Bhagvad Gita (shloka 2.58)-23rd May

Bhagvad Gita (shloka 2.58):

TRANSLATION

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.

PURPORT

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 INDEPENDENTLY.

THERE ARE MANY INJUNCTIONS IN THE REVEALED SCRIPTURES; SOME OF THEM ARE DO-NOTs, AND SOME OF THEM ARE DOs.

UNLESS ONE IS ABLE TO FOLLOW THE DOs AND THE DO-NOTs, 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THE SENSES OF THE KRSNA CONSCIOUS PERSONS ARE USED ONLY FOR SOME PARTICULAR PURPOSE IN THE SERVICE OF THE LORD AND ARE WITHDRAWN OTHERWISE.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.

Bhagvatam-DEVOTIONAL SERVICE is Dharma-23rd May

Srimad Bhagvatam

TRANSLATION:

THE SUPREME BEING, THE PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD, IS THE ESSENCE OF ALL VEDIC KNOWLEDGE, THE ROOT OF ALL RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES, AND THE MEMORY OF GREAT AUTHORITIES. O KING YUDHISHTHIRA, THIS PRINCIPLE OF RELIGION IS TO BE UNDERSTOOD AS EVIDENCE. ON THE BASIS OF THIS RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLE, EVERYTHING IS SATISFIED, INCLUDING ONE'S MIND, SOUL AND EVEN ONE'S BODY.

PURPORT

As stated by Yamaraja, dharmam tu sakshad bhagavat-pranitam. YAMARAJA, THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE LORD WHO TAKES CARE OF THE LIVING BEINGS AFTER THEIR DEATH, GIVES HIS VERDICT AS TO HOW AND WHEN THE LIVING BEING WILL CHANGE HIS BODY. HE IS THE AUTHORITY, AND HE SAYS THAT THE RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES CONSIST OF THE CODES AND LAWS GIVEN BY GOD.

NO ONE CAN MANUFACTURE RELIGION, AND THEREFORE MANUFACTURED RELIGIOUS SYSTEMS ARE REJECTED BY THE FOLLOWERS OF THE VEDIC PRINCIPLES. In Bhagavad-gita (15.15) it is said, vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyam: VEDIC KNOWLEDGE MEANS TO UNDERSTAND THE SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD, KRSHNA. THEREFORE, WHETHER ONE SPEAKS OF THE VEDAS, SCRIPTURES, RELIGION OR THE PRINCIPLES OF EVERYONE'S OCCUPATIONAL DUTY, ALL OF THEM MUST AIM AT UNDERSTANDING KRSHNA, THE SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD.

Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.6) therefore concludes:

IN OTHER WORDS, RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES AIM AT LEARNING HOW TO RENDER TRANSCENDENTAL LOVING SERVICE TO THE LORD. THAT SERVICE MUST BE UNMOTIVATED AND UNCHECKED BY MATERIAL CONDITIONS. THEN HUMAN SOCIETY WILL BE HAPPY IN ALL RESPECTS.

The smrti, the scriptures following the principles of Vedic knowledge, are considered the evidence of Vedic principles. There are twenty different types of scripture for following religious principles, and among them the scriptures of Manu and Yajnavalkya are considered to be all-pervading authorities. In the Yajnavalkya-smrti it is said:

One should learn human behavior from sruti, the Vedas, and from smrti, the scriptures following the Vedic principles. Srila Rüpa Gosvami in his Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu says:

The purport is that to become a devotee one must follow the principles laid down in sruti and smrti. One must follow the codes of the Puranas and the pancharatriki-vidhi. One cannot be a pure devotee without following the sruti and smrti, and the sruti and smrti without devotional service cannot lead one to the perfection of life.

