TRANSLATION of following sloka
Those persons who executed duties according to My injunctions and who follow this teaching faithfully, without envy, become free from the bondage of fruitive actions
ye me matam idaà nityam
anutiñöhanti mänaväù
çraddhävanto ’nasüyanto
mucyante te ’pi karmabhiù
PURPORT
The injunction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, is the essence of all Vedic wisdom and therefore is eternally true without exception. As the Vedas are eternal, so this truth of Krishna Consciousness is also eternal. One should have firm faith in this injunction, without envying the Lord. There are many philosophers who write comments on the Bhagavad Gita but have no faith in Krishna. They will never be liberated from the bondage of fruitive action. But an ordinary man with firm faith in the eternal injunctions of the Lord, even though unable to execute such orders, becomes liberated from the bondage of the law of Karma. In the beginning of Krishna Consciousness, one may not fully discharge the injunctions of the Lord, but because one is not resentful of this principle and works sincerely without consideration of defeat and hopelessness, he will surely be promoted to the stage of pure Krishna Consciousness.
Those persons who executed duties according to My injunctions and who follow this teaching faithfully, without envy, become free from the bondage of fruitive actions. In this shloka from Bhagavad Gita, Third Chapter, Text No. 31, Lord Shri Krishna is giving all those who have the quality of sincerity, great hope that they will achieve the perfection of pure Krishna Consciousness. The essence of all Vedic knowledge has described here by Shrila Prabhupada is to be Krishna Conscious, to always remember Krishna and to never forget Krishna.
Radhanath Swami explains Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s realizations:
Shri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Yugavatar appeared in this age of Kali, quarrel, hypocrisy, darkness, to teach us the simple and sublime message in process by which everyone can realize and practice what is the essence of all transcendental knowledge to always remember Krishna and that is through the congregation of chanting of the holy names and through learning to properly associate with the Vaishnavas, the devotees of the Lord. Shri Caitanya Mahaprabhu thought that in this age of Kali there are two religious principles, the holy name of Krishna and the association of Vaishnavas. Through properly learning, how to associate with the Lord’s devotees and his names. Sincerely, at whatever level of consciousness, we may be at now, we will most certainly approach the highest destination.
Krishna: The Cause of all Causes
bahünäà janmanäm ante
jïänavän mäà prapadyate
väsudevaù sarvam iti
sa mahätmä su-durlabhaù
Krishna says, after many births and deaths, one who is actually situated in knowledge by practicing all forms of religions once surrenders to Vasudev, knowing him to be the cause of all causes and all that is.
vedaiç ca sarvair aham eva vedyo
vedänta-kåd veda-vid eva cäham
Krishna says, by all the Vedas, I am to be known so Shri Caitanya has given us the simple process, Krishna is non different than his name. Through sincerely chanting his name, Krishna reveals everything from within our hearts. Those who take to this path of Bhakti, they can bypass all other injunctions of the scriptures which primarily deal with a gradual elevation of the soul through the methods of Karma Kanda, Gyana Kanda, Asthanga Kanda, and Yoga Kanda, the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, is the fulfillment of all other paths of Yoga and religion but how to chant the holy name of the Lord.
Radhanath Swami explains in what Consciousness and Attitude to chant the holy name of the lord:
Here Srila Prabhupada is explaining that it must be done without envy, and it must be done very sincerely, and in order to approach the name of the Lord sincerely.
We have to learn how to approach the devotees of the Lord because we have read and we have heard from the great Acharyas that you cannot approach Krishna directly, we must become the servant of the servant of the servants and Krishna is non different than his name, can we approach the name of the Lord directly. In one sense, when we come before the beautiful forms of Shri Radharas Bihari, it appears that we are approaching them directly but will they reveal themselves to us, will the Murthy come to life in our hearts, in our consciousness. Only when we learn to serve the devotees, to serve the spiritual master, to serve the Vaishnavas. When we approach the deity of the Lord in that spirit, then Krishna is pleased to reveal himself to us and in the same way, the holy name is a worshipable Murthy. In fact, in the age of Kali Yuga, it is the most important form on Murthy of the Lord. Shrila Prabhupada explained that different and so many other temples where everything is scented around just worshiping the deity, in this age of Kali Yuga, that simply does not work, we make our life around the deity in the temple because that helps to facilitate us actually approaching him to his name. Everything we do in deity worship is connected with the name of Krishna, you cannot make a single offering without the name of Krishna and when the devotees come before the deity, they practice the Yuga Dharma, which gives the greatest pleasure to the deity and that is coming together to dance gracefully, joyfully, and chant the holy names.
