Supreme Lord is all good. Whatever is done by Supreme Lord is for the eternal benefit of all. I could not think about this that such coincidence will happen. In 1904 this Math has been established, and in 1904 our Gurudeva appeared in Bangladesh in Kanchanpara Dham (Madaripur subdivision of Faridpur district in East Bengal). Now it is in Bangladesh. At that time, it was in India. And here this institution also started in 1904. We are observing centenary function and the centenary function of this Math is also at the same time. For that reason, perhaps, God has given some sort of impetus to them to bring all these devotees here to observe the centenary function of our Gurudeva. Is it a chance coincidence? Unimaginable, one cannot think about this.

Now, today the subject here is ‘Teachings of the Gita’. Everybody knows the impact of Gita in the whole world, global impact, why? Because everybody’s desires can be fulfilled by going through Gita. For that reason, wherever in the whole world you go, they adore Gita. But what Shankaracharya has said we have to think about deeply, in the glories of Gita. There he has written -

gītā su-gītā kartavyā
kim anyaiḥ śāstra-vistaraiḥ
yā svayaṁ padmanābhasya
mukha-padmād viniḥsṛtā

Yā svayaṁ padmanābhasya mukha-padmād viniḥsṛtā

sarvopaniṣado gāvo dogdhā gopāla-nandanaḥ

dogdhā gopāla-nandanaḥ pārtho vatsaḥ—Pārtha

eko mantras tasya nāmāni yāni

rāma rāmeti rāmeti
rame rāme manorame
sahasra-nāmabhis tulyaṁ
rāma-nāma varānane
(Chaitanya Charitamrit Madhya 9.32)

“Lord Shiva addresses his wife Durga: “O Varanana, I chant the holy name of Rama, Rama, Rama, this holy name of Lord Ramachandra is equal to one thousand holy names of Lord Vishnu.”

I have heard it in Punjab and in different areas where Sankirtana party used to come, they used to perform songs, they used to utter this verse. I have heard them saying, “Rama Rama Rama, I am uttering the name thrice because if one utter one thousand Vishnu-nama then it will be equal to one Rama-nama.”

sahasra-nāmnāṁ puṇyānāṁ
trir-āvṛttyā tu yat phalam
ekāvṛttyā tu kṛṣṇasya
nāmaikaṁ tat prayacchati

Sahasra or one thousand names of Vishnu if you utter thrice, three thousand names of Vishnu are equal to one Krishna-nāma. Three Rama-nāma is equal to one Krishna-nāma, therefore Krishna-nāma is the highest.

karmāpy ekaṁ tasya devasya sevā

So, you have to take the teachings. If you do not take the teachings then there is no efficacy of it. Only if you go through Gita and read Gita but you do not accept the teachings then there is no use, there should be a practical application of it.

When I had been to America, Phoenix, one American gentleman who participated in our function, told me, “I have got great love for Gita”. I was astounded to hear. In America such a person is there.

He told, “Without going through Gita I do not go to work. Every day I go through Gita and after that I go to do my duties.” I was astounded. I praised him. I never thought of it.

Then he said, “Swamiji, although, I go through Gita, I do not believe Krishna as Supreme Lord. Krishna might be a super human being or a great politician or a great diplomat.”

Still I remember those words. In India also, I have heard somewhere in our meetings, one chief guest said like this. There also he told the same. I was astonished.

There in America, I asked that person, “You are going through Gita. I want to know from you. You mention some verses from Gita which substantiate that Supreme Lord Sri Krishna is a super human being or He is a great diplomat and politician. You go through Gita, you have to give evidence from the verses of Gita.”

mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañ-jaya mayi sarvam idaṁ protaṁ sūtre maṇi-gaṇā iva

What is the use of going through Gita if you do not accept the teachings?

mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat
kiñcid asti dhanañ-jaya
mayi sarvam idaṁ protaṁ
sūtre maṇi-gaṇā iva
(Srimad Bhagavad Gita 7.7)

“There is nothing superior to Me. All are ever linked with Me.”

ahaṁ hi sarva-yajñānāṁ bhoktā ca prabhur eva ca

You will find in Gita,

yasmāt kṣaram atīto ’ham
akṣarād api cottamaḥ
ato ’smi loke vede ca
prathitaḥ puruṣottamaḥ
(Srimad Bhagavad Gita 15.18)

‘Kṣara’ means all these living beings, corporeal human beings, conditioned souls. Supreme Lord is beyond the comprehension of these conditioned souls, beyond the comprehension of the gross and subtle sense organs, mind and intelligence, beyond these individual corporeal souls and also supremely superior to Brahma and Paramatma. So, He is said Purushottam. Purushottam remains Purushottam. Purushottam is Jagannath. Krishna is Purushottam. He is the Cause of all causes; He is not equal to Brahma or Paramatma; He is more than Them.

