Bhagavad-gita As It Is - Macmillan 1972 Edition -- Prabhupada Books (106 page)

Bg 15.12

TEXT 12

TEXT

yad āditya-gataṁ tejo

jagad bhāsayate 'khilam

yac candramasi yac cāgnau

tat tejo viddhi māmakam

SYNONYMS

yat-
that which;
āditya-gatam-
in the sunshine;
tejaḥ-
splendor;
jagat-
the whole world;
bhāsayate-
illuminates;
akhilam-
entirely;
yat-
that which;
candramasi-
in the moon;
yat-
that which;
ca-
also;
agnau-
in the fire;
tat-
that;
tejaḥ-
splendor;
viddhi-
understand;
māmakam-
from Me.

TRANSLATION

The splendor of the sun, which dissipates the darkness of this whole world, comes from Me. And the splendor of the moon and the splendor of fire are also from Me.

PURPORT

The unintelligent cannot understand how things are taking place. The beginning of knowledge can be established by understanding what the Lord explains here. Everyone sees the sun, moon, fire and electricity. One should simply try to understand that the splendor of the sun, the splendor of the moon, and the splendor of electricity or fire are coming from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In such a conception of life, the beginning of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, lies a great deal of advancement for the conditioned soul in this material world. The living entities are essentially the parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord, and He is giving herewith the hint how they can come back to Godhead, back to home. From this verse we can understand that the sun is illuminating the whole solar system. There are different universes and solar systems, and there are different suns, moons and planets also. Sunlight is due to the spiritual effulgence in the spiritual sky of the Supreme Lord. With the rise of the sun, the activities of human beings are set up. They set fire to prepare their foodstuff; they set fire to start the factories, etc. So many things are done with the help of fire. Therefore sunrise, fire and moonlight are so pleasing to the living entities. Without their help no living entity can live. So if one can understand that the light and splendor of the sun, moon and fire are emanating from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, then one's Kṛṣṇa consciousness will begin. By the moonshine, all the vegetables are nourished. The moonshine is so pleasing that people can easily understand that they are living by the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa. Without His mercy there cannot be sun, without His mercy there cannot be moon, and without His mercy there cannot be fire, and without the help of sun, moon and fire, no one can live. These are some thoughts to provoke Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the conditioned soul.

Bg 15.13

TEXT 13

TEXT

gām āviśya ca bhūtāni

dhārayāmy aham ojasā

puṣṇāmi cauṣadhīḥ sarvāḥ

somo bhūtvā rasātmakaḥ

SYNONYMS

gām-
the planets;
āviśya-
entering;
ca-
also;
bhūtāni-
living entities;
dhārayāmi-
sustaining;
aham-
I;
ojasā-
by My energy;
puṣṇāmi
-nourishing;
ca-
and;
auṣadhīḥ-
all vegetables;
sarvāḥ-
all;
somaḥ
-the moon;
bhūtvā-
becoming;
rasa-ātmakaḥ-
supplying the juice.

TRANSLATION

I enter into each planet, and by My energy they stay in orbit. I become the moon and thereby supply the juice of life to all vegetables.

PURPORT

It is understood that all the planets are floating in the air only by the energy of the Lord. The Lord enters into every atom, every planet, and every living being. That is discussed in the
Brahmā-saṁhitā.
It is said there that one plenary portion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Paramātmā, enters into the planets, the universe, the living entity, and even into the atom. So due to His entrance, everything is appropriately manifested. When the spirit soul is there, a living man can float on the water, but when the living spark is out of the body and the body is dead, it sinks. Of course when it is decomposed it floats just like straw and other things, but as soon as the man is dead, he at once sinks in the water. Similarly, all these planets are floating in space, and this is due to the entrance of the supreme energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. His energy is sustaining each planet, just like a handful of dust. If someone holds a handful of dust, there is no possibility of the dust falling, but if one throws it in the air, it will fall down. Similarly, these planets, which are floating in air, are actually held in the fist of the universal form of the Supreme Lord. By His strength and energy, all moving and unmoving things stay in their place. It is said that because of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the sun is shining and the planets are steadily moving. Were it not for Him, all the planets would scatter, like dust in air, and perish. Similarly, it is due to the Supreme Personality of Godhead that the moon nourishes all vegetables. Due to the moon's influence, the vegetables become delicious. Without the moonshine, the vegetables can neither grow nor taste succulent. Human society is working, living comfortably and enjoying food due to the supply from the Supreme Lord. Otherwise, mankind could not survive. The word
rasātmakaḥ
is very significant. Everything becomes palatable by the agency of the Supreme Lord through the influence of the moon.

