BG 2.41
“
“
Devanagari
व्यवसायात्मिका बुद्धिरेकेह कुरूनन्दन ।
बहुशाखा ह्यनन्ताश्च बुद्धयोऽव्यवसायिनाम् ॥ ४१ ॥
Verse text
vyavasāyātmikā buddhir
ekeha kuru-nandana
bahu-śākhā hy anantāś ca
buddhayo ’vyavasāyinām
Synonyms
vyavasāya-ātmikā
—
resolute in Kṛṣṇa consciousness
;
buddhiḥ
—
intelligence
;
ekā
—
only one
;
iha
—
in this world
;
kuru-nandana
—
O beloved child of the Kurus
;
bahu-śākhāḥ
—
having various branches
;
hi
—
indeed
;
anantāḥ
—
unlimited
;
ca
—
also
;
buddhayaḥ
—
intelligence
;
avyavasāyinām
—
of those who are not in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Translation
Those who are on this path are resolute in purpose, and their aim is one. O beloved child of the Kurus, the intelligence of those who are irresolute is many-branched.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
41. Resolute intelligence is only one in this process, O son of the Kurus. The intelligence of those who are irresolute has many branches of action and unlimited desires.
42. The unintelligent people, absorbed in discussing the Vedas, who propound the theory that matter is everything, attractively speak flowery words.
43. Filled with desire, anxious for heaven, they speak many words concerning rituals for attaining power and enjoyment, words for giving the fruits of their action in the form of higher birth.
Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
41. Resolute intelligence is only one in this process, O son of the Kurus. The intelligence of those who are irresolute has many branches of action and unlimited desires.
42. The unintelligent people, absorbed in the praises of svarga offered in the Vedas, who propound that there is nothing higher that svarga, attractively speak those superficially attractive words.
43. Filled with desire, thinking heaven as ultimate, the unintelligent speak many words concerning attainment of power and enjoyment, which gives fruits to their action, actions in varṇāśrama and high birth.
Purport
A strong faith that by Kṛṣṇa consciousness one will be elevated to the highest perfection of life is called vyavasāyātmikā intelligence. The Caitanya-caritāmṛta ( Madhya 22.62) states:
‘śraddhā’-śabde – viśvāsa kahe sudṛḍha niścaya kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya
Faith means unflinching trust in something sublime. When one is engaged in the duties of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he need not act in relationship to the material world with obligations to family traditions, humanity or nationality. Fruitive activities are the engagements of one’s reactions from past good or bad deeds. When one is awake in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he need no longer endeavor for good results in his activities. When one is situated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all activities are on the absolute plane, for they are no longer subject to dualities like good and bad. The highest perfection of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is renunciation of the material conception of life. This state is automatically achieved by progressive Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
The resolute purpose of a person in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is based on knowledge. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ: a person in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the rare good soul who knows perfectly that Vāsudeva, or Kṛṣṇa, is the root of all manifested causes. As by watering the root of a tree one automatically distributes water to the leaves and branches, so by acting in Kṛṣṇa consciousness one can render the highest service to everyone – namely self, family, society, country, humanity, etc. If Kṛṣṇa is satisfied by one’s actions, then everyone will be satisfied.
Service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is, however, best practiced under the able guidance of a spiritual master who is a bona fide representative of Kṛṣṇa, who knows the nature of the student and who can guide him to act in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As such, to be well versed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness one has to act firmly and obey the representative of Kṛṣṇa, and one should accept the instruction of the bona fide spiritual master as one’s mission in life. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura instructs us, in his famous prayers for the spiritual master, as follows:
yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto ’pi dhyāyan stuvaṁs tasya yaśas tri-sandhyaṁ vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam
“By satisfaction of the spiritual master, the Supreme Personality of Godhead becomes satisfied. And by not satisfying the spiritual master, there is no chance of being promoted to the plane of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. I should, therefore, meditate and pray for his mercy three times a day, and offer my respectful obeisances unto him, my spiritual master.”
The whole process, however, depends on perfect knowledge of the soul beyond the conception of the body – not theoretically but practically, when there is no longer a chance for sense gratification manifested in fruitive activities. One who is not firmly fixed in mind is diverted by various types of fruitive acts.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Moreover among all types of intelligence, that intelligence concentrated on bhakti-yoga is the best. Resolute intelligence fixed in bhakti-yoga is only one. The meaning of this is illustrated as follows.
“My sādhana is to serve the lotus feet of the Lord, to remember and glorify Him as instructed by my guru. That is also my goal (sādhya). It is my life sustaining medicine, for I cannot give up the sādhana and the sādhya. This is my most desirable object, my duty, and nothing else is my duty; nothing else is desired, even in dreams. There may be happiness or sorrow. Saṁsāra may be destroyed, or may not be destroyed. That is no loss for me. Let there only be resolute intelligence fixed in pure bhakti.”
