BG 4.9- One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.”
OK-Do we think we understand this important verse above from BG?? Do we think that we know Krsna? If so below are some purports to test this “understanding” or knowing Krnsa-God in truth.
The first stages of being un affected by duality are this from BG-18.54-
One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman. He never laments nor desires to have anything; he is equally disposed to every living entity. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto Me.
SB 6.17.30-PURPORT-The happiness and distress of the material world of duality are both mistaken ideas. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Antya 4.176) it is said: ”dvaite” bhadrābhadra-jñāna, sabamanodharma””ei bhāla, ei manda”, ei saba ”bhrama”
The distinctions between happiness and distress in the material world of duality are simply mental concoctions, for the so-called happiness and distress are actually one and the same. They are like the happiness and distress in dreams. A sleeping man creates his happiness and distress by dreaming, although actually they have no existence.
In dreams we sometimes enjoy eating sweet rice and sometimes suffer as if one of our beloved family members had died. Because the same mind and body exist in the same material world of duality when we are awake, the so-called happiness and distress of this world are no better than the false, superficial happiness of dreams. The mind is the via medium in both dreams and wakefulness, and everything created by the mind in terms of saṅkalpa and vikalpa, acceptance and rejection, is called manodharma, or mental concoction.
So does this mean we simply understand the “story” as relayed in Krsna Book about the Lords appearance and that so called “understanding” guarantees our next birth in Vaikuntha? No– and here is the reason why.
One who engages in unalloyed devotional service to Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, automatically becomes aware of this material world, and therefore he is naturally detached. This detachment is possible because of his high standard of knowledge.
…Also…”they do not understand the world of duality, which is a manifestation of Vāsudeva’s external energy. Therefore, unless the so-called jñānīs take shelter of Vāsudeva, their speculative knowledge is imperfect.”
SB 7.1.2 purport…. When we see partiality in Kṛṣṇa, this vision is due to His external energy. Otherwise how could His enemies attain salvation after being killed by Him? Everyone who deals with the Supreme Personality of Godhead gradually acquires the qualities of the Lord. The more one advances in spiritual consciousness, the less he is affected by the duality of material qualities. The Supreme Lord, therefore, must certainly be freed from these qualities. His enmity and friendship are external features presented by the material energy. He is always transcendental. He is absolute, whether He kills or bestows His favor. Envy and friendship arise in one who is imperfect.
….“If a devotee offers Me with devotion a little leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I shall accept it.” Why does the Lord say this? Is He dependent on the offering of the devotee? He is not actually dependent, but He likes to be dependent upon His devotee. This is His mercy.
SB 7.1.3 purport-Since Lord Nārāyaṇa is absolute, His transcendental qualities are described as one. Thus His punishments and His offerings of favor are both of the same value. Essentially, His inimical actions are not displays of enmity toward His so-called enemies, but in the material field one thinks that Kṛṣṇa is favorable to devotees and unfavorable to nondevotees
SB 7.1.6-…. Because He is unborn, He does not have a material body to be subjected to attachment and hatred.
PURPORT-So-called attachment, detachment and obligations pertain to the material nature, which is an emanation from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but whenever the Lord descends and acts in this material world, He does so in His spiritual position. Although His activities materially appear different, spiritually they are absolute and nondifferent. Thus it is an imposition upon the Supreme Lord to say that He is envious of anyone or friendly to anyone.
Note–So here it is below-HOW we become “transcendental” and thereby fit to be transferred to Vaikuntha after death. This is a very important statement.
only devotees can understand the truth of how He acts. The fact is that Kṛṣṇa is never partial to anyone. He is always equal to everyone, but because of imperfect vision, influenced by material qualities, one imposes material qualities upon Kṛṣṇa, and when one does so he becomes a mudha, a fool. When one can properly understand the truth, one becomes devoted and nirguṇa, free from material qualities. Simply by understanding the activities of Kṛṣṇa one can become transcendental, and as soon as one is transcendental he is fit to be transferred to the transcendental world.
SB 7.1.7 purport-The original position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is one of equality. There is no question of His being influenced by sattva-guṇa, rujo-guṇa or tamo-guṇa, for these material qualities cannot touch the Supreme Lord. …[Bg. 9.10] material nature (prakṛti) works under His order. How, then, can He be under the qualities of prakṛti? Kṛṣṇa is never influenced by the material qualities. Therefore there is no question of partiality in the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
SB 7.1.8 purport-The Supreme Personality of Godhead is not partial to anyone. The conditioned soul is under the influence of the various modes of material nature, and behind material nature is the Supreme Personality of Godhead; but one’s victory and loss under the influence of sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa are reactions of these modes, not of the Supreme Lord’s partiality.
SB 7.1.8 purport- we have seen that in the two great wars, which were conducted by the rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa, both parties were actually ruined. The German people declared war against the English to ruin them, but the result was that both parties were ruined. Although the Allies were apparently victorious, at least on paper, actually neither of them were victorious. Therefore it should be concluded that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not partial to anyone. Everyone works under the influence of various modes of material nature, and when the various modes are prominent, the demigods or demons appear victorious under the influence of these modes. Everyone enjoys the fruits of his qualitative activities.
…The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is present in everyone’s heart, simply gives the results of the increase in the various qualities, but He is impartial. He supervises victory and loss, but He does not take part in them.
