This course is part of Sastra-Caksus, Year 1 and consists of 91 lectures, available on:
http://seminary.bhaktivedantaacademy.com/classes/bhagavad-gita-seriatim/
Given in Bhaktivedanta Academy, Sridham Mayapur, September 2010-April 2011
The following are lecture notes briefly delineating its contents.
- Annihilation of demons is an aspect of field, sambandha, Sankarshana aspect, but devotees are pleased with Lord's presence, Pradyumna aspect.
- 7:00 In scriptures, every syllable is meaningful and relishable, with direct and hidden meanings
- Direct - Krishna coming to annihilate demons, establish Dharma - Sankarshana, field
- Hidden - Krishna wants to interact with devotees in the aspect of Pradyumna, aspect of rasa.
- Mahavishnu is Sankarshana, He creates the field by creating the universes
- Then He enters the universes as Hiranyagarbha (Garbhodakashayi), or Pradymna, creating attraction.
- Attraction creates value and desire and activity, that's Kshirodakashayi Vishnu - Aniruddha
- Svayam Krishna (Vraja Krishna) comes once in a day of Brahma, other Krishnas are expansions of Vishnu
- There is no historical evidence that Nimbarkacharya existed, of Vishnuswami there is few proofs, of Ramanuja and Madhva there are many
- Nimbarkas only believe in sambhoga, no vipralambha
- Demons are better off than Mayavadis
- 39:00 Devotees who don't believe in Vedic culture because they have not seen it, are like the empiric philosophies
- Raga, bhaya, krodha - attachment to material (therefore not giving attention to spiritual life), fear of a spiritual position (resulting in impersonalism), anger after trying both enjoyment and speculation (resulting in hopelessness and voidism)
- 48:00 Difference between following in the footsteps and imitating - taking the proper mood rather than just form
- Successful people, before they got big, were fully absorbed in small things
- 56:00 Is having a specific svarupa restriction of our free will?
- 62:00 Taste for spiritual or for engaging our conditioned nature?
- What would we do if Krishna just now walked in?
- 65:00 Thinking that we are qualified to offer something to Krishna due to our material qualification is devotional service in the mode of ignorance
- We usually start with menial services, because our identification with body is so strong. But let's be happy even with small services.
- The solution for raga, bhaya and krodha is surrender to the spiritual master. Devotees also get affected by those, for example, frustrated with authorities, not believing in anything, result is destruction
- Impersonalists may also preach bhakti and naishkarmya, but for the purpose of getting liberation.
- Mundane goodness only has value that it's useful as a situation for understanding transcendence, not on its own.
- Usually there is nothing spiritual when devotees discuss social issues - discussion is on the platform of prana-maya. Many times things in devotees' lives have nothing to do with Krishna consciousness. But it can be connected, it's just a matter of desire and endeavor.
- 98:35 For a religion to be popular, it has to have a Supreme and good work
- Very end - intelligence and emotions have to be matched