BG 15 (1968)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
XV
THE YOGA OF THE SUPREME PERSON
1: THE SUPREME LORD SAID: There is a banyan tree which has its roots upward and its branches down; and the Vedic hymns are its leaves. One who knows this tree is the knower of the Vedas.
PURPORT
AFTER DISCUSSING THE importance of Bhaktiyoga, there may be some question: What about the Vedas? It will be explained in this chapter that the purpose of the Vedic study is to understand Krishna. Therefore, one who is in Krishna consciousness, engaged in devotional service, is already in knowledge of the Vedas. The entanglement of this material world is compared here to a banyan tree. For one who is engaged in fruitive activities, there is no end to the banyan tree. He wanders from one branch to another, to another, to another, to another: The tree of this material world has no end; and one who is attached to this tree has no possibility of liberation. The Vedic hymns, meant for elevating oneself, are called the leaves of this tree. This tree being root-upward means that it begins from where Brahma is located, which is the topmost planet of this universe. One should understand this indestructible tree of illusion, and then one can break away from it. This should be understood. In the previous chapters it has been explained that there are many processes to get out of the material entanglement. And, up to the Thirteenth Chapter, we have seen that devotional service to the Supreme Lord is the best way. Now the basic principle of devotional service is detachment from the material activities and attachment to the transcendental service of the Lord. The root of this material existence is upward. This means that it begins from the total material substance, from the topmost planet of the universe. From there the whole universe is expanded, with so many branches, the various planetary systems. The fruits are the results of the living entities' activities. They include religiousness, economic development, sense gratification, and liberation. One should have a thorough understanding of this imperishable tree.
Now, we have no ready experience in this world of a tree situated with its branches down and its roots upward; but there is such a thing. That tree can be found when we go to a reservoir of water. We can see that the trees on the bank are reflected upon the water—branches down, roots up. In other words, the tree of this material world is only a reflection of the real tree. The real tree is the spiritual world. This reflection of the real tree is situated on desire, as the tree's reflection is situated on water. One who wants to get out of this material existence must know thoroughly, through analytical study, this tree. Then he can cut off the relationship with this material world.
2: The branches of this tree extend downward and upward, nourished by the three modes of material Nature. The twigs are the objects of the senses, and this tree also has roots going down, bound to the fruitive actions of human society.
3: The real form of this tree cannot be perceived in this world. No one can understand where it ends, where it begins, or where its foundation is. This banyan tree must be cut out with determination, by the weapon of detachment.
4: Thereafter, one must seek that situation from which, having gone, one never comes back. One must surrender to that Supreme Personality of Godhead from whom everything has begun and is extending since time immemorial.
5: One who is free from illusion, false prestige, and false association; who is in understanding of the eternal, done with material lust, freed from the duality of happiness and distress, and who knows how to surrender unto the Supreme Person, attains to that eternal Kingdom.
PURPORT
THE SURRENDERING PROCESS is described here very nicely. The first qualification is that one should be out of the illusion of false prestige. The conditioned soul is puffed up, thinking himself the Lord of material Nature. It is therefore very difficult for him to surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One should know, by the cultivation of real knowledge, that he is not lord of the material Nature; the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the Lord. For one who is always expecting some honor in this material world, it is not possible to surrender to the Supreme Person. This false prestige is due to illusion. One comes here for some time, and then goes away, living here only briefly; but still he has the foolish notion that he is lord of the world. He thus makes all things complicated, and he is always in trouble. The whole world moves under this impression. People are considering that the land, this earth, belongs to the human society; and they have divided the land, by their mental concoction, under the false impression that they are the proprietors. One has to get out of this false notion that human society is the proprietor of this world. When one is freed from such a false notion, he becomes free from all false associations. False association means our family, social, and national affections. This faulty association binds us to this material world. After this stage, one has to develop spiritual knowledge. One has to cultivate knowledge of what is actually his own, and what is actually not his own. And when one has understanding of things as they are, he becomes free from all conceptions of happiness and distress. He comes fully into knowledge, at which time it is possible to surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
6: That Abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by electricity. And anyone who reaches It never comes back to this material world.
PURPORT
THE DESCRIPTION OF the spiritual world and of the Abode of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna—which is known as Krishnaloka, Goloka Vrindaban—is described here. In the spiritual sky there is no need of sunshine, moonshine, or electricity, because all the planets there are self-illuminated. We have only one planet in this universe, the sun, which is self-illuminated. But all the planets in the spiritual sky are self-illuminated; and the shining effulgence of all those self-illuminated planets (called Vaikunthas) is the shining sky, which is known as the Brahmajyoti. Actually, the effulgence is emanating from the planet of Krishna, Goloka Vrindaban. Part of that shining effulgence is covered by this Mahat Tatva, the material world. Other than this, the major portion of that shining sky is full of spiritual planets, which are called Vaikunthas, and there is also Goloka Vrindaban. So long as a living entity is in this dark material world, he is in conditional life. And as soon as he reaches the spiritual sky, by cutting through the false, perverted tree of this world, he becomes liberated, and there is no chance of his coming back here.
7: The living entities in this conditional world are My fragmental parts, and they are eternal. But due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.
PURPORT
IN THIS VERSE, the identity of the living being is clearly mentioned. The living entities are fragmental parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord—eternally. None is assuming individually in his conditioned life to become one with the Supreme Lord in the liberated state. Each is eternally fragmented.
