ananyäç cintayanto mäà
ye janäù paryupäsate
teñäà nityäbhiyuktänäà
yoga-kñemaà vahämy aham
But those who worship me with devotion, meditating on my transcendental form—to them I carry what they lack, and preserve what they have.
Purport
One who is unable to live for a moment without Kåiñhëa consciousness cannot but think of Kåiñhëa twenty-four hours, being engaged in devotional service by hearing, chanting, remembering, offering prayers, worshiping, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, rendering other services, cultivating friendship and surrendering fully to the Lord. Such activities are all auspicious and full of spiritual potencies. Indeed that make the devotee perfect in self-realization, than his only desire is to achieve the association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is called yoga. By the mercy of the Lord, such a devotee never comes back to this material condition of life. Kñema refers to the merciful protection of the Lord. The Lord helps the devotee to achieve Kåiñhëa consciousness by yoga, and when he becomes fully Kåiñhëa conscious the Lord protects him from falling down to a miserable condition of life.
But those who always worship Me with devotion, meditating on My transcendental form—to them I carry what they lack, and preserve what they have. This verse from the 9th chapter of Bhagvad Gita reveals the nature of a true devotee of the Lord. Such a devotee who is cent- percent dependent on the mercy of the Lord with complete faith that Kåiñhëa will always protect His devotee. It explains here that those who worship Kåiñhëa with devotion ananyäç cintayanto mäà(BG 9.22) means to such a person who has no other shelter than Kåiñhëa, who has no other object of meditation than Kåiñhëa. In this world we are conditioned to taking shelter of so many people, so many things. When we are sick we want to take shelter of medicine. When there is some danger we take shelter of the military or the police. When we are in debt, we want to take shelter of some bank. In this way throughout our life, our mind is diverted away from Kåiñhëa. But a devotee understands with complete faith that Kåiñhëa is our only shelter & ultimately it is Kåiñhëa who provides from all resources of this material existence- janmädy asya yato. He is the source of everything. Kåiñëha explains that people of less intelligence they take shelter of demigods aspiring to achieve material benefits from them but they do not know that whatever the demigods have to give you is coming from Me. So, intelligence simply means to take shelter of me.
devarñi-bhütäpta-nåëäà pitèëäà
na kiìkaro näyam åëé ca räjan
sarvätmanä yaù çaraëaà çaraëyaà
gato mukundaà parihåtya kartam(SB -11.5.41)
that when one takes shelter of Kåiñhëa, surrenders to Mukunda, he is no longer responsible or obliged to anyone or anything else in this world, neither one’s forefathers, the kings, the demigods, no one, even the great åñis because Kåñëa is the source of everything. Rüpa Gosvämé in Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu explains that this is one of the characteristics of surrender that one make no other shelter than Kåñëa, one is completely dependent on Kåñëa. And for such a person, who is aspiring this type of faith, Kåñëa explains- I preserve what he has & I carry what he lacks.
“kaunteya pratijänéhina me bhaktaù praëaçyati”
My devotee never perishes- you declare Arjuna. So many wonderful ways Kåñëa showed the evidence of this fact to help us to establish faith. On the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Bhismadev because of his natural affection for the Pandavas, although he was fighting so ferociously that no one could defeat him. Whenever he was confronted with the Pandavas because of his love for them, he could not choke; he could not shoot his arrows with any determination or strength. Because he knew that they were great devotees of Krishna and he is also a great devotee of Krishna and he loved them. So Duryodhana he was actually a master at everything, he was actually a man of unbelievable good characteristics. Then he had one problem; he was envious of the Pandavas who were Krishna’s devotees. And even if one is an ocean of good qualities, if one offends Vaishnava devotees, then everything is ruined. So