Bhagavad-Gita Seriatim #73 - The Transcendental Teachings of HH Bhaktividyā Pūrṇa Svāmī

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.

Lust can't be satisfied. Much ghee can put the fire our, but it is not actually extinguished. If one at that moment becomes purified, then that can work. The demoniac may be temporarily become frustrated and at that moment take up devotional service.
Vedic understanding is being satisfied that one cannot feel satisfied.

Demoniac always come up with new plans, so they can't satisfy the lust, because they think that there is a way for it to be satisfied. But if one understands that it cannot be satisfied, one can just move on.
Why we should put all of our physical, intellectual and mental facilities into an endeavor that's not going to give any result? So, satisfying lust is not going to happen, so at some point we just say, "There is no need to endeavor."
But demons just come up with newer and newer plans.
The only way to remove the material banyan tree is through transcendental intelligence.
Devotees are not afraid of dangerous situation, but for the sake of service, to avoid wasting time, they try to avoid situations in which they could lose the body. Devotee is fearless, but not stupid.
If you are studying ignorance, what you gain from that is ignorance. If I take a cauliflower and make a sabji, what do I have? A cauliflower sabji, right? So, if you take ignorance and you deal with it in so many ways, you still have ignorance. So, okay, you could say, knowledge of ignorance, yes, but it still means ignorance.
The demons do not have any real knowledge of the soul, Supersoul and surrender.

Demons accept the non-permanent, because that's all they can see. Actually what we can see should be based on what we can't see.
But demons still need a supreme and good work. They create their own hymns - Jesus and the apostles were Jewish, but Christian songs are not in Hebrew.
Demons become attached to wealth - controlling and sex - enjoyment.
Demons think there are different souls - Christian, Muslim, Jewish, so they prefer one type of souls and think there is no sin in killing other types of souls.
Anything works because it's in the line with the nature of how God and His energies interact. If it follows that, it works. The law of nature works whether you understand God or not, if it's in line with that, it works. If you push the proper button on the machine, it doesn't matter what your faith or religion or anything is, it works. But the point is is, based on how you perceive, that's how you are going to use that machine. So the devotees will use it for Krishna, the non-devotees will use it not for Krishna. But how the machine works is the same, material energy is material energy.
In the Vedic system there is always Guru, scriptures, higher authority, lifestyle etc. although it accommodates all material desires also. So when one comes to a higher level of understanding, the main aspects of one's lifestyle remain the same.
30:20 Devotees say we are not fanatic, but they are very fanatic about middle class Western.
Going to the temple, chanting their japa, the devotees have accepted that part. That's like going to the church on Sunday. Then as soon as they walk out of the temple, it's their own life. It means, you preach, but when he goes home, what is the standard, what does he eat, how does he eat it? "Oh, we are not fanatic." But you go to each house and they are doing exactly the same thing - middle class America. And then they are saying, "We are not fanatic." No, they are very fanatic, it's got to be middle class Western, and if it's not, it's fanatic. If it was Chinese, they'd go, "This is weird," if it was Philipino, they'd say it's weird, if it was Venezuelean, they'd say it's weird. "Oh, this is not up to the world standard."
Demons create their own standards and their own false prestige about it. Somebody got the Nobel Peace Prize for atomic bomb.

Previously sensual platform was more connected with the emotions, but nowadays people just want sense gratification. However, sense pleasure ends as soon as senses are no longer in contact with sense objects. Thus their anxiety is immeasurable.
Legal ways may take time to get money.
"What you want is not necessarily available in the legal way, because legally it may take time. Duryodhana used an illegal way to get wealth. Yudhisthira worked legally. So in the short term it looks like Duryodhana is doing better. But in the long term Yudhishthira gets back what he deserves, because dharma creates artha. But artha generated through niti doesn't last, because there is no dharma. And so, Duryodhana loses."
Demons create their own supreme, so money can be supreme, sense gratification can be supreme. They don't believe in the law of karma, so they can do whatever they want.
47:45 All Indians have common culture, but everyone has different philosophy. Western devotees have common philosophy, but there is no cultural basis.
50:00 Demoniac qualities means we put ourself in the center, demoniac means it's not connected to Krishna. Otherwise, if we see the connection of pride, anger, lust, arrogance etc. to Krishna, then these qualities can be used for Krishna. The motive has to be to please Krishna, the motive has to be pure devotional service.
Demons may perform sacrifices and rituals, without following the proper rules and regulations.
Demons want to be their own authority, so that they can do whatever they want.
Since demons don't like the devotees, they do not actually like the Lord.
Demons may be in a good position, but they don't use it properly, so they sink down.
The Lord could liberate the demons, but then there would not be any rasa.
Causeless mercy means, even if we have desire to surrender, we do not have any qualification.
The devotees trick people into surrender, the Lord does not do that, at least as Krishna. Advaita Acarya could liberate people, but He does not do that, because He deals with living entity as they deal with Him. Only taking the mood of devotee as Lord Caitanya, He gives devotional service to everyone. That's causeless mercy.
When demons come in contact with devotees, their demoniac tendency is changed.
Nowadays there are no big time asuras, who would have the hope to be killed by the Lord.
All other demoniac qualities stem from lust, anger and greed.
74:00 There are many duties, acharyas establish what duties should we be doing to please Krishna.
Duties may be followed on devotional level, on yogic level, seeing Paramatma, or seeing Brahman, or, lower than that, one can simply see pious activities and their results and the enjoyment, or we can simply see what we have to do to get the result we want, but on all these levels people are looking for Krishna, they are just seeing on different levels.
As our consciousness move up, there are forms that are more favorable, but the principle never changes. Jiva is always servant of the Lord, and serves Him through His energy.
If philosophy and culture does not match, it creates anxiety.
Lust is karma (attachment), fear is the impersonal, anger is Buddhism, voidism.
Anger only comes up if we think that the lust can be operated for our benefit.
We have to deal with lust in connection with philosophy and Krishna consciousness.
Unsatisfied lust give anger. Satisfied lust creates greed, greed creates moha, illusion, and illusion leads to mada, intoxication of pride. Thus matsara, envy is able to manifest fully.
Only by understanding the field and the knower of the field, not identifying with matter, can one escape lust, anger and greed.
People who disregard scriptural injunctions, do not even become materially happy. They do not attain perfection - liberation, nor the supreme destination - interaction with the Lord.
Srila Prabhupada sometimes gives seemingly contradictory instructions, because he has the realization in connection with the revealed scriptures, and knows precisely how to apply things in different times, places and circumstances.
Both the superior and the inferior energy are superior to us, because we always serve the Lord through one of them. Although technically we are conscious and therefore superior to external energy, still if we identify with it, she overcomes us.