SB 2.9.40 Notes – 2/2/22

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM HH HARIVILAS MAHARAJ’S MORNING BHAGAVATAM CLASS ON SB 2.9.40:

  • One cannot be situated in an exalted position without having undertaken a regulative life of rules and regulations. 
  • An unrestricted life of sense gratification is animal life, and Lord Brahmā, in order to teach all concerned within the jurisdiction of his generations, taught the same principles of sense control for executing higher duties.
  • He desired the welfare of all as servants of God, and anyone desiring the welfare of the members of his family and generations must conduct a moral, religious life. 
  • The highest life of moral principles is to become a devotee of the Lord because a pure devotee of the Lord has all the good qualities of the Lord. 
  • On the other hand, one who is not a devotee of the Lord, however qualified he may be in the mundane sense of the term, cannot be qualified with any good quality worthy of the name. 
  • The pure devotees of the Lord, like Brahmā and persons in the chain of disciplic succession, do not do anything to instruct their subordinates without acting accordingly themselves.
  • We simply have to hear from a person who is dhira, who is not agitated by the six urges. That is the Vedic process of gaining knowledge. And if we try to use some other process, we will remain covered by nescience. 
  • The Isopanisad states, “Only one who can learn the process of nescience and that of transcendental knowledge side by side can transcend the influence of repeated birth and death and enjoy the full blessings of immortality.”
  •  If you want real knowledge, you should take knowledge from the literature known as the Vedas. (The word veda means “knowledge.”) 
  • Part of the Vedas are the 108 Upanisads, out of which eleven are very important. Of those eleven, the Isopanisad stands first. In the word upanisad, upa means “near.” So the knowledge in the Isopanisad will take you nearer to Krsna.
  •  If you want genuine spiritual knowledge you have to approach a bona fide spiritual master who has realized the Absolute Truth. Otherwise you will remain in darkness. 
  • You cannot think, “Oh, I may or may not accept a spiritual master. In any case, there are books that I can learn from.” No, the Vedic injunction is tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet. The word gacchet means “one must go,” not that one may or may not go. To understand transcendental knowledge, one must go to a spiritual master. That is the Vedic injunction.
  • You must know two things: what is maya (illusion) and what is Krsna. Then your knowledge is perfect. Of course, Krsna is so nice that if you somehow or other fully surrender to Him, all your searching for knowledge will be finished: not only will you know what Krsna is, but you will automatically learn what maya is. Krsna will give you intelligence from within.
  • Vidya, or genuine spiritual knowledge, does not depend on technology. Srila Vyasadeva is the original guru of Vedic knowledge. 
  • How was he living? In a cottage in Badarikasrama. But just see his knowledge! He wrote so many Puranas, including the Srimad-Bhagavatam. He also wrote the Vedanta-sutra and the Mahabharata. 
  • If you studied every single verse written by Vyasadeva, it would take your whole life. The Srimad-Bhagavatam alone has no less than eighteen thousand verses. And each verse is so full of meaning that it would take a whole lifetime to fully understand it. This is Vedic culture.

SB 2.9.40 TRANSLATION:

Thus once upon a time the forefather of living entities and the father of religiousness, Lord Brahmā, situated himself in acts of regulative principles, desiring self-interest for the welfare of all living entities.

One cannot be situated in an exalted position without having undertaken a regulative life of rules and regulations. An unrestricted life of sense gratification is animal life, and Lord Brahmā, in order to teach all concerned within the jurisdiction of his generations, taught the same principles of sense control for executing higher duties. He desired the welfare of all as servants of God, and anyone desiring the welfare of the members of his family and generations must conduct a moral, religious life. The highest life of moral principles is to become a devotee of the Lord because a pure devotee of the Lord has all the good qualities of the Lord. On the other hand, one who is not a devotee of the Lord, however qualified he may be in the mundane sense of the term, cannot be qualified with any good quality worthy of the name. The pure devotees of the Lord, like Brahmā and persons in the chain of disciplic succession, do not do anything to instruct their subordinates without acting accordingly themselves.

Spiritual life begins with Varna & Ashrama systems. 

Varnas – Social delineation of the society 

Ashramas – Brahmachari, Grihasta, Vanaprasta and sanyasa

To go back to our original nature of being eternal servant of the lord, then we need to be regulated in our service.. 

Everybody is a service.. If you have no body to serve you will get a dog or cat to serve.. 

Service defines who we are.. 

Highest definition of service is sanatana dharma..Only serve Krsna.. Free of all dualities.. Serve Guru and Krsna. Guru is a manifestation of Krsna’s mercy.. We attain peace and tremendous advantage.. Of Krsna’s personal protection.. Serving only Krsna.. 

Father of religiousness – Paradigm of the process that helps the devotee to become genuine servant of Krsna.. 

Krishna – Primary creator 

Brahma – secondary creator

What it takes to be a Devotee  = Lod Caitanya made the process much easier – chant, dance, Prasadam, Listen classes – SB & BG, Deity worship, Only stay in holy place.. 

Association is the most important thing in spiritual life,.. If you associate with good devotees you will also become.. A good devotee… if you chant alone then you will give up. One day.. So association of devotees is very imp.. 

Rules and regulations – 

No Meat eating 

No Gambling 

No Illicit sex

No intoxication 

Chant 

Hear classes 

Do service 

Eat only prasadam..

Deity Worship.. 

Animal is engaged in all day long sense gratification – Example – Cat. 

We learn to be sense gratifiers by having pets.. Pets are not vegetarians and they dont take part in Arti.. 

Jurisdiction of generations – We are in his jurisdiction.. Krishna founder… Brahma is the first disciple in the Brahma Madhva Gaudiya Vaishnava Sampradaya.. 

Pure devotee has all the good qualities of Krsna.. Because he follows the instructions of Krsna.. When Everything for Krsna.. Krsna will take special care of you.. He will take special care of you than you would take care of yourself.. 

Highest morality – is to become a devotee of the lord and follow Krsna’s instructions.. 

White vs Dark– you are making enemies either ways.. That is the problem. 

Someone may seem to have good qualities.. But if they are not 

Even the cat is moral. It does not bite the hand that feeds it.. That does not mean that the cat is a devotee.

A Devotee is always calm and peaceful even when attacked.. Any good or bad interaction with the world is not good. He does not make friends and enemies.. Devotee will go through many diff types of tapasya to help people to come to Krsna.. 

Not a life of negation.. Life of dedication.. 