Krishna says,

brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham
amṛtasyāvyayasya ca
śāśvatasya ca dharmasya
sukhasyaikāntikasya ca
(Srimad Bhagavad Gita 14.27)

“I am the cause of impersonal formless Brahma, you will find actual ambrosia (amrita) in Me only.”

In the milk ocean you will not get actual ambrosia, you can have a long life. But all these worlds in this universe will be destroyed, in total dissolution everything will be destroyed, nothing will be there during the time of annihilation. So, it is said here brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham amṛtasyāvyayasya ca. It is called nitya-dharma, dharma between God and His devotees. That dharma is nitya, God is nitya, devotee is nitya, and devotion is nitya and sukhasyaikāntikasya ca. Bhagavat-prem (vraja-prem or sweet-prem) is the cause of that. You will find in Gita.

Then that person said, “Krishna has got birth. How can we accept Him as Supreme Lord?”

Krishna Himself has said,

janma karma ca me divyam
evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
naiti mām eti so ’rjuna
(Srimad Bhagavad Gita 4.9)

“My birth and activities are transcendental. One who knows them ontologically, does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.”

Krishna says, “My birth is not like the birth of other conditioned souls, it is self effulgent. My birth and My pastimes are there, ontologically they are divine and transcendental. They are divyam. I am self effulgent as the Sun is.”

You cannot see the Sun in the night. You have got the experience, whatever you want to see, you have to take the help of light. But in the night if you gather all the lights, electric light or general light of Bangalore or Karnataka you will not be able to see the Sun. You have to wait for the rise of the Sun. Sun is self-luminous. So, the procedure of seeing that which are not self-luminous, cannot be applied to Sun. We have to pray for the grace of the Sun, when the Sun will rise, you have to take the grace of the Sun, the light of the Sun and through the light of the Sun you can see the Sun. And you can see all the things of this world in proper perspective. Our most revered Siksha Guru Param Pujyapad Srimad Bhakti Vedanta Swami Maharaj used to say with three-four lines only, “When one is enlightened with the knowledge, knowledge means which is self-effulgent, when one is enlightened with the knowledge by which his ignorance is destroyed, then his knowledge reveals everything as Sun lights up everything at day time.” When the Sun rises, through the rays of the Sun, you are seeing the Sun and simultaneously you are seeing all the things like trees, birds, beasts, mountains and all these things, various things and you can have proper perspective. Like that when Supreme Lord will descend to your heart then you see your own self and you see the whole world in a proper perspective. Then you will see the connection, connection by which all the living beings in this world are connected with the Supreme Lord. When we shall have love for Supreme Lord you cannot have the impetus to injure any of the living beings of the world, what to speak of human beings. The Sādhus cannot even injure an insect. They see ātmā in insect. Everywhere it is there, you have to see that. Those who see that, how can they have aptitude to injure anyone? When we are enveloped by the illusory energy of the Supreme Lord, by the aparā potency, as per Gita,

bhūmir āpo ’nalo vāyuḥ
khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca
ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me
bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā
apareyam itas tv anyāṁ
prakṛtiṁ viddhi me parām
jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho
yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat
(Srimad Bhagavad Gita 7.4-5)

There is one aparā prakṛti, aparā means not parā, not superior, inferior energy, inferior material energy by which we have got this physical body. It is composed of five elements earth, water, fire, air, sky and there is one subtle body, mind, intelligence, perverted ego. The real self is the outcome of the parā potency, apareyam itas tv anyāṁ prakṛtiṁ viddhi me parām jīva-bhūtāṁ. There is another superior potency, Spiritual potency. Jīvas are the outcome of parā potency. So they are coming from Supreme Lord, they are in Supreme Lord, by Supreme Lord, and remain for Supreme Lord. In Taittiriya Upanishad you will find,

yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante
yena jātāni jīvanti
yat prayanty abhisaṁviśanti
tad vijijṣasasva tad eva brahma
(Taittiriya Upanishad 3.1.1)

