor does it cross beyond the limit of its brink. That is also true of a person fixed in Krsna consciousness. As long as one has the material body, the demands of the body for sense gratification will continue. The devotee, however, is not disturbed by such desires because of his fullness. A Krsna conscious man is not in need of anything because the Lord fulfills all his material necessities. Therefore he is like the ocean—always full in himself. Desires may come to him like the waters of the rivers that flow into the ocean, but he is steady in his activities, and he is not even slightly disturbed by desires for sense gratification. That is the proof of a Krsna conscious man—one who has lost all inclinations for material sense gratification, although the desires are present. Because he remains satisfied in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, he can remain steady, like the ocean, and therefore enjoy full peace. Others, however, who fulfill desires even up to the limit of liberation, what to speak of material success, never attain peace. The fruitive workers, the salvationists, and also the yogis who are after mystic powers, are all unhappy because of unfulfilled desires. But the person in Krsna consciousness is happy in the service of the Lord, and he has no desires to be fulfilled. In fact, he does not even desire liberation from the so-called material bondage. The devotees of Krsna have no material desires, and therefore they are in perfect peace.

vihaya kaman yah sarvan

pumams carati nihsprhah

nirmamo nirahankarah

sa santim adhigacchati

vihaya—after giving up; kaman—all material desires for sense gratification; yah—the person; sarvan—all; puman—a person; carati—lives; nihsprhah —desireless; nirmamah—without a sense of proprietorship; nirahankarah—without false ego; sah—all; santim—perfect peace; adhigacchati—attains.

A person who has given up all desires for sense gratification, who lives free from desires, who has given up all sense of proprietorship and is devoid of false ego—he alone can attain real peace.

To become desireless means not to desire anything for sense gratification. In other words, desire for becoming Krsna conscious is actually desirelessness. To understand one’s actual position as the eternal servitor of Krsna, without falsely claiming this material body to be oneself and without falsely claiming proprietorship over anything in the world, is the perfect stage of Krsna consciousness. One who is situated in this perfect stage knows that because Krsna is the proprietor of everything, therefore everything must be used for the satisfaction of Krsna. Arjuna did not want to fight for his own sense satisfaction, but when he became fully Krsna conscious he fought because Krsna wanted him to fight. For himself there was no desire to fight, but for Krsna the same Arjuna fought to his best ability. Desire for the satisfaction of Krsna is really desirelessness; it is not an artificial attempt to abolish desires. The living entity cannot be desireless or senseless, but he does have to change the quality of the desires. A materially desireless person certainly knows that everything belongs to Krsna (isavasyam idam sarvam), and therefore he does not falsely claim proprietorship over anything. This transcendental knowledge is based on self-realization—namely, knowing perfectly well that every living entity is the eternal part and parcel of Krsna in spiritual identity. and therefore the eternal position of the living entity is never on the level of Krsna or greater than Him. This understanding of Krsna consciousness is the basic principle of real peace.

esa brahmi sthitih partha

nainam prapya vimuhyati

sthitvasyam anta-kale ’pi

brahma-nirvanam rcchati

esa—this; brahmi—spiritual; sthitih—situation; partha—O son of Prtha; na—never; enam—this; prapya—achieving; vimuhyati—bewilders; sthitva—being so situated; asyam—being so; anta-kale—at the end of life; api—also; brahma-nirvanam—spiritual (kingdom of God); rcchati—attains.

That is the way of the spiritual and godly life, after attaining which a man is not bewildered. Being so situated, even at the hour of death, one can enter into the kingdom of God.

One can attain Krsna consciousness or divine life at once, within a second—or one may not attain such a state of life even after millions of births. It is only a matter of understanding and accepting the fact. Khatvanga Maharaja attained this state of life just a few minutes before his death, by surrendering unto Krsna. Nirvana means ending the process of materialistic life. According to Buddhist philosophy, there is only void after the completion of this material life, but Bhagavad-gita teaches differently. Actual life begins after the completion of this material life. For the gross materialist it is sufficient to know that one has to end this materialistic way of life, but for persons who are spiritually advanced, there is another life after this materialistic life. Before ending this life, if one fortunately becomes Krsna conscious, he at once attains the stage of Brahma-nirvana. There is no difference between the kingdom of God and the devotional service of the Lord. Since both of them are on the absolute plane, to be engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord is to have attained the spiritual kingdom. In the material world there are activities of sense gratification, whereas in the spiritual world there are activities of Krsna consciousness. Attainment of Krsna consciousness even during this life is immediate attainment of Brahman, and one who is situated in Krsna consciousness has certainly already entered into the kingdom of God.

Brahman is just the opposite of matter. Therefore brahmi sthitih means “not on the platform of material activities.” Devotional service of the Lord is accepted in the Bhagavad-gita as the liberated stage. Therefore, brahmi-sthitih is liberation from material bondage.

Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur has summarized this Second Chapter of the Bhagavad-gita as being the contents for the whole text. In the Bhagavad-gita, the subject matters are karma-yoga, jnana-yoga, and bhakti-yoga. In the Second Chapter karma-yoga and jnana-yoga have been clearly discussed, and a glimpse of bhakti-yoga has also been given, as the contents for the complete text.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Purports to the Second Chapter of the Srimad-Bhagavad-gita in the matter of its Contents.

Next chapter (Bg 3)