BUDDHI YOGA

Dedicated to my spiritual master His Divine Grace Abhaya Charan Bhaktivedanta Swami 'Srila Prabhupada'

Introduction

Buddhi-yoga is clearly explained (in Chapter Ten, verse ten) as being direct communion with the Lord, who is sitting as Paramatma in everyone's heart. But such communion does not take place without devotional service. One who is therefore situated in devotional or transcendental loving service to the Lord, or, in other words, in Krishna consciousness, attains to this stage of buddhi-yoga by the special grace of the Lord. 

 Buddhi Yoga & Sankhya Yoga

The Lord says, therefore, that only to those who are always engaged in devotional service out of transcendental love does He award the pure knowledge of devotion in love. In that way the devotee can reach Him easily in the ever-blissful kingdom of God.

Thus the buddhi-yoga mentioned in this verse is the devotional service of the Lord, and the word Sankhya mentioned herein has nothing to do with the atheistic sankhya-yoga enunciated by the imposter Kapila. One should not, therefore, misunderstand that the sankhya-yoga mentioned herein has any connection with the atheistic Sankhya. Nor did that philosophy have any influence during that time; nor would Lord Krishna care to mention such godless philosophical speculations. 

Real Sankhya philosophy is described by Lord Kapila in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, but even that Sankhya has nothing to do with the current topics. Here, Sankhya means analytical description of the body and the soul. Lord Krishna made an analytical description of the soul just to bring Arjuna to the point of buddhi-yoga, or bhakti-yoga. Therefore, Lord Krishna's Sankhya and Lord Kapila's Sankhya, as described in the Bhagavatam, are one and the same. They are all bhakti-yoga. Lord Krishna Said, therefore, that only the less intelligent class of men make a distinction between sankhya-yoga and bhakti-yoga (sankhya-yogau prthag balah pravadanti na panditah).

Of course, atheistic sankhya-yoga has nothing to do with bhakti-yoga, yet the unintelligent claim that the atheistic sankhya-yoga is referred to in the Bhagavad-gita.

 
One should therefore understand that buddhi-yoga means to work in Krishna consciousness, in the full bliss and knowledge of devotional service. One who works for the satisfaction of the Lord only, however difficult such work may be, is working under the principles of buddhi-yoga and finds himself always in transcendental bliss. By such transcendental engagement, one achieves all transcendental understanding automatically, by the grace of the Lord, and thus his liberation is complete in itself, without his making extraneous endeavors to acquire knowledge. 

 Conclusion

There is much difference between work in Krishna consciousness and work for fruitive results, especially in the matter of sense gratification for achieving results in terms of family or material happiness. Buddhi-yoga is therefore the transcendental quality of the work that we perform.  Bg 2.39

Ys in service of Srila Prabhupada

JANAKA DASA

(Dr Jagadeesh TG)

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 Jagadguru Srila Prabhupad - Saviour of the whole world

TWO BIRDS IN A TREE - SOUL AND SUPERSOUL

Dedicated to my spiritual master His Divine Grace Abhaya Charan Bhaktivedanta Swami 'Srila Prabhupada'

Introduction
In Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna Himself says that every living entity is an individual spirit soul. The soul or jiva or atma is seated in the heart along with the Supersoul or Paramatma. The jiva is driven by the 3 modes of material nature and acts accordingly while the Paramatma seated near-by is witnessing and sanctioning all the activities of the individual soul.

Soul and Supersoul

The Vedas, like the Mundaka Upanisad & Svetasvatara Upanisad, compare the soul and the Supersoul to two friendly birds sitting on the same tree. One of the birds (the individual atomic soul) is eating the fruit of the tree, and the other bird (Krishna) is simply watching His friend. Although the two birds are the same in quality, yet one is captivated by the fruits of the material tree, while the other is simply witnessing the activities of His friend. This witnessing bird is Lord Krishna Himself, and the bird eating the fruits is Jivatma. Although they are friends, one is still the master and the other is the servant. Forgetfulness of this relationship by the atomic soul is the cause of his changing his position from one tree to another or from one body to another. The jiva or soul is struggling very hard on the tree of the material body, but as soon as he agrees to accept the other bird as the supreme spiritual master - as Arjuna agreed to do so by voluntary surrender unto Krishna for instruction on the battlefield - the subordinate bird immediately becomes free from all lamentations.

Both the Mundaka Upanisad (3.1.2) and Svetasvatara Upanisad (4.7) confirm this:

samane vrkse puruso nimagno

'nisaya socati muhyamanah

justam yada pasyaty anyam isam

asya mahimanam iti vita-sokah

"Although the two birds are in the same tree, the eating bird is fully engrossed with anxiety and moroseness as the enjoyer of the fruits of the tree. But if in some way or other he turns his face to his friend who is the Lord and knows His glories -- at once the suffering bird becomes free from all anxieties."

Arjuna in the battlefield of Kurukshetra submitted to turn his face towards his eternal friend, Krishna. Accepting Him as the Supreme Lord and as a spiritual master he thus understood the Bhagavad-gita. Hearing from Krishna, he could understand the supreme glories of the Lord and was freed from lamentation. BG 2.22. This Bhagavad Gita is meant for all living entities.