Bg 15.14

TEXT 14

TEXT

ahaṁ vaiśvānaro bhūtvā

prāṇināṁ deham āśritaḥ

prāṇāpāna-samāyuktaḥ

pacāmy annaṁ catur-vidham

SYNONYMS

aham
-I;
vaiśvānaraḥ
-by My plenary portion as the digesting fire;
bhūtvā-
becoming;
prāṇinām
-of all living entities;
deham-
body;
āśritaḥ-
situated;
prāṇa-
outgoing air;
apāna
-downgoing air;
samāyuktaḥ
-keep balance;
pacāmi
-digest;
annam
-foodstuff;
catur-vidham-
four
kinds of.

TRANSLATION

I am the fire of digestion in every living body, and I am the air of life, outgoing and incoming, by which I digest the four kinds of foodstuff.

PURPORT

According to
Āyur-vedic śāstra
, we understand that there is a fire in the stomach which digests all food sent there. When the fire is not blazing, there is no hunger, and when the fire is in order, we become hungry. Sometimes when the fire is not going nicely, treatment is required. In any case, this fire is representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Vedic
mantras
also confirm that the Supreme Lord or Brahman is situated in the form of fire within the stomach and is digesting all kinds of foodstuff. Therefore since He is helping the digestion of all kinds of foodstuff, the living entity is not independant in the eating process. Unless the Supreme Lord helps him in digesting, there is no possibility of eating. He thus produces and digests foodstuff, and, by His grace, we are enjoying life. In the
Vedānta-sūtra
this is also confirmed:
śabdādibhyo 'ntaḥ pratiṣṭhānāc ca.
The Lord is situated within sound and within the body, within the air and even within the stomach as the digestive force. There are four kinds of foodstuff: some are swallowed, some are chewed, some are licked up, and some are sucked, and He is the digestive force for all of them.

Bg 15.15

TEXT 15

TEXT

sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo

mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca

vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo

vedānta-kṛd veda-vid eva cāham

SYNONYMS

sarvasya-
of all living beings;
ca-
and;
aham-
I;
hṛdi-
in the heart;
sanniviṣṭaḥ-
being situated;
mattaḥ-
from Me;
smṛtiḥ-
remembrance;
jñānam-
knowledge;
apohanam ca-
and forgetfulness;
vedaiḥ-
by the
Vedas; ca-
also;
sarvaiḥ-
all;
aham
-I am;
eva
-certainly;
vedyaḥ
-knowable;
vedānta-kṛt-
the compiler of the
Vedānta
;
veda-vit-
the knower of the Vedas;
eva
-certainly;
ca
-and;
aham
-I.

TRANSLATION

I am seated in everyone's heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas am I to be known; indeed I am the compiler of Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.