If you are angry., vendictive, want revenge .. how can you help people become devotees.. 

Jesus christ

Have to tolerate,,to come to that position it taje a  life time of following regulative principles….

We have to be what we want others to be .. high responsibility to be a  devotee.. , 

LAWS OF NATURE –  (http://files.krishna.com/en/pdf/e-books/Laws_of_Nature.pdf)

So, you have to hear from a person who is dhira. If you hear from the adhira, from those who are not self-controlled, then whatever knowledge you learn will be useless. In the Isopanisad, a student has approached his spiritual master to inquire from him, and the spiritual master is saying, “This is what I have heard from authoritative sources.” The spiritual master is not inventing something from his own experience. He is presenting exactly what he has heard. So we have nothing to research. Everything is there. We simply have to hear from a person who is dhira, who is not agitated by the six urges. That is the Vedic process of gaining knowledge. And if we try to use some other process, we will remain covered by nescience. The Isopanisad states, “Only one who can learn the process of nescience and that of transcendental knowledge side by side can transcend the influence of repeated birth and death and enjoy the full blessings of immortality.” 

If you hear SB & BG you will understand what ignorance is and what knowledge is.. What to do and what not to do.. 

1st class – Hear and understand 

2nd class – Hear, and have to see 

3rd class – Hear, see & do 

People do not understand what immortality is. They think it is a mythological idea. They are proud of their advancement of knowledge, but there are many things they do not know, nor can they ever know them by their modern system of experimentation. So if you want real knowledge, you should take knowledge from the literature known as the Vedas. (The word veda means “knowledge.”) Part of the Vedas are the 108 Upanisads, out of which eleven are very important. Of those eleven, the Isopanisad stands first. In the word upanisad, upa means “near.” So the knowledge in the Isopanisad will take you nearer to Krsna.

ISO – Mantra 10 

In the modern society, even a boy thinks himself self-sufficient and pays no respect to elderly men. Due to the wrong type of education being imparted in our universities, boys all over the world are giving their elders headaches. Thus Śrī Īśopaniṣad very strongly warns that the culture of nescience is different from that of knowledge. The universities are, so to speak, centers of nescience only; consequently scientists are busy discovering lethal weapons to wipe out the existence of other countries. University students today are not given instructions in the regulative principles of brahmacarya (celibate student life), nor do they have any faith in any scriptural injunctions. Religious principles are taught for the sake of name and fame only and not for the sake of practical action. Thus there is animosity not only in social and political fields but in the field of religion as well.

Nationalism has developed in different parts of the world due to the cultivation of nescience by the general people. No one considers that this tiny earth is just a lump of matter floating in immeasurable space along with many other lumps. In comparison to the vastness of space, these material lumps are like dust particles in the air. Because God has kindly made these lumps of matter complete in themselves, they are perfectly equipped with all necessities for floating in space. The drivers of our spaceships may be very proud of their achievements, but they do not consider the supreme driver of these greater, more gigantic spaceships called planets.

There are innumerable suns and innumerable planetary systems also. As infinitesimal parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord, we small creatures are trying to dominate these unlimited planets. Thus we take repeated birth and death and are generally frustrated by old age and disease. The span of human life is scheduled for about a hundred years, although it is gradually decreasing to twenty or thirty years. Thanks to the culture of nescience, befooled men have created their own nations within these planets in order to grasp sense enjoyment more effectively for these few years. Such foolish people draw up various plans to render national demarcations perfectly, a task that is totally impossible. Yet for this purpose each and every nation has become a source of anxiety for others. More than fifty percent of a nation’s energy is devoted to defense measures and thus spoiled. No one cares for the cultivation of real knowledge, yet people are falsely proud of being advanced in both material and spiritual knowledge.

ISO – 18 mantras – If you will read it you can understand the whole philosophy.. Of KC 

SB – 18000 mantras 

 In learned society the Vedas are accepted as sruti, or primary evidence. The Vedas are not knowledge established by the research work of contaminated, conditioned souls. Such people have imperfect senses, and so they cannot see things as they are. They simply theorize, “It may be like this. It may be like that.” That is not knowledge. Knowledge is definite, without any doubt or mistake. Conditioned souls commit mistakes, become illusioned, and cheat. How do they cheat? When one who does not understand the Bhagavad-gita writes a commentary on it, he is cheating the innocent public. Someone has a title as a scholar, so he takes advantage of the popularity of the Bhagavad-gita and writes a commentary. Such so-called scholars claim that anyone can give his own opinion. But in the Bhagavad-gita Krsna says that only His devotee can understand the Gita. So these so-called scholars are cheating. The conclusion is that if you want genuine spiritual knowledge you have to approach a bona fide spiritual master who has realized the Absolute Truth. Otherwise you will remain in darkness. You cannot think, “Oh, I may or may not accept a spiritual master. In any case, there are books that I can learn from.” No, the Vedic injunction is tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet. The word gacchet means “one must go,” not that one may or may not go. To understand transcendental knowledge, one must go to a spiritual master. That is the Vedic injunction.

You must know two things: what is maya (illusion) and what is Krsna. Then your knowledge is perfect. Of course, Krsna is so nice that if you somehow or other fully surrender to Him, all your searching for knowledge will be finished: not only will you know what Krsna is, but you will automatically learn what maya is. Krsna will give you intelligence from within. So, by the mercy of both the spiritual master and Krsna, one takes up devotional service. How is that? Their mercy runs on parallel lines. If you have not yet found a spiritual master but are sincere, Krsna will direct you to a bona fide spiritual master. And if you get a bona fide spiritual master, he will take you to Krsna. Krsna is always sitting in your heart as the caitya-guru, the spiritual master within. It is that caitya-guru who manifests Himself externally as the spiritual master. Therefore the spiritual master is the direct representative of Krsna.

