What is the first secret?
To find out we must understand Srila Prabhupada’s opening sentences to his Bhagavad-Gita 1.1 purport.
“Bhagavad-gītā is the widely read theistic science summarized in the Gītā-māhātmya (Glorification of the Gītā). There it says that one should read Bhagavad-gītā very scrutinizingly with the help of a person who is a devotee of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and try to understand it without personally motivated interpretations.”
In the first sentence, he tells us that the Gita is summarized in the Gita–mahatmya. In this context, we understand the word ‘summarized’ to refer to the Gita’s conclusion. Srila Prabhupada tells us we will find the Gita’s conclusion reiterated in the Gita–mahatmya. If we take the time and trouble to find it there, we will discover an important secret. However, to do this, we must know two things: what is the summary of the Gita; and where it is in the Gita-mahatmya.
What is the Bhagavad-gita’s summary?
In the purport of 18.66 Srila Prabhupada writes:
“Now, in summarizing Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord says that Arjuna should give up all the processes that have been explained to him; he should simply surrender to Kṛṣṇa. That surrender will save him from all kinds of sinful reactions, for the Lord personally promises to protect him.”
From this, we can see that Bg 18.66 summarises the Gita. This is confirmed in Bg 9.3 purport, as cited above. The entire sentence reads as follows:
“Therefore, after reading Bhagavad-gītā one should promptly come to the conclusion of Bhagavad-gītā: one should give up all other engagements and adopt the service of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead.”
Where in the Gita-mahatmya can we find the message of Bhagavad-gita 18.66?
The Gita-mahatmya is cited in Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad–gita Introduction. Unfortunately, the introduction was truncated in the 1977 edition but fully restored in the later revised editions. If you want to check which edition of the introduction is correct, you can go directly to the lecture that Srila Prabhupada used for his introduction. It is available on prabhupadavani.org:
Towards the end of his introduction, Srila Prabhupada writes:
“gītādhyāyana-śīlasya
prāṇāyama-parasya ca
naiva santi hi pāpāni
pūrva-janma-kṛtāni ca
(Gītā-māhātmya 2)
(If one reads Bhagavad-gītā very sincerely and with all seriousness, then by the grace of the Lord the reactions of his past misdeeds will not act upon him.)
So another advantage is that if one reads Bhagavad-gītā very sincerely and with all seriousness, then by the grace of the Lord, the reactions of his past misdeeds will not act upon him. The Lord says very loudly in the Bhagavad-gītā in the last portion, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ (Bg 18.66).
(Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.)
The Lord takes the responsibility. One who surrenders unto the Lord, He takes the responsibility to indemnify, to indemnify from all reactions of sins.”
Notice how Srila Prabhupada juxtaposes Gita-mahatmya 2 with Bg 18.66. Pay special attention to the symmetry of the two verses.
| Verse | Do this | Get this result |
|---|---|---|
| Bg 18.66 | Surrender to Krishna | Krishna shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. |
| GM 2 | reads Bhagavad-gītā very sincerely and with all seriousness | by the grace of the Lord the reactions of his past misdeeds will not act upon him |
In effect, the author of the Gita-mahatmya, Adi Shankaracharya, expresses the meaning of surrender to Krishna in his own words. He rephrases ‘surrender’ as ‘to read Bhagavad-gita very sincerely and with all seriousness’. Srila Prabhupada’s purport to Bg 1.1 endorses the Gita–mahatmya’s interpretation of 18.66.
If we have any doubt that by reading the Gita “sincerely and with all seriousness”, Krishna will free us of our sinful reactions, the point is reiterated in Bg 18.71 as follows:
“And one who listens with faith and without envy becomes free from sinful reactions…”
How can we read the Bhagavad-gita sincerely and with all seriousness? Do we have to memorise the entire Gita or pass some difficult examination on the text?