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Hare, Hare
Hare Ram, Hare Ram, Ram, Ram, Hare, Hare
Radhanath Swami defines what does sincerity mean?
So Sri Gaurasundar taught us that by learning how to be humble in our service to the Vaishnavas, we are in the proper state of consciousness by which we can approach the holy name sincerely and Shrila Prabhupada explains here that even if one is in a neophyte position, even if one is addicted to sinful activities, if one without envy follows his injunctions of becoming a sincere servant of the Vaishnavas and sincerely endeavoring to chant the holy names, sincerely endeavor to follow these regulative principles then he should know for sure that he will not be defeated. Krishna, the Supreme Power who is the controller of Maya will certainly give great hope and purification to our endeavor in spiritual life. So this is so important what is the meaning of sincerity.
We can make a show of being great devotees but unless we are deeply trying to humble ourselves, our endeavor is not sincere, it is superficial, it is not pleasing to Krishna, therefore we must be sincere, we must endeavor, strive, and pray for this sincerity, become the servant of the servant of the servant to realize that we are insignificant in following before god that it is not only hope to take shelter of his devotees and his name, the holy name, in our Japa, in our Kirtana, to sincerely seek shelter of holy name. These are the main duties for a Vaishnava. It is explained in Bhagavatham.
ataù pumbhir dvija-çreñöhä
varëäçrama-vibhägaçaù
svanuñöhitasya dharmasya
saàsiddhir hari-toñaëam
Consciousness is important while performing duties:
That according to the Varnas and Ashram, we all have a particular duty which is necessary within society Sanyasis are required, Brahmacharis, Grihasthas, and Vanaprasthas. The society cannot function without the four Varnas and the four Ashrams but the goal of all of these duties is simply to please Krishna. It is not a question of one Ashram or one Varna been higher than another. But rather it is a question of the quality of the consciousness in which we perform our particular duties.
Radhanath Swami gives example of devotees from Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s lila:
There are a numerable examples for instance in Shri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s Leela there was a Brahman of the name Gopal Chapala and he was so proud of his being a Brahman, he was so angry when he was not being respected. He was not allowed into the Kirtana at the house of Shri Vasa that he offended Shri Vasa Thakura and the result of his so-called Brahmanism and the pry that was born of it, he fell down to a contusion of terrible, painful suffering as a leper completely
out-casted from whole of society because he offended the Vaishnava and then we have the example of the washer man of Shri Vasa who had no cast at all. He was just the simple washer man but because he honored and respected Shri Vasa and he appreciated the devotees chanting the holy name, he was given Prem Bhakti, pure love of God. Ramananda Ray, the most one of the three and a half most intimate associates of Lord Gouranga, he was considered by society to be a Shudra, but the Supreme Personality of Godhead himself accepted him as a spiritual master and learned the highest science of the love of the Gopis of Brindavan from Ramananda Ray and Haridasa Thakura was an untouchable by cast but Shri Caitanya Mahaprabhu installed him as the position of the Nam Acharya, the Acharya of the Yuga Dharma forever, not only for one time.
Our concern in Krishna Consciousness:
So we should know that in Vaishnava Society our concern is the substance of a person’s consciousness, not so much the external particular form of duties that one is performing. In Mahaprabhu’s Leela, Shivananda Sen, Shrivasa Thakura, Advaitacharya, Nityananda Prabhu, they were in the Ashram of Grihastha and there was also Swaroop Damodara, Rupa Goswami, Raghunatha Das Goswami, Sanatan Goswami, they were Sanyasis but can be say one was better than another. Swaroop Damodara Sanyasi, Ramananda Ray Grihastha, but Lord Caitanya treated them equally because of their sincere devotion. So the whole Varnashram system is based on the principle of developing a quality of consciousness according to the particular duty that is expected of us in society and in this way there is harmony, there is love amongst all Varnas and all Ashrams.