Duryodhana he knew how to manipulate words to pierce anyone’s heart. So one evening; after the battle he told Bhishma that you are, you are a failure as a Kshatriya. A Kshatriya when he takes side in an army he cannot allow any sentiment or emotions to come between him and his fighting. And because of your soft heart to these 5 brothers you are not fighting with all of your strength. Therefore you are disgrace to the Kshatriya race. He was saying things like this – and Bhishma became very much excited. He said- “Tomorrow I will kill the five Pandavas and I have these 5 arrows and with these 5 arrows they will be slained”. So, Duryodhana to safe keep the arrows he said, “Please let me keep these 5 arrows overnight- “Said yes”. Krishna who is in everyone’s heart knows everything. He understood that those 5arrows were there, so He told the Pandavas and they devised to plan. At night they went to Duryodhana’s tent and even amongst enemies when someone comes to your home, you must treat them with respect. And even know Duryodhana was such a demoniac person in many ways, he understood that for a grihastha to not be hospitable to a guest who comes to your home, your whole wealth and everything will be ruined, be cursed. So Duryodhana said to Arjuna all you have come to my home, whatever I have I will give you. Arjuna said, “Ah! Give me those 5 arrows”. So Duryodhana had to give the 5 arrows and the next morning when he told Bishma. Bhishma said- “where are those arrows”? He said-krishna; Krishna and Arjuna came in and this is what happened. Ah! Bhishma – he decided he was going to use this as an excuse to glorify Krishna in a wonderful way- “that Krishna has made me break my promise, I am going to make Him break His promise”. Because in the beginning of the battle, Krishna decided that to one side I will give my army and to the other side I will be but I will not fight and I will not lift a weapon. I will only be a charioter. So, Duryodhana and Arjuna came before Him and Krishna gave the choice and Duryodhana who had material ways of thinking, who was judging things by material considerations.
Sometimes devotees fell into this trap. They judge things by how they appear with the eyes, “premanjana chhurita bhakti vilochanena”-that a devotee he sees everything on the basis of his faith on God. Chakshu shastra – he sees everything through eyes of scriptures. So, Duryodhana was thinking that Krishna fights then nothing could defeat Him but if He doesn’t fight, He is useless so therefore I will take His army. One akshauhini division- so many elephants, so many chariots, so many foot soldiers, so many weapons of the Yadus – very powerful. Arjuna was very happy you can have the armies, I have Krishna. Wherever there is Krishna, there cannot be defeat. Krishna is always victorious and whoever side Krishna is on is guaranteed to be victorious; again, not necessary in the beginning. Krishna likes to put His devotees in distressful condition, just so that the devotees completely take shelter of him as the only source of dependent shelter and Krishna promised in the Bhagavad-Gita “ kaunteya prati janihi na me bhakta pransyati”:- that Arjuna you declare that My devotee will never perish. Krishna values the words of his devotees, more than His own word. So Bhishma, out of his love for Krishna to want to glorify- how Krishna loves His devotees. He confronted Arjuna in the battle field and he began to fight and Bhishma completely overpowered Arjuna. So he helplessly lying on the ground and Bhishma took his arrows and was about to kill him. At that time Krishna seeing His beloved devotee Arjuna about to be slained, he picked up the wheel of a wagon and started running at His top speed. Who knows what is God’s top speed! but He ran very fast at Bhishma and when Bhishma saw Him he saw death personified. Krishna’s eyes were red like hot coal. There was beautiful beautiful dust from the raged hooves of the horses covering His hair and His body, His hairs was disarrayed as He was running towards Krishna – Bhishma as He was running towards Bhishma. He began to shoot him with arrows and as He was shooting Krishna with arrows, and they were piercing Lord Krishna’s body; he was actually offering these arrows in love, because he was a Kshatriya.