THEREFORE, FROM ALL THE EVIDENCE THE CONCLUSION IS THAT WITHOUT BHAKTI, DEVOTIONAL SERVICE, THERE IS NO QUESTION OF RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES. GOD IS THE CENTRAL FIGURE IN THE PERFORMANCE OF RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES. ALMOST EVERYTHING GOING ON IN THIS WORLD AS RELIGION IS DEVOID OF ANY IDEA OF DEVOTIONAL SERVICE AND IS THEREFORE CONDEMNED BY THE VERDICT OF SRIMAD-BHAGAVATAM. WITHOUT DEVOTIONAL SERVICE, SO-CALLED RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES ARE ONLY CHEATING.

Bhagvatam-DEVOTIONAL SERVICE is Dharma-23rd May

Srimad Bhagvatam

TRANSLATION:

THE SUPREME BEING, THE PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD, IS THE ESSENCE OF ALL VEDIC KNOWLEDGE, THE ROOT OF ALL RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES, AND THE MEMORY OF GREAT AUTHORITIES. O KING YUDHISHTHIRA, THIS PRINCIPLE OF RELIGION IS TO BE UNDERSTOOD AS EVIDENCE. ON THE BASIS OF THIS RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLE, EVERYTHING IS SATISFIED, INCLUDING ONE'S MIND, SOUL AND EVEN ONE'S BODY.

PURPORT

As stated by Yamaraja, dharmam tu sakshad bhagavat-pranitam. YAMARAJA, THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE LORD WHO TAKES CARE OF THE LIVING BEINGS AFTER THEIR DEATH, GIVES HIS VERDICT AS TO HOW AND WHEN THE LIVING BEING WILL CHANGE HIS BODY. HE IS THE AUTHORITY, AND HE SAYS THAT THE RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES CONSIST OF THE CODES AND LAWS GIVEN BY GOD.

NO ONE CAN MANUFACTURE RELIGION, AND THEREFORE MANUFACTURED RELIGIOUS SYSTEMS ARE REJECTED BY THE FOLLOWERS OF THE VEDIC PRINCIPLES. In Bhagavad-gita (15.15) it is said, vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyam: VEDIC KNOWLEDGE MEANS TO UNDERSTAND THE SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD, KRSHNA. THEREFORE, WHETHER ONE SPEAKS OF THE VEDAS, SCRIPTURES, RELIGION OR THE PRINCIPLES OF EVERYONE'S OCCUPATIONAL DUTY, ALL OF THEM MUST AIM AT UNDERSTANDING KRSHNA, THE SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD.

Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.6) therefore concludes:

IN OTHER WORDS, RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES AIM AT LEARNING HOW TO RENDER TRANSCENDENTAL LOVING SERVICE TO THE LORD. THAT SERVICE MUST BE UNMOTIVATED AND UNCHECKED BY MATERIAL CONDITIONS. THEN HUMAN SOCIETY WILL BE HAPPY IN ALL RESPECTS.

The smrti, the scriptures following the principles of Vedic knowledge, are considered the evidence of Vedic principles. There are twenty different types of scripture for following religious principles, and among them the scriptures of Manu and Yajnavalkya are considered to be all-pervading authorities. In the Yajnavalkya-smrti it is said:

One should learn human behavior from sruti, the Vedas, and from smrti, the scriptures following the Vedic principles. Srila Rüpa Gosvami in his Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu says:

The purport is that to become a devotee one must follow the principles laid down in sruti and smrti. One must follow the codes of the Puranas and the pancharatriki-vidhi. One cannot be a pure devotee without following the sruti and smrti, and the sruti and smrti without devotional service cannot lead one to the perfection of life.

THEREFORE, FROM ALL THE EVIDENCE THE CONCLUSION IS THAT WITHOUT BHAKTI, DEVOTIONAL SERVICE, THERE IS NO QUESTION OF RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES. GOD IS THE CENTRAL FIGURE IN THE PERFORMANCE OF RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES. ALMOST EVERYTHING GOING ON IN THIS WORLD AS RELIGION IS DEVOID OF ANY IDEA OF DEVOTIONAL SERVICE AND IS THEREFORE CONDEMNED BY THE VERDICT OF SRIMAD-BHAGAVATAM. WITHOUT DEVOTIONAL SERVICE, SO-CALLED RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES ARE ONLY CHEATING.