Radhanath Swami compares varnasrama system to the different limbs of the body
Srila Prabhupada explained that the Varnashram System is like the different limbs of the body, no one limb can sit self better than another limb. When we are engaged in devotional service all our limbs are so busy serving Krishna together, we forget the differences. They are not important. Similarly, when Vaishnava Society, when everyone is working together in the mission of the spiritual master, the mission of Guru and Gauranga, then it is not very important whether we are Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Shudras, whether we are Sanyasis, Brahmacharis, Grihasthas, or Vanaprasthas. We are all Vaishnavas, we are limbs serving together to glorify the great mission of Shrila Prabhupada and Shri Gouranga Mahaprabhu and then there is love and there is trust because of our sincerity. Krishna explains, those who follow this teaching faithfully without envy, this is the greatest obstacle individually and collectively for our spiritual development. What is envy? Envy means I want to be seen as important and great and if anyone is a threat to my own egoistic idea then there is negativity toward that person perhaps in my thoughts, in my words, and in my actions but if devotees put as the goal as an aspiration, humility, then there is no question of envy. Therefore the cardinal principle of Shri Chaitanya’s teachings is disperse from “Sikshastakam”.
Radhanath Swami explains what should be our Aspiration
tṛṇād api su-nīcena
taror iva sahiṣṇunā
amāninā māna-dena
kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ
This is our aspiration. We cannot enter into the higher realms of consciousness until we develop this consciousness of striving as our goal in life to be more humble than ablative grass, more tolerate than a tree, to be ready to offer all respect to other, to expect no respect for oneself and in this way with a clean and sincere heart to chant the holy name of Krishna constantly, this is our aspiration, not to be a Sanyasi, not to be a leader, not to be famous, not to be married in a wealthy family, not to be a president or a GBC, or a Sankirtana leader, these are all services, necessary services, which we should accept simply to help our Guru’s mission but it is not our aspiration. Our aspiration is to be more humble than ablative grass, more tolerant than a tree, to offer all respect to others and to expect none in return and in this way to chant the holy name of the Lord constantly and whatever our service may be we should humbly execute our service with this goal as our ambition in life and if all of us whether we are Pujari’s or cooks or whether we are Sankirtana devotees or whether we are Grihastas living outside having gainfully employed services to society and coming and chanting and making our families Krishna Conscious, whatever our function may be, if we all unite under this aspiration of “trinadapisunichaina” though be no envy, though be sincere unity, and then great progress can be made individually collectively, and all sincere and innocent people of the world will be attracted to the atmosphere where devotees are humbly coming together to chant the holy names of Krishna.
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Hare, Hare
Hare Ram, Hare Ram, Ram, Ram, Hare, Hare
Radhanath Swami defines what is our service to others?
It is our great service to the Vaishnavas by our example, by our words, to encourage and enthuse devotees in this direction. Shrila Prabhupada is explaining here that there are many philosophers who write comments on the
Bhagavad Gita but who have no faith in Krishna. They will never be liberated from the bondage of fruitive actions. But an ordinary man with firm faith in the eternal injunctions of the Lord, even though unable to execute such orders, becomes liberated from the bondage of the law of Karma. Krishna is non different than his words. What Krishna is speaking and what the Acharyas are giving us through his words is the truth, the absolute truth, if we just have faith in that. Srila Prabhupada would sometimes say if you just have faith that Krishna is non different than his name, you will attain perfection in due course of time undoubtedly. There are certain philosophers Guru Maharaja is explaining here who may be very, very deeply learned and tremendously austere in their lifestyle and may even have great, great powers, mystique powers but they do not have faith that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that by simply surrendering to him and chanting his names, we will achieve all perfection therefore such soles can never attain the lotus feet of Krishna but an ordinary man or an ordinary woman behaving like any ordinary person in society if by the association of devotees they have this faith, they will be liberated in due course.
Radhanath Swami explains what to be taken seriously in spiritual life
Therefore we only take seriously this one quality. We are not concerned with great, great, big, big learning of sastras because there are so many people like that who have no real faith in Krishna or in his name or the mercy of the Vaishnavas. We are not so serious. We do not take very seriously, the performance of the men’s austerities or Tapasyas but we take very seriously and we bow our heads with all respect whatever we see anyone whether they are learned Pandit or a simple housewife, if they have faith that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They have faith in the mercy of the Vaishnavas and they have faith in the chanting of the holy name of Krishna, to those people we offer all veneration because those people are sure to achieve the ultimate goal in due course of time. So let us aspire, let us aspire with great confidence to be the humble servant of the servant of the servant of the Lord. Let us aspire for this ultimate goal.
ayi nanda-tanuja kińkaraḿ
patitaḿ māḿ viṣame bhavāmbudhau
kṛpayā tava pāda-pańkaja-
sthita-dhūlī-sadṛśaḿ vicintaya
Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu has prayed that Krishna my aspiration is simply to be one speck of dust upon your lotus feet, such humility, and when you have that humility Krishna exalts you to the highest loving relationships in the spiritual world.