We are the parts of the energy of Supreme Lord. Supreme Lord is the Substance, Absolute Conscious Substance. And He is the Cause; He has got infinite opulences, not just six-fold opulences,

aiśvaryasya samagrasya
vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ
jñāna-vairāgyayoś caiva
ṣaṇṇaṁ bhaga itīṅganā
(Vishnu Purana 6.5.47)

In Vishnu Purana you will find six opulences, principal opulences, totality of wealth— aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya—totality of power, totality of fame, totality of beauty, totality of knowledge, totality of renunciation but beyond this there may be many other opulences. He is Bhagavān. Bhaga-Vān. ‘Bhaga’ means Shakti, ‘vān’ means (possessor of) potency. Here it is not defined, He is such Supreme possessor, He possesses infinite potencies not only six-fold potencies. So,

avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā
mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam
paraṁ bhāvam ajānanto
mama bhūta-maheśvaram
(Srimad Bhagavad Gita 9.11)

Krishna says, “They disregard thinking Me as a human being. Do I have a physical body like those human beings who are born to reap the fruits of their actions? No, I appear in My transcendental form to rescue the fallen souls.”

So, in every age He appears. There are several appearances of Supreme Lord. Supreme Lord is always thinking of all the conditions of His own living beings like His sons and daughters. He has got love for all. But then why have we come to this prison house? We came because of our desires. As per example, as parents have got some sort of weakness with their children. Now a child wants to eat something which is not good and mother prohibits him, “No, don’t eat, don’t eat”. But the child is crying, crying crying. Mother has got weakness, ok let him eat. Like that when the conscious beings by the misuse of their relative independence want to enjoy this world leaving aside the service of Krishna, they are hurled down to this material world. In reality, they are eternal part of the potency and potency should remain for the possessor of the potency. So, potency of Supreme Lord should remain for Him that is natural. But, as the minute conscious being, he has got thinking, feeling and willing and by that he can desire something bad or good. Forcibly, you cannot impose anything to them. Supreme Lord does not force, if He forces then that conscious element will be destroyed and he will become inert. So, He appears Himself and tries to persuade them to surrender to Him willfully by giving instructions to them or through a sādhu, through His own Personal associates or by remaining within the heart as Super-soul, as Paramātmā, He is giving impetus to you that you should do this or should not. Human birth has got this sort of qualification. He has created eighty-four lakhs of species, because His sons want to enjoy. They cannot enjoy Krishna. How they can enjoy Krishna? Krishna is the Enjoyer and the Master of all. So, He has to create this whole infinite Brahmandas and eighty-four lakhs of species, you go through it and satisfy yourself. Ultimately after passing through eighty lakhs of births being aquatic animals, trees, insects, worms, birds and beasts, four lakhs human birth come. And in human birth God has given discriminating power. Now you think, do you want to enjoy this world or you want to come to Me? You are the part of the potency. You can think about that, you have discriminating power of good and bad, eternal and non-eternals. Other living beings move by instinct, they have got no conscience. But human beings have got a conscience. In spite of that, by creating human beings Supreme Lord is happy, you find in Srimad Bhagavatam. Supreme Lord is happy that human beings will be able to worship Me. If they do not worship, they are most unlucky, unfortunate. They have spoilt their chance. Any moment this human birth will perish and after that again there is no certainty you shall get human birth. Whatever you think at the time of death and you will have birth like that. For that reason, the King Bharata, at the time of leaving his body, he thought about the young one of a deer, by thinking that, he died and got the birth of a deer though he was exalted a person. So, there is no guarantee that you shall again get a human birth. When you have got a human birth, you have to think for which purpose you have got this birth, it is for worshiping the Supreme Lord.

āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca
sāmānyam etat paśubhir narāṇām
dharmo hi teṣhāmadhiko visheṣho
dharmeṇa hīnāḥ pashubhiḥ samānāḥ
(Hitopadesha 25)

Eating, sleeping, defending and mating, all these things birds and beasts are also doing. This human birth is not meant for that reason. It is meant for worship of Supreme Lord. But we are neglecting, we are disregarding Him without knowing Him. There are various forms of worship. The human beings are not capable of accepting all forms of worship. Karma-yoga is there, gyāna-yoga is there, dhyāna-yoga is there, bhakti-yoga is there, everything is there, in Gita you will find, everything is written there. In that when Krishna speaks about Karma-yoga, He persuades us to do karma, na hi kaścit kṣaṇam api jātu tiṣṭhaty akarma-kṛt—without doing karma you cannot remain, you have to do some karma. He also says,

niyataṁ kuru karma tvaṁ
karma jyāyo hy akarmaṇaḥ
śarīra-yātrāpi ca te
na prasidhyed akarmaṇaḥ
(Srimad Bhagavad Gita 3.8)

“Perform your prescribed duty, for doing so is better than not working. One cannot even maintain one’s physical body without work.”

