Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan

Now after this Krishna comes one level down also. We may think if a person cannot work for Krishna then get out, you are a materialist, you are a sinful person, you are going to go to hell. No Krishna doesn’t exhibit such an attitude. 

Krishna’s great love accommodates even those who refuse to accommodate Him. 

How He does that by encouraging them to do a general spirit of sacrifice. 

Bg 12.11

athaitad apy aśakto ’si
kartuṁ mad-yogam āśritaḥ
sarva-karma-phala-tyāgaṁ
tataḥ kuru yatātmavān

Synonyms: 

atha — even though; etat — this; api — also; aśaktaḥ — unable; asi — you are; kartum — to perform; mat — unto Me; yogam — in devotional service; āśritaḥ — taking refuge; sarva–karma — of all activities; phala — of the results; tyāgam — renunciation; tataḥ — then; kuru — do; yata–ātma–vān — self-situated.

Translation: 

If, however, you are unable to work in this consciousness of Me, then try to act giving up all results of your work and try to be self-situated.

 

athaitad apy aśakto ’si, atha + aitad, aitad means as described in the previous verse, 

aśakto ’si, if one is not able to do even that

kartuṁ mad-yogam āśritaḥ, that means even if one cannot do” mat-karma-paramo bhava” i.e. working for Me, then what should one do? 

sarva-karma-phala-tyāgaṁ, that give up the fruits of the work,
tataḥ kuru yatātmavān, ātmavān, be self-situated

Krishna has used this verse earlier also in BG 2.45:

trai-guṇya-viṣayā vedā
nistrai-guṇyo bhavārjuna
nirdvandvo nitya-sattva-stho
niryoga-kṣema ātmavān

so there Krishna is saying go beyond the three modes and become situated in transcendence, be in pure goodness i.e. transcendence, be free from the consideration of gain and loss by holding on to the atma, the word Van means possessor like Dhanvan. Normally we think the possession (or object possessed) and the possessor are different, so ātmavān, how can possessor and possession be same? How can the same be owner and owned? This is indicative of the link at the level of consciousness. 

E.g. sometimes when people become old they lose memory, and say, they may be owner of their house but they do not know that they are the owner so similarly we may be in possession of something but we don’t know that we are possessor. 

At the spirit level we have everything as we are connected to Krishna but since we have forgotten our connection so meaning of being atamvan is to become aware of ourselves to be atma and what is available to us at that level.

To the extent a person is obsessed at material things to that level he cannot understand spiritual reality. 

So here Krishna is saying even if one stops working and starts sacrificing that point onwards one slowly develop spirit of selfless sacrifice and that gradually makes one self-aware. 

I consciousness is detrimental for us in path of Krishna Consciousness. Observe in cause of loving and serving Krishna. A devotees primary focus is how can I serve Krishna. 

SP Purport: It may be that one is unable even to sympathize with the activities of Kṛṣṇa consciousness because of social, familial or religious considerations or because of some other impediments. If one attaches himself directly to the activities of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there may be objections from family members, or so many other difficulties. For one who has such a problem, it is advised that he sacrifice the accumulated result of his activities to some good cause.

So the point here is to cultivate the value of sacrifice. So BG does accommodate the principle of social sacrifice which people are doing, they are concerned for others. This is also discussed in Isho Upanishad. And that concern for others, is the step forward in their evolution of their consciousness which will ultimately bring them to Krishna Consciousness, so Krishna is bringing the ladder of mercy down and down to accommodate those who cannot accommodate Him. 

Srila Prabhupada’s Purport: In Bhagavad-gītā (18.46) we find it is stated, yataḥ pravṛttir bhūtānām: if one decides to sacrifice for the supreme cause, even if he does not know that the supreme cause is Kṛṣṇa, he will come gradually to understand that Kṛṣṇa is the supreme cause by the sacrificial method.

 

yataḥ pravṛttir bhūtānāṁ
yena sarvam idaṁ tatam
sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya
siddhiṁ vindati mānavaḥ

Synonyms: 

yataḥ — from whom; pravṛttiḥ — the emanation; bhūtānām — of all living entities; yena — by whom; sarvam — all; idam — this; tatam — is pervaded; sva–karmaṇā — by his own duties; tam — Him; abhyarcya — by worshiping; siddhim — perfection; vindati — achieves; mānavaḥ — a man.

Translation: 

By worship of the Lord, who is the source of all beings and who is all-pervading, a man can attain perfection through performing his own work.

 

So in 18.46 it is said by worshiping that Supreme Lord with one’s work siddhiṁ vindati, one will attain Supreme Perfection, 

so who is the Lord one should worship? 

In that connection it is said yataḥ pravṛttir bhūtānāṁ, that Lord from whom all of existence emanated from whom all the pravirthis of living entities has been emanated, yena sarvam idaṁ tatam, by whom the whole creation is pervaded.

So the point made over here is whatever propensities that we have (not sinful ones) but in Varansharam situations Kshetriya Propensity etc. that way one will act but don’t act in just a materialistic way but act according to the spiritualistic understanding, in Krishna’s service. 

And if not in Krishna’s way then at least in general way selflessness. 

So here we see ladder of mercy going downward and in this way one come to the spiritual consciousness. 

Jiva Goswami said, we shouldn’t accept spiritual master simply based on their positions in the organization or society e.g. I am from this cast and this Goswami is from this cast so I will accept him, just because someone is in a specific position in hierarchy that doesn’t make someone spiritually advanced. So if someone is not connected with a spiritual organization but if that person is having selflessness we should see good in that person, yes that person may not have atama gyan right now that person may not have Bhagwad Bhakti right now, that person may be breaking regulative principles, we can blame that person for so many things, but that is not the only way for looking at the things, we should also see what the person have, say he is having selflessness to some extent then we can appreciate that person, as it is said we can take gold even from a filthy place, e.g. Srila Prabhupada taking hippies.

End of trancription.