The Isopanisad says we should learn what vidya and avidya are. Avidya is ignorance under the guise of materialistic knowledge. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura writes in one of his songs that “advancement of material knowledge is simply the advancement of maya’s jurisdiction.” The more you become implicated in material knowledge, the less you can understand Krsna consciousness. Those who are advanced in material knowledge think, “What use is this Krsna consciousness movement?” They have no attraction for spiritual knowledge; they are too absorbed in avidya. Some Indian boys reject the spiritual culture of India and come to the West to learn technology. When they see that I have introduced in the West the things they rejected in India, they are surprised. One reason I came to the West is that modern India has rejected spiritual knowledge. Today Indians think that if they can imitate Western technology, they will be happy. This is maya. They do not see that those who are three hundred times more technologically advanced than the Indians are not happy. India will not be able to equal American or European technology for at least three hundred years because the Western countries have been developing technology for a very long time. But since the time of creation Indian culture has been a spiritual culture.Vidya, or genuine spiritual knowledge, does not depend on technology. Srila Vyasadeva is the original guru of Vedic knowledge. How was he living? In a cottage in Badarikasrama. But just see his knowledge! He wrote so many Puranas, including the Srimad-Bhagavatam. He also wrote the Vedanta-sutra and the Mahabharata. If you studied every single verse written by Vyasadeva, it would take your whole life. The Srimad-Bhagavatam alone has no less than eighteen thousand verses. And each verse is so full of meaning that it would take a whole lifetime to fully understand it. This is Vedic culture.

Our kids should be trained in vedic knowledge – hearing and repeating,,engaging in actual devotional service… dev service is the connection to krishna.. Dev service should always be in the tutelage of bonafide guru.. 

SB 2.9.38 Notes – 1/31/22

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM HH HARIVILAS MAHARAJ’S MORNING BHAGAVATAM CLASS ON SB 2.9.38 :

  • All living entities are individual persons, and amongst all such persons Lord Hari is supreme, as confirmed in the śruti-mantra, nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām.
  • Whenever there is cetana, or knowledge, the personal feature comes in. In the spiritual world everything is full of knowledge, and therefore everything in the transcendental world, the land, the water, the tree, the mountain, the river, the man, the animal, the bird — everything — is of the same quality, namely cetana, and therefore everything there is individual and personal.
  •  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam gives us this information as the supreme Vedic literature, and it was personally instructed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead to Brahmājī so that the leader of the living entities might broadcast the message to all in the universe in order to teach the supreme knowledge of bhakti-yoga.
  • In the Vedic disciplic succession, the spiritual masters always base their statements on what they have heard from authoritative sources, never on personal experience.
  • BG 17.15 – Austerity of speech consists in speaking words that are truthful, pleasing, beneficial, and not agitating to others, and also in regularly reciting Vedic literature.
  • One should not speak in such a way as to agitate the minds of others. Of course, when a teacher speaks, he can speak the truth for the instruction of his students, but such a teacher should not speak to those who are not his students if he will agitate their minds.
  • One should not talk nonsense. The process of speaking in spiritual circles is to say something upheld by the scriptures. One should at once quote from scriptural authority to back up what he is saying. At the same time, such talk should be very pleasurable to the ear. 
  • By such discussions, one may derive the highest benefit and elevate human society. There is a limitless stock of Vedic literature, and one should study this. This is called penance of speech.
  • BG 17.16 – ​​And satisfaction, simplicity, gravity, self-control and purification of one’s existence are the austerities of the mind.
  • Satisfaction of the mind can be obtained only by taking the mind away from thoughts of sense enjoyment. The more we think of sense enjoyment, the more the mind becomes dissatisfied.
  • The best course is to divert the mind to the Vedic literature, which is full of satisfying stories, as in the Purāṇas and the Mahābhārata. One can take advantage of this knowledge and thus become purified
  •  The mind should be devoid of duplicity, and one should think of the welfare of all. Silence means that one is always thinking of self-realization.
  •  One should be straightforward in his dealings and thereby purify his existence.
  •  People do not understand what immortality is. They think it is a mythological idea.
  • They are proud of their advancement of knowledge, but there are many things they do not know, nor can they ever know them by their modern system of experimentation. 
  • So if you want real knowledge, you should take knowledge from the literature known as the Vedas. (The word veda means “knowledge.”) Part of the Vedas are the 108 Upanisads, out of which eleven are very important. Of those eleven, the Isopanisad stands first. In the word upanisad, upa means “near.” So the knowledge in the Isopanisad will take you nearer to Krsna.
  • Someone has a title as a scholar, so he takes advantage of the popularity of the Bhagavad-gita and writes a commentary. Such so-called scholars claim that anyone can give his own opinion. But in the Bhagavad-gita Krsna says that only His devotee can understand the Gita. Thus the so-called scholars are cheating the innocent public. 
  • If you want genuine spiritual knowledge you have to approach a bona fide spiritual master who has realized the Absolute Truth. Otherwise you will remain in darkness. 
  • You cannot think, “Oh, I may or may not accept a spiritual master. In any case, there are books that I can learn from.” No, the Vedic injunction is tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet. The word gacchet means “one must go,” not that one may or may not go. To understand transcendental knowledge, one must go to a spiritual master. That is the Vedic injunction.
  • If you have not yet found a spiritual master but are sincere, Krsna will direct you to a bona fide spiritual master. And if you get a bona fide spiritual master, he will take you to Krsna.
  • Krsna is always sitting in your heart as the caitya-guru, the spiritual master within. It is that caitya-guru who manifests Himself externally as the spiritual master. Therefore the spiritual master is the direct representative of Krsna.

SB 2.9.38 TRANSLATION:

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said to Mahārāja Parīkṣit: The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, after being seen in His transcendental form, instructing Brahmājī, the leader of the living entities, disappeared.

In this verse it is clearly mentioned that the Lord is ajanaḥ, or the Supreme Person, and that He was showing His transcendental form (ātmano rūpam) to Brahmājī while instructing him in the summarization of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in four verses. He is ajanaḥ, or the Supreme Person, amongst janānām, or all persons. All living entities are individual persons, and amongst all such persons Lord Hari is supreme, as confirmed in the śruti-mantra, nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām. So there is no place for impersonal features in the transcendental world as there are impersonal features in the material world. Whenever there is cetana, or knowledge, the personal feature comes in. In the spiritual world everything is full of knowledge, and therefore everything in the transcendental world, the land, the water, the tree, the mountain, the river, the man, the animal, the bird — everything — is of the same quality, namely cetana, and therefore everything there is individual and personal. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam gives us this information as the supreme Vedic literature, and it was personally instructed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead to Brahmājī so that the leader of the living entities might broadcast the message to all in the universe in order to teach the supreme knowledge of bhakti-yoga. Brahmājī in his turn instructed Nārada, his beloved son, the same message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and Nārada, in his turn, taught the same to Vyāsadeva, who again taught it to Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Through Śukadeva Gosvāmī’s grace and by the mercy of Mahārāja Parīkṣit we are all given Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam perpetually to learn the science of the Absolute Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa.

