Gita shloka 2.71 DESIRE FOR BECOMING KRSNA CONSCIOUS IS ACTUALLY DESIRELESSNESS,5th June

Gita shloka 2.71

 

TRANSLATION

A PERSON WHO HAS GIVEN UP ALL DESIRES FOR SENSE GRATIFICATION, WHO LIVES FREE FROM DESIRES, WHO HAS GIVEN UP ALL SENSE OF PROPRIETORSHIP AND IS DEVOID OF FALSE EGO—HE ALONE CAN ATTAIN REAL PEACE.

 

PURPORT

TO BECOME DESIRELESS MEANS NOT TO DESIRE ANYTHING FOR SENSE GRATIFICATION.

 

 IN OTHER WORDS, DESIRE FOR BECOMING KRSNA CONSCIOUS IS ACTUALLY DESIRELESSNESS.

 

 TO UNDERSTAND ONE'S ACTUAL POSITION AS THE ETERNAL SERVITOR OF KRSNA, WITHOUT FALSELY CLAIMING THIS MATERIAL BODY TO BE ONESELF AND WITHOUT FALSELY CLAIMING PROPRIETORSHIP OVER ANYTHING IN THE WORLD, IS THE PERFECT STAGE OF KRSNA CONSCIOUSNESS.

 

 ONE WHO IS SITUATED IN THIS PERFECT STAGE KNOWS THAT BECAUSE KRSNA IS THE PROPRIETOR OF EVERYTHING, THEREFORE EVERYTHING MUST BE USED FOR THE SATISFACTION OF KRSNA.

 

 ARJUNA DID NOT WANT TO FIGHT FOR HIS OWN SENSE SATISFACTION, BUT WHEN HE BECAME FULLY KRSNA CONSCIOUS HE FOUGHT BECAUSE KRSNA WANTED HIM TO FIGHT.

 

 FOR HIMSELF THERE WAS NO DESIRE TO FIGHT, BUT FOR KRSNA THE SAME ARJUNA FOUGHT TO HIS BEST ABILITY.

 

 DESIRE FOR THE SATISFACTION OF KRSNA IS REALLY DESIRELESSNESS; IT IS NOT AN ARTIFICIAL ATTEMPT TO ABOLISH DESIRES.

 

 THE LIVING ENTITY CANNOT BE DESIRELESS OR SENSELESS, BUT HE DOES HAVE TO CHANGE THE QUALITY OF THE DESIRES.

 

 A MATERIALLY DESIRELESS PERSON CERTAINLY KNOWS THAT EVERYTHING BELONGS TO KRSNA (isavasyam idam sarvam), AND THEREFORE HE DOES NOT FALSELY CLAIM PROPRIETORSHIP OVER ANYTHING.

 

 THIS TRANSCENDENTAL KNOWLEDGE IS BASED ON SELF-REALIZATION—NAMELY, KNOWING PERFECTLY WELL THAT EVERY LIVING ENTITY IS THE ETERNAL PART AND PARCEL OF KRSNA IN SPIRITUAL IDENTITY, AND THEREFORE THE ETERNAL POSITION OF THE LIVING ENTITY IS NEVER ON THE LEVEL OF KRSNA OR GREATER THAN HIM.

 

 THIS UNDERSTANDING OF KRSNA CONSCIOUSNESS IS THE BASIC PRINCIPLE OF REAL PEACE.

 

 

 

Bhagvatam: DESIRES LEAD TO STRUGGLE FOR EXISTENCE & CARRY YOU TO NEXT BODY, 4th June

Srimad Bhagvatam:

DESIRES LEAD TO STRUGGLE FOR EXISTENCE & CARRY YOU TO NEXT BODY

TRANSLATION
BECAUSE OF INSATIABLE MATERIAL DESIRES, I WAS BEING CARRIED AWAY BY THE WAVES OF MATERIAL NATURE'S LAWS, AND THUS I WAS ENGAGING IN DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES, STRUGGLING FOR EXISTENCE IN VARIOUS FORMS OF LIFE.

PURPORT
AS LONG AS A LIVING ENTITY WANTS TO FULFILL VARIOUS TYPES OF MATERIAL DESIRE, HE MUST CONTINUOUSLY CHANGE FROM ONE BODY TO ACCEPT ANOTHER. SRILA VISVANATHA CHAKRAVARTI THAKURA EXPLAINS THAT AS A SMALL PIECE OF GRASS FALLS IN A RIVER AND IS TOSSED ABOUT WITH DIFFERENT TYPES OF WOOD AND TREE BRANCHES, THE LIVING ENTITY FLOATS IN THE OCEAN OF MATERIAL EXISTENCE AND IS DASHED AND TOSSED AMIDST MATERIAL CONDITIONS.

THIS IS CALLED THE STRUGGLE FOR EXISTENCE. ONE KIND OF FRUITIVE ACTIVITY CAUSES THE LIVING BEING TO TAKE ONE FORM OF BODY, AND BECAUSE OF ACTIONS PERFORMED IN THAT BODY, ANOTHER BODY IS CREATED. ONE MUST THEREFORE STOP THESE MATERIAL ACTIVITIES, AND THE CHANCE TO DO SO IS GIVEN IN THE HUMAN FORM OF LIFE. SPECIFICALLY, OUR ENERGY TO ACT SHOULD BE ENGAGED IN THE SERVICE OF THE LORD, FOR THEN MATERIALISTIC ACTIVITIES WILL AUTOMATICALLY STOP.

ONE MUST FULFILL ONE'S DESIRES BY SURRENDERING UNTO THE SUPREME LORD, FOR HE KNOWS HOW TO FULFILL THEM. EVEN THOUGH ONE MAY HAVE MATERIAL DESIRES, ONE SHOULD THEREFORE ENGAGE IN THE DEVOTIONAL SERVICE OF THE LORD. THAT WILL PURIFY ONE'S STRUGGLE FOR EXISTENCE.

"A PERSON WHO HAS BROADER INTELLIGENCE, WHETHER HE BE FULL OF ALL MATERIAL DESIRE, WITHOUT ANY MATERIAL DESIRE, OR DESIRING LIBERATION, MUST BY ALL MEANS WORSHIP THE SUPREME WHOLE, THE PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD." (Bhag. 2.3.10)

"ONE SHOULD RENDER TRANSCENDENTAL LOVING SERVICE TO THE SUPREME LORD KRSHNA FAVORABLY AND WITHOUT DESIRE FOR MATERIAL PROFIT OR GAIN THROUGH FRUITIVE ACTIVITIES OR PHILOSOPHICAL SPECULATION. THAT IS CALLED PURE DEVOTIONAL SERVICE." (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.1.11)