In his second sentence to Bg 1.1, Srila Prabhupada writes:
“There it says that one should read Bhagavad-gītā very scrutinizingly with the help of a person who is a devotee of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and try to understand it without personally motivated interpretations.”
Here, Srila Prabhupada explains in his own words exactly what it means to read Bhagavad-gita sincerely and with all seriousness. In effect, he further clarifies what Krishna means by ‘surrender to Me’. The table below shows how.
| Verse | Do this | Get this result |
|---|---|---|
| Bg 18.66 | Surrender to Krishna | Krishna shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. |
| GM 2 | reads Bhagavad-gītā very sincerely and with all seriousness | by the grace of the Lord the reactions of his past misdeeds will not act upon him |
| Srila Prabhupada | read Bhagavad-gītā very scrutinizingly with the help of a person who is a devotee of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and try to understand it without personally motivated interpretations. |
Srila Prabhupada highlights five elements of surrender to Krishna:
- Read Bhagavad–gita
- do that scrutinizingly
- do that with the help of another devotee (he does not specify that this should be a spiritual master)
- try to understand it
- avoid personally motivated interpretations.
By thus surrendering to Krishna, we invite His protection from our sinful reactions.
Improving Sanga’s 10 Principles enable us to successfully implement these five elements of surrender.
My dear devotees, we live in Kali Yuga, a perilous age of quarrel and hypocrisy. All kinds of misery can unexpectedly descend on us and our children at any time, just like a forest fire. But if we learn how to apply this secret of the Gita, Krishna will protect us. Indeed, only He can.
“But to extinguish the forest fire, neither you can take the help of the fire brigade nor the volunteer carrying bucketfuls of water. The forest fire can be extinguished when there is rainfall from the sky. Similarly, this misunderstanding of the world—although we are one, but we have divided ourselves in so many groups—this will create forest fire, and this forest fire can be extinguished.
Therefore this Kṛṣṇa consciousness Movement is just like falling of rain from the cloud. Yes. The cloud means a process which collects water from the sea and distributes all over the surface. And the same water again glides down through the river unto the sea. Similarly, this Movement means taking mercy from the ocean of mercy of Kṛṣṇa and distribute it all over the world, so that again the merciful water goes down to the sea.” Lecture in Tokyo in 1972
Srila Prabhupada testifies from his own experience:
“There was an artificial famine in India, and I particularly inquired from all devotees whether they have got any problem in this famine. They said, “No, we have no problem.” I have taken the statistics. In 1942 the artificial famine created by government… So there were big earthquake in Bihar. At that time one of my Godbrother, he was government auditor. So I inquired. In that earthquake only his house was saved. I have seen it many times.” Morning Walk in Honolulu in 1975
Krishna is so kind that at the onset of Kali Yuga, He arranged a grand drama to attract our attention so we would hear the Gita. In the Gita he describes Himself at length. Everything He says is to convince us that He can easily rescue us from the greatest calamities. We just need to surrender to Him. In his opening sentence, Srila Prabhupada cryptically tells us how to surrender.
You might wonder why he didn’t directly say that to surrender to Krishna means to “read Bhagavad-gītā very scrutinizingly with the help of a person who is a devotee of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and try to understand it without personally motivated interpretations.”?
Why explain it in such a roundabout way?
I understand this is because Bhagavad-gita is a confidential secret. (See Bhagavad-gita 9.1 and 2 verses.) Not everyone is eligible to understand it. We must make at least some effort. What then must we do? I would say we must follow Srila Prabhupada’s instruction in the second sentence of Bg 1.1:
“…one should read Bhagavad-gītā very scrutinizingly with the help of a person who is a devotee of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and try to understand it without personally motivated interpretations.”
If we follow this one instruction, then we will understand how to free ourselves of the miseries of material existence:
“The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Arjuna, because you are never envious of Me, I shall impart to you this most confidential knowledge and realization, knowing which you shall be relieved of the miseries of material existence.” Bg 9.1 verse
If we love our children, we must pass this secret on to them. We have no idea what challenges they will face in life, but if they regularly discuss the Gita properly, Krishna will protect them.
