Radha Krishna - Chapter 20: Trikânda Yoga: Bhakti Surpasses Knowledge and Detachment

Chapter 20: Trikânda Yoga: Bhakti Surpasses Knowledge and Detachment (1) S'rî Uddhava said: 'To the honor of You the Controller, o Lotus-eyed One, focus the sacred texts, that contain the positive and negative injunctions, upon the virtue and vice of karma [akarma and vikarma]. (2) They also discuss the varnâs'rama system wherein the father may be of a higher [anuloma] or a lower [pratiloma] class than the mother, they are about heaven and hell and expound on the subjects of having possessions, one's age, place and time [see also 4.8: 54 and *]. (3) How is it possible for human beings who cannot tell the difference between virtue and vice to find liberation without Your prohibitive and regulatory words [compare 11.19: 40-45]? (4) The Vedic knowledge emanating from You offers the forefathers, the gods as well as the human beings a superior insight in the not for everyone that evident meaning of life, that for which we strive and the means to be employed. (5) The difference between virtue and vice is seen with the help of Your Vedic knowledge, it is an insight that does not arise of its own, but it are also Your Vedas that cancel such a difference and thus clearly confuse the issue....'

(6) The Supreme Lord said: 'The three ways of yoga that I have described in My desire to grant the human being the perfection, are the path of philosophy [jñâna], the path of work [karma] and the path of devotion [bhakti]; outside of them there are no ways to be found [see also B.G. contents and tri-kânda]. (7) For the ones who disgusted with fruitive labor forsake that kind of activities, there is the yoga of spiritual knowledge and for those who consciously have not turned themselves away and do feel for material happiness there is the path of karma-yoga. (8) When it happens to be so that one developed belief in My narrations and everything thereto, will for such a person who is neither averse nor very attached, the path of bhakti-yoga be awarding the perfection. (9) As long as one is not fed up with profitminded labor and attaches no faith to My discourses or hearing etc. [7.5: 23-24], one will have to continue that way [see also 1.2: 7, 11.5: 41]. (10) Someone will not go to heaven, nor will he land in hell, Uddhava, if he doesn't do anything else but cling to his prescribed duties and, free from ulterior motives, worships with performing sacrifices [see also B.G. 8: 16]. (11) When one, existing in this world, free from sin clings to one's duties and is pure [in one's motives], one obtains transcendental knowledge and eventually, given the fortune, My bhakti [compare 1.5: 23-31]. (12) Just as the residents of hell, do even the residents of heaven desire for this planet earth which is so conducive to the spiritual knowledge and devotional service that in both positions appear to be of little value. (13) A human being should never desire to reach heaven or wish to go to hell, nor should a wise person desire this planet earth because based upon such an involvement with the body one becomes a fool.

(14) Knowing this someone should, before he dies, dilligently endeavor for transcendence being conscious of the fact that, even though [the body is] subject to death, the perfection of one's life purpose is within reach. (15) A bird giving up the nest it built in a tree that was cut down by some messengers of death, achieves happiness on account of not being attached. (16) Knowing that with every day and night one's life span is shortened, one, beset with fear, understands the transcendental position, and reaches free from desire perfect peace. (17) The human body, which is the source of all blessings, is easily obtained even though that rarely happens [considering the enormous variety of life forms on this planet]. It is a ship extremely well equipped for its duty, given a spiritual teacher for its captain and the favorable winds that represent Me to propel it. But when someone fails to cross the ocean of material existence with it, he is a killer of his own soul. (18) A yogi, who fosters no hopes in material endeavors, is in full control of his senses and is detached. He must concentrate to steady the mind in the discipline he has with the soul. (19) Narrowed down to the spiritual platform the mind should, when it upon an impulse is drawn away from its position, carefully, according the rules of the game, be brought under the control of the self [see also B.G. 6: 26]. (20) One should, when one endowed with goodness conquers one's breath and senses, not forget what the actual purpose of the mind is. It should always with the help of one's intelligence be brought back under the control of the soul [to be its servant, see B.G. 3: 42]. (21) This truly supreme yoga process entails that one carefully and constantly observes the mind in order to achieve full control over it. It should be treated inspiring with confidence the way one tames a horse [see also B.G. 6: 33-34]. (22) Through the analytic study of how the different elements and principles of spiritual knowledge cohere and are in conflict, how they originate and how they are lost, the mind should be kept attentive until [spiritually] satisfied. (23) Of the person who sufficiently disgusted gave up on the material interest, the mind, which guided by vedic precepts is kept busy with the analysis of everything it was occupied with, will give up to falsely identify itself with that subject matter. (24) To reach the goal of yoga one must direct one's mind by no other means than the austerities and procedures of the [eightfold] yoga method, with the logical analyses of the spiritual vision or by means of the exercises of respect for My form [karma, jñâna and bhakti-yoga]. (25) If a yogi out of negligence is of a reprehensible deed, he should by the process of yoga only burn up that sin. In matters like these he should never at any time operate differently [compare B.G. 1.5: 17, 4: 19, 9: 30]. (26) The steady practice that is maintained by each with his own method constitutes a praiseworthy virtue, but because of the karmic, fruitive nature of one's activities one is not engaged in a pure way. In respect of this virtue and vice are the disciplinary observances established [of niyama] according the desire to relinquish the different kinds of attachment. (27-28) When in him the faith in my narrations has awakened and he is disgusted with all karma he [the âtmânandi bhakta] who knows about the misery that is constituted by the lust should - even though he's not fully in control of the process of renouncing - by that insight strengthened in his conviction engage in glorifying Me [bhajana]. Thus he remains happy in his faith and repents thereto the sense gratification that led to the unhappiness. (29) All the lusts a sage has in his heart are destroyed when he, constantly worshiping Me in the bhakti-yoga as described, has firmly established his heart in Me [see sthita-prajña]. (30) The knots in the heart are pierced, all misgivings are cut to pieces and the chain of his fruitive actions has ended when I am seen as the Supreme Soul of All. (31) For that reason is for a yogi who, connected in My devotional service, established his mind in Me, the path of knowledge nor the path of detachment [from fruitive actions] generally the way to become happy in this world. (32-33) When he somehow or other desires heaven, beatitude or My abode is all that is obtained by fruitive action, penance, the cultivation of knowledge and detachment, is indeed all that is attained by mystic yoga, charity, religious observances, auspicious actions or otherwise, easily by My devotee achieved in loving service unto Me. (34) The saintly who are sober, the devotees who are one of heart unto Me, indeed never desire that I grant them enlightenment or freedom from birth and death. (35) It is said that it is best not to desire anything, so that with him who does not seek any personal reward, who is desireless, as the highest stage of liberation the bhakti unto Me may manifest itself [see also 2.3: 10]. (36) With Me unfavorable qualities sprouting from weaknesses cannot [again] manifest in pure devotees, because they, free from desire, under all circumstances are stable in their consciousness. They now belong to those who moved beyond that what can be understood with a materially motivated intelligence [see also B.G. 9: 30].

(37) Those who follow these methods I have now instructed, achieve the security of My abode in the direct perception of that what is the Absolute Truth.'