BHAGAVAD-GITA 5:29

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BHAGAVAD-GITA 5:29

 

bhoktaram yajna-tapasam

sarva-loka-mahesvaram

suhrdam sarva-bhutanam

jnatva mam santim rcchati

 

WORD FOR WORD

 

bhoktaram--the beneficiary; yajna--of sacrifices; tapasam--and

penances and austerities; sarva-loka--of all planets and the demigods

thereof; maha-isvaram--the Supreme Lord; su-hrdam--the benefactor;

sarva--of all; bhutanam--the living entities; jnatva--thus knowing;

mam--Me (Lord Krsna); santim--relief from material pangs; rcchati--one

achieves.

 

TRANSLATION

 

A person in full consciousness of Me, knowing Me to be the ultimate

beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all

planets and demigods, and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living

entities, attains peace from the pangs of material miseries.

 

PURPORT

 

The conditioned souls within the clutches of illusory energy are all

anxious to attain peace in the material world. But they do not know

the formula for peace, which is explained in this part of the

Bhagavad-gita. The greatest peace formula is simply this: Lord Krsna

is the beneficiary in all human activities. Men should offer

everything to the transcendental service of the Lord because He is the

proprietor of all planets and the demigods thereon. No one is greater

than He. He is greater than the greatest of the demigods, Lord Siva

and Lord Brahma. In the Vedas (Svetasvatara Upanisad 6.7) the Supreme

Lord is described as tam isvaranam paramam mahesvaram. Under the spell

of illusion, living entities are trying to be lords of all they

survey, but actually they are dominated by the material energy of the

Lord. The Lord is the master of material nature, and the conditioned

souls are under the stringent rules of material nature. Unless one

understands these bare facts, it is not possible to achieve peace in

the world either individually or collectively. This is the sense of

Krsna consciousness: Lord Krsna is the supreme predominator, and all

living entities, including the great demigods, are His subordinates.

One can attain perfect peace only in complete Krsna consciousness.

 

This Fifth Chapter is a practical explanation of Krsna consciousness,

generally known as karma-yoga. The question of mental speculation as

to how karma-yoga can give liberation is answered herewith. To work in

Krsna consciousness is to work with the complete knowledge of the Lord

as the predominator. Such work is not different from transcendental

knowledge. Direct Krsna consciousness is bhakti-yoga, and jnana-yoga

is a path leading to bhakti-yoga. Krsna consciousness means to work in

full knowledge of one's relationship with the Supreme Absolute, and

the perfection of this consciousness is full knowledge of Krsna, or

the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A pure soul is the eternal servant

of God as His fragmental part and parcel. He comes into contact with

maya (illusion) due to the desire to lord it over maya, and that is

the cause of his many sufferings. As long as he is in contact with

matter, he has to execute work in terms of material necessities. Krsna

consciousness, however, brings one into spiritual life even while one

is within the jurisdiction of matter, for it is an arousing of

spiritual existence by practice in the material world. The more one is

advanced, the more he is freed from the clutches of matter. The Lord

is not partial toward anyone. Everything depends on one's practical

performance of duties in Krsna consciousness, which helps one control

the senses in every respect and conquer the influence of desire and

anger. And one who stands fast in Krsna consciousness, controlling the

abovementioned passions, remains factually in the transcendental

stage, or brahma-nirvana. The eightfold yoga mysticism is

automatically practiced in Krsna consciousness because the ultimate

purpose is served. There is a gradual process of elevation in the

practice of yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana,

dhyana and samadhi. But these only preface perfection by devotional

service, which alone can award peace to the human being. It is the

highest perfection of life.

 

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

Bhagavad-gita in the matter of Karma-yoga, or Action in Krsna

Consciousness.

 

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.