*अच्युताय नमः अनंताय नमः गोविंदाय नमः* Om Shrimad Bhagavad Gita 23 Feb 2025, Chapter 02 The Essence of Gita (SLOKA 02.51-52) Sloka 02.51- *कर्मजं बुद्धियुक्ता हि* *फलं त्यक्त्वा मनीषिणः।* *जन्मबन्धविनिर्मुक्ताः* *पदं गच्छन्त्यनामयम्॥५१॥* karma-jaṁ buddhi-yuktā hi phalaṁ tyaktvā manīṣiṇaḥ janma-bandha-vinirmuktāḥ padaṁ gacchanty anāmayam Synonyms- karma-jam— due to fruitive activities; buddhi-yuktāḥ— being engaged in devotional service; hi— certainly; phalam— results; tyaktvā— giving up; manīṣiṇaḥ— great sages or devotees; janma-bandha— from the bondage of birth and death; vinirmuktāḥ— liberated; padam— position; gacchanti— they reach; anāmayam— without miseries. Translation- By thus engaging in devotional service to the Lord, great sages or devotees free themselves from the results of work in the material world. In this way they become free from the cycle of birth and death and attain the state beyond all miseries [by going back to Godhead]. Purport- The liberated living entities belong to that place where there are no material miseries. The Bhāgavatam (10.14.58) says: samāṣritā ye pada-pallava-plavaṁ mahat-padaṁ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ bhavāmbudhir vatsa-padaṁ paraṁ padaṁ padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ na teṣām “For one who has accepted the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the shelter of the cosmic manifestation and is famous as Mukunda, or the giver of mukti, the ocean of the material world is like the water contained in a calf’s footprint. Paraṁ padam, or the place where there are no material miseries, or Vaikuṇṭha, is his goal, not the place where there is danger in every step of life.” Owing to ignorance, one does not know that this material world is a miserable place where there are dangers at every step. Out of ignorance only, less intelligent persons try to adjust to the situation by fruitive activities, thinking that the resultant actions will make them happy. They do not know that no kind of material body anywhere within the universe can give life without miseries. The miseries of life, namely birth, death, old age and diseases, are present everywhere within the material world. But one who understands his real constitutional position as the eternal servitor of the Lord, and thus knows the position of the Personality of Godhead, engages himself in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Consequently he becomes qualified to enter into the Vaikuṇṭha planets, where there is neither material, miserable life nor the influence of time and death. To know one’s constitutional position means to know also the sublime position of the Lord. One who wrongly thinks that the living entity’s position and the Lord’s position are on the same level is to be understood to be in darkness and therefore unable to engage himself in the devotional service of the Lord. He becomes a lord himself and thus paves the way for the repetition of birth and death. But one who, understanding that his position is to serve, transfers himself to the service of the Lord, at once becomes eligible for Vaikuṇṭha-loka. Service for the cause of the Lord is called karma-yoga or buddhi-yoga, or in plain words, devotional service to the Lord. Sloka 02.52- *यदा ते मोहकलिलं* *बुद्धिर्व्यतितरिष्यति।* *तदा गन्तासि निर्वेदं* *श्रोतव्यस्य श्रुतस्य च॥५२॥* yadā te moha-kalilaṁ buddhir vyatitariṣyati tadā gantāsi nirvedaṁ śrotavyasya śrutasya ca Synonyms- yadā— when; te— your; moha— of illusion; kalilam— dense forest; buddhiḥ— transcendental service with intelligence; vyatitariṣyati— surpasses; tadā— at that time; gantā asi— you shall go; nirvedam— callousness; śrotavyasya— toward all that is to be heard; śrutasya— all that is already heard; ca— also. Translation- When your intelligence has passed out of the dense forest of delusion, you shall become indifferent to all that has been heard and all that is to be heard. Purport- There are many good examples in the lives of the great devotees of the Lord of those who became indifferent to the rituals of the Vedas simply by devotional service to the Lord. When a person factually understands Kṛṣṇa and his relationship with Kṛṣṇa, he naturally becomes completely indifferent to the rituals of fruitive activities, even though an experienced brāhmaṇa. Śrī Mādhavendra Purī, a great devotee and ācārya in the line of the devotees, says: sandhyā-vandana bhadram astu bhavato bhoḥ snāna tubhyaṁ namo bho devāḥ pitaraś ca tarpaṇa-vidhau nāhaṁ kṣamaḥ kṣamyatām yatra kvāpi niṣadya yādava-kulottaṁsasya kaṁsa-dviṣaḥ smāraṁ smāram aghaṁ harāmi tad alaṁ manye kim anyena me “O my prayers three times a day, all glory to you. O bathing, I offer my obeisances unto you. O demigods! O forefathers! Please excuse me for my inability to offer you my respects. Now wherever I sit, I can remember the great descendant of the Yadu dynasty [Kṛṣṇa], the enemy of Kaṁsa, and thereby I can free myself from all sinful bondage. I think this is sufficient for me.” The Vedic rites and rituals are imperative for neophytes: comprehending all kinds of prayer three times a day, taking a bath early in the morning, offering respects to the forefathers, etc. But when one is fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and is engaged in His transcendental loving service, one becomes indifferent to all these regulative principles because he has already attained perfection. If one can reach the platform of understanding by service to the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa, he has no longer to execute different types of penances and sacrifices as recommended in revealed scriptures. And, similarly, if one has not understood that the purpose of the Vedas is to reach Kṛṣṇa and simply engages in the rituals, etc., then he is uselessly wasting time in such engagements. Persons in Kṛṣṇa consciousness transcend the limit of śabda-brahma, or the range of the Vedas and Upaniṣads. *🙏 Hare Krishna 🙏* *🙏Jai Jagannath🙏🚩* ***********************