Chapter Two: Teaching 39:
Please read text 39 of chapter two along with the purport, and then read the following commentary. Afterwards, each participant should offer a thought or comment on this passage. As you do so, please consider this study question:
What is the meaning of John Locke’s comment, and how is it proven false by scripture?
esa te 'bhihita sankhye
buddhir yoge tv imam srnu
buddhya yukto yaya partha
karma-bandham prahasyasi
Lord Sri Krsna has very patiently and lovingly explained to Arjuna the truth of the atomic soul and the material body. He has explained the importance of obeying religious duty, and the way to avoid incurring sin. Now, Sri Krsna must explain how to free oneself from the bonds of work, essentially, how to work without fruitive results. Human beings have long sought happiness as a chief goal of life, and so the work and actions that we perform aim towards that end. The English philosopher John Locke very famously stated that by his labour, a man acquires from his effort the fruits of his labour. So, if we work to plant, grow, and harvest a crop, it is ours to do with as we please. We may eat the fruit, sell it, or even let it rot. In short, we may do with the crop what will make us happy. However, as we have seen so many times already, the things of this world can only bring a temporary, illusory form of happiness. Regardless of what we choose to do, the happiness as well as the misery does not last.
Arjuna wants to avoid harming his kinsman believing he would be happier in death or exile than he would be if he were to harm his kinsmen. He is seeking pleasure from the material world, and believes that his choices and actions may bring such things. Lifetime after lifetime, humans will act in the material world for sense gratification, only to be disappointed in the end. But after so many lifetimes, a strong soul will come to realize the illusion that has been trapping him in this world. Such a person will discover that Absolute Truth resides in Krsna, and so that person will surrender unto Vasudeva (Sri Krsna). Arjuna has set the example of one who surrenders to the Lord by making Sri Krsna his spiritual master, and in return Krsna tells him of Karma yoga (devotional service to the Lord). When we chant the maha-mantra HARE KRSNA HARE KRSNA KRSNA KRSNA HARE HARE/ HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE, we are not only saying the names of God, but also being reminded of the many facets of God: God is opulent, spirit, all-attractive, and the Supreme Enjoyer. Rama implies God as Supreme Enjoyer, and through devotional service to the Lord, we may participate in that enjoyment. In order for this to happen; however, we must stop acting for the self, for our own sense gratification, and instead, act to please the Lord.
As Srila Prabhupada states: “one should therefore understand that buddhi-yoga (karma yoga) means to work in Krsna consciousness, in the full bliss and knowledge of devotional service. One who works for the satisfaction of the Lord only, however difficult such work may be, is working under the principles of buddhi-yoga and finds himself always in transcendental bliss” (p.107). So, to truly find the happiness humanity seeks, one must enter into devotional service and work without concern for the fruits of our actions. When one prepares prasadam, one does not cook it for the self. One does not taste it during the cooking process. One prepares it in a meditative state and offers it to Krsna. The food is for Krsna’s enjoyment, which is a transcendental enjoyment. Through his kindness, we are allowed to enjoy the food through him, and those who have tasted it will rave that it is the best food in the world. We find enjoyment through serving the Lord, not by serving the self.
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