© 1998 VNN
| EDITORIAL November 30, 1998 VNN2578 Sri Gita Jayanti BY MALATI DASI EDITORIAL, Nov 30 (VNN) — Gita commentary by Srila B.R. Sridhar Deva Goswami A philosophical contribution on todays occasion of Sri Gita Jayanti. Srila B.R.Sridhara Deva Goswami: Chapter Eleven The Subjective Bhagavad-Gita Both Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura and Baladeva Vidyabhusana have commented on Bhagavad-gita, and Jiva Goswami has also given his explanation of different verses. Bhaktivinoda Thakura has given his own explanation, and he has included both Baladeva's and Visvanatha Cakravarti's commentaries in his Bengali translation of Bhagavad-gita. Sridhara Swami's commentary was the original one, and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu had great appreciation for his commentary on Srimad-Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita. I have attempted to shed some new light on some verses in Bhagavad-gita. On the basis of what the previous commentators have said, I have shown the further development of madhura-rasa in Bhagavad-gita, and even the paramour relation of parakiya-rasa. When I discussed my explanation with Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja, I asked him, "In this place in Bhagavad-gita I have given my interpretation to include madhura rasa. What do you think?" He told me, "What more can be said? Your interpretation is perfectly correct." Still, it was a new conception I had given there. I found parakiya, the paramour devotion of the gopis for Krsna, represented in the verse tesam satata yuktanam...yena mam upayanti te. Just as Srimad-Bhagavatam has four essential verses, there are four essential verses in Bhagavad-gita which contain the very gist, the very substance of the whole ontological conception of Bhagavad-gita. In Bhagavad-gita 10.8, the first of the four nutshell verses is as follows: aham sarvasya prabhavo mattah sarvam pravartate iti matva bhajante mam budha bhava-samanvitah "I am the origin of everything. Everything emanates from Me (including all conceptions of the Absolute Truth and even My own worship). The wise who know this fully worship Me with bhava, deep devotional ecstasy." Here, Krsna says, aham sarvasya prabhavo, mattah sarvam pravartate: "Everything emanates from Me, including all conceptions of the Absolute Truth." In Bhagavatam the three main conceptions of the absolute are given: Brahman, Paramatma, and Bhagavan. Brahman means the all-comprehensive aspect of the absolute. Paramatma means the all-permeating aspect of the absolute, and Bhagavan means the personal conception of the absolute. In his Bhakti-Sandarbha, Jiva Goswami has given the real meaning of Bhagavan, the Personality of Godhead. The general meaning of Bhagavan is "one who commands all sorts of potencies." All sorts of potencies are controlled by him personally. That is the conception of Bhagavan found in Narayana of Vaikuntha. But Jiva Goswami has given a particularly fine interpretation of Bhagavan. He says that Bhagavan means bhajaniya sarva-sad-guna-visistha: The nature of Bhagavan is such that whatever comes in contact with him feels a natural serving tendency towards his charming personality. He is endowed with such qualities that everyone is drawn to worship him, to love him. He attracts the love of everyone. Everyone wants to serve him - this is Bhagavan. He is endowed with qualities that attract everyone to serve him. I have included this special interpretation of Jiva Goswami in my commentary on the above Bhagavad-gita verse. . In the Srimad-Bhagavatam, three phases of the Absolute Truth have been described (all-comprehensive Brahman, all- pervading Paramatma, and the all-attractive, absolute person, Bhagavan). I have explained in my commentary that Krsna's statement here (aham sarvasya prabhavo) means: "I am svayam bhagavan, the Original Personality of Godhead. I am at the root of all these three conceptions of the absolute. And I am the origin not only of Brahman, the all-comprehensive absolute, and Paramatma, the all-permeating absolute, but also of Narayana, the master of all potencies who commands the respect of everyone. I am the origin of all of them: I am svayam bhagavan." In this way I have interpreted the meaning of aham sarvasya prabhavo. And in the next line, when Krsna says mattah sarvam pravartate, here we must concentrate more finely. Krsna says sarvam pravartate, "everything comes from Me." With this Krsna is saying: "Even worship of Me comes from Me. I reveal it first. I Myself worship Myself. I do this as guru, as My finer potency. This potency is nothing but Myself. And My finest potency is Radharani. Through My potency I worship Myself. Every movement begins from Me; even My own worship, My own service is begun by Me, in My role as guru. I reveal that to the public so that you will properly worship Me. For this reason guru is called Bhagavan, for he is nondifferent from Me (acaryam mam vijaniyam)." The finest potency of Bhagavan is Radharani. So guru in the highest sense, as well as service in the highest sense, is represented in Srimati Radharani. Next, Krsna says, "Those who know this will worship me: iti matva bhajante mam." Those who understand this conception that Radharani serves him in the highest way, will serve Krsna in subjugation to her. That is radha-dasyam, the divine service of Sri Radha. And it is with this understanding that a worshiper will come to worship Krsna. In my interpretation, I have taken it that this is Krsna's intent when he says, iti matva bhajante mam: "Knowing this, they worship me." He means "those who know that my worship comes from me, and that my finest potency worships me best, will worship me under the direction of my finest potency." Here we find the importance of radha-dasyam, the service of Sri Radha, the highest goal of the followers of Rupa Goswami, the rupanuga-gaudiya-sampradaya. Here, Krsna is saying, "Knowing that it is my finest potency that worships me best, one will worship me under the direction of my first-class worshiper (Sri Radha). With this idea one will always worship Me under the guidance of my finest sakti, Srimati Radharani, or her representation, Sri Gurudeva. In this way, they will always worship Me under their direction, and never as a direct worshiper." This is the meaning of iti matva bhajante mam. Then Krsna says budha bhava- samanvitah. Here, budha means those of fine theistic intellect (sumedhasah). In Bhagavatam it is said that those of fine theistic intellect will be able to appreciate this (yajanti hi sumedhasah). Fine theistic intelligence is the outcome of good fortune which comes from above (sukrti); it is not self- acquired. That fine intellectual inner direction and guidance can only come from the nirguna or transcendental plane. Budha here means "one who has a direct connection with the nirguna or transcendental plane." His intelligence doesn't come from this mayic quarter; rather it springs from the spiritual platform. Only such a person can appreciate these subtle points........ This story URL: http://vnn.org/editorials/ET9811/ET30-2578.html NEWS DESK | EDITORIALS | TOP |