Srila Prabhupada explains from the commentaries of Vishwanath Chakrovorty Thakur that on the ‘pushya abhishek’ that wonderful festival we had- our devotees were showering Radha Gopinath with very soft delicate flower petals and why we do like this? Because it is very pleasing to the Lord to be showered with flower petals. You remember a few years ago during the Pune Yatra when we were doing Harinaam Sankirtan on the street and one very dear devotee Mr. Rati he arranged that wherever we went; people on the roofs – the local people were showering the devotees with flower petals. And the devotees were in such ecstatic joy because it is so pleasing to be showered by flower petals by devoted religious people. So Krishna, He was feeling the arrows of Bhishma piercing His body in the same way He feels the flower petals of another devotee upon Himself. Why? Because Krishna is completely transcendental-“Iswara Parama Krishna Sat-Chit-Ananda Vigraha”. His body is pure and spiritual and nothing material can touch Krishna’s body. No arrows no flowers can touch Krishna’s transcendental body but He accepts the love and devotion in which it is offered. Bhishma was shooting his arrows with pure love and Krishna was feeling it as very very soft and pleasurable. Chakrovoty Thakur also explains the example that when someone who loves you in the mood of conjugal love bites the beloved, it feels very nice. Now of course if someone else bites, you it’s a great offence, it hurts but if your lover does it is very nice. Prabhupada explains it like this. So Krishna was accepting Bhisma arrows with love. But His mood was to appear very angry and with His chariot wheel He was about on the verge of killing Bhishma; when Bhishma put down his arrows and with folded palms surrendered to lord Krishna. And Krishna will always give His mercy to one who surrenders. In doing this he forced Krishna to break His own promise to show that under all circumstances He will protect His devotees.
There is another beautiful story about a brahman. He was very poor and he was a very great devotee, he was very learned, he was constantly reading the scriptures especially Bhagavad Gita and always chanting the Holy Name-
“Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare”
He would go out every day to beg for food, go out usually for about an hour and whatever little he collected he would bring back and share with his wife and his wife was just as devoted and religious as him and they were so contented; whatever was provided. He was always thinking of Krishna, he was reading Bhagavad Gita and he came upon this verse we are discussing today-
“ anannyas cinta yanto mam
ye janäù paryupäsate
teñäà nityäbhiyuktänäà
yoga-kñemaà vahämy aham”
For those who worship me with devotion, meditating on my transcendental form, to them I carry what they lack and preserve what they have. He was thinking that I have taken exclusive shelter of Krishna, is depending on Krishna and here Krishna tells that He carries what we lacks and preserves what we have and (20.58min….) that for me. Look at this house, there is absolutely nothing in this house, there is not even a pot to hold water, there is not even a single grain of rice, even in the nights the rats don’t come up. We are depending on Krishna, not this microphone system. This connection (21.58min) Bhishma would shoot arrows on us, since I am not a Mahajan, give me flowers. Where was I? Not even mice. If Krishna carries what we lack and preserves what we have then why it is that I am in such complete poverty and all I do is think of Krishna, chant His name and read His words. This is not possible. I don’t believe this. Why Krishna said this, this verse is bogus, I don’t even believe this that Krishna wrote this verse; somebody else may have, must have put it in. He was thinking and “yogsemam maha meham”. He says that He personally carries and preserves. May be Krishna will give through the king or will he give through some rich householder or will he give through material nature. But He doesn’t come and personally arrange for His devotees. This is non= sense. So he took his red pen and he crossed out this verse “yogsemam maha meham”. Then he said to his wife= I am going to go out begging and when he went out, and that day nobody gave him anything. He was thinking- “Krishna is lying, this verse is bogus definitely bogus”. He is not giving me anything today. He would go to one house – our; our father died so we cannot give any charity for one- two weeks whatever. All these excuses. He was out that day for hour and hour and hour and nobody gave him any charity.
