Hare Krsna,
The preceding verses leading to SB 3.25.42 repeatedly teach us unto whom and why we should surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. In BG 18.66, Krsna declares that one must give up all so-called religions and just surrender unto Him. He will deliver us from everything and there is no cause for fear. In Bhagavad Gita, five subject matters are discussed. First of all, the science of God (ishvara or Bhagavan) is explained, and then the constitutional position of the living entities, jīvas. Prakṛti (material nature), time (the duration of existence of the whole universe or the manifestation of material nature) and karma (activity) are also discussed. Out of these five basic subject matters in Bhagavad-gita it is established that the Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme controller and everything else (jiva, time, material nature and karma) are controlled by Him. Lord Kṛṣṇa says, mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram: “This material nature is working under My direction.” (BG 9.10) Therefore Krsna’s final instruction to Arjuna is that everyone should wholeheartedly surrender unto Him.
Similarly in the verses (3.25.32-42), we see how surrendering to Krsna gradually frees conditioned living entities from gross and subtle bodies simply as an outcome of bhakti yoga. No separate endeavor such as karma and jnana are needed. Just as in BG 18.66, Krsna advises to give up all other types of religion, similarly in these verses Lord Kapiladeva is teaching us that one should give up all material desires such as elevation to heavenly planets, achieving the perfections obtained from mystic yoga, or trying to become happy in this world with wealth, children, cattle, home or anything in relationship with the body. Our desire should be to free ourselves from the repeated cycle of birth and death by engaging in pure devotional service. Only a freed person can free a chained person. A person who is in prison cannot free himself. People who are outside the prison (such as the lawyers, family members, government authorities, etc.) can free the inmate. Similarly, only the Supreme Lord is competent to deliver everything because He is eternal, transcendental, supreme controller, and one who never comes under the influence of material energy. Therefore, Lord Kapiladeva declares that the terrible fear of birth and death can never be forsaken by anyone who resorts to any shelter other than the Supreme Lord. The so-called external material cause is only a facade. Behind this cause is a greater cause and that is the Supreme Lord who is the cause of all causes (sarva karana Karanam).
“It is because of My supremacy that the wind blows, out of fear of Me; the sun shines out of fear of Me, and the lord of the clouds, Indra, sends forth showers out of fear of Me. Fire burns out of fear of Me, and death goes about taking its toll out of fear of Me.” (SB 3.25.42)
One should not think that he/she is equal to Kṛṣṇa, nor should he think that Kṛṣṇa is an ordinary personality or even a very great personality. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Arjuna himself declares this in Bhagavad Gita 10.12-14:
“Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the ultimate abode, the purest, the Absolute Truth. You are the eternal, transcendental, original person, the unborn, the greatest. All the great sages such as Nārada, Asita, Devala and Vyāsa confirm this truth about You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me. O Kṛṣṇa, I totally accept as truth all that You have told me. Neither the demigods nor the demons, O Lord, can understand Your personality.”
The purpose of Lord Krsna’s instructions in BG and Lord Kapiladeva’s instructions in this chapter is to deliver mankind from the nescience of material existence. Every man is in difficulty in so many ways, as Arjuna also was in difficulty in having to fight the Battle of Kurukṣetra. Not only Arjuna, but every one of us is full of anxieties because of this material existence. Our very existence is in the atmosphere of nonexistence. Actually, we are not meant to be threatened by nonexistence. Our existence is eternal. But somehow or other we are put into asat – something that is temporary, miserable and non-eternal.
In Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on all these verses, we see a sense of urgency. He wants us to understand that we are eternally related to Krsna and we are not meant to struggle in this world. Our real eternal friend is Krsna; our only engagement should be devotional service, and our goal should be to get out of this material world of suffering and go back to our eternal home to serve and live blissfully with Krsna. The so-called material comfort is this world is all an illusion.
“So we must have sense and take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead to save ourself from this material condition of life, repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. And if you think, when Kṛṣṇa says that “You surrender unto Me. I will give you protection… Just surrender to Kṛṣṇa and execute Kṛṣṇa’s service, what Kṛṣṇa says. Do that; you will be saved. You will be saved from these clutches of māyā, repetition of birth and death. Even if you fall down, if you do not be able to execute devotional service fully, still, you will get next chance as a human being.” (Srila Prabhupada lecture on SB 3.25.42)
As quite a few of the devotees mentioned in the review lesson this morning, the process of surrender to Krsna is very simple. We just have to engage in sankirtana-yajna as this is the recommended sacrifice for the most intelligent (yajanti hi su-medhasa).
“So it is very easy, saṅkīrtana-yajña. You sit down familywise, all the family members. If you perform saṅkīrtana, Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, with the clapping of hands, that is saṅkīrtana-yajña, very easy to perform. But people will not do that. Instead of performing saṅkīrtana-yajña in the evening to become free from all fears of life, they will go to the restaurant, to the cinema and other places, talking unnecessarily in clubs, societies, waste their time. This is going on. This is modern education. This is modern civilization. They are not aware of the tīvraṁ bhayam, the most fierceful situation of birth, death, old age and disease. This is the opportunity, the human life, how to get out of it. The means are there.” (Srila Prabhupada lecture on SB 3.25.42)
We should have only one burning desire. That is, “I must go back to Godhead in this very lifetime. I do not want to come back to this material world again. It is now or never.” Every morning we should wake up with this meditation and every night we should sleep with this meditation.
Thank you, Srila Prabhupada, for opening our darkened eyes with the torch of knowledge.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Krsna Katha 