Bhagavad Gétä 18.68… Become dear to the Lord…!!
Who doesn’t want to become dear to the Lord…?? Everyone wants…Indeed…!!
So, how can one actually become dear… in fact, most dear to the Lord…?
By preaching Lord’s Name to all…?!?
In Bhagavad Gita, Verse 18.68, there is a reference to the concept of becoming dear to the Lord through preaching.
This article aims to explore-
- the true essence of this verse and its relevance in spiritual practice,
- how it relates to one’s devotion to the Lord, and
- the misconception spread by some modern so-called gaudiya vaisnava institutions, about the actual import of this verse.
Understanding Verse 18.68:
The verse in question-
ya idaà paramaà guhyaà, mad-bhakteñv abhidhäsyati,
bhaktià mayi paräà kåtvä, mäm evaiñyaty asaàçayaù,
is often misunderstood regarding its implications on becoming dear to the Lord through preaching. Some believe that it suggests anyone who just preaches about Lord Kåñëa and that too to all jivas becomes dear to Him. However, this interpretation is not accurate.
In reality, this verse speaks of the significance of secretive or esoteric knowledge. The term paramaà guhyaà denotes the most confidential and profound knowledge of the Lord’s Divine Truths, and mad-bhakteñv clearly means My (Lord Kåñëa’s) Devotees. Thus, Lord Kåñëa states that one, who imparts this highest, very secretive knowledge, to His devotees, becomes dear to Him.
True Essence of The Verse: This verse emphasizes that the devotee who shares the deepest spiritual insights, most confidential and profound knowledge that too with other devotees, that devotee earns a special place in the Lord’s heart, not the one, who is just able to do parroting of a few verses…ähära nidrä bhaya maithunaà ca…and duùkhälayaà açäçvataà…, is dear to the Lord. No, it is not said. That is preaching to non-devotees.
Devotees are already putting up tilaka, they already are reading Granthas, they already are themselves giving lectures, are doing maìgala äraté, etc. So, they already know things in spiritual life. But even to those devotees, one who is able to give secretive knowledge about the Lord, that devotee is dear to the Lord.
The Importance of Bhajana and Self-Realization: Maharaja Jé clarifies that preaching about the Lord is not wrong, is commendable but what Kåñëa is saying in Bhagavad Gétä is something else.
If one doesn’t even know the ABCD of bhakti, how can one give paramaà guhyaà knowledge to anyone, and therefore, no question of becoming dear to the Lord. It is not a joke to give guhyaà jïäna to devotees. And here we are talking about not just guhyaà (secretive), but paramaà guhyaà …highest of all secretive knowledge.
janma särthaka kari kar paropakära
One must have a profound understanding of spiritual wisdom and have developed a high level of devotion to the Lord in a particular Bhava. It is not enough to merely memorize verses and preach superficially without understanding the true purport of the verses. True preaching involves a profound realization of the Lord’s teachings and a sincere commitment to living by those principles.
One should focus on one’s personal spiritual practice, known as bhajana. Bhajana entails:
bähya, antara, – ihära dui ta’ sädhana
‘bähye’ sädhaka-dehe kare çravaëa-kértana
mane’ nija-siddha-deha kariyā bhāvana
rātri-dine kare vraje kṛṣṇera sevana
(Caitanya Caritämåta Madhya 22.156)
Translation: There are two kinds of sadhana- external and internal. Externally, one practices hearing and chanting with the body, and internally, one mentally conceives of one’s siddha deha, in which one serves Sri Radha Krsna in Vraja, day and night.
This ‘two-fold (dual) sädhanä’ has been given by Çréman Mahäprabhu, the combined form of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna.
By cultivating a deeper connection with the Lord through personal sadhana, one gains spiritual strength and understanding required to share secretive knowledge with others genuinely.