The Second Secret.
Being protected from the ravages of famines, earthquakes and other material miseries is not the ultimate benediction. For, if we have even an iota of material desire, we will be reborn in the material world.
“The sarga, the repetition of birth, is due to our strong desire for material enjoyment. So long we do not discard this desire of material enjoyment, we have to take our birth repeatedly, either in the human form or in the form of a demigod or in the form of a tiger or in the form of a dog or cat. There are so many forms.” Bhagavad-gita lecture in New York, 1966
To become free of material desires seems practically impossible to me. I want a comfortable life, three meals daily, and a warm bed in a safe residence. I want my children, grandchildren and everyone I know and love to be safe and happy. Of course, I also want other people and the animals to lead comfortable, safe lives. All these things I want are selfish and extended selfish desires.
“To the gross materialist who cannot see anything beyond the gross material body, there is nothing beyond the senses. Therefore his occupational activities are limited to concentrated and extended selfishness. Concentrated selfishness centers around the personal body — this is generally seen amongst the lower animals. Extended selfishness is manifested in human society and centers around the family, society, community, nation and world with a view to gross bodily comfort.” Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.8 purport
How will I ever go from wanting material happiness for myself and others to only desiring Krishna’s service? To cite Lord Chaitanya’s Śikṣāṣṭaka 4:
“I only want Your causeless devotional service birth after birth.”
This seems like an impossible transformation unless Krishna intervenes. Please hear what Krishna says in Bhagavad-Gita 18.68:
“For one who explains this supreme secret to the devotees, pure devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me.”
What is the supreme secret we must explain to others? This, I understand, is 18.66.
In other words, we must help other devotees understand how to surrender to Krishna and attain His shelter. By thus helping his devotees, Krishna, out of His causeless mercy, will purify our hearts.
Since understanding this, I have become even more eager to help other devotees surrender to Krishna. I am a million miles away from being pure in heart. Still, I have faith that if I keep discussing Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam and helping others do likewise, Krishna will free me from my unlimited material desires. We all have faith in something or someone. Why not put our faith in these two wonderful life changing promises Krishna makes in the Bhagavad-gita?
“It is only by faith that one can advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” Bg 9.3 purport
Dear reader, please join the Improving Sanga community and learn how to apply the principles. Start with one day a week and see if such discussions make a positive difference in your life. If you make this effort, slowly but surely, your faith will grow. As Srila Prabhupada writes in Bg 9.1 purport:
“Discussion of Kṛṣṇa is very potent, and if a fortunate person has such association and tries to assimilate the knowledge, then he will surely make advancement toward spiritual realization.”
Where in the Gita-mahatmya can we find the message of Bhagavad-gita 18.66?
The Gita-mahatmya is cited in Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad–gita Introduction. Unfortunately, the introduction was truncated in the 1977 edition but fully restored in the later revised editions. If you want to check which edition of the introduction is correct, you can go directly to the lecture that Srila Prabhupada used for his introduction. It is available on prabhupadavani.org:
Towards the end of his introduction, Srila Prabhupada writes:
“gītādhyāyana-śīlasya
prāṇāyama-parasya ca
naiva santi hi pāpāni
pūrva-janma-kṛtāni ca
(Gītā-māhātmya 2)
(If one reads Bhagavad-gītā very sincerely and with all seriousness, then by the grace of the Lord the reactions of his past misdeeds will not act upon him.)
So another advantage is that if one reads Bhagavad-gītā very sincerely and with all seriousness, then by the grace of the Lord, the reactions of his past misdeeds will not act upon him. The Lord says very loudly in the Bhagavad-gītā in the last portion, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ (Bg 18.66).
(Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.)
The Lord takes the responsibility. One who surrenders unto the Lord, He takes the responsibility to indemnify, to indemnify from all reactions of sins.”