It is said:
tato bhajeta māṁ bhaktyā śraddhālur dṛḍha-niścayaḥ
My devotee should remain happy and worship Me with great faith and conviction. SB 11.20.28
The intelligence of others however is not ekā. Those intellects have many branches, and thus the intellects are unlimited (anantāḥ) rather than one, because of the unlimited desires to fulfill in karma-yoga. For instance, in jṣāna-yoga, in order to purify the mind, one must first fix the intelligence on niṣkāma-karma. When the mind is purified, the intelligence then concentrates on giving up action (karma-sannyāsa). Next, the intelligence concentrates on jṣāna, knowledge. But the intelligence at that time must also concentrate on bhakti so that jṣāna does not become devoid of results. The intelligence then concentrates on giving up jṣāna, as the Lord says, jṣānaṁ ca mayi sannyaset one should surrender such knowledge in order to attain me. (SB 11.19.1) Thus the intelligences or minds, concentrating on different objects, are said to be infinite or many. And the types of differing sādhanas are also many, since karma, jṣāna and bhakti must all be performed.
This verse speaks of the persons with wavering intelligence, involved in sakāma-karma, who are very dull witted. They speak excellently (pra vadanti) [Note: Pra here stands for prakṛṣṭa, which means “attractively.”] pleasant words of the Vedas which are like a poisonous but attractive flowering plant. Since their consciousness has been deluded by those words, they are not endowed with fixed intelligence, (tayā apahṛta cetasām vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ samādhau na vidhīyate). The sentence is completed in verse 44. Because of the impossibility for them to accept, that fixed intelligence is not taught to them. Why do they speak in this way? They speak in this way because they are fools (avipaścitāh), because they interpret the words of the Vedas (veda-vāda-ratāḥ) such as the following:
akṣayyaṁ ha vai cāturmāsya-yājinaḥ sukṛtaṁ bhavati
One who has worshiped by means of the vows of cāturmāsya attains pious credits which never become depleted. Āpastamba Śrauta Sūtra, Kṛṣṇa Yajur Veda 8.1.1
apāma somam amṛtā abhūma
We drank soma and became immortal. Ṛg Veda 8.48.3
They say that there is no God other than this (na anyat asti).
43.
What type of words do they speak? They speak words about various rites giving many results [Note: He analyzes the word bahula as “giving much” from the root lā, meaning “to give” combined with bahu, many.] for attaining power and enjoyment, words which give good karma in terms of birth.
Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
In this verse the Lord distinguishes the intelligence directed towards niṣkāma karma from the intelligence directed towards kāmya karma.
O son of the Kurus, among all these actions authorized by the Vedas (iha), the consciousness purified by niṣkāma karma as a form of worship of the Lord, the intelligence firmly ascertaining (vyavasāyaṭmikā buddhiḥ) that one will realize the true nature of ātmā through the jṣāna contained within niṣkāma karma, like lotus arising from the root—that intelligence has only one object (ekā), in the sense that it is fixed only on carrying out all those actions for realization of ātmā.
The intellects of those who undertake kāmya karmas (avyavasāyinām) however have infinite objects (anantāḥ), having desires for unlimited objects such as sons, food, animals or svarga. And all of these goals have many branches (bahu sākhāḥ). Though a single goal may be prescribed in the scriptures for rituals like the full moon sacrifice, the scriptures also speak of many desires for intermediate fruits such as progeny and long life. In performing kāmya karma there is no regard for knowledge of ātmā different from the body, for it is impossible to have such conviction in the ātmā for one engaged in kāmya karma.
Bg 2.42, Bg 2.43, Bg 2.42-43
YaaiMaMaa& PauiZPaTaa& vac& Pa[vdNTYaivPaiêTa" )
vedvadrTaa" PaaQaR NaaNYadSTaqiTa vaidNa" )) 42 ))
k-aMaaTMaaNa" SvGaRPara JaNMak-MaRf-l/Pa[daMa( )
i§-YaaivXaezbhul/a& >aaeGaEṅYaRGaiTa& Pa[iTa )) 43 ))
yām imāṁ puṣpitāṁ vācaṁ
pravadanty avipaścitaḥ
veda-vāda-ratāḥ pārtha
nānyad astīti vādinaḥ
kāmātmānaḥ svarga-parā
janma-karma-phala-pradām
kriyā-viśeṣa-bahulāṁ
bhogaiśvarya-gatiṁ prati
yām imām—all these; puṣpitām—flowery; vācam—words; pravadanti—say; avipaścitaḥ—men with a poor fund of knowledge; veda-vāda-ratāḥ—supposed followers of the Vedas; pārtha—O son of Pṛthā; na—never; anyat—anything else; asti—there is; iti—thus; vādinaḥ—the advocates; kāma-ātmānaḥ—desirous of sense gratification; svarga—parāḥ—aiming to achieve heavenly planets; janma-karma-phala-pradām—resulting in good birth and other fruitive reactions; kriyā-viśeṣa—pompous ceremonies; bahulām—various; bhoga—in sense enjoyment; aiśvarya—and opulence; gatim—progress; prati—towards.
