Interviewer:
Pranam. Today, the Gita was read here, and we heard about the glory of the Gita. Could you please say a few words regarding that?
Guru:
Dada, in our Tantric path, we read the Gita here every single day. We read one or two chapters daily. We listen to it, and it feels wonderful. Sujit Babu is here; he is the one who performs the Gita reading every day. As I have said before, the Gita is supreme. If one bases their life on the Gita, they will have no sorrow or suffering. The root of all this suffering people experience is that they do not read or understand the Gita. If people could truly take the Gita into their hearts and walk with Krishna by their side, they wouldn't suffer this much.
Guru:
The primary reason for people's suffering is not reading, not understanding, and not knowing the Gita. The Gita is there to guide a person's life from birth until death. Hearing the Gita read is also beneficial. Wherever the Gita is read, Krishna Himself comes to reside there just to listen to it. That is why I say that everyone should embrace the Gita. It teaches us how to lead our lives from birth to death.
Guru:
My purpose in telling people this is so that they read the Gita, hear of its glory, and truly understand its meaning. You will see that peace then enters one's mind. We ourselves are responsible for the environment of unrest we see today. We have so many scriptures and holy books, yet we do not read them. That is why we suffer in unrest. To bring peace, reading the Gita is essential. Many people come to me and say they read the Gita, and it makes them feel good. Here, we read it constantly. Even though we are Tantrics and perform Tantra Sadhana, we haven't set the Gita aside. Sujit Haldar reads it, and we listen to its profound glory. I tell everyone: hold onto the Gita.
Interviewer:
Pranam, Gurudev. Hearing the reading and explanation of the Gita from your holy lips makes us feel truly blessed.
Reciter:
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya. I offer my salutations to Madhava, the embodiment of supreme bliss, whose grace makes the mute eloquent and allows the cripple to cross mountains. I salute that supreme deity whom Brahma, Varuna, Indra, Rudra, and the Maruts praise with divine hymns; whom the singers of the Sama Veda sing of through the Vedas with their limbs, Upanishads, and the Pada-krama; whom the yogis see when their minds are absorbed in Him through meditation; and whose limits neither the gods nor the demons know. Thus ends the Mangalacharana of the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita.
Reciter:
Now, the Gita Mahatmya. The Gita should be carefully studied; what is the need for other scriptures when it has emerged from the lotus-like lips of Padmanabha (Lord Vishnu) Himself? The Gita is the essence of all scriptures, Hari is the Lord of all gods, the Ganga is the most sacred of all waters, and the Gayatri is the mother of all mantras. Gita, Ganga, Gayatri, and Govinda—these four 'G's, if held in one's heart, ensure there is no rebirth. One who reads the Gita with devotion understands the essence of all Vedas, Puranas, and other scriptures.
Reciter:
Today we shall read the 10th Chapter: Vibhuti Yoga (The Yoga of Divine Opulence). Lord Krishna said: Listen again, O mighty-armed Arjuna, to My supreme word. Because you are My beloved friend, I shall speak this for your welfare, which will bring you great joy. Listen with rapt attention.
Reciter:
Neither the hosts of gods nor the great sages know My origin, for I am the source of all the gods and the great sages in every respect. He who knows Me as birthless, beginningless, and as the Supreme Lord of all the worlds—he, among mortals, is undeluded and is liberated from all sins.
Reciter:
Intelligence, knowledge, freedom from delusion, forgiveness, truth, control of the senses, control of the mind, happiness, sorrow, birth, death, fear, and fearlessness—non-violence, equanimity, contentment, austerity, charity, fame, and infamy—all these various qualities of living beings arise from Me alone according to their past karma.
Guru:
I am the controller. I am the regulator of all.
Reciter:
The seven great sages, the four earlier sages (Sanaka and others), and the fourteen Manus were born of My mind and My nature. All the creatures in this world, moving and non-moving, have descended from them. He who knows in truth this glory and My yogic power becomes established in unwavering devotion; of this, there is no doubt.
Guru:
This is Vibhuti Yoga. Vibhuti is nothing other than His actions and expressions for the sake of the world. Whatever He has done is known as Vibhuti. Whatever charity you give, whatever kindness you show—it is all through Him. He is the doer; He is the controller. Nothing can be done without Him. Everything you see in this world is Him. He works through you. This is what Vibhuti means; He shows you glimpses of His work.
Reciter:
I am the source of all; from Me, everything evolves. Understanding this, the wise, endowed with meditative grace, worship Me.
Reciter:
With their minds fixed on Me and their lives surrendered to Me, they enlighten one another and always speak of My glories, deriving great satisfaction and bliss.
Guru:
This means singing the praises of God. Remember Him and His deeds.
Guru:
This is what is meant by Vibhuti Yoga—discussing and practicing His deeds in one's heart.