The way of knowing God – (http://files.krishna.com/en/pdf/e-books/Laws_of_Nature.pdf)

In the Vedic disciplic succession, the spiritual masters always base their statements on what they have heard from authoritative sources, never on personal experience. Trying to understand things by one’s own direct experience is the material process of gaining knowledge, technically called pratyaksa. The Vedic method is different. It is called sruti, which means “to hear from authoritative sources.” That is the secret of Vedic understanding.

BG 17.15 

Austerity of speech consists in speaking words that are truthful, pleasing, beneficial, and not agitating to others, and also in regularly reciting Vedic literature.

One should not speak in such a way as to agitate the minds of others. Of course, when a teacher speaks, he can speak the truth for the instruction of his students, but such a teacher should not speak to those who are not his students if he will agitate their minds.  

This is tip for preachers – Don’t overload, browbeat them.. You have to explain things that they might be able to understand – Things related to the body.. They can relate to it. 

Eat healthy and stay happy. Offered with respect, 

There are many devotees who dont know how to speak… and they force people to take a book and turn off people.. We need to know how to speak.. 

Demons are interested in their body.. Some interested in mind.. 

If you do not hear class.. We fry the people that they are trying to save… 

This is penance as far as talking is concerned. Besides that, one should not talk nonsense. The process of speaking in spiritual circles is to say something upheld by the scriptures. One should at once quote from scriptural authority to back up what he is saying. At the same time, such talk should be very pleasurable to the ear. By such discussions, one may derive the highest benefit and elevate human society. There is a limitless stock of Vedic literature, and one should study this. This is called penance of speech.

Interfaith festival – quote a verse and speak.. Muslim was quoting quran and Christian was quoting from Bible.. 

How did Brahma qualify for the special knowledge from the Lord – By penance. 

Everytime we speak we speak with penance.. HE will be very pleased by us.. 

BG 17.16

​​And satisfaction, simplicity, gravity, self-control and purification of one’s existence are the austerities of the mind.

Paraupakar.. Doing good for others.. 

To make the mind austere is to detach it from sense gratification. It should be so trained that it can be always thinking of doing good for others. The best training for the mind is gravity in thought. One should not deviate from Kṛṣṇa consciousness and must always avoid sense gratification. To purify one’s nature is to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Satisfaction of the mind can be obtained only by taking the mind away from thoughts of sense enjoyment. The more we think of sense enjoyment, the more the mind becomes dissatisfied. In the present age we unnecessarily engage the mind in so many different ways for sense gratification, and so there is no possibility of the mind’s becoming satisfied. The best course is to divert the mind to the Vedic literature, which is full of satisfying stories, as in the Purāṇas and the Mahābhārata. One can take advantage of this knowledge and thus become purified. The mind should be devoid of duplicity, and one should think of the welfare of all. Silence means that one is always thinking of self-realization. The person in Kṛṣṇa consciousness observes perfect silence in this sense. Control of the mind means detaching the mind from sense enjoyment. One should be straightforward in his dealings and thereby purify his existence. All these qualities together constitute austerity in mental activities. 

With your imperfect senses you should not try to understand things that are beyond your experimental powers. That is not possible. Suppose you want to know who your father is. Can you find out by experimenting? Is it possible? No. Then how can you know who your father is? By hearing from the proper authority, your mother. This is common sense. And if you cannot know your material father by the experimental process, how can you know the Supreme Father by the experimental process? Krsna is the original father. He is the father of the father of the father, all the way down to you. So if you cannot understand your immediate father, the previous generation, by the experimental process, how can you know God, or Krsna, in this way? People search for God by the experimental process, but after much searching they fail. Then they say, “Oh, there is no God. I am God.” But the Isopanisad says that one should try to learn about God not by the experimental process but by hearing. From whom should one hear? From a shopkeeper? From fanatics? No. One should hear from those who are dhira. Dhira means “one whose senses are not agitated by material influence.” There are different kinds of agitation–agitations of the mind, the power of speech, and anger, and agitations of the tongue, belly, and genitals. When we become angry, we forget everything and can do any nonsense and speak so much nonsense. For the agitation of the tongue there are so many advertisements: “Here is liquor, here is chicken, here is beef.” Will we die without liquor, chicken, or beef? No. For the human beings Krsna has given so many nice things to eat–grains, fruits, milk, and so on. The cow produces milk abundantly, not for herself but for human beings. That is proper human food. God says, “Mrs. Cow, although you are producing milk, you cannot drink it. It is for the human beings, who are more advanced than animals.” Of course, in the infant stage animals live off their mother’s milk, so the calves drink some of the cow’s milk. But the cow gives excess milk, and that excess is specifically meant for us. We should accept whatever God has ordained as our proper food. But no, because of the agitation of the tongue, we think, “Why should I be satisfied eating grains, milk products, vegetables, and fruits? Let me maintain a slaughterhouse and kill these cows. After drinking their milk, just as I drank my mother’s milk, let me kill them to satisfy my tongue.” You shouldn’t think such nonsense but should hear from the dhiras, or svamis, who have controlled their senses. A svami, or gosvami, is one who has control over the six agitations: the speech, the mind, anger, the tongue, the belly, and the genitals. There is a nice poem by Kalidasa called Kumara-sambhava describing how Lord Siva is dhira. When Lord Siva’s wife, Sati, heard Siva being blasphemed at a sacrifice performed by her father, she committed suicide. Upon hearing about his wife’s suicide, Lord Siva became very angry and left this planet to meditate elsewhere. During that time there was a war between the demons and the demigods. The demigods needed a good general. They concluded that if Lord Siva were to beget a son, the son would be able to lead them in the fight against the demons. Lord Siva was completely naked while meditating. So Parvati, the reincarnation of Sati, was sent to agitate his genitals for sex. But he was not agitated. He remained silent. At this point Kalidasa remarks, “Here is a dhira. He is naked, and a young girl is touching his genitals, but still he is not agitated.“Dhira means that even if there is some cause for agitation, one will not be agitated. If there is some very nice food, my tongue should not be agitated to taste it. If there is a very nice girl or boy, still I should not be agitated sexually. In this way one who is dhira is able to control the six agitating forces mentioned above. It is not that Lord Siva was impotent: he was dhira. Similarly, Krsna danced with so many girls, but there was no sex appetite.