“But these persons should also develop fixed intelligence because the śrutis deal with both subjects equally.”
“No, this fixed intelligence will not arise, because they have faults in the heart.” This is explained in three verses.
Those with little knowledge (avipaścitaḥ) speak words (imām vacām) such as jyotiṣṭomena svargakāmo yajeta: a person desiring svarga should perform the jyotiṣṭoma sacrifice. (Apastambha Śrauta Sūtra, Black Yajur veda, 10.2.1) They think that these are the best words in the Vedas. Fixed intelligence does not arise in the minds of those people whose consciousness is stolen by these words. The thought is completed in verse 44.
What type of words are these? The words are like flowering creepers which are full of poison, appearing attractive, but with no beneficial purpose. Then why do they say these words? They are absorbed in the exaggerated praises offered in the Vedas, because they think that those statements must be true, being part of the Veda. Examples are as follows:
apāma somam amṛtā abhūma
We drank soma and became immortal. Rig Veda 8.48.3
akṣayyaṁ ha vai cāturmāsya-yājinaḥ sukṛtaṁ bhavati
One who has worshiped by means of the vows of cāturmāsya attains pious credits which never become depleted. Apastambha Śrauta Sūtra, Black Yajur Veda 8.1.1
They say that there is no supreme, eternal happiness in the form of liberation attained through spiritual knowledge of jīva and God; nothing other than reaching svarga through kāmya karma exists (na anyad asti). They speak in this way because they reason that the statements of Vedānta, which proposes liberation, are secondary because they do not proclaim the devatās, the performer and the various stages of action. [Note: The karma mīmāmsakas argue that action is superior to knowledge. The Vedas mainly give injunctions or vidhi for action.]
43.
This verse speaks of the faulty consciousness. Their hearts are possessed by desires for material happiness (kāmātmānaḥ). If that is the case, they have no desire for liberation at all. Rather they consider svarga alone, with availability of nectar and beautiful women, to be the best goal (svarga parā). Being so afflicted by desires, nothing else occurs in their minds. They speak (pravadanti of the previous verse) words in which the rituals like jyotiṣṭoma sacrifices (kriyā viśeṣa) are many (bahulām) directed towards the attainment (gatim) of enjoyment (bhoga), such as beautiful women and drinking nectar, and lordship (āiṣvarya) over the devatās. They speak words which continually (promise to) bestow (pradām) birth with appropriate body and senses (janma), which enables them to perform actions prescribed by varṇa and āśrama (karma), and attain fruits such as temporary food, animals and svarga (phalam). The phrases in this verse modify vācam in the previous verse.
Surrender Unto Me
"Ekeha", become "one", his intelligence is fixed, he is fixed in Krsna consciousness.
Why is this verse very dear to all the devotees in ISKCON?
The reason is, Srila Prabhupada explains that when he was reading this verse, way back on the 1950's, way before he left for USA, to begin this Krsna consciousness movement, and he was reading the commentary of Viswanatha C. Thakura on this verse, and this commentary struck him because it explains how important it is to have that "fixness" on the order of ons's spiritual master. And when Srila Prabhupada read that commentary he remembered the order that his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisidhanta Sarasvati Thakura gave him, to preach Krsna consciousness in the english‑speaking countries in the West and that strucked him.
Next are some excerpts, translated in english, from the original commentary of Srila Viswanatha C. Thakura:
"The best kind of intelligence I can have, is intelligence used in the service of Krsna. That intelligence is defined as "fixed" when it is intent upon my spiritual master's instructions such as chanting the Name of Krsna, remember his activities, and performing service to His lotus feet instructions are my sadhana and my life both in the beginning stages of bhakti as well in bhakti's perfectional stage. I desire only to follow his instructions, I accept nothing el my life's work even in dreams. Whether I am happy or distressed, whether the material world remains or is destroyed, I d care. There is no loss for me. I simply must carry the orders of my spiritual master. Fixness upon his order is determined intelligence and devotional service and only by being fixed on his orders can such determined intelligence prosper."
[ 2 ‑ Arjuna should rise above the "good and bad" of the Vedic formulas by knowing that the purpose of the Vedas is to serve Krsna. (42‑46 , 52‑53) ]