BHAGAVAD-GITA 4:9

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BHAGAVAD-GITA 4:9

 

janma karma ca me divyam

evam yo vetti tattvatah

tyaktva deham punar janma

naiti mam eti so 'rjuna

 

WORD FOR WORD

 

janma--birth; karma--work; ca--also; me--of Mine;

divyam--transcendental; evam--like this; yah--anyone who;

vetti--knows; tattvatah--in reality; tyaktva--leaving aside;

deham--this body; punah--again; janma--birth; na--never; eti--does

attain; mam--unto Me; eti--does attain; sah--he; arjuna--O Arjuna.

 

TRANSLATION

 

One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and

activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in

this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.

 

PURPORT

 

The Lord's descent from His transcendental abode is already explained

in the 6th verse. One who can understand the truth of the appearance

of the Personality of Godhead is already liberated from material

bondage, and therefore he returns to the kingdom of God immediately

after quitting this present material body. Such liberation of the

living entity from material bondage is not at all easy. The

impersonalists and the yogis attain liberation only after much trouble

and many, many births. Even then, the liberation they achieve--merging

into the impersonal brahmajyoti of the Lord--is only partial, and

there is the risk of returning to this material world. But the

devotee, simply by understanding the transcendental nature of the body

and activities of the Lord, attains the abode of the Lord after ending

this body and does not run the risk of returning to this material

world. In the Brahma-samhita (5.33) it is stated that the Lord has

many, many forms and incarnations: advaitam acyutam anadim

ananta-rupam. Although there are many transcendental forms of the

Lord, they are still one and the same Supreme Personality of Godhead.

One has to understand this fact with conviction, although it is

incomprehensible to mundane scholars and empiric philosophers. As

stated in the Vedas (Purusa-bodhini Upanisad):

 

eko devo nitya-lilanurakto

bhakta- vyapi hrdy antar-atma

 

"The one Supreme Personality of Godhead is eternally engaged in many, many

transcendental forms in relationships with His unalloyed devotees."

This Vedic version is confirmed in this verse of the Gita personally

by the Lord. He who accepts this truth on the strength of the

authority of the Vedas and of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and

who does not waste time in philosophical speculations attains the

highest perfectional stage of liberation. Simply by accepting this

truth on faith, one can, without a doubt, attain liberation. The Vedic

version tat tvam asi is actually applied in this case. Anyone who

understands Lord Krsna to be the Supreme, or who says unto the Lord

"You are the same Supreme Brahman, the Personality of Godhead," is

certainly liberated instantly, and consequently his entrance into the

transcendental association of the Lord is guaranteed. In other words,

such a faithful devotee of the Lord attains perfection, and this is

confirmed by the following Vedic assertion:

 

tam eva viditvati mrtyum eti

nanyah pantha vidyate 'yanaya

 

"One can attain the perfect stage of liberation from birth and death simply

by knowing the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and there is

no other way to achieve this perfection." (Svetasvatara Upanisad 3.8)

That there is no alternative means that anyone who does not understand

Lord Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead is surely in the mode

of ignorance and consequently he will not attain salvation simply, so

to speak, by licking the outer surface of the bottle of honey, or by

interpreting the Bhagavad-gita according to mundane scholarship. Such

empiric philosophers may assume very important roles in the material

world, but they are not necessarily eligible for liberation. Such

puffed-up mundane scholars have to wait for the causeless mercy of the

devotee of the Lord. One should therefore cultivate Krsna

consciousness with faith and knowledge, and in this way attain

perfection.

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.