So, you have to hear from a person who is dhira. If you hear from the adhira, from those who are not self-controlled, then whatever knowledge you learn will be useless. In the Isopanisad, a student has approached his spiritual master to inquire from him, and the spiritual master is saying, “This is what I have heard from authoritative sources.” The spiritual master is not inventing something from his own experience. He is presenting exactly what he has heard. So we have nothing to research. Everything is there. We simply have to hear from a person who is dhira, who is not agitated by the six urges. That is the Vedic process of gaining knowledge. And if we try to use some other process, we will remain covered by nescience. 

The Isopanisad states, “Only one who can learn the process of nescience and that of transcendental knowledge side by side can transcend the influence of repeated birth and death and enjoy the full blessings of immortality.” People do not understand what immortality is. They think it is a mythological idea.  IMP Point..

SB 2.7.36 

But in the Age of Kali the less intelligent men mistakenly consider the short lifetime of one hundred years (now factually reduced to about forty or sixty years) to be all in all. They are less intelligent because they have no information of the eternity of life; they identify with the temporary material body existing for forty years and consider it the only basic principle of life. Such persons are described as equal to the asses and bulls. 

They are proud of their advancement of knowledge, but there are many things they do not know, nor can they ever know them by their modern system of experimentation. So if you want real knowledge, you should take knowledge from the literature known as the Vedas. (The word veda means “knowledge.”) Part of the Vedas are the 108 Upanisads, out of which eleven are very important. Of those eleven, the Isopanisad stands first. In the word upanisad, upa means “near.” So the knowledge in the Isopanisad will take you nearer to Krsna. In learned society the Vedas are accepted as sruti, or primary evidence. The Vedas are not knowledge established by the research work of contaminated, conditioned souls. Such people have imperfect senses, and so they cannot see things as they are. They simply theorize, “It may be like this. It may be like that.” That is not knowledge. Knowledge is definite, without any doubt or mistake. Conditioned souls commit mistakes, become illusioned, and cheat. How do they cheat? When one who does not understand the Bhagavad-gita writes a commentary on it, he is cheating the innocent public. Someone has a title as a scholar, so he takes advantage of the popularity of the Bhagavad-gita and writes a commentary. Such so-called scholars claim that anyone can give his own opinion. But in the Bhagavad-gita Krsna says that only His devotee can understand the Gita. [BG 11.54] 

BG 11.54 

My dear Arjuna, only by undivided devotional service can I be understood as I am, standing before you, and can thus be seen directly. Only in this way can you enter into the mysteries of My understanding.

BG 11.55

My dear Arjuna, he who engages in My pure devotional service, free from the contaminations of fruitive activities and mental speculation, he who works for Me, who makes Me the supreme goal of his life, and who is friendly to every living being – he certainly comes to Me.

BG 10.10 

To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.

BG 10.11

To show them special mercy, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance.

BG 18.55

One can understand Me as I am, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of Me by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.

So these so-called scholars are cheating. The conclusion is that if you want genuine spiritual knowledge you have to approach a bona fide spiritual master who has realized the Absolute Truth. Otherwise you will remain in darkness. You cannot think, “Oh, I may or may not accept a spiritual master. In any case, there are books that I can learn from.” No, the Vedic injunction is tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet. The word gacchet means “one must go,” not that one may or may not go. To understand transcendental knowledge, one must go to a spiritual master. That is the Vedic injunction.

You must know two things: what is maya (illusion) and what is Krsna. Then your knowledge is perfect. Of course, Krsna is so nice that if you somehow or other fully surrender to Him, all your searching for knowledge will be finished: not only will you know what Krsna is, but you will automatically learn what maya is. Krsna will give you intelligence from within. So, by the mercy of both the spiritual master and Krsna, one takes up devotional service. How is that? Their mercy runs on parallel lines. 

Yasya deve para bhakte… yatha deve.. 

If you have not yet found a spiritual master but are sincere, Krsna will direct you to a bona fide spiritual master. And if you get a bona fide spiritual master, he will take you to Krsna. Krsna is always sitting in your heart as the caitya-guru, the spiritual master within. It is that caitya-guru who manifests Himself externally as the spiritual master. Therefore the spiritual master is the direct representative of Krsna.

The Isopanisad says we should learn what vidya and avidya are. Avidya is ignorance under the guise of materialistic knowledge. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura writes in one of his songs that “advancement of material knowledge is simply the advancement of maya’s jurisdiction.” The more you become implicated in material knowledge, the less you can understand Krsna consciousness. [LAW OF NATURE]

 Those who are advanced in material knowledge think, “What use is this Krsna consciousness movement?” They have no attraction for spiritual knowledge; they are too absorbed in avidya. Some Indian boys reject the spiritual culture of India and come to the West to learn technology. When they see that I have introduced in the West the things they rejected in India, they are surprised. One reason I came to the West is that modern India has rejected spiritual knowledge. Today Indians think that if they can imitate Western technology, they will be happy. This is maya. They do not see that those who are three hundred times more technologically advanced than the Indians are not happy. India will not be able to equal American or European technology for at least three hundred years because the Western countries have been developing technology for a very long time

SB 2.9.33 – Part 4 – Notes – 1/4/22

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM HH HARIVILAS MAHARAJ’S MORNING BHAGAVATAM CLASS ON SB 2.9.33 – Part 4:

  • One should be attached to the root of everything rather than bewildered by the branches and leaves. That is the instruction given in this verse.
  • One should be attracted by the beautiful vision of Kṛṣṇa. His name is Kṛṣṇa because He is all-attractive. One who becomes attracted by the beautiful, all-powerful, omnipotent vision of Kṛṣṇa is fortunate.
  • One who is attracted to the personal feature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and, above all, one who is attracted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead as Kṛṣṇa Himself, is the most perfect transcendentalist. 
  • In other words, devotional service to Kṛṣṇa, in full consciousness, is the most confidential part of knowledge, and this is the essence of the whole Bhagavad-gītā
  • The Lord is not impersonal in His abode, which is always nirasta-kuhakam, as stated in the very beginning of the Bhāgavatam.
  • Practically speaking, there is no conflict between personalism and impersonalism. One who knows God knows that the impersonal conception and personal conception are simultaneously present in everything and that there is no contradiction. Therefore Lord Caitanya established His sublime doctrine: acintya bheda- and abheda-tattva – simultaneous oneness and difference.
  • The jurisdiction of Kṛṣṇa consciousness extends everywhere, and one who knows Kṛṣṇa consciousness is blessed. Those who do not know Kṛṣṇa are in illusion, and so knowledge of Kṛṣṇa is liberation, and ignorance of Him is bondage.
  • Even in the impersonal existence of the Lord, as it is in the material creation, one should aspire for personal realization of the Lord, and that is the meaning of paścād ahaṁ yad etac ca yo ’vaśiṣyeta so ’smy aham. 
  •  The science of God, bhagavat-tattva, the science of Absolute Truth, becomes manifest to the liberated soul.  
  • One who has actually tasted spiritual life, his unwanted things of life would at once diminish.
  • If one takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, by practice one comes to the point of giving up all these unwanted things. 
  • One side, a person should cultivate Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and another side, he should try to give up all the unwanted things. That will help him. You cannot continue both the things.  
  • Not that whatever you like, you can eat; whatever you like, you can do; at the same times you become spiritually advanced. This is all nonsense. 
  • At least everyone who is interested in advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness must rise early in the morning, before four, and take his bath and become cleansed, perform maṅgala-ārātrika and study. 
  • You can stand liberated on the platform of devotional service. As soon as you deviate from devotional service, immediately the māyā is standing. She’ll capture you. 
  • Māyā means absence of Kṛṣṇa. Shadow means absence of light, sunshine. So if you always keep in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is no shadow of māyā. 

SB 2.9.33 TRANSLATION:

Brahmā, it is I, the Personality of Godhead, who was existing before the creation, when there was nothing but Myself. Nor was there the material nature, the cause of this creation. That which you see now is also I, the Personality of Godhead, and after annihilation what remains will also be I, the Personality of Godhead.

Even in the impersonal existence of the Lord, as it is in the material creation, one should aspire for personal realization of the Lord, and that is the meaning of paścād ahaṁ yad etac ca yo ’vaśiṣyeta so ’smy aham.

Brahmājī also accepted the same truth when he was instructing Nārada. He said:

so ’yaṁ te ’bhihitas tāta

bhagavān viśva-bhāvanaḥ

(Bhāg. 2.7.50)

There is no other cause of all causes than the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari. Therefore this verse aham eva never indicates anything other than the Supreme Lord, and one should therefore follow the path of the Brahma sampradāya, or the path from Brahmājī to Nārada, to Vyāsadeva, etc., and make it a point in life to realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, or Lord Kṛṣṇa. This very confidential instruction to the pure devotees of the Lord was also given to Arjuna and to Brahmā in the beginning of the creation. The demigods like Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara, Indra, Candra and Varuṇa are undoubtedly different forms of the Lord for execution of different functions; the different elemental ingredients of material creation, as well as the multifarious energies, also may be of the same Personality of Godhead, but the root of all of them is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. One should be attached to the root of everything rather than bewildered by the branches and leaves. That is the instruction given in this verse.

BG 18.66

One should be attracted by the beautiful vision of Kṛṣṇa. His name is Kṛṣṇa because He is all-attractive. One who becomes attracted by the beautiful, all-powerful, omnipotent vision of Kṛṣṇa is fortunate. There are different kinds of transcendentalists – some of them are attached to the impersonal Brahman vision, some of them are attracted by the Supersoul feature, etc., but one who is attracted to the personal feature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and, above all, one who is attracted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead as Kṛṣṇa Himself, is the most perfect transcendentalist. In other words, devotional service to Kṛṣṇa, in full consciousness, is the most confidential part of knowledge, and this is the essence of the whole Bhagavad-gītā. Karma-yogīs, empiric philosophers, mystics and devotees are all called transcendentalists, but one who is a pure devotee is the best of all. The particular words used here, mā śucaḥ, “Don’t fear, don’t hesitate, don’t worry,” are very significant. One may be perplexed as to how one can give up all kinds of religious forms and simply surrender unto Kṛṣṇa, but such worry is useless.

SB 2.9.33

Therefore He is materially impersonal, just as the executive head of the state may be impersonal in the government offices, although he is not impersonal in the government house. Similarly, the Lord is not impersonal in His abode, which is always nirasta-kuhakam, as stated in the very beginning of the Bhāgavatam. 

Nirastha – Negation by absence

Kuhakam – Illusion 

Krsna seems to be impersonal in the material world because you do not see Him. Everything is contained in Him. Everything belongs to Him. 

So there is impersonal and personal forms of the lord. 

BG 7.8 

Practically speaking, there is no conflict between personalism and impersonalism. One who knows God knows that the impersonal conception and personal conception are simultaneously present in everything and that there is no contradiction. Therefore Lord Caitanya established His sublime doctrine: acintya bheda- and abheda-tattva – simultaneous oneness and difference.

The light of the sun and the moon is also originally emanating from the brahma-jyotir, which is the impersonal effulgence of the Lord. And praṇava, or the oṁ-kāra transcendental sound in the beginning of every Vedic hymn, addresses the Supreme Lord. Because the impersonalists are very much afraid of addressing the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa by His innumerable names, they prefer to vibrate the transcendental sound oṁ-kāra. But they do not realize that oṁ-kāra is the sound representation of Kṛṣṇa. The jurisdiction of Kṛṣṇa consciousness extends everywhere, and one who knows Kṛṣṇa consciousness is blessed. Those who do not know Kṛṣṇa are in illusion, and so knowledge of Kṛṣṇa is liberation, and ignorance of Him is bondage.

The example of the sky within the pot and the sky outside the pot may be helpful to the student for his realization of the all-pervading quality of the cosmic consciousness of the Absolute Truth. But that does not mean that the individual part and parcel of the Lord becomes the Supreme by a false claim. It means only that the conditioned soul is a victim of the illusory energy in her last snare. To claim to be one with the cosmic consciousness of the Lord is the last trap set by the illusory energy, or daivī māyā. Even in the impersonal existence of the Lord, as it is in the material creation, one should aspire for personal realization of the Lord, and that is the meaning of paścād ahaṁ yad etac ca yo ’vaśiṣyeta so ’smy aham.

SB 6.4.34

They give the argument of ghaṭākāśa-paṭākāśa, in which the body is compared to a pot with the sky within and the sky without. When the pot breaks, the sky inside becomes one with the sky outside, and so the impersonalists say that the living being becomes one with the Supreme.

SB 7.1.9

The all-pervading Personality of Godhead exists within the heart of every living being, and an expert thinker can perceive how He is present there to a large or small extent. Just as one can understand the supply of fire in wood, the water in a waterpot, or the sky within a pot, one can understand whether a living entity is a demon or a demigod by understanding that living entity’s devotional performances. A thoughtful man can understand how much a person is favored by the Supreme Lord by seeing his actions.