8: The living entity in the material world carries his different conceptions of life, as the air carries aromas. Thus does he take one kind of body, and again quit it to take another.
PURPORT
HERE THE LIVING entity is described as Iswara, the controller of his own body. If he likes, he can change his body to a higher grade; and if he likes, he can move to a lower class. Minute independence is there. The change of his body depends on hirn. The process is that, at the time of death, the consciousness he has created will carry him on to the next type of body. If he has made his consciousness cat-like, or dog-like, he is sure to change from his human body to a cat's or a dog's body. And if he has fixed his consciousness to godly qualities, he will change his body into the form of a demigod. And if he changes his consciousness into Krishna consciousness, he will be transferred to the Krishnaloka in the spiritual world, to be with Krishna.
9: The living entity, thus taking another gross body, obtains a particular type of ear, sense of touch, tongue, and nose, centered about the mind. He thus enjoys a particular set of sense objects.
PURPORT
CONSCIOUSNESS IS ORIGINALLY pure, like water. But if we mix water with a certain color, it changes. Similarly, consciousness is pure, for the spirit soul is pure. But consciousness is changed according to the association of the material qualities. Real consciousness is Krishna consciousness. When, therefore, one is situated in Krishna consciousness, that is his pure life. Otherwise, if his consciousness is adulterated by some type of mentality, in the next life he gets a corresponding body.
10: The foolish cannot understand how a living entity can quit his body, or what sort of body he enjoys under the spell of the modes of Nature. But one whose eyes are trained in knowledge can see.
11: The endeavoring transcendentalist, who is situated in selfrealization, can see all this clearly. But those who are not situated in self-realization, though they may try, cannot see what is taking place.
12: The splendor of the sun, which dissipates the darkness of this universe, is due to Me. And the splendor of the moon, and the splendor of fire are also from Me.
13: I enter into each planet, and by My energy these stay in orbit. I become the moon, and thereby supply the juice of life to all vegetables.
PURPORT
IT IS DUE TO THE Supreme Personality of Godhead that the moon nourishes all vegetables. Due to the moon's influence, the vegetables become delicious. Without the moonshine, the vegetables can neither grow, nor are they good to eat. Human society is working so nicely, living comfortably and enjoying food, due to the supply from the Supreme Lord. Otherwise, it could not get on. Everything becomes palatable by the agency of the Supreme Lord, through the influence of the moon.
14: I am the fire of digestion in every living body, and I am the air of life, outgoing and incoming, by which I digest the four kinds of foodstuff.
15: I am seated in everyone's heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge, and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas I am to be known; and I am the Compiler of Vedanta; and I know Veda as it is.
16: There are two classes of beings, the fallible and the infallible. In the material world, every entity is fallible, and in the spiritual world, every entity is called infallible.
PURPORT
HERE THE LORD IS giving, in summary, the contents of The Vedanta Sutra: He says that the living entities, who are innumerable, can be divided into two classes: the fallible and the infallible. The living entities are eternally separated parts and parcels of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When they are in contact with the material world, they are called jivabhutah, and the Sanskrit words given here, sarvani bhutani, mean that they are fallible. Those who are in oneness with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, however, are called infallible. Oneness does not mean that they have no individuality, but that there is no disunity. They are all agreeable to the purpose of the Lord.
17: Besides these two, there is the greatest living Personality, the Lord Himself, who has entered into these worlds, and is maintaining them.
18: Because I am transcendental, beyond both the fallible and the infallible, and greatest, I am celebrated both in the world and in the Vedas as that Supreme Person.
19: Anyone who knows Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, without doubting, is to be understood as the knower of everything. And he therefore engages himself in full devotional service, O son of Bharata.
PURPORT
THERE ARE MANY philosophical speculations about the constitutional position of the living entities and the Supreme Absolute Truth. Now, in this verse, the Supreme Personality of Godhead clearly explains that anyone who knows Lord Krishna as the Supreme Person is actually the knower of everything. The difference between a perfect knower and an imperfect knower is that the imperfect knower goes on simply speculating about the Absolute Truth; but the perfect knower, without wasting his valuable time, engages directly in Krishna consciousness, the devotional service of the Supreme Lord. Throughout the whole of The Bhagavad Gita, this fact is being stressed at every step. And yet there remain so many stubborn commentators on The Bhagavad Gita, who unnecessarily try to make the Supreme Absolute Truth and the living entities one and the same.
20: This is the most confidential part of the Vedic scriptures, O sinless One, disclosed now by Me. Anyone who understands this will become wise, and his endeavors will know perfection.
PURPORT
THE LORD CLEARLY explains here that this is the substance of all revealed scriptures. And one should understand it as it is given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus one will become intelligent, and perfect in transcendental knowledge. In other words, by understanding this philosophy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and engaging oneself in His transcendental service, everyone can become freed from all contaminations of the modes of material Nature. Devotional service is a process of spiritual understanding. Wherever such devotional service exists, the material contamination cannot coexist. Devotional service to the Lord and the Lord Himself are one and the same, because this is spiritual—the internal energy of the Supreme Lord.
The Lord is said to be the sun, and ignorance is called darkness. Where sun is present, there is no question of darkness. Therefore, whenever devotional service is present under the proper guidance of a bona fide spiritual master, there is no question of ignorance.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Purports to the Fifteenth Chapter of The Srimad Bhagavad Gita, in the matter of the Yoga of the Supreme Person.