Meanwhile his wife generally had one piece of cloth and her husband lost his cloth so before he went out to beg he asked his wife to rip half of her cloth from him to wear. At that time while she was at home sitting hungry; a beautiful young boy who had a complexion like a dark monsoon rain cloud and had beautiful lotus like eyes and who had a wonderful golden yellow dress. He was carrying a wooden pole over his shoulder and on one side of the pole there were all these pots filled with wheat and rice and ghee and sugar and butter and on the other side of the pole, there were fruits and vegetables and all sorts of spices and was very heavy and He was very small delicate young boy and because He was carrying this heavy load, He was perspiring and all of His beautiful clothes were soaked with perspiration and HE knocked on the door and the brahmana’s wife, she said- “ who is there”? Said I am the disciple of your husband and he has sent me here; but she could not open the door, because she was, she had no clothes; so this little boy took off his own chadar and put it in and she put it on and she let Him in and she saw that this boy- “He was breathing very hard and He was perspiring”. She said- “what do you mean disciple of my husband- my husband is not a guru, he has no disciples”. Said- No no, you are my guru mata, you are like my mother because you are wife of my gurudeva. Said- I was just with Gurumaharaja and he put this big load on my shoulder, he personally put it all on my shoulder and he told me to carry it home and give it to you and it’s so heavy and I asked him can I just get a little water before I take this load and he said no; no water, you carry it home. And the wife she was thinking my husband what a bogus person, he acts like such a gentle, compassionate brahamana but he is cruel. Look at this boy he is perspiring, He is overloaded with a load you will not even put on the back of an ass or he would not even given him any water how cruel. And then the child said- “you know what else he did”? Brahamana wife said what? He said he took my back and started scratching it and then he turned around and there were big red marks all over his back and she said, “Oh! My husband did this to you – what a cruel, offensive rascal and she started weeping crying to see the anguish of this little child and she took Him on her lap and she began to care for His scratches on His back with all sorts of nice water and herbal oils and she started weeping on him thinking how much he has been forced to carry this terrible burden. She said you must be hungry? And the child said- Yes. Your husband would not even let me eat. So she started taking the preparation and brought them in the kitchen and started to cook. At that time the brahmana came home. He did not get anything all day. By this time, it was about 3 o’clock in the afternoon and he was so completely disappointed that they would fast today, so he knocked on the door, so she said who it is? It’s me. Oh you!! So, she heard a man. She started chastising – you know what wives can be like when they chastise their husbands.
I don’t know but I’ve heard. Ah so she was- oh you bogus, cruel person, calling yourself a Brahman. What you are talking about. Said- what you did to your disciple. I don’t have any disciples. You put that big heavy load on him. What heavy load!! and where do you get this food you are cooking? she said from your disciple, He brought it all this bhoga all this vegetable, and fruits, and ghee, and butter and spices and grains and you forced Him to carry it and you scratched His back, how cruel!!. He said- I don’t know what you are talking about. Who is this person? She said- he is in the next room. Show me who he is? So they went and the boy was gone. May be he was so afraid, he ran. So, he was very much confused and when a devotee becomes bewildered, he always takes shelter of the sastra. Just like Arjuna; when Arjuna was confused and bewildered he took shelter of Krishna’s words so this brahmana he also decided to take shelter of Krishna’s words. So, he picked up his Bhagavad gita and when he picked it up he was on the page that he was reading just before he went out to beg and he looked to this verse –
ananyäç cintayanto mäà
ye janäù paryupäsate
teñäà nityäbhiyuktänäà
yoga-kñemaà vahämy aham
and what he noticed is that he crossed out this verse with his red pen but those cross marks were erased. The verse was visible as it was. Then he began to weep, he began to cry, he understood that these words are non- different than Krishna and when he scratched out the words, he actually scratched the body of Krishna and when Krishna promises that He will personally carry what His devotee has, and preserves what he has and carry what he lacks. Krishna actually came to show that he will do it personally. So that devotee that brahmana developed complete faith that yes Krishna personally always is with His devotees to protect him. You see the path of Bhakti is to understand Krishna is a person-
paräsya çaktir vividhaiva çrüyate
that The Supreme Absolute Truth has many various energies, principally there are three energies:- Daivi sakti, maya sakti and jiva sakti – the material energy, the spiritual energy and the marginal energy , tatasthta sakti- the spirit soul and within these 3 categories there are unlimited subdivision of Krishna’s various energies. But Krishna is the energetic source. He is Saktiman. He is the source of all energies and that source of all energies is declared in the sastras and especially most clearly explained in Srimad Bhagavatam as Bhagavan. Bhagavan means Supreme Personality of Godhead-
mahätmänas tu mäà pärtha
daivéà prakåtim äçritäù
bhajanty ananya-manaso
jïätvä bhütädim avyayam
Who is the mahatma? A mahatma is one who is completely taking shelter of the divine energy of the Lord and is always engaging in the loving Devotional Service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Yes, Krishna is the all pervading Brahman but He is the source, His beautiful form of Syamsundara is always there to protect personally, to guide and to direct one who is taking shelter of Him and this is what the great acaryas and the Lord Himself especially in His form of Sri Chaitaniya Mahaprabhu – they have come to give this message that we must have sraddha, we must have faith that Krishna will personally arrange whatever is required for the spiritual progress of His devotees. And we approach Krishna personally; when we chant His Holy Name. The impersonalist their conception of naam sankitan is to chant a name which is a spiritual sound vibration which releases us, or liberates us from the bondage of this material world but a devotee has much deeper insight than this. When a devotee chants the Holy Name –
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Räma Hare Räma, Räma Räma Hare Hare.