SB 1.2.21 Lecture – https://vedabase.io/en/library/transcripts/721101sbvrn/

bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiś

chidyante sarva-saṁśayāḥ

kṣīyante cāsya karmāṇi

dṛṣṭa evātmanīśvare

Thus the knot in the heart is pierced, and all misgivings are cut to pieces. The chain of fruitive actions is terminated when one sees the self as master.

hidyate hṛdaya-granthiś

chidyante sarva-saṁśayāḥ

kṣīyante cāsya karmāṇi

dṛṣṭa evātmanīśvare

[SB 1.2.21]

This is complete liberated stage. In the previous verse it has been spoken, bhagavat-tattva-vijñānaṁ mukta-saṅgasya jāyate [SB 1.2.20]. The science of God, bhagavat-tattva, the science of Absolute Truth, becomes manifest to the liberated soul. We find sometimes that one man is posing to have very much advance in spiritual understanding, or a great devotee, but mukta-saṅga…, he’s not mukta-saṅga; he cannot give up smoking bīḍī. You see?

These are the small tests. One who has actually tasted spiritual life, his unwanted things of life would at once diminish. There is no need. Anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. Anartha. Anartha, things which are not wanted, which has no meaning. So mukta-saṅga means no material attachment. That is mukta-saṅga. When one is actually liberated, these are the signs.

Bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiḥ. Our material life begins by a knot in the heart. What is that knot? That is sex desire. This is the knot. A man is hankering after a woman, and a woman is hankering after a man. This attachment is the beginning of material life. Everyone, not only human society. In animal society, in bird society, in beast society you’ll find this sex attachment. This is the hṛdaya-granthiḥ, beginning.

Therefore, according to Vedic civilization, the first teaching to a student is to give him lesson how to become brahmacārī. How not to become attached in sex life, that is called brahmacārī. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa [SB 6.1.13]. Tapasā, to become brahmacārī, to become…, abstaining from sex life, it requires tapasya. It is not so easy thing. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa damena śamena. One has to practice how to control the mind, how to control the senses. This is brahmacarya. Tapasya. It requires tapasya.

At the present moment, the students are, what to speak of tapasya, they are given all kinds of luxuries. So how there will be brahmacārī? It is not possible. Especially in the Western countries, the boys and girls, they are educated in one place, co-education, and they live in the same building, and there are so many things. You know better than me.

So there is no brahmacārī. There is no brahmacarya. That means the knot in the heart, sex desire, is more and more increased. It is not decreased. But if one takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, by practice one comes to the point of giving up all these unwanted things. Chidyante, bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiḥ [SB 1.2.21]. I have several times explained to you that this knot of the heart is the sex desire. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam [SB 5.5.8]. Sex desire, mithunī-bhāvam etam.

So there is no brahmacārī. There is no brahmacarya. That means the knot in the heart, sex desire, is more and more increased. It is not decreased. But if one takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, by practice one comes to the point of giving up all these unwanted things. Chidyante, bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiḥ [SB 1.2.21]. I have several times explained to you that this knot of the heart is the sex desire. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam [SB 5.5.8]. Sex desire, mithunī-bhāvam etam.

Tayor hṛdaya-granthim. And when they’re actually united, that knot becomes more and more tight. But if one takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then gradually, bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiḥ, that knot, sex desire… That is the test whether one’s sex desire has diminished. That is the test. Bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiḥ.

Bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiś chidyante sarva-saṁśayāḥ. Saṁśayāḥ [SB 1.2.21]. We are now in hazy conclusion what is our position. We do not know. We do not know what is God, what I am, what is our relationship. Everyone is speculating. There are…, therefore, there are so many parties = the jñānī party, the yogī party, the karmī party, generally. And within each and every party there are hundreds and thousands of parties. So when one actually becomes free from the knot, or the knot is cut off, the attachment for material desire is cut off, at that time he can understand what is his position. What is his position.

Therefore two things must go on in parallel line. One side, a person should cultivate Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and another side, he should try to give up all the unwanted things. That will help him. You cannot continue both the things. Just like when a person is diseased, he’s given medicine. At the same times, he has to act = not to take this, not to take that. That is the way of treatment. Not that whatever you like, you can eat; whatever you like, you can do; at the same times you become spiritually advanced. This is all nonsense.

Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa [SB 6.1.13]. One has to practice tapasya. Tapa. Tapa means a little inconvenience, voluntarily accepting inconvenience. Just like brahmacārī lies down on the floor. A sannyāsī also, they follow the same practice as far as possible. Taking bath three…, thrice daily, and so many rules and regulation are there. But at the present age, it is not possible to follow all the rules and regulation, but at least everyone who is interested in advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness must rise early in the morning, before four, and take his bath and become cleansed, perform maṅgala-ārātrika and study.

These are tapasya. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa śamena ca damena va, tyāgena [SB 6.1.13]. Tyāgena means renouncement. I like something, but voluntarily I should give it up. That is called tyāga. Of course, one who takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness seriously, Kṛṣṇa helps him to become qualified in these matters. So bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiś chidyante sarva-saṁśayāḥ [SB 1.2.21].

Now unless one is taken to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness practice, he has got so many doubts = “Why I shall do this? Why I shall do that?” But when he is raised to the platform of goodness, as it is expressed, mukta-saṅgasya jāyate, bhagavat-tattva-vijñānam [SB 1.2.20], when he understands the science of God, automatically he becomes disinterested with these unwanted things. Kṣīyante ca asya karmāṇi. Karmāṇi, karmāṇi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhājām [Bs. 5.54].

We are bound up in this material existence due to our karma. According to my past karma, I have got this body, and again, as we are acting in this body, I am preparing forward my next body. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa [SB 3.31.1]. We have got varieties of body. Varieties of body. Not that because we are all human beings… We have got common factors—two hands, two legs, one head—but each body is different from the other body. You won’t find one pair of body exactly of the same nature. That is not possible. Because everyone’s karma is different. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa. According to our karma, we get different types of body.

So we have to stop this karma. We have to stop this karma. How you can stop this karma? Yajñārthe karmaṇaḥ anyatra karma-bandhanaḥ [Bg. 3.9]. If we simply act for Kṛṣṇa, then we get rid of the resultant action of karma. Yajñārthe karma. Whatever you do, you do for Kṛṣṇa. Yajñārthe. Yajña means Viṣṇu. Kṛṣṇa’s the origin of viṣṇu-tattva. So whatever you are ordered to do for Kṛṣṇa, you are not bound up by the karma. Otherwise, good or bad, you are bound up by the resultant action of karma.