Notice how Srila Prabhupada juxtaposes Gita-mahatmya 2 with Bg 18.66. Pay special attention to the symmetry of the two verses.
| Verse | Do this | Get this result |
|---|---|---|
| Bg 18.66 | Surrender to Krishna | Krishna shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. |
| GM 2 | reads Bhagavad-gītā very sincerely and with all seriousness | by the grace of the Lord the reactions of his past misdeeds will not act upon him. |
In effect, the author of the Gita-mahatmya, Adi Shankaracharya, expresses the meaning of surrender to Krishna in his own words. He rephrases ‘surrender’ as ‘to read Bhagavad-gita very sincerely and with all seriousness’. Srila Prabhupada’s purport to Bg 1.1 endorses the Gita–mahatmya’s interpretation of 18.66.
If we have any doubt that by reading the Gita “sincerely and with all seriousness”, Krishna will free us of our sinful reactions, the point is reiterated in Bg 18.71 as follows:
“And one who listens with faith and without envy becomes free from sinful reactions…”
How can we read the Bhagavad-gita sincerely and with all seriousness? Do we have to memorise the entire Gita or pass some difficult examination on the text?
In his second sentence to Bg 1.1, Srila Prabhupada writes:
“There it says that one should read Bhagavad-gītā very scrutinizingly with the help of a person who is a devotee of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and try to understand it without personally motivated interpretations.”
Here, Srila Prabhupada explains in his own words exactly what it means to read Bhagavad-gita sincerely and with all seriousness. In effect, he further clarifies what Krishna means by ‘surrender to Me’. The table below shows how.
| Verse | Do this | Get this result |
|---|---|---|
| Bg 18.66 | Surrender to Krishna | Krishna shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. |
| GM 2 | reads Bhagavad-gītā very sincerely and with all seriousness | by the grace of the Lord the reactions of his past misdeeds will not act upon him |
| Srila Prabhupada | read Bhagavad-gītā very scrutinizingly with the help of a person who is a devotee of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and try to understand it without personally motivated interpretations. |
Srila Prabhupada highlights five elements of surrender to Krishna:
- Read Bhagavad–gita
- do that scrutinizingly
- do that with the help of another devotee (he does not specify that this should be a spiritual master)
- try to understand it
- avoid personally motivated interpretations.
By thus surrendering to Krishna, we invite His protection from our sinful reactions.
Improving Sanga’s 10 Principles enable us to successfully implement these five elements of surrender.
My dear devotees, we live in Kali Yuga, a perilous age of quarrel and hypocrisy. All kinds of misery can unexpectedly descend on us and our children at any time, just like a forest fire. But if we learn how to apply this secret of the Gita, Krishna will protect us. Indeed, only He can.
“But to extinguish the forest fire, neither you can take the help of the fire brigade nor the volunteer carrying bucketfuls of water. The forest fire can be extinguished when there is rainfall from the sky. Similarly, this misunderstanding of the world—although we are one, but we have divided ourselves in so many groups—this will create forest fire, and this forest fire can be extinguished.
Therefore this Kṛṣṇa consciousness Movement is just like falling of rain from the cloud. Yes. The cloud means a process which collects water from the sea and distributes all over the surface. And the same water again glides down through the river unto the sea. Similarly, this Movement means taking mercy from the ocean of mercy of Kṛṣṇa and distribute it all over the world, so that again the merciful water goes down to the sea.” Lecture in Tokyo in 1972
Srila Prabhupada testifies from his own experience:
“There was an artificial famine in India, and I particularly inquired from all devotees whether they have got any problem in this famine. They said, “No, we have no problem.” I have taken the statistics. In 1942 the artificial famine created by government… So there were big earthquake in Bihar. At that time one of my Godbrother, he was government auditor. So I inquired. In that earthquake only his house was saved. I have seen it many times.” Morning Walk in Honolulu in 1975
Krishna is so kind that at the onset of Kali Yuga, He arranged a grand drama to attract our attention so we would hear the Gita. In the Gita he describes Himself at length. Everything He says is to convince us that He can easily rescue us from the greatest calamities. We just need to surrender to Him. In his opening sentence, Srila Prabhupada cryptically tells us how to surrender.
