BHAGAVAD-GITA 6:47

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BHAGAVAD-GITA 6:47

 

yoginam api sarvesam

mad-gatenantar-atmana

sraddhavan bhajate yo mam

sa me yuktatamo matah

 

WORD FOR WORD

 

yoginam--of yogis; api--also; sarvesam--all types of;

mat-gatena--abiding in Me, always thinking of Me; antah-atmana--within

himself; sraddha-van--in full faith; bhajate--renders transcendental

loving service; yah--one who; mam--to Me (the Supreme Lord); sah--he;

me--by Me; yukta-tamah--the greatest yogi; matah--is considered.

 

TRANSLATION

 

And of all yogis, the one with great faith who always abides in Me,

thinks of Me within himself, and renders transcendental loving service

to Me--he is the most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the

highest of all. That is My opinion.

 

PURPORT

 

The word bhajate is significant here. Bhajate has its root in the verb

bhaj, which is used when there is need of service. The English word

"worship" cannot be used in the same sense as bhaj. Worship means to

adore, or to show respect and honor to the worthy one. But service

with love and faith is especially meant for the Supreme Personality of

Godhead. One can avoid worshiping a respectable man or a demigod and

may be called discourteous, but one cannot avoid serving the Supreme

Lord without being thoroughly condemned. Every living entity is part

and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and thus every

living entity is intended to serve the Supreme Lord by his own

constitution. Failing to do this, he falls down. The Bhagavatam

(11.5.3) confirms this as follows:

 

ya esam purusam saksad

atma-prabhavam isvaram

na bhajanty avajananti

sthanad bhrastah patanty adhah

 

"Anyone who does not render service and neglects his duty unto the primeval

Lord, who is the source of all living entities, will certainly fall

down from his constitutional position."

 

In this verse also the word bhajanti is used. Therefore, bhajanti is

applicable to the Supreme Lord only, whereas the word "worship" can be

applied to demigods or to any other common living entity. The word

avajananti, used in this verse of Srimad-Bhagavatam, is also found in

the Bhagavad-gita. Avajananti mam mudhah: "Only the fools and rascals

deride the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krsna." Such fools

take it upon themselves to write commentaries on the Bhagavad-gita

without an attitude of service to the Lord. Consequently they cannot

properly distinguish between the word bhajanti and the word "worship."

 

The culmination of all kinds of yoga practices lies in bhakti yoga.

All other yogas are but means to come to the point of bhakti in

bhakti-yoga. Yoga actually means bhakti-yoga; all other yogas are

progressions toward the destination of bhakti-yoga. From the beginning

of karma-yoga to the end of bhakti-yoga is a long way to

self-realization. Karma-yoga, without fruitive results, is the

beginning of this path. When karma-yoga increases in knowledge and

renunciation, the stage is called jnana-yoga. When jnana-yoga

increases in meditation on the Supersoul by different physical

processes, and the mind is on Him, it is called astanga-yoga. And when

one surpasses the astanga-yoga and comes to the point of the Supreme

Personality of Godhead Krsna, it is called bhakti yoga, the

culmination. Factually, bhakti-yoga is the ultimate goal, but to

analyze bhakti-yoga minutely one has to understand these other yogas.

The yogi who is progressive is therefore on the true path of eternal

good fortune. One who sticks to a particular point and does not make

further progress is called by that particular name: karma-yogi,

jnana-yogi or dhyana-yogi, raja-yogi, hatha-yogi, etc. If one is

fortunate enough to come to the point of bhakti-yoga, it is to be

understood that he has surpassed all other yogas. Therefore, to become

Krsna conscious is the highest stage of yoga, just as, when we speak

of Himalayan, we refer to the world's highest mountains, of which the

highest peak, Mount Everest, is considered to be the culmination.

 

It is by great fortune that one comes to Krsna consciousness on the

path of bhakti-yoga to become well situated according to the Vedic

direction. The ideal yogi concentrates his attention on Krsna, who is

called Syamasundara, who is as beautifully colored as a cloud, whose

lotuslike face is as effulgent as the sun, whose dress is brilliant

with jewels and whose body is flower-garlanded. Illuminating all sides

is His gorgeous luster, which is called the brahmajyoti. He incarnates

in different forms such as Rama, Nrsimha, Varaha and Krsna, the

Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He descends like a human being, as

the son of mother Yasoda, and He is known as Krsna, Govinda and

Vasudeva. He is the perfect child, husband, friend and master, and He

is full with all opulences and transcendental qualities. If one

remains fully conscious of these features of the Lord, he is called

the highest yogi.

 

This stage of highest perfection in yoga can be attained only by

bhakti-yoga, as is confirmed in all Vedic literature:

 

yasya deve para bhaktir

yatha deve tatha gurau

tasyaite kathita hy arthah

prakasante mahatmanah

 

"Only unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and

the spiritual master are all the imports of Vedic knowledge

automatically revealed." (Svetasvatara Upanisad 6.23)

 

Bhaktir asya bhajanam tad ihamutropadhi-nairasyenamusmin

manah-kalpanam, etad eva naiskarmyam. "Bhakti means devotional service

to the Lord which is free from desire for material profit, either in

this life or in the next. Devoid of such inclinations, one should

fully absorb the mind in the Supreme. That is the purpose of

naiskarmya." (Gopala-tapani Upanisad 1.15)

 

These are some of the means for performance of bhakti, or Krsna

consciousness, the highest perfectional stage of the yoga system.

 

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Purports to the Sixth Chapter of the Srimad

Bhagavad-gita in the matter of Dhyana-yoga.

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.