Conclusion

The conditioned soul, the living entity, is controlled by the laws of nature, while the Paramatma, or the Supersoul, is the controller of the material energy. SB 1.2.31. The fruit-eater (living entity) in the process has forgotten his real identity and is overwhelmed in the fruitive activities of the material conditions, but the Lord (Paramatma) is always full in transcendental knowledge. That is the difference between the Supersoul and the conditioned soul. Hare Krishna!

Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada


Dr Jagadeesh TG

Prabhupada Dasa/ RadhaKrishna Sevak
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Jagadguru Srila Prabhupada  - The Real Soul Doctor

PHASES OF REALIZATION OF THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH

Dedicated to my spiritual master His Divine Grace Abhaya Charan Bhaktivedanta Swami 'Srila Prabhupada'

Introduction


Krsna and the Supreme Personality of Godhead are identical. Therefore Lord Krsna is referred to as Bhagavan throughout the Gita. Bhagavan is the ultimate in the Absolute Truth. Absolute Truth is realized in three phases of understanding, namely Brahman, or the impersonal all-pervasive spirit; Paramatma, or the localized aspect of the Supreme within the heart of all living entities; and Bhagavan, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krsna.

Conception of Absolute Truth

In the Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.11) this conception of the Absolute Truth is explained thus:

vadanti tat tattva-vidas
tattvam yaj jnanam advayam
brahmeti paramatmeti
bhagavan iti sabdyate

"The Absolute Truth is realized in three phases of understanding by the knower of the Absolute Truth, and all of them are identical. Such phases of the Absolute Truth are expressed as Brahman, Paramatma, and Bhagavan."

These three divine aspects can be explained by the example of the sun, which also has three different aspects, namely the sunshine, the sun's surface and the sun planet itself. One who studies the sunshine only is the preliminary student. One who understands the sun's surface is further advanced. And one who can enter into the sun planet is the highest. Ordinary students who are satisfied by simply understanding the sunshine -- its universal pervasiveness and the glaring effulgence of its impersonal nature -- may be compared to those who can realize only the Brahman feature of the Absolute Truth. The student who has advanced still further can know the sun disc, which is compared to knowledge of the Paramatma feature of the Absolute Truth. And the student who can enter into the heart of the sun planet is compared to those who realize the personal features of the Supreme Absolute Truth.

Conclusion

The bhaktas, or the transcendentalists who have realized the Bhagavan feature of the Absolute Truth, are the topmost transcendentalists, although all students who are engaged in the study of the Absolute Truth are engaged in the same subject matter. The sunshine, the sun disc and the inner affairs of the sun planet cannot be separated from one another, and yet the students of the three different phases are not in the same category. Bg 2.2

Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada


Dr Jagadeesh TG
Prabhupada Dasa
RadhaKrishna Sevak
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The Real Soul Doctor - Jagadguru Srila Prabhupada

LEVELS OF GOD-REALIZATION

Dedicated to my spiritual master His Divine Grace Abhaya Charan Bhaktivedanta Swami 'Srila Prabhupada'

Introduction : The Complete Whole
The complete whole is comprised of the supreme controller, the controlled living entities, the cosmic manifestation, eternal time and karma, or activities, and all of these are explained in this text. All of these taken completely form the complete whole, and the complete whole is called the Supreme Absolute Truth. The complete whole and the complete Absolute Truth are the complete Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna. All manifestations are due to His different energies. He is the complete whole.

Impersonal brahman
It is explained in the Bhagavad Gita that impersonal Brahman is also subordinate to the complete Supreme Person (brahmano hi pratisthaham). Brahman is more explicitly explained in the Brahma-sutra to be like the rays of the sunshine. The impersonal Brahman is the shining rays of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Brahman-Paramatma-Bhagavan
Impersonal Brahman is incomplete realization of the absolute whole, and so also is the conception of Paramatma. In the Fifteenth Chapter it shall be seen that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Purusottama, is above both impersonal Brahman and the partial realization of Paramatma. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is called sac-cid-ananda-vigraha. He is Bhagavan.

Conclusion - The 3 levels of realization
The Brahma-samhita begins in this way: isvarah paramah Krishnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah/ anadir adir govindah sarva-karana-karanam. "Govinda, Krishna, is the cause of all causes. He is the primal cause, and He is the very form of eternity, knowledge and bliss."

Impersonal Brahman realization is the realization of His sat (eternity) feature. Paramatma realization is the realization of sat-cit (eternal knowledge). But realization of the Personality of Godhead, Krishna, is realization of all the transcendental features: sat, cit and ananda (eternity, knowledge, and bliss) in complete vigraha (form).

The Real Soul Doctor - Jagadguru Srila Prabhupada

 

PS - Read Srila Prabhupada's 'Bhagavad Gita As it is' for more insights.

 

Prabhupada Dasa

RadhaKrishna Sevak

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