Thus,
Aspiration is good~ one wants to become dear, dearmost to the Lord…
Way to become dear, dearmost to the Lord~ Preaching the Highest Knowledge to the Devotees…
Thus, it is needless to say that before preaching anyone, particularly the Highest Knowledge, one should atleast have the basic understanding (clarity) about certain basic topics like the right process of Bhoga Offering, bonafide Tilaka, Dress, Mantras etc.
Just pause for a while… Ask yourself… Answer yourself-
- Do you know how is Bhoga Offered in Gaudiya Vaisnava Sampradaya…? Are you aware of the ‘3-step’ Bonafide Process in which Bhoga is offered by all Real Gaudiya Vaisnava Saints…?
In Gaudiya Vaisnava Sampradaya, Bhoga is offered simultaneously in Nitya Vraja & Nitya Navadvipa-
- In the First Step, food is offered to Lord Kåñëa in Nitya Vraja, and to Sriman Mahaprabhu, Sri Nityanand Prabhu & Sri Advaita Acarya in Nitya Navadvipa.
- In the Second Step, Kåñëa Prasäda is given to Rädhäräné, Sakhis etc., and Gaur Prasada to Sri Gadadhar Pandit & Sri Srivas Pandit.
- Then, in the Third (last) Step, Rädhäräné Prasada is given to Sri Rupa Rati maïjarés and Sri Guru Manjari Varga in Nitya Vraja, and Gaur Prasada to Sri Rupa Sanatan Gosvamis etc. and to Sri Guru Varga in Nitya Navadvipa.
- Whether the Tilaka you are putting is real or fake, is it bonafide or not…?
Devotees only apply Tilaka of the Sampradaya, being applied by the entire Guru Varga in the Lineage. In all Bonafide Gaudiya Vaisnava Lineages, only Black Tilaka is applied, the shape of which is as per the Parivar one belongs to.
Yellow Tilaka with the shape of Tulasi Leaf is NOT a bonafide tilaka. One may argue that it is bonafide, as he has got it from his Guru, who got it from Srila Prabhupad, who further got from Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakur. But then, answer further- from where did Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakur get? From None…!!
For, Sri Gaur Kisora Das Babaji Maharaja NEVER applied Yellow Tilaka with Tulasi leaf… He belongs to Advaita Parivar so He used to apply Advaita Parivar Tilaka.
Sri Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaja & Sri Bhakti Vinod Thakur also NEVER applied Yellow Tilaka with Tulasi leaf… They belong to Nityanand Parivar (though different Paramparas) so They used to apply only Nityananda Parivar Tilaka.
- The Mantra ~ the Païca Tattva Mantra, one is chanting- is it bonafide?
Is the Païca Tattva Mantra- çré kåñëa caitanya prabhu nityänanda, çré advaita gadhädhara çrévasa ädi gaura bhakta våndä… bonafide?
NO…!! This Païca Tattva Mantra is NOT chanted in any bondafide Gaudiya Vaisnava lineage.
The Païca Tattva Mantra chanted in all Gaudiya Vaisnava Lineages-
çré gauräëga nityänanda çré advaita candra, gadhädhara çrévasa ädi gaura bhakta våndä…!!
And so on…!!
Devotees don’t even know how Bhoga Offering is done; that the Païca Tattva Mantra, they are chanting is fake; the Tilaka, they are putting on is fake; etc. And one is trying to preach the entire world and trying to become dear to the Lord. Is it possible?? No…!! We must stop living in illusion…!!
Conclusion: The Bhagavad Gétä, a timeless scripture, holds invaluable teachings for seekers on the path of spirituality.
The verse 18.68 emphasizes the importance of sharing secretive knowledge (not mere telling about coming out of birth-death cycle, etc.) with the devotees and not with non-devotees, in order to become dear to the Lord.
Simply sharing about birth-death cycle, eating-sleeping-mating-defending etc., and, that too with non-devotees, will not make one dear to the Lord. Just because of wrong interpretation of this one çloka, one is ruining one’s spiritual life.
One who bestows the highest knowledge upon devotees, he is dear to Me (Lord)…not the one who is able to murmur a few çlokas.
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