(a) Solution offered by Bhagavad-gita to surmount stringent material laws – Surrendering unto the
lotus feet of the Supreme Personality Krishna
(b) Why intelligent and hard-working leaders do not take to this solution, although they desire to get
liberation from material laws
They pose themselves as scientists, philosophers etc. just for material gain
They have no idea of God – They do not accept the plan or path of the Supreme Lord
They simply manufacture their own worldly plans
Result of such plans – They complicate the problems of material existence in their vain attempt to solve them
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF SECTION IV
One’s ability to surrender to Krishna is based upon his piety and knowledge
(a) Conditioned souls are called Nitya-baddha, because
Material energy, like spiritual energy, is an eternal divine energy
No one can trace out the history of being conditioned
(b) Difficult to overcome – because controlled by Supreme will
(c) “Divine Nature” – Material energy is called so because of divine connection and movement by
divine will (Ref. Vedas “nayam…”)
(d) Analogy of ‘Guna as rope’: Only a liberated person can rescue one who is bound
Only Krishna or His bona-fide representative can rescue one
Devotional service can help one gain release
Causeless mercy on surrendered soul – Krishna, out of paternal affection for the living entity, can order His energies to release the conditioned soul
(e) “Mam-eva” indicates surrender to only Krishna and not Brahma / Shiva (Because they are also
under material energy) etc. Only Vishnu is the master of maya
Ref. Vedas: One can transcend the modes only by understanding Krishna
Ref. Lord Shiva says: “Vishnu is the deliverer of liberation for everyone”
(f) Why Brahma / Shiva cannot help
They are almost on the level of Vishnu but they are incarnations of Rajo-guna and Tamo-guna
Brahma and Shiva are also under the influence of maya, only Vishnu is the master of Maya
SUMMARIZED THEME 7A
FOUR CATEGORIES OF ‘DUSKRITNAS’ (MISCREANTS)
1. ‘MUDHAS’ – Grossly foolish like hard working asses (‘beasts of burden’)
Attachment to the fruits – They are fruitive workers who want to enjoy the fruits of their labor by themselves and do not want to part with them for the Supreme
Does not know for whom he should work
Just like an ass works hard for his master but does not know for whom he works so hard
Does not know that karma is meant for ‘yajna’
Level of happiness
For them, destructible material gains are life’s all in all, although they enjoy a very small fraction of the fruits of their labor
Mudhas work hard but sleepless nights, no time for food; He suffers from ulcers, indigestion etc.
Similarly an ass is satisfied by filling his stomach by a bundle of grass, sleeping for a while under the fear of being beaten, and satisfying his sex appetite at the risk of being repeatedly kicked by the opposite party
No time to hear for immortality of soul
Analogy: swine eats night soil, not care for sweet meats
(c) Material energy is very powerful
It resists the unauthorized plans of the atheists and baffle the ‘planning commissions’
Position of material energy – It has no independent authority. Analogy: It works as the shadow moves in accordance with the movements of the object
Power of material energy to delude jiva
Atheist due to his godless temperament, cannot know how material energy works
Nor can he know the plan of the Supreme Lord
All his plans are baffled, even if they are materially learned – e.g. Hiranyakashipu and Ravana
(d) Meaning of ‘Duskritinah’ – They are atheistic plan-makers whose intelligence and efforts are
misdirected (‘krti’ means meritorious work)
(e) Four categories of Duskritnas are explained in the Summarized Theme 7A below
SUMMARIZED THEME 7A continued…
FOUR CATEGORIES OF ‘DUSKRITNAS’ (MISCREANTS)
2. ‘NARADHAMAS’ – Lowest of Mankind (Please note: 3 definitions are underlined below)
‘Nara’ means human being and ‘adhama’ means lowest
Different categories of human species
Uncivilized – Numerous lower forms of human life
Civilized – Those who have regulated principles of social, political and religious life
‘Naradhamas’ – Socially and politically developed but no religious principles
▪ Nor is religion without God religion (Purpose of religion is explained in the
next point)
Purpose of following religious principles – To know the Supreme Truth and man’s relation with Him
Ref. Bg. 7.7 – “There is no authority above Him, He is the Supreme Truth”
Civilized form of life – meant to revive man’s lost consciousness of his eternal relationship with the Supreme Truth
Naradhama – Whoever loses the chance of human life to revive their lost relationship falls into this category
Example of losing the chance – Baby in mother’s womb promises to worship Him after taking birth, but he forgets as soon as he gets out and falls into maya
Systems designed to revive the lost relationship with God
It is the duty of the guardians of the children to revive dormant consciousness in them
This is done by varnasrama system and 10 samskaras which are meant for purification and elevation
99.9% of population is Naradhama – Because they lack the Varnasrama system and purificatory samskaras
Effect of all powerful material energy on ‘Naradhamas’ – All their education is made null and void
Hope for Naradhamas – Mercy of devotees e.g., Jagai and Madhai delivered by Nityananda Prabhu
Vision of a true devotee – He sees all castes and species on the same platform (Bg. 5.18)
Recommendation of Lord Caitanya for Naradhamas
Can also be delivered by submissive hearing process (which they usually neglect)
Unfortunate condition of Naradhamas – They refuse to give aural reception to the messages of Godhead and thus Naradhamas neglect the prime duty of the human being
3. ‘MAYAYAPAHRTA JNANA’ – Knowledge stolen by illusory energy
Range of their knowledge is only devoted to material world.
Examples:
They are mostly very learned, e.g. philosophers, literary, poets; but are misguided and they disobey the Supreme Lord
Many mundane scholars of Bhagavad-gita also fall into this category because they consider Lord to be an ordinary human being
▪ Because they do not know that the blessed form of human life is designed
after the eternal and transcendental feature of the Supreme Lord
LINK BETWEEN TEXTS 7.15 & 7.16:
“Then who surrenders?”