mat-karma-kášn mat-paramo
mad-bhaktaḼ saᚠga-varjitaḼ
nirvairaḼ sarva-bhōteᚣu
yaḼ sa mÄm eti pÄášá¸ava
mat-karma-kášt - engaged in doing My work; mat-paramaḼ - considering Me the Supreme; mat-bhaktaḼ - engaged in My devotional service; saáš ga-varjitaḼ - freed from the contamination of fruitive activities and mental speculation; nirvairaḼ - without an enemy; sarva-bhĹŤteᚣu - among all living entities; yaḼ - one who; saḼ - he; mÄm - unto Me; eti - comes; pÄášá¸ava - O son of PÄášá¸u.
Anyone who wants to approach the supreme of all the Personalities of Godhead, on the KášášŁášaloka planet in the spiritual sky, and be intimately connected with the Supreme Personality, KášášŁáša, must take this formula, as stated by the Supreme Himself. Therefore, this verse is considered to be the essence of Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ. The Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ is a book directed to the conditioned souls, who are engaged in the material world with the purpose of lording it over nature and who do not know of the real, spiritual life. The Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ is meant to show how one can understand his spiritual existence and his eternal relationship with the supreme spiritual personality and to teach one how to go back home, back to Godhead. Now here is the verse which clearly explains the process by which one can attain success in his spiritual activity: devotional service.
As far as work is concerned, one should transfer his energy entirely to KášášŁáša conscious activities. As stated in the Bhakti-rasÄmášta-sindhu (1.2.255),
anÄsaktasya viᚣayÄn
yathÄrham upayuĂąjataḼ
nirbandhaḼ kášášŁáša-sambandhe
yuktaáš vairÄgyam ucyate
No work should be done by any man except in relationship to KášášŁáša. This is called kášášŁáša-karma. One may be engaged in various activities, but one should not be attached to the result of his work; the result should be done only for Him. For example, one may be engaged in business, but to transform that activity into KášášŁáša consciousness, one has to do business for KášášŁáša. If KášášŁáša is the proprietor of the business, then KášášŁáša should enjoy the proďŹt of the business. If a businessman is in possession of thousands and thousands of dollars, and if he has to offer all this to KášášŁáša, he can do it. This is work for KášášŁáša. Instead of constructing a big building for his sense gratiďŹcation, he can construct a nice temple for KášášŁáša, and he can install the Deity of KášášŁáša and arrange for the Deityâs service, as is outlined in the authorized books of devotional service. This is all kášášŁáša-karma. One should not be attached to the result of his work, but the result should be offered to KášášŁáša, and one should accept as prasÄdam the remnants of offerings to KášášŁáša. If one constructs a very big building for KášášŁáša and installs the Deity of KášášŁáša, one is not prohibited from living there, but it is understood that the proprietor of the building is KášášŁáša. That is called KášášŁáša consciousness. If, however, one is not able to construct a temple for KášášŁáša, one can engage himself in cleansing the temple of KášášŁáša; that is also kášášŁáša-karma. One can cultivate a garden. Anyone who has land â in India, at least, any poor man has a certain amount of land â can utilize that for KášášŁáša by growing ďŹowers to offer Him. One can sow tulasÄŤ plants, because tulasÄŤ leaves are very important and KášášŁáša has recommended this in Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ. Patraáš puᚣpaáš phalaáš toyam. KášášŁáša desires that one offer Him either a leaf, or a ďŹower, or fruit, or a little water â and by such an offering He is satisďŹed. This leaf especially refers to the tulasÄŤ. So one can sow tulasÄŤ and pour water on the plant. Thus, even the poorest man can engage in the service of KášášŁáša. These are some of the examples of how one can engage in working for KášášŁáša.
The word mat-paramaḼ refers to one who considers the association of KášášŁáša in His supreme abode to be the highest perfection of life. Such a person does not wish to be elevated to the higher planets such as the moon or sun or heavenly planets, or even the highest planet of this universe, Brahmaloka. He has no attraction for that. He is only attracted to being transferred to the spiritual sky. And even in the spiritual sky he is not satisďŹed with merging into the glowing brahma-jyotir effulgence, for he wants to enter the highest spiritual planet, namely KášášŁášaloka, Goloka VášndÄvana. He has full knowledge of that planet, and therefore he is not interested in any other. As indicated by the word mad-bhaktaḼ, he fully engages in devotional service, speciďŹcally in the nine processes of devotional engagement: hearing, chanting, remembering, worshiping, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering prayers, carrying out the orders of the Lord, making friends with Him, and surrendering everything to Him. One can engage in all nine devotional processes, or eight, or seven, or at least in one, and that will surely make one perfect.