PURPORT

The Supreme Lord is situated as Paramātmā in everyone's heart, and it is from Him that all activities are initiated. The living entity forgets everything of his past life, but he has to act according to the direction of the Supreme Lord, who is witness to all his work. Therefore he begins his work according to his past deeds. Required knowledge is supplied to him, and remembrance is given to him, and he forgets, also, about his past life. Thus, the Lord is not only all-pervading; He is also localized in every individual heart. He awards the different fruitive results. He is not only worshipable as the impersonal Brahman, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the localized Paramātmā, but as the form of the incarnation of the
Vedas
as well. The
Vedas
give the right direction to the people so that they can properly mold their lives and come back to Godhead, back to home. The
Vedas
offer knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa in His incarnation as Vyāsadeva is the compiler of the
Vedānta-sūtra
. The commentation on the
Vedānta-sūtra
by Vyāsadeva in the
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
gives the real understanding of
Vedānta-sūtra
. The Supreme Lord is so full that for the deliverance of the conditioned soul He is the supplier and digester of foodstuff, the witness of his activity, the giver of knowledge in the form of
Vedas
and as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the teacher of the
Bhagavad-gītā
. He is worshipable by the conditioned soul. Thus God is all-good; God is all-merciful.

Antaḥpraviṣṭaḥ śāstā janānām.
The living entity forgets as soon as he quits his present body, but he begins his work again, initiated by the Supreme Lord. Although he forgets, the Lord gives him the intelligence to renew his work where he ended his last life. So not only does a living entity enjoy or suffer in this world according to the dictation from the Supreme Lord situated locally in the heart, but he receives the opportunity to understand
Vedas
from Him. If one is serious to understand the Vedic knowledge, then Kṛṣṇa gives the required intelligence. Why does He present the Vedic knowledge for understanding? Because a living entity individually needs to understand Kṛṣṇa. Vedic literature confirms this:
yo 'sau sarvair vedair gīyate
. In all Vedic literature, beginning from the four
Vedas
,
Vedānta-sūtra
and the
Upaniṣads
and
Purāṇas
, the glories of the Supreme Lord are celebrated. By performing Vedic rituals, discussing the Vedic philosophy and worshiping the Lord in devotional service, He is attained. Therefore the purpose of the
Vedas
is to understand Kṛṣṇa. The
Vedas
give us direction to understand Kṛṣṇa and the process of understanding. The ultimate goal is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Vedānta-sūtra
confirms this in the following words:
tat tu samanvayāt
. One can attain perfection by understanding Vedic literature, and one can understand his relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead by performing the different processes. Thus one can approach Him and at the end attain the supreme goal, who is no other than the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In this verse, however, the purpose of the
Vedas
, the understanding of the
Vedas
and the goal of
Vedas
are clearly defined.

Bg 15.16

TEXT 16

TEXT

dvāv imau puruṣau loke

kṣaraś cākṣara eva ca

kṣaraḥ sarvāṇi bhūtāni

kūṭa-stho 'kṣara ucyate

SYNONYMS

dvau
-two;
imau
-in this (world);
puruṣau
-living entities;
loke-
in the world;
kṣaraḥ
-fallible;
ca
-and;
akṣaraḥ
-infallible;
eva
-certainly;
ca-
and;
kṣaraḥ-
the fallible;
sarvāṇi
-all;
bhūtāni-
living entities;
kūṭasthaḥ-
in oneness;
akṣaraḥ
-infallible;
ucyate
-is said.

TRANSLATION

There are two classes of beings, the fallible and the infallible. In the material world every entity is fallible, and in the spiritual world every entity is called infallible.

PURPORT

As already explained, the Lord in His incarnation as Vyāsadeva compiled the
Vedānta-sutra.
Here the Lord is giving, in summary, the contents of the
Vedānta-sūtra:
He says that the living entities, who are innumerable, can be divided into two classes-the fallible and the infallible. The living entities are eternally separated parts and parcels of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When they are in contact with the material world, they are called
jīva-bhūtāḥ,
and the Sanskrit words given here,
sarvāṇi bhūtāni
mean that they are fallible. Those who are in oneness with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, however, are called infallible. Oneness does not mean that they have no individuality, but that there is no disunity. They are all agreeable to the purpose of the creation. Of course, in the spiritual world, there is no such thing as creation, but since the Supreme Personality of Godhead has stated in the
Vedānta-sūtra
that He is the source of all emanations, that conception is explained.