Krishna says, “Without doing karma you cannot remain. You have to do karma otherwise you will not be able to maintain your life”. Like this He is giving impetus to do karma. But ultimately where is He taking?

yajñārthāt karmaṇo ’nyatra
loko ’yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ
tad-arthaṁ karma kaunteya
mukta-saṅgaḥ samācara
(Srimad Bhagavad Gita 3.9)

Yagyarthat karmano anyatra loko ayam karma bandanah tad artham karma kaunteya mukta sangah samacara hari om tat sat.

What is the position of gyān? Krishna has praised gyān also.

yathaidhāṁsi samiddho ’gnir
bhasma-sāt kurute ’rjuna
jñānāgniḥ sarva-karmāṇi
bhasma-sāt kurute tathā
(Srimad Bhagavad Gita 4.37)

“As a blazing fire turns firewood to ashes, O Arjun, so does the fire of knowledge burn to ashes all reactions to material activities.”

Gyān is like fire. When there is knowledge—I am the soul (ātmā), there he has got no desire for mundane things, he wants salvation, and he wants to merge himself into the formless Brahma like that.

But ultimately, in Gita, Krishna says,

bahūnāṁ janmanām ante
jñānavān māṁ prapadyate
vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti
sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ
(Srimad Bhagavad Gita 7.19)

bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate.

When He spoke about ‘yoga’ in the sixth chapter of Gita, there also He says,

tapasvibhyo ’dhiko yogi
jñānibhyo ’pi mato ’dhikaḥ
karmibhyaś cādhiko yogi
tasmād yogī bhavārjuna

yoginām api sarveṣāṁ
mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā
śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ
sa me yukta-tamo mataḥ
(Srimad Bhagavad Gita 6.46-47)

Tapasvi—those who are ascetics performing severe penances. Yogis are superior to tapasvi, yogis are superior to gyānis those who are worshiping impersonal brahma. Gyānis want to get knowledge—Absolute Knowledge only. But yogis want existence and knowledge both, sat and cit—existence and knowledge. They see Paramātmā (Super-soul) in their heart. Yogis are superior to Brahma-gyāni. For that reason you become a Yogi. Gyānibhyo ’pi mato ’dhikaḥ—gyānis are superior to karmi, yogis are superior to gyāni, so you become a yogi. But ultimately He says, yoginām api sarveṣāṁ, there are so many yogis karma-yogi, gyān-yogi, bhakti-yogi, haṭa-yogi etc. Haṭa-yogi is one who does yoga for physical benefit, you will find such people in America and other countries. But nobody can remain in this world eternally. Whatever yoga they practice that is temporary, but you have to go to permanent remedies, as here the secretary first said, our goal is to go back to home, back to Godhead. We have to go to that place instead of the usual place in heaven, go to the Spiritual Realm, the Transcendental Realm of Supreme Lord Sri Krishna then you will not have any feeling of scarcity of anything. We will get everything. Unless we get Complete Reality, there will be always dissatisfaction in us.

It is said in Upanishad,

om pūrṇam idaṁ pūrṇam adaḥ
pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate
pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya
pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate
om śānti śāanti śānti.

You have got pūrṇa so others will also get pūrṇa. Infinite minus Infinite is equal to Infinite. Pūrṇa minus pūrṇa is not zero, pūrṇa is infinite. If everybody is taught that pūrṇa is all your requirements, when you get pūrṇa, you will get everything. But if you say, “I am this body and bodily interest is only my interest”, then if you get some area, some portion of this Bangalore city, others will be deprived. There will be clashing between haves and have-nots. But if it is directed towards Supreme Lord then there will be no clashing. Everybody, even infinite individual souls can get Supreme Lord. There will be no clashing. And when you have love for Sri Krishna, through nāma-saṅkīrtana then there will be love for Krishna and all the living beings in this world. If you love somebody then you cannot inflict injuries to any of his parts. “If you love Me, love my dog.” If you love somebody, you love all his parts. If I love Krishna actually, I will have love for all the living beings in this world and there will be no clashing. Centre of interest should be one. If there are different centers of interests then clashing will be inevitable.