So when one is actually in the liberated stage… Liberated stage means to remain fixed up in devotional service, bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ. Otherwise it is not possible. Evaṁ prasanna-manaso bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ [SB 1.2.20]. You can stand liberated on the platform of devotional service. As soon as you deviate from devotional service, immediately the māyā is standing. She’ll capture you.

You can see practically. There is sunshine, and just next to the sunshine, there is darkness, or shadow. So little deviation from the sunshine there is shadow. And little deviation from this shadow, you go to the sunshine. Both things are side by side, māyā and Kṛṣṇa. Māyā means absence of Kṛṣṇa. Shadow means absence of light, sunshine. So if you always keep in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is no shadow of māyā.

kṛṣṇa—sūrya-sama, māyā andhakāra

yāhāṅ kṛṣṇa tāhāṅ nāhi māyāra adhikāra

[Cc. Madhya 22.31]

Kṛṣṇa is just like sunshine, and māyā is just like darkness. So wherever there is sunshine, there cannot be any possibility of darkness. So you keep always yourself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then there is no possibility of māyā. And māyā means to engaged in fruitive activities.

Tṛtīya-karma, karma-saṅgaḥ anya tṛtīya-śaktir iṣyate. Māyā... So long we are in māyā, we have to engage ourself in fruitive activities, karma. Therefore here it is said, kṣīyante ca asya karmāṇi. One who is liberated, being engaged in devotional service, his karma, fruitive activities, stop immediately.

Yas tu indra. Indra means the king of heaven. And there is another indra, indra-gopa. It is a…, it is an insect, very small. That is called indra-gopa. So it is said, “Beginning from that Indra, the king of heaven, down to this indra, the small insect,” yas tv indra-gopam athavendram aho sva-karma, “everyone is enjoying, suffering according at the karma.”

The, that Indra, the king of heaven, is… You can become the king of heaven, provided you have got a mass of pious activities; you are promoted. Just like if you have got sufficient education, you can become high-court judge. It is not very difficult. Similarly, this Indra, Candra, Brahmā, big, big demigods, they have got all these posts on account of their great pious activities. Puṇya. Puṇya-karma. Similarly, the hogs and dogs and other animals, they are due to the pāpa-karma, impious activities. So both of them are resultant action of our karma.

So everyone is suffering or enjoying the resultant action of his karma—yas tv indra-gopam athavendram aho sva-karma-bandhānurūpa, bandhana—as he’s bound up by the resultant action of karma. Bandhānurūpa-phala-bhājanam āta… They are getting different results of their karma. It is very easy to understand.

But for the devotees it is said, karmāṇi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhājām [Bs. 5.54]. Bhakti-bhājām, those who have taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness in devotional service, their karma is cut off. There is no resultant action. Just like you know chickpeas. Chickpeas, if you sow on the ground, it will fructify into a plant. But the same chickpea, if it is fried and you sow on the ground, it will not fructify. So our karma should be fried up by devotional service. Then it will not produce any result. And Kṛṣṇa also says in the Bhagavad-gītā, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi [Bg. 18.66].

So there is no resultant action of a devotee’s activity. Therefore here it is said, kṣīyante ca asya karmāṇi. Unless you have completely finished your resultant action of karma, you cannot be promoted to the spiritual world. You have to accept a type of material body so long karma will go on.

Therefore in another place, Bhāgavata, it is said that people are engaged as karmīs, and Ṛṣabhadeva says na sādhu manye. One is engaged in karma, it is not very good.

…na sādhu manye yata ātmano ‘yam

asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ

[SB 5.5.4]

By karma only we are getting different types of body, although it is temporary. But as soon as we are encaged in this body, we become subject to threefold miseries of life.

So for a devotee, there is no more karma, or there is no more material body. Kṛṣṇa also confirms in the Bhagavad-gītā, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9]. After giving up this body, a devotee, he does not get anymore birth in this material body. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti. In his spiritual body he comes back home, back to Godhead.

So the same thing is expressed here = kṣīyante ca asya karmāṇi dṛṣṭa ātmani īśvare. He sees, ātmani dṛṣṭa, he realized his relationship with God, īśvare. He realizes that “I am eternal servant of God, eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa.” Jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109]. He realizes it. And because he realizes it, he engages himself in that way. And that is the perfection of life.

BG 4.19 

One is understood to be in full knowledge whose every endeavor is devoid of desire for sense gratification. He is said by sages to be a worker for whom the reactions of work have been burned up by the fire of perfect knowledge.

BG 2.38

Do thou fight for the sake of fighting, without considering happiness or distress, loss or gain, victory or defeat – and by so doing you shall never incur sin.

Lord Kṛṣṇa now directly says that Arjuna should fight for the sake of fighting because He desires the battle. There is no consideration of happiness or distress, profit or loss, victory or defeat in the activities of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That everything should be performed for the sake of Kṛṣṇa is transcendental consciousness; so there is no reaction to material activities. He who acts for his own sense gratification, either in goodness or in passion, is subject to the reaction, good or bad. But he who has completely surrendered himself in the activities of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is no longer obliged to anyone, nor is he a debtor to anyone, as one is in the ordinary course of activities. It is said:

“Anyone who has completely surrendered unto Kṛṣṇa, Mukunda, giving up all other duties, is no longer a debtor, nor is he obliged to anyone – not the demigods, nor the sages, nor the people in general, nor kinsmen, nor humanity, nor forefathers.” (Bhāg. 11.5.41) That is the indirect hint given by Kṛṣṇa to Arjuna in this verse, and the matter will be more clearly explained in the following verses.

BG 5.8 – 9

A person in the divine consciousness, although engaged in seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, moving about, sleeping and breathing, always knows within himself that he actually does nothing at all. Because while speaking, evacuating, receiving, or opening or closing his eyes, he always knows that only the material senses are engaged with their objects and that he is aloof from them.

BG 4.37

As a blazing fire turns firewood to ashes, O Arjuna, so does the fire of knowledge burn to ashes all reactions to material activities.

BG 5.16

When, however, one is enlightened with the knowledge by which nescience is destroyed, then his knowledge reveals everything, as the sun lights up everything in the daytime.