He is aware that Krishna is the all beautiful, all merciful, all glorious personality and all those qualities of Krishna are personally present within His name and by attentively and regularly chanting Harinam – it awakens our dormant ecstatic love for Krishna. And in the purified state we can enter into the spiritual abode and engage in personal loving reciprocation with Krishna and His devotees eternally. Just as Krishna is a personality, His devotees are personalities and what is a greater way of pleasing Krishna than pleasing those that he loves – His devotees. In Pandarpur, there is a beautiful temple and you all know the history of that temple. There was a devotee of the name Pundarik. Yes , and he was going to a holy place to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead but his mother and father were actually great devotees of the Lord and they were very old and they needed so much care and attention. He left them to go to worship the Lord in the Holy place – but somehow or other, some celestial beings appeared before him in a wonderful way and they began to speak to one another of how important it was to be the servant of the servant. So, he was thinking that how will the Lord be pleased with me going to the holy place if I am neglecting His devotees. So he returned home with so much conviction, he just very very carefully with his body, mind, words and soul, he just started taking care of his mother and father who were wonderful devotees and he was serving these devotees so nicely that just making them very comfortable, and doing everything that would possibly need.
Krishna was so pleased with this that He wanted to come and give His darshan to His devotee. Krishna gives His darshan to those who really truly care for the Vasihnavas. So He came and He called Pundarik and Pundarik ran little way into the forest. There he saw Krishna and he said Krishna- I want to worship you but I am little bit of serving these devotees – my mother and father. They need my help. So you please, here is a brick – you stand on this brick and you wait and I will come back, when I will complete my seva. So he went back and started serving and serving and serving and Krishna was waiting hour after hour after hour. He put his hands like this while He was waiting. Pundarika never came back. Mean while He was there for so long that Rukmini in Dwarka – she was thinking where is my husband – He has left me, he has left me to serve, to give darshan to His devotee. So, she came to Pandarpur and she saw her Lord standing waiting and she stood a little distance away waiting. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is even willing to keep the goddess of fortune waiting to wait for those who are serving His devotees and therefore He became known as Bitthala – one who is standing on the brick and what does that brick represent – that brick represents the enthusiasm of His devotee to serve the vaishnavas. Krishna’s lotus feet will always be present upon that heart that is interested to serve the vaishnava’s. Sri Bitthala Dev ki- jai. Hari bol. Krishna will always personally be wherever we are sincerely seeking shelter of His lotus feet and the service of His devotees and this faith can be awakened by hearing. By hearing the beautiful stories of the Lord as revealed in the scriptures and by chanting His Holy Names-
tad viddhi praëipätena
paripraçnena sevayä
upadekñyanti te jïänaà
jïäninas tattva-darçina
When we associate with Lord’s devotee, we must understand that there are 3 qualities which are most essential to receive the mercy of guru and vaishnavas. The 1st is we must be submissive, the 2nd is we must make relevant inquiries and the 3rd is we must be willing to carry out the order by performing seva. If we approach our guru, then we approach sincere vaisnavas with these three qualities, then the result is that by their blessings – shraddha or faith will grow in our heart. By learning to associate with devotees properly faith will grow in our heart and that faith is most powerful force in all creation – because in that faith Krishna will personally be there to guide us, to protect us and it is with this faith that we aspire to chant Krishna’s Holy Name. That is why Sri Chaitaniya Mahaprabhu’s so much stressed sankirtan – chanting the Holy Names in the association of devotees. In that association faith is awakened and when we chant the Holy Name with faith, there is no powerful means of attracting Krishna, attracting Krishna’s personal presence and mercy in our life. So in this way, let us be grateful for the good fortune we have to be here together to hear wonderful pastimes and teachings of the Lord and to chant His Holy Name-
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Räma Hare Räma Räma Räma Hare Hare.
