Bhagavad Gita -Srila Prabhupada 756

Shrimad Bhagavad Gita As It Is -Shri Shrimad A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

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Conclusion—The Perfection of Renunciation
Chapter 18: Verse- 75

vyäsa-prasädäc chrutavän etad guhyam aham param
yogam yogesvarät krsnät säksät kathayatah svayam[1]


TRANSLATION

By the mercy of Vyäsa, I have heard these most confidential talks directly from the master of all mysticism, Krsna, who was speaking personally to Arjuna.


PURPORT

Vyäsa was the spiritual master of Sanjaya, and Sanjaya admits that it was by Vyäsa’s mercy that he could understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This means that one has to understand krsna not directly but through the medium of the spiritual master. The spiritual master is the transparent medium, although it is true that the experience is still direct. This is the mystery of the disciplic succession. When the spiritual master is bona fide, then one can hear Bhagavad-gita directly, as Arjuna heard it. There are many mystics and yogis all over the world, but krsna is the master of all yoga systems. Krsna’s instruction is explicitly stated in Bhagavad-gita—surrender unto Krsna. One who does so is the topmost yogi. This is confirmed in the last verse of the Sixth Chapter. Yoginäm api sarvesam. Närada is the direct disciple of krsna and the spiritual master of Vyäsa.

Therefore Vyäsa is as bona fide as Arjuna because he comes in the disciplic succession, and Sanjaya is the direct disciple of Vyäsa. Therefore by the grace of Vyäsa, Sanjaya’s senses were purified, and he could see and hear krsna directly. One who directly hears krsna can understand this confidential knowledge. If one does not come to the disciplic succession, he cannot hear Krsna; therefore his knowledge is always imperfect, at least as far as understanding Bhagavad-gita is concerned. In Bhagavad-gita, all the yoga systems—karma-yoga, jnäna-yoga and bhakti-yoga—are explained.krsna is the master of all such mysticism. It is to be understood, however, that as Arjuna was fortunate enough to understand Krsna directly, so, by the grace of Vyäsa, Sanjaya was also able to hearkrsnadirectly. Actually there is no difference between hearing directly from krsna and hearing directly from krsna via a bona fide spiritual master like Vyäsa. The spiritual master is the representative of Vyäsadeva also. Therefore, according to the Vedic system, on the birthday of the spiritual master the disciples conduct the ceremony called Vyäsa-püjä.


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References

  1. vyäsa-prasädät=by the mercy of Vyäsadeva; srutavän=have heard; etat=this; guhyam=confidential; aham=I; param=the supreme; yogam=mysticism; yoga-isvarät=from the master of all mysticism; krsnät=from Krsna;
    säksät=directly; kathayatah=speaking; svayam=personally.

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