The term saáš ga-varjitaḼ is very signiďŹcant. One should disassociate himself from persons who are against KášášŁáša. Not only are the atheistic persons against KášášŁáša, but so also are those who are attracted to fruitive activities and mental speculation. Therefore the pure form of devotional service is described in Bhakti-rasÄmášta-sindhu (1.1.11) as follows:
anyÄbhilÄᚣitÄ-ĹĹŤnyaáš
jĂąÄna-karmÄdy-anÄváštam
ÄnukĹŤlyena kášášŁášÄnu-
ĹÄŤlanaáš bhaktir uttamÄ
In this verse ĹrÄŤla RĹŤpa GosvÄmÄŤ clearly states that if anyone wants to execute unalloyed devotional service, he must be freed from all kinds of material contamination. He must be freed from the association of persons who are addicted to fruitive activities and mental speculation. When, freed from such unwanted association and from the contamination of material desires, one favorably cultivates knowledge of KášášŁáša, that is called pure devotional service. ÄnukĹŤlyasya saáš kalpaḼ prÄtikĹŤlyasya varjanam (Hari-bhakti-vilÄsa 11.676). One should think of KášášŁáša and act for KášášŁáša favorably, not unfavorably. Kaášsa was an enemy of KášášŁášaâs. From the very beginning of KášášŁášaâs birth, Kaášsa planned in so many ways to kill Him, and because he was always unsuccessful, he was always thinking of KášášŁáša. Thus while working, while eating and while sleeping, he was always KášášŁáša conscious in every respect, but that KášášŁáša consciousness was not favorable, and therefore in spite of his always thinking of KášášŁáša twenty-four hours a day, he was considered a demon, and KášášŁáša at last killed him. Of course anyone who is killed by KášášŁáša attains salvation immediately, but that is not the aim of the pure devotee. The pure devotee does not even want salvation. He does not want to be transferred even to the highest planet, Goloka VášndÄvana. His only objective is to serve KášášŁáša wherever he may be.
A devotee of KášášŁáša is friendly to everyone. Therefore it is said here that he has no enemy (nirvairaḼ). How is this? A devotee situated in KášášŁáša consciousness knows that only devotional service to KášášŁáša can relieve a person from all the problems of life. He has personal experience of this, and therefore he wants to introduce this system, KášášŁáša consciousness, into human society. There are many examples in history of devotees of the Lord who risked their lives for the spreading of God consciousness. The favorite example is Lord Jesus Christ. He was cruciďŹed by the nondevotees, but he sacriďŹced his life for spreading God consciousness. Of course, it would be superďŹcial to understand that he was killed. Similarly, in India also there are many examples, such as ᚏhÄkura HaridÄsa and PrahlÄda MahÄrÄja. Why such risk? Because they wanted to spread KášášŁáša consciousness, and it is difďŹcult. A KášášŁáša conscious person knows that if a man is suffering it is due to his forgetfulness of his eternal relationship with KášášŁáša. Therefore, the highest beneďŹt one can render to human society is relieving oneâs neighbor from all material problems. In such a way, a pure devotee is engaged in the service of the Lord. Now, we can imagine how merciful KášášŁáša is to those engaged in His service, risking everything for Him. Therefore it is certain that such persons must reach the supreme planet after leaving the body.
In summary, the universal form of KášášŁáša, which is a temporary manifestation, and the form of time which devours everything, and even the form of Viᚣášu, four-handed, have all been exhibited by KášášŁáša. Thus KášášŁáša is the origin of all these manifestations. It is not that KášášŁáša is a manifestation of the original viĹva-rĹŤpa, or Viᚣášu. KášášŁáša is the origin of all forms. There are hundreds and thousands of Viᚣášus, but for a devotee no form of KášášŁáša is important but the original form, two-handed ĹyÄmasundara. In the Brahma-saášhitÄ it is stated that those who are attached to the ĹyÄmasundara form of KášášŁáša in love and devotion can see Him always within the heart and cannot see anything else. One should understand, therefore, that the purport of this Eleventh Chapter is that the form of KášášŁáša is essential and supreme.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Purports to the Eleventh Chapter of the ĹrÄŤmad Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ in the matter of the Universal Form.