On August 7th, 2014 Swamiji covered Chapter 9 of the Bhagavad Gita, titled: Raajavidyaa Raajaguhya Yoga
In Chapter 9, the greatness of the Supreme Being who is the focus of devotion, and the nature of meditation in the form of bhakti is covered.
Chapter 9 reveals the secret of all secrets and the highest knowledge. Krishna tells Arjuna focus your mind on me, be devoted to me, let your heart dwell on me, serve me, bow down to me, be humble, regard me as the supreme goal and you will attain me.
General topics covered in the Chapter:
- Knowledge of the nature of the supreme is the biggest mystery
- The theory of evolution and involution
- The ways of the wise and of the ignorant
- Attaining salvation by devotional love
- The Lord accepts and eats the offering of love and devotion
- There is no unforgivable sinner
Excerpt commentary from Swamiji:
30
api-cet sudurācāro
bhajate mām-ananyabhāk
sādhur-eva sa mantavyaḥ
samyag-vyavasito hi saḥ
bhajate mām-ananyabhāk
sādhur-eva sa mantavyaḥ
samyag-vyavasito hi saḥ
If even the most sinful person worships Me with devotion to no other, he must be regarded as righteous, for he has rightly resolved.
“Here the Lord is saying such a devotee, even though desiring, he is trying to detach from vices completely but find himself helplessly driven by samskaras, driven by evil nature, but if his heart is fully surrendered to the Lord, that devotee should be considered not a sinner but a saint.
So due to that faith which that person has in the Lord it does not matter, he is trying his best and he knows that he has to let go of many things. He finds it hard like many people, when they practice they find it hard to practice, but yet he loves God even with all his negative qualities, he does his duty, he loves the Lord, he has this in the mind, he worships Him. Here Bhagavan Krishna is saying to Arjun that such a person due to his rightly resolve must be considered as a saint, he must be regarded as righteous.
This is the story of the adulterous woman they brought to Jesus and Jesus said, “The one who has not sinned throw the first stone.” And that woman became one of the greatest devotees of Jesus, afterwards. Even at the beginning it was difficult for her to control her impulses but yet due to her mind not being attached to it, the mind was attached to the Master, she was freed, and her soul became perfectly devoted to the Lord. That’s why now everybody praises her as a saint.”
So due to that faith which that person has in the Lord it does not matter, he is trying his best and he knows that he has to let go of many things. He finds it hard like many people, when they practice they find it hard to practice, but yet he loves God even with all his negative qualities, he does his duty, he loves the Lord, he has this in the mind, he worships Him. Here Bhagavan Krishna is saying to Arjun that such a person due to his rightly resolve must be considered as a saint, he must be regarded as righteous.
This is the story of the adulterous woman they brought to Jesus and Jesus said, “The one who has not sinned throw the first stone.” And that woman became one of the greatest devotees of Jesus, afterwards. Even at the beginning it was difficult for her to control her impulses but yet due to her mind not being attached to it, the mind was attached to the Master, she was freed, and her soul became perfectly devoted to the Lord. That’s why now everybody praises her as a saint.”
Testimony:
"The story of Sudama was very touching. I've never seen Swami tell a story with so much emotion. Everybody in the room was crying ... It's something that I will try to meditate on everyday." - Matthew, Switzerland
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Sri Swami Vishwananda has decided to give commentary on the Shreemad Bhagavad Gita, the eternal Word of Lord Sri Krishna. It will take place over 18 consecutive days, and each day will cover one chapter. Guruji will give his commentary with a particular Bhakti perspective.
For now, we will provide a small portion of the commentary on this blog for those who could not attend the course. At a later stage, we will offer the full length of the Gita commentary as a book and also as CD and DVD sets.