You might wonder why he didn’t directly say that to surrender to Krishna means to “read Bhagavad-gītā very scrutinizingly with the help of a person who is a devotee of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and try to understand it without personally motivated interpretations.”?
Why explain it in such a roundabout way?
I understand this is because Bhagavad-gita is a confidential secret. (See Bhagavad-gita 9.1 and 2 verses.) Not everyone is eligible to understand it. We must make at least some effort. What then must we do? I would say we must follow Srila Prabhupada’s instruction in the second sentence of Bg 1.1:
“…one should read Bhagavad-gītā very scrutinizingly with the help of a person who is a devotee of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and try to understand it without personally motivated interpretations.”
If we follow this one instruction, then we will understand how to free ourselves of the miseries of material existence:
“The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Arjuna, because you are never envious of Me, I shall impart to you this most confidential knowledge and realization, knowing which you shall be relieved of the miseries of material existence.” Bg 9.1 verse
If we love our children, we must pass this secret on to them. We have no idea what challenges they will face in life, but if they regularly discuss the Gita properly, Krishna will protect them.
The Second Secret.
Being protected from the ravages of famines, earthquakes and other material miseries is not the ultimate benediction. For, if we have even an iota of material desire, we will be reborn in the material world.
“The sarga, the repetition of birth, is due to our strong desire for material enjoyment. So long we do not discard this desire of material enjoyment, we have to take our birth repeatedly, either in the human form or in the form of a demigod or in the form of a tiger or in the form of a dog or cat. There are so many forms.” Bhagavad-gita lecture in New York, 1966
To become free of material desires seems practically impossible to me. I want a comfortable life, three meals daily, and a warm bed in a safe residence. I want my children, grandchildren and everyone I know and love to be safe and happy. Of course, I also want other people and the animals to lead comfortable, safe lives. All these things I want are selfish and extended selfish desires.
“To the gross materialist who cannot see anything beyond the gross material body, there is nothing beyond the senses. Therefore his occupational activities are limited to concentrated and extended selfishness. Concentrated selfishness centers around the personal body — this is generally seen amongst the lower animals. Extended selfishness is manifested in human society and centers around the family, society, community, nation and world with a view to gross bodily comfort.” Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.8 purport
How will I ever go from wanting material happiness for myself and others to only desiring Krishna’s service? To cite Lord Chaitanya’s Śikṣāṣṭaka 4:
“I only want Your causeless devotional service birth after birth.”
This seems like an impossible transformation unless Krishna intervenes. Please hear what Krishna says in Bhagavad-Gita 18.68:
“For one who explains this supreme secret to the devotees, pure devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me.”
What is the supreme secret we must explain to others? This, I understand, is 18.66.
In other words, we must help other devotees understand how to surrender to Krishna and attain His shelter. By thus helping his devotees, Krishna, out of His causeless mercy, will purify our hearts.
Since understanding this, I have become even more eager to help other devotees surrender to Krishna. I am a million miles away from being pure in heart. Still, I have faith that if I keep discussing Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam and helping others do likewise, Krishna will free me from my unlimited material desires. We all have faith in something or someone. Why not put our faith in these two wonderful life changing promises Krishna makes in the Bhagavad-gita?
“It is only by faith that one can advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” Bg 9.3 purport
Dear reader, please join the Improving Sanga community and learn how to apply the principles. Start with one day a week and see if such discussions make a positive difference in your life. If you make this effort, slowly but surely, your faith will grow. As Srila Prabhupada writes in Bg 9.1 purport:
“Discussion of Kṛṣṇa is very potent, and if a fortunate person has such association and tries to assimilate the knowledge, then he will surely make advancement toward spiritual realization.”
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