Chapter Nine

                          The Hidden Treasure

                            Raja-guhya-yoga

 

1) The Supreme Lord said: Now I shall bestow upon you, who are
devoid of jealousy and malice, this most hidden treasure in the
form of pure devotion beginning with singing or narrating My
transcendental glories, and the performance of related divine
services up to the point of direct divine perception of Me. By
finding this hidden treasure, you will attain freedom from the
mundane plane freedom from all evils opposed to devotion.
 
2) Know this knowledge as the supreme wisdom and the supreme
hidden treasure. It is perfectly pure, and although beyond the
purview of sense perception, it is the object of direct perception
(by those senses which are eagerly disposed towards devotional
service [bhakti]). It is the efficacy of all religion, joyfully
accessible, and completely devoid of mundane nature.

3) O conqueror of the enemy, men who have no faith in this
hidden treasure of sublime pure love for Me are unable to reach
Me, and thus they remain meandering in this deathly mundane
plane.

4) In an unmanifest manner, I pervade this entire universe, and
everything conceivable is situated within Me and yet, I am not
situated within that total entity.

5) And again, that is also not situated in Me. Just behold My
inconceivable simultaneous one and different (acintya-
bhedabheda) nature as the perfect, omnipotent, omniscient
originator and Lord of the universe! Although My very Self is the
mainstay and guardian of all beings, I am not implicated by them.

6) Air, although massively expansive by nature, is always situated
within the jurisdiction of space, and yet, air and space remain
distinct from one another. Similarly, know that all beings are
situated within Me.

7) O son of Kunti, at the universal cataclysm, the multitude of
beings are merged in My illusory nature, known as maya. And
with the beginning of a new millenium, I create all the distinct
species again.

8) By the agency of My potency of illusory material nature, I
repeatedly create all life-forms according to the nature they
acquire, which is determined by the results of their fruitive
actions and aspirations of ancient bygone ages.

9) Thoroughly detached and situated indifferently within this
exploitative plane of generation, sustenance, and decay, I, O
conqueror of wealth, cannot be implicated by the entire universal
operation of creation, maintenance, and annihilation.

10) O Kaunteya, My deluding potency, under My direction gives
birth to this universe of moving and stationary beings. And for
this reason, that is, since only a created object is subject to
destruction, the universe is created again and again.

11) Unable to comprehend My superexcellent divine form of
human features, ignorant men blaspheme Me the Supreme Lord
of all beings by considering Me a mere human being.

12) Those fools are full of vain hopes and dreams in their futile
fruit-hunting schemes and fruitless knowledge-seeking. Bereft of
all good sense, they acquire the ignorant and passionate nature of
godless fiends, which is the source of the