SB 7.1.9- We have the practical experience of seeing that one person is able to do very wonderful things whereas another cannot do those same things and cannot even do things that require only a little common sense. Therefore, how much a devotee has been favored by the Supreme Personality of Godhead can be tested by the activities the devotee has performed. In Bhagavad-gītā (10.10) the Lord also says:“To those who are constantly devoted and who worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.” This is very practical. A teacher instructs the student if the student is capable of taking more and more instructions. Otherwise, in spite of being instructed by the teacher, the student cannot make strides in his understanding. This has nothing to do with partiality. When Kṛṣṇa says teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam/ dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ tam [Bg. 10.10], this indicates that Kṛṣṇa is prepared to give bhakti-yoga to everyone, but one must be capable of receiving it. That is the secret.
SB 7.1.9 purport…By external features one cannot understand who is favored by Kṛṣṇa and who is not. According to one’s attitude, Kṛṣṇa becomes one’s direct adviser, or Kṛṣṇa becomes unknown. This is not Kṛṣṇa’s partiality; it is His response to one’s ability to understand Him. According to one’s receptiveness—whether one be a devatā, asura, Yakṣa or Rākṣasa—Kṛṣṇa’s quality is proportionately exhibited. This proportionate exhibition of Kṛṣṇa’s power is misunderstood by less intelligent men to be Kṛṣṇa’s partiality, but actually it is no such thing. Kṛṣṇa is equal to everyone, and according to one’s ability to receive the favor of Kṛṣṇa, one advances in Kṛṣṇa consciousness .
SB 7.1.23 purport…The conditioned soul, being seated on this machine, wanders throughout the universe, and because of his bodily conception of life he only suffers. Actually the suffering of being blasphemed and the enjoyment of being praised, the acceptance of a good welcome or of chastisement by harsh words, are felt in the material conception of life; but since the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not material but sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1], He is unaffected by insults or greetings, blasphemy or prayers. Being always unaffected and complete, He does not feel extra pleasure when offered nice prayers by the devotee, although the devotee benefits by offering prayers to the Lord. Indeed, the Lord is very kind to His so-called enemy because one who always thinks of the Personality of Godhead as an enemy also benefits, although he thinks of the Lord adversely. If a conditioned soul, thinking of the Lord as an enemy or a friend, somehow or other becomes attached to the Lord, he receives great benefit.
SB 7.1.25-My dear King, the conditioned soul, being in the bodily conception of life, considers his body to be his self and considers everything in relationship with the body to be his. Because he has this wrong conception of life, he is subjected to dualities like praise and chastisement.
PURPORT-Only when a conditioned soul accepts the body as himself does he feel the effects of chastisement or praise. Then he determines one person to be his enemy and another his friend and wants to chastise the enemy and welcome the friend. This creation of friends and enemies is a result of one’s bodily conception of life.
SB 7.1.25-Because of the bodily conception of life, the conditioned soul thinks that when the body is annihilated the living being is annihilated. Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the supreme controller, the Supersoul of all living entities. Because He has no material body, He has no false conception of “I and mine.” It is therefore incorrect to think that He feels pleasure or pain when blasphemed or offered prayers. This is impossible for Him. Thus He has no enemy and no friend. When He chastises the demons it is for their good, and when He accepts the prayers of the devotees it is for their good. He is affected neither by prayers nor by blasphemy.
… Kṛṣṇa has no such bodily conception, nor is His body different from His self. Therefore, since Kṛṣṇa has no material conception of life, how can He be affected by material prayers and accusations?
….… The conditioned soul, being envious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, may accuse Him, saying, “Kṛṣṇa is bad, Kṛṣṇa is a thief” and so on, but Kṛṣṇa, being kind to all living entities, does not consider such accusations. Instead, He takes account of the conditioned soul’s chanting of “Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa” so many times. He sometimes punishes such demons for one life by putting them in a lower species, but then, when they have stopped accusing Him, they are liberated in the next life because of chanting Kṛṣṇa’s name constantly
SB 7.1.26-Therefore by enmity or by devotional service, by fear, by affection or by lusty desire—by all of these or any one of them—if a conditioned soul somehow or other concentrates his mind upon the Lord, the result is the same, for the Lord, because of His blissful position, is never affected by enmity or friendship.
PURPORT-From this verse one should not conclude that because Kṛṣṇa is unaffected by favorable prayers or unfavorable blasphemy one should therefore blaspheme the Supreme Lord. This is not the regulative principle. …
One who hears blasphemy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His devotees should immediately take action or should leave. Otherwise he will be put into hellish life perpetually. There are many such injunctions. Therefore as a regulative principle one should not be unfavorable toward the Lord but always favorably inclined toward Him.
Some Conclusions-– I say “some” because the conclusions about what is written above are unlimited. The point Prabhupada is making in all the above purports is that Krsna, being the Supreme Lord is Transcendental to all dualities that conditioned souls experience on a daily basis. If He is the creator of dualities, that means He must not be affected by what He creates.
He is not affected by praise, blame, prayers by bhaktas, heat and cold, demons curses, etc. And we being His bhaktas, servants, being a small part and parcel of His greatness, also have the same qualities that He posseses, but in much smaller quantity. So as Srila Prabhupada often times mentioned, if you want to enter into Fire, you have to become similar to fire in quality. This entering into fire or God consciousness or the Vaikuntha planets means we must be , like Krsna, be transcendental to all the dualities of material mental concoctions like praise blame, heat cold, friend and enemy. And Prabhupada states by ….
“One who engages in unalloyed devotional service to Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, automatically becomes aware of this material world, and therefore he is naturally detached. This detachment is possible because of his high standard of knowledge.”
Therefore it is the daily duty of every serious bhakta to read and assimilate these books of knowledge that Srila Prabhupada took so much time and effort to give to us.
BG 18.55–One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.