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Kṛṣṇa, God, is transcendental. It is stated in the Vedas: Narayanah paro ’vyaktat. Kṛṣṇa is transcendental and immanent, unmanifest; He is not of this material world. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa’s body, Kṛṣṇa’s activities, His Holy Name, His abode, His associates—all are transcendental. They are not of this material world. They are para—transcendental; divyam—divine.

Kṛṣṇa instructs Lord Brahma in the Esoteric Teaching, aham evasam evagre: “Before this material creation, I existed.” [Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.9.33] In the Vedas also, it is said, eko narayana asit. “Before the material creation, only Narayana was there.”

So Kṛṣṇa, God, is always transcendental. He is not a creation of this material world. But because he comes to this world and apparently acts just like a human being, those who are avajananti, less intelligent, they think of Kṛṣṇa as an ordinary human being. Kṛṣṇa says, avajananti mam mudhah [Bhagavad-gita 9.11]. Mudhah means asses, or the less intelligent class of men. They cannot understand Kṛṣṇa’s position. Kṛṣṇa’s position is always transcendental.

Similarly Bhagavad-gita, Kṛṣṇa’s words, is also transcendental. The purpose of Bhagavad-gita is bhakti-yogam, to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So the Vedic literature is transcendental, and bhakti-yoga is also transcendental.

Bhakti is not an activity of this material world:

janma karma ca me divyam
evam yo vetti tattvatah
tyaktva deham punar janma
naiti mam eti so ’rjuna

“One who knows the truth about the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities, upon leaving the body, does not take birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.” [Bhagavad-gita 4.9]

So bhakti is also transcendental because it is activity in relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it cannot be material.

mam ca yo ’vyabhicarena
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa gunan samatityaitan
brahma-bhuyaya kalpate

“One who unfailingly engages in full devotional service in all circumstances, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman.” [Bhagavad-gita 14.26]

Bhakti-yoga is transcendental, because its purpose is to understand Kṛṣṇa. And because Kṛṣṇa is transcendental, you cannot understand Kṛṣṇa by any material method. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, bhaktya mam abhijanati: “One can understand Me as I am, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, only by devotional service.” [Bhagavad-gita 18.55]. The bhakti-yoga method also is transcendental, not of this material world.

So if we can simply understand these facts, that Kṛṣṇa is transcendental, Kṛṣṇa’s name is transcendental, Kṛṣṇa’s form is transcendental, Kṛṣṇa’s activities are transcendental, then we can begin to understand Kṛṣṇa as He is:

isvarah paramah Kṛṣṇah
sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah

“Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. His transcendental body is eternal, full of unlimited consciousness and bliss.”
[Brahma-samhita 5.1]

Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental body is sac-cid-ananda, not material like this body. This material body is just the opposite: asat, acit and nirananda, temporary, full of ignorance and suffering. This material body is asat. Asat means temporary. In a few short years, it will not exist. But Kṛṣṇa’s body is not like that. Kṛṣṇa’s body is eternal, without beginning or end. And consciousness is cit. Sat-cit. Eternal and full of knowledge, or consciousness.

So foolish people, the less intelligent class of men, cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. Therefore the Esoteric Teaching says,

atah sri-Kṛṣṇa-namadi
na bhaved grahyam indriyaih
sevonmukhe hi jihvadau
svayam eva sphuraty adah

“No one can understand the transcendental nature of the name, form, quality and pastimes of Sri Kṛṣṇa through his materially contaminated senses. Only when one becomes spiritually saturated by transcendental service to the Lord are the transcendental name, form, quality and pastimes of the Lord revealed to him.” [Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.2.234]

These dull material senses cannot reach to the transcendental realm to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is not possible.

dharmah svanusthitah pumsam
visvaksena-kathasu yah
notpadayed yadi ratim
srama eva hi kevalam

“The occupational activities a man performs according to his own position are only so much useless labor if they do not provoke attraction for the message of the Personality of Godhead.” [Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.8]

Srama eva hi kevalam: that is simply hard labor for nothing, wasting time. Kṛṣṇa should be understood as Kṛṣṇa reveals Himself in Bhagavad-gita. He can explain Himself; nobody else can explain Him, because our senses are imperfect.

We human beings are deficient; we are covered by four kinds of faults. We commit mistakes; we are illusioned; we have imperfect senses; and we have a tendency to cheat. For example, scientists explaining a theory will say, “Probably,” “Maybe.” This is the so-called scientists’ language. That means they have imperfect knowledge. Still, they want to teach. This is cheating. Knowledge must be perfect. Then you can teach others.

So our process in the Esoteric Teaching is to receive perfect transcendental knowledge from the perfect transcendental source, and distribute it. We don’t manufacture anything. Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gita as it is. The Bhagavad-gita is already perfect. Why shall I interpret with my imperfect mind and senses? That is cheating.

But people want to be cheated. Vancita-vancaka-sampradaya. The whole world is full of cheaters and cheated. Because we want to be cheated, there are so many cheaters. They don’t want the real thing. Here is the real thing: Bhagavad-gita is the Supreme Personality of Godhead speaking personally about Himself. Why should we interpret? Does it mean that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the supreme authority, left something unexplained to be interpreted later on by some rascals?

No. But the rascals dare to interpret Kṛṣṇa’s explanation of Himself. That is cheating. There are something like 645 editions of Bhagavad-gita available, but none of them explain Bhagavad-gita as it is, without interpretation or speculation. This is simply cheating. They pose themselves as scholars, and people want to be cheated, so they accept their words. They will not accept what Kṛṣṇa says, they want some interpretation. As a result, they cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. They take the shelter of cheaters, therefore they are cheated. And people flock there because they want to be cheated.

But what does Kṛṣṇa actually say?

sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja

“Give up all other kinds of religion and just surrender to Me in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” [Bhagavad-gita 18.66]

Sarva-dharman parityajya: give up all other dharma, all other religions and spiritual paths. Why? Because any dharma which is not approved by the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa is not really dharma.

Dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam: “Real religious principles are enacted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” [Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.3.19] Human beings or even demigods cannot manufacture dharma. That is not possible. Real dharma is given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa, and that real dharma is stated in the Bhagavad-gita: sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bhagavad-gita 18.66]. “Just surrender unto Me.”

This Esoteric Teaching is real dharma. Surrender to Kṛṣṇa and follow His instructions, and your life will be perfect. Kṛṣṇa is perfect and transcendental, and His instruction is also perfect and transcendental. If you follow the perfect instruction, then you will also become perfect. The Esoteric Teaching is a simple process. To become perfect, we have to follow the perfect instruction.

So in Bhagavad-gita there is perfect instruction. And if we take it as it is and follow it, then by this transcendental association, we also become perfect. To become perfect is not very difficult job. But because we don’t want to become perfect, because we want to be cheated, we do not become perfect. This is the difficulty. So we should know from the very beginning that although Kṛṣṇa appears just like ordinary human being, Kṛṣṇa is transcendental, and He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Next: Nectar at the End