Reciter:
To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give that yoga of intelligence by which they come to Me. Out of compassion for them, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy the darkness born of ignorance with the shining lamp of knowledge.
Arjuna:
You are the Supreme Brahman, the Supreme Abode, and the Supreme Purifier. You are the eternal, divine Person, the first of the gods, birthless and all-pervading. All the great sages like Bhrigu, the celestial sage Narada, Asita, Devala, and Vyasa have declared this of You, and now You Yourself are telling it to me.
Arjuna:
O Keshava, I accept as true all that You have told me. O Lord, neither the gods nor the demons truly know Your manifestations or Your personality.
Guru:
Your true form is unknown to both gods and demons.
Reciter:
O Supreme Person, O Source of all beings, O Lord of all beings, O God of gods, O Lord of the universe, You alone know Yourself by Your own internal potency. Others cannot know You. If one realizes His form and sees Him within their soul, they become a great Yogi. That is Yoga—connection with Him. He gave instructions on Yoga throughout the eighteen chapters. This is Brahma-Vidya (Divine Knowledge); no one can easily master this.
Arjuna:
Please tell me in detail of Your divine opulences by which You pervade all these worlds. O Supreme Yogi, how shall I always meditate on You, and how shall I know You? In what various forms are You to be meditated upon, O Blessed Lord?
Arjuna:
O Janardana, please describe again in detail Your yogic power and opulences. I am never satiated in hearing Your nectar-like words; I want to hear more and more.
Lord Krishna:
O best of the Kurus, I will describe to you My divine opulences, but only the principal ones, for there is no end to My extent.
Lord Krishna:
O Arjuna, I am the Self seated in the hearts of all living entities. I am the beginning, the middle, and the end of all beings.
Reciter:
Among the twelve Adityas I am Vishnu; among the luminaries I am the radiant Sun; among the Maruts I am Marichi, and among the stars I am the Moon.
Guru:
There are twelve suns mentioned. Shri Ramakrishna once said that at the time of dissolution, twelve suns will rise. The earth will become extremely hot and uninhabitable. He spoke of this long ago.
Reciter:
Of the Vedas, I am the Sama Veda; among the gods I am Indra, the king of heaven; of the senses I am the mind; and in living beings I am the living force (consciousness).
Guru:
Among the four Vedas, He says He is the Sama Veda. South India is prominent for the Sama Veda. Krishna doesn't mention the Rig, Yajur, or Atharva Vedas; He specifically says He is the Sama Veda.
Reciter:
Among the eleven Rudras I am Lord Shiva; among the Yakshas and Rakshasas I am Kubera, the lord of wealth; among the eight Vasus I am Agni (Fire); and among the peaked mountains I am Meru.
Reciter:
Among the priests, O Arjuna, know Me to be the chief, Brihaspati. Among generals I am Kartikeya, and among bodies of water I am the ocean.
Reciter:
Among the great sages I am Bhrigu; among vibrations I am the transcendental Om. Of sacrifices I am the chanting of the holy names (Japa), and of immovable things I am the Himalayas.
Reciter:
Among trees I am the Ashvattha; and among the celestial sages I am Narada. Among the Gandharvas I am Chitraratha, and among perfected beings I am the sage Kapila.
Guru:
He says, Among the sages, I am Kapila. The original Kapila Muni is supreme. There are many Kapilas—twenty-two, I believe—but He refers to the original Kapila.
Interviewer:
So, is Kapila a title or an achievement?
Guru:
Yes, if someone reaches that stage, they achieve the state of Kapila-twa. The Kapila Muni we find at Ganga Sagar is considered the original Kapila by many. He meditated there and worshipped Mahasaraswati and Goddess Kali. So, He says, I am that Kapila.
Reciter:
Among horses know Me to be Ucchaishravas; among lordly elephants I am Airavata; and among men, know Me to be the king. Of weapons I am the thunderbolt; among cows I am Kamadhuk (the cow of plenty).
Guru:
The thunderbolt was made from the bones of Sage Dadhichi. Once there was a terrible demon named Vritrasura. The gods could not defeat him. Sage Dadhichi told the gods, If a thunderbolt is made from my bones, Vritrasura will die. For the sake of the gods, he sacrificed his body so that his bones could be used to create the weapon that killed Vritrasura.
Reciter:
Among cows I am Kamadhuk; I am the procreative force, Kandarpa (Cupid); and among serpents I am Vasuki.
Reciter:
Among the Nagas I am Ananta; among the gods of the water I am Varuna. Among the departed ancestors I am Aryama, and among the dispensers of law I am Yama, the lord of death.
Reciter:
Among the Daitya demons I am the devoted Prahlada; among subduers I am Time; among beasts I am the lion, and among birds I am Garuda. Among purifiers I am the wind; among warriors I am Rama; among fishes I am the shark, and among flowing rivers I am the Ganges.
