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.

• The concept of giving up all work come from Mayavada philosophy. Devotee gives up specific rituals meant for elevation to heavenly planets, but he uses proper activities within his duties as a medium to serve Krishna. Devotee is focused on Krishna, the activity is a medium.

• The reason for rejecting something for use in Krishna's service should not be due to difficulty or because it involves engagement of the senses, but only if it is not a part of our duties.
• Activities with focus on activities is karma, if focus is on Krishna - it's karma-yoga. If Krishna is the main thing, and activities are a natural expression of affection, it's bhakti.
• Why we would think that karma yoga and bhakti yoga is change in activity? Because we think that material activities cannot be spiritualized.
• Adhibhuta is the physical environment, the body, the field of activities, what we can see and with what we can interact. Adhidaiva is what controls that environment. The soul is Brahman, but its nature, how it will act, is adhyatma.
• Soul's nature, adhyatma is beyond adhibhuta, but in illusion one identifies with adhibhuta and thinks there is not adhidaiva. In the spiritual nature, adhibhuta is the internal potency and adhidaiva is the Lord.
• 24:00 Our body is just one element in the environment, adhibhuta, but in illusion we identify with the body and see it as the most important element. Adhyatma is where we can perceive the soul's unchanging nature
• The only illusion in the material world is about who is the controller and enjoyer.
• Adhibhuta is the manifestation of the gross elements, but the Universal form of the Lord creates different manifestations of let's say, a tree, a house, situations, potencies, all that could happen. Krishna's potency allow Indra to do what he does. Adhibhuta, elements, are always changing and transforming, but adhidaiva forms remain the same. According to their karma, living entities take up different situations by the arrangement of adhidaiva.
• All knowledge, all activities are meant to be connected to Krishna, because He is the adhiyajna.
• To return to Krishna, one should think of Him alone at the time of death. Him alone means Him and His nature, and whatever is connected to His nature.
• 41:00 remembering Guru or husband at the time of death.
• At death there is insecurity, so we go where we find shelter. If we are comfortable in a material situation serving Krishna, we will take another birth in a family of devotees.
• 50:00 "I want to stay in the material world to preach"
• 55:00 Why Moses didn't get to the promised land
• If we are really endeavoring to think of the Lord, He will help.
• If we are still conditioned, but we don't follow proper dharma of varna and ashrama, we will make up our own. Only on the liberated platform we can chant the holy name all day.
• 69:00 Detailed explanation on how karma and jnana and yoga are supposed to develop to the point of bhakti
• 72:00 The new devotee
• 84:50 Krishna is involved even in the smallest aspects of our life
• 86:45 If Krishna is involved in everything, how to explain the evil in the world?
• There is no duality in Krishna. Within material duality we choose things that Krishna prefers. There importance of rules and regulations is there only in connection to pleasing Krishna as a person.
• The Buddhist question about whether there is sound when tree falls and no one is there, comes up due to conception of ourselves as a controller. But Krishna is in control, therefore whether anyone is there or not, the tree makes a sound.
• God is the basis of good and bad, not that we make God out of our own good and bad. We perceive God through our own conditioned nature, therefore we have misconceptions about Him.
• It's very important to understand how Lord is in everything, but still He Himself is beyond everything.