BHAGAVAD-GITA 9:2

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BHAGAVAD-GITA 9:2

 

raja-vidya raja-guhyam

pavitram idam uttamam

pratyaksavagamam dharmyam

su-sukham kartum avyayam

 

WORD FOR WORD

 

raja-vidya--the king of education; raja-guhyam--the king of

confidential knowledge; pavitram--the purest; idam--this;

uttamam--transcendental; pratyaksa--by direct experience;

avagamam--understood; dharmyam--the principle of religion;

su-sukham--very happy; kartum--to execute; avyayam--everlasting.

 

TRANSLATION

 

This knowledge is the king of education, the most secret of all

secrets. It is the purest knowledge, and because it gives direct

perception of the self by realization, it is the perfection of

religion. It is everlasting, and it is joyfully performed.

 

PURPORT

 

This chapter of Bhagavad-gita is called the king of education because

it is the essence of all doctrines and philosophies explained before.

Among the principal philosophers in India are Gautama, Kanada, Kapila,

Yajnavalkya, Sandilya and Vaisvanara. And finally there is Vyasadeva,

the author of the Vedanta-sutra. So there is no dearth of knowledge in

the field of philosophy or transcendental knowledge. Now the Lord says

that this Ninth Chapter is the king of all such knowledge, the essence

of all knowledge that can be derived from the study of the Vedas and

different kinds of philosophy. It is the most confidential because

confidential or transcendental knowledge involves understanding the

difference between the soul and the body. And the king of all

confidential knowledge culminates in devotional service.

 

Generally, people are not educated in this confidential knowledge;

they are educated in external knowledge. As far as ordinary education

is concerned, people are involved with so many departments: politics,

sociology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, astronomy, engineering,

etc. There are so many departments of knowledge all over the world and

many huge universities, but there is, unfortunately, no university or

educational institution where the science of the spirit soul is

instructed. Yet the soul is the most important part of the body;

without the presence of the soul, the body has no value. Still people

are placing great stress on the bodily necessities of life, not caring

for the vital soul.

 

The Bhagavad-gita, especially from the Second Chapter on, stresses the

importance of the soul. In the very beginning, the Lord says that this

body is perishable and that the soul is not perishable (antavanta ime

deha nityasyoktah saririnah). That is a confidential part of

knowledge: simply knowing that the spirit soul is different from this

body and that its nature is immutable, indestructible and eternal. But

that gives no positive information about the soul. Sometimes people

are under the impression that the soul is different from the body and

that when the body is finished, or one is liberated from the body, the

soul remains in a void and becomes impersonal. But actually that is

not the fact. How can the soul, which is so active within this body,

be inactive after being liberated from the body? It is always active.

If it is eternal, then it is eternally active, and its activities in

the spiritual kingdom are the most confidential part of spiritual

knowledge. These activities of the spirit soul are therefore indicated

here as constituting the king of all knowledge, the most confidential

part of all knowledge.

 

This knowledge is the purest form of all activities, as explained in

Vedic literature. In the Padma purana, man's sinful activities have

been analyzed and are shown to be the results of sin after sin. Those

who are engaged in fruitive activities are entangled in different

stages and forms of sinful reactions. For instance, when the seed of a

particular tree is sown, the tree does not appear immediately to grow;

it takes some time. It is first a small, sprouting plant, then it

assumes the form of a tree, then it flowers and bears fruit, and, when

it is complete, the flowers and fruits are enjoyed by persons who have

sown the seed of the tree. Similarly, a man performs a sinful act, and

like a seed it takes time to fructify. There are different stages. The

sinful action may have already stopped within the individual, but the

results or the fruit of that sinful action are still to be enjoyed.

There are sins which are still in the form of a seed, and there are

others which are already fructified and are giving us fruit, which we

are enjoying as distress and pain.

 

As explained in the twenty-eighth verse of the Seventh Chapter, a

person who has completely ended the reactions of all sinful activities

and who is fully engaged in pious activities, being freed from the

duality of this material world, becomes engaged in devotional service

to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. In other words, those

who are actually engaged in the devotional service of the Supreme Lord

are already freed from all reactions. This statement is confirmed in

the Padma Purana:

aprarabdha-phalam papam

kutam bijam phalonmukham

kramenaiva praliyeta

visnu-bhakti-ratatmanam

 

For those who are engaged in the devotional service of the Supreme

Personality of Godhead, all sinful reactions, whether fructified, in

the stock, or in the form of a seed, gradually vanish. Therefore the

purifying potency of devotional service is very strong, and it is

called pavitram uttamam, the purest. Uttama means transcendental.

Tamas means this material world or darkness, and uttama means that

which is transcendental to material activities. Devotional activities

are never to be considered material, although sometimes it appears

that devotees are engaged just like ordinary men. One who can see and

is familiar with devotional service will know that they are not

material activities. They are all spiritual and devotional,

uncontaminated by the material modes of nature.

 

It is said that the execution of devotional service is so perfect that

one can perceive the results directly. This direct result is actually

perceived, and we have practical experience that any person who is

chanting the holy names of Krsna (Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna,

Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare) in course of

chanting without offenses feels some transcendental pleasure and very

quickly becomes purified of all material contamination. This is

actually seen. Furthermore, if one engages not only in hearing but in

trying to broadcast the message of devotional activities as well, or

if he engages himself in helping the missionary activities of Krsna

consciousness, he gradually feels spiritual progress. This advancement

in spiritual life does not depend on any kind of previous education or

qualification. The method itself is so pure that by simply engaging in

it one becomes pure.