Reciter:
Of all creations I am the beginning and the end and also the middle, O Arjuna. Of all sciences I am the spiritual science of the Self, and among logicians I am the conclusive truth.
Reciter:
Of letters I am the letter 'A', and among compound word forms I am the dual (Dvandva) compound. I am also inexhaustible Time, and of creators I am Brahma. I am all-devouring Death, and I am the generator of all things yet to be.
Reciter:
Among women I am fame, fortune, fine speech, memory, intelligence, steadfastness, and patience. Among the hymns in the Sama Veda I am the Brihat-saman, and of poetry I am the Gayatri.
Reciter:
Of months I am Agrahayana, and of seasons I am the flower-bearing Spring.
Guru:
He says He is the month of Agrahayana. In ancient times, Agrahayana was considered the first month of the year. This changed during the Muslim era to Baishakh for administrative and tax purposes, but traditionally, Agrahayana is the first. Among seasons, He is Spring.
Reciter:
I am the gambling of cheats, and of the splendid I am the splendor. I am victory, I am adventure, and I am the strength of the strong.
Reciter:
Among the descendants of Vrishni I am Krishna, and among the Pandavas I am Arjuna. Among the sages I am Vyasa, and among great thinkers I am Shukracharya.
Guru:
He praises Shukracharya greatly. He is a world guru. There is a great history involving Shukracharya and Shankaracharya.
Reciter:
Among all means of suppressing lawlessness I am punishment, and of those who seek victory I am morality. Of secret things I am silence, and of the wise I am the wisdom.
Reciter:
Furthermore, O Arjuna, I am the generating seed of all existences. There is no being—moving or non-moving—that can exist without Me. O mighty conqueror of enemies, there is no end to My divine opulences. What I have spoken to you is but a mere indication of My infinite glories. Know that all beautiful, glorious, and mighty creations spring from but a spark of My splendor.
Reciter:
Thus ends the tenth chapter entitled Vibhuti Yoga in the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, the essence of the Upanishads, the science of the Absolute, and the scripture of Yoga, in the form of a dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna.
Reciter:
Now, the Gita Mahatmya (Glory of the Gita). Dharadevi said: O Lord Vishnu, O Supreme Master, how can a person who is bound by his past karma develop unwavering devotion?
Lord Vishnu:
One who is bound by karma but is always engaged in reading the Gita becomes liberated and happy in this world. He is never tainted by his actions.
Guru:
He is not bound by karma. Even if he performs actions, they are not with desire. He doesn't read the Gita thinking he will go to heaven; he reads it to purify his soul. The soul is everything. If the soul is under one's control, there's nothing else to be done. Reading the Gita helps bring the soul under control.
Reciter:
Just as water does not wet a lotus leaf, sins do not touch the one who meditates on the Gita. Wherever the Gita is kept and read, all sacred places like Prayag reside there.
Reciter:
All the gods, sages, yogis, Narada, and the Gopis and Cowherds reside where the Gita is read with devotion. They come just to listen to its glory. Wherever the Gita is started, Krishna Himself is present as a helper.
Reciter:
O Prithvi, where there is discussion, reading, or listening to the Gita, I reside there certainly. I take refuge in the Gita; it is My supreme home. With the knowledge of the Gita, I maintain the three worlds. The Gita is My supreme, eternal, and indescribable divine knowledge.
Reciter:
Krishna Himself spoke the Gita to Arjuna. One who reads all eighteen chapters with a steady mind attains perfection and the supreme goal. If one is unable to read the whole Gita, even reading half of it brings the merit of donating a cow.
Reciter:
Reading one-third of the Gita brings the merit of bathing in the Ganges. Reading one-sixth brings the merit of a Somayajna (sacrifice). One who reads one chapter daily with devotion attains the realm of Shiva and resides there for a long time.
Reciter:
One who reads one chapter, or even a few verses daily, attains a human birth for a long duration. Through constant study of the Gita, one attains the highest goal. Even pronouncing the word Gita at the time of death brings a good destination.
Reciter:
Even a great sinner who loves listening to the explanation of the Gita goes to Vaikuntha and resides there in joy with Lord Vishnu. One who contemplates the deep meaning of the Gita daily should be known as Jivanmukta (liberated while alive). After death, he attains the supreme state.
Reciter:
Many kings like Janaka took refuge in the Gita and attained the supreme state. One who reads the Gita but does not read its Mahatmya (Glory)—his reading is in vain and is only a labor of effort. One who reads the Gita along with its glory attains the rare goal. Thus ends the ancient Gita Mahatmya. One who reads the Gita Mahatmya after reading the Gita attains the full fruit of the reading. Thus ends the translation of the Gita Mahatmya.