Bhagavad Gita Chapter 9 Verse 34

[bilva]

Chapter 9. The Opulence of the Absolute

TEXT 34
man-mana bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yaji mam namaskuru
mam evaisyasi yuktvaivam
atmanam mat-parayanah

SYNONYMS
mat-manah--always thinking of Me; bhava--become; mat--My; bhaktah--
devotee; mat--My; yaji--worshiper; mam--unto Me; namaskuru--offer
obeisances; mam--unto Me; eva--completely; esyasi--come; yuktva evam--
being absorbed; atmanam--your soul; mat-parayanah--devoted to Me.

TRANSLATION
Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, offer obeisances and
worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to
Me.

EXPLANATION
In this verse it is clearly indicated that Krsna consciousness is the
only means of being delivered from the clutches of this contaminated
material world. Sometimes unscrupulous commentators distort the
meaning of what is clearly stated here: that all devotional service
should be offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna.
Unfortunately, unscrupulous commentators divert the mind of the reader
to that which is not at all feasible. Such commentators do not know
that there is no difference between Krsna's mind and Krsna. Krsna is
not an ordinary human being; He is Absolute Truth. His body, mind and
He Himself are one and absolute. It is stated in the Kurma Purana, as
it is quoted by Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami in his Anubhasya
comments on the Caitanya-caritamrta (Fifth Chapter, Adi-lila, verses
41-48), "deha-dehi-vibhedo 'yam nesvare vidyate kvacit" This means
that there is no difference in Krsna, the Supreme Lord, between
Himself and His body. But, because they do not know this science of
Krsna, the commentators hide Krsna and divide His personality from His
mind or from His body. Although this is sheer ignorance of the science
of Krsna, some men make profit out of misleading the people.
There are some who are demonic; they also think of Krsna, but
enviously, just like King Kamsa, Krsna's uncle. He was also thinking
of Krsna always, but he thought of Krsna as his enemy. He was always
in anxiety, wondering when Krsna would come to kill him. That kind of
thinking will not help us. One should be thinking of Krsna in
devotional love. That is bhakti. One should cultivate the knowledge of
Krsna continually. What is that favorable cultivation? It is to learn
from a bona fide teacher. Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
and we have several times explained that His body is not material, but
is eternal, blissful knowledge. This kind of talk about Krsna will
help one become a devotee. Otherwise, understanding Krsna from the
wrong source will prove fruitless.
One should therefore engage his mind in the eternal form, the primal
form of Krsna; with conviction in his heart that Krsna is the Supreme,
he should engage himself in worship. There are hundreds of thousands
of temples in India for the worship of Krsna, and devotional service
is practiced there. When such practice is made, one has to offer
obeisances to Krsna. One should lower his head before the Deity and
engage his mind, his body, his activities--everything. That will make
one fully absorbed in Krsna without deviation. This will help one
transfer into the Krsnaloka. One should not be deviated by
unscrupulous commentators. One must engage in the nine different
processes of devotional service, beginning with hearing and chanting
about Krsna. Pure devotional service is the highest achievement of
human society.
In the Seventh and Eighth chapters of Bhagavad-gita, pure devotional
service to the Lord has been explained, apart from the yoga of
knowledge and mystic yoga or fruitive activities. Those who are not
purely sanctified may be attracted by different features of the Lord,
like the impersonal brahmajyoti and localized Paramatma, but a pure
devotee directly takes to the service of the Supreme Lord.
There is a beautiful poem about Krsna in which it is clearly stated
that any person who is engaged in the worship of demigods is most
unintelligent and cannot achieve at any time the supreme award of
Krsna. The devotee, in the beginning, may sometimes fall from the
standard, but still he should be considered superior to all other
philosophers and yogis. One who always engages in Krsna consciousness
should be understood to be the perfect saintly person. His accidental
nondevotional activities will diminish, and he will soon be situated
without any doubt in complete perfection. The pure devotee has no
actual chance to fall down because the Supreme Godhead personally
takes care of His pure devotees. Therefore, the intelligent person
should take directly to this process of Krsna consciousness and
happily live in this material world. He will eventually receive the
supreme award of Krsna.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Purports to the Ninth Chapter of the Srimad
Bhagavad-gita in the matter of the Most Confidential Knowledge.

Following is a quotation by Swami Gaurangapada:
"The most difficult time for the soul comes just before realization
just like the darkest moment is before the dawn. Thus the tests put in
our life by our Lord are a stepping stone to our spiritual success if
we see the hand of the Lord in them."

Please chant Nityananda, Gauranga and Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, and
thus engage your mind in always thinking of the supreme Lord Sri
Krishna.