 

In the Vedanta-sutra (3.2.26) this is also described in the following

words: prakasas ca karmany abhyasat. "Devotional service is so potent

that simply by engaging in the activities of devotional service one

becomes enlightened without a doubt." A practical example of this can

be seen in the previous life of Narada, who in that life happened to

be the son of a maidservant. He had no education, nor was he born into

a high family. But when his mother was engaged in serving great

devotees, Narada also became engaged, and sometimes, in the absence of

his mother, he would serve the great devotees himself. Narada

personally says,

 

ucchista-lepan anumodito dvijaih

sakrt sma bhunje tad-apasta-kilbisah

evam pravrttasya visuddha-cetasas

tad-dharma evatma-rucih prajayate

 

In this verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.5.25) Narada describes his

previous life to his disciple Vyasadeva. He says that while engaged as

a boy servant for those purified devotees during the four months of

their stay, he was intimately associating with them. Sometimes those

sages left remnants of food on their dishes, and the boy, who would

wash their dishes, wanted to taste the remnants. So he asked the great

devotees for their permission, and when they gave it Narada ate those

remnants and consequently became freed from all sinful reactions. As

he went on eating, he gradually became as pure-hearted as the sages.

The great devotees relished the taste of unceasing devotional service

to the Lord by hearing and chanting, and Narada gradually developed

the same taste. Narada says further,

 

tatran vaham krsna-kathah pragayatam

anugrahenasrnavam manoharah

tah sraddhaya me 'nupadam visrnvatah

priyasravasy anga mamabhavad rucih

 

By associating with the sages, Narada got the taste for hearing and

chanting the glories of the Lord, and he developed a great desire for

devotional service. Therefore, as described in the Vedanta-sutra,

prakasas ca karmany abhyasat: if one is engaged simply in the acts of

devotional service, everything is revealed to him automatically, and

he can understand. This is called pratyaksa, directly perceived.

 

The word dharmyam means "the path of religion." Narada was actually a

son of a maidservant. He had no opportunity to go to school. He was

simply assisting his mother, and fortunately his mother rendered some

service to the devotees. The child Narada also got the opportunity and

simply by association achieved the highest goal of all religion. The

highest goal of all religion is devotional service, as stated in

Srimad-Bhagavatam (sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoksaje).

Religious people generally do not know that the highest perfection of

religion is the attainment of devotional service. As we have already

discussed in regard to the last verse of Chapter Eight (vedesu yajnesu

tapahsu caiva), generally Vedic knowledge is required for

self-realization. But here, although Narada never went to the school

of the spiritual master and was not educated in the Vedic principles,

he acquired the highest results of Vedic study. This process is so

potent that even without performing the religious process regularly,

one can be raised to the highest perfection. How is this possible?

This is also confirmed in Vedic literature: acaryavan puruso veda. One

who is in association with great acaryas, even if he is not educated

or has never studied the Vedas, can become familiar with all the

knowledge necessary for realization.

 

The process of devotional service is a very happy one (susukham). Why?

Devotional service consists of sravanam kirtanam visnoh, so one can

simply hear the chanting of the glories of the Lord or can attend

philosophical lectures on transcendental knowledge given by authorized

acaryas. Simply by sitting, one can learn; then one can eat the

remnants of the food offered to God, nice palatable dishes. In every

state devotional service is joyful. One can execute devotional service

even in the most poverty-stricken condition. The Lord says, patram

puspam phalam toyam: He is ready to accept from the devotee any kind

of offering, never mind what. Even a leaf, a flower, a bit of fruit,

or a little water, which are all available in every part of the world,

can be offered by any person, regardless of social position, and will

be accepted if offered with love. There are many instances in history.

Simply by tasting the tulasi leaves offered to the lotus feet of the

Lord, great sages like Sanat-kumara became great devotees. Therefore

the devotional process is very nice, and it can be executed in a happy

mood. God accepts only the love with which things are offered to Him.

 

It is said here that this devotional service is eternally existing. It

is not as the Mayavadi philosophers claim. Although they sometimes

take to so-called devotional service, their idea is that as long as

they are not liberated they will continue their devotional service,

but at the end, when they become liberated, they will "become one with

God." Such temporary time-serving devotional service is not accepted

as pure devotional service. Actual devotional service continues even

after liberation. When the devotee goes to the spiritual planet in the

kingdom of God, he is also engaged there in serving the Supreme Lord.

He does not try to become one with the Supreme Lord.

 

As will be seen in Bhagavad-gita, actual devotional service begins

after liberation. After one is liberated, when one is situated in the

Brahman position (brahma-bhuta), one's devotional service begins

(samah sarvesu bhutesu mad-bhaktim labhate param). No one can

understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead by executing karma-yoga,

jnana-yoga, astanga-yoga or any other yoga independently. By these

yogic methods one may make a little progress toward bhakti-yoga, but

without coming to the stage of devotional service one cannot

understand what is the Personality of Godhead. In the

Srimad-Bhagavatam it is also confirmed that when one becomes purified

by executing the process of devotional service, especially by hearing

Srimad-Bhagavatam or Bhagavad-gita from realized souls, then he can

understand the science of Krsna, or the science of God. Evam

prasanna-manaso bhagavad-bhakti yogatah. When one's heart is cleared

of all nonsense, then one can understand what God is. Thus the process

of devotional service, of Krsna consciousness, is the king of all

education and the king of all confidential knowledge. It is the purest

form of religion, and it can be executed joyfully without difficulty.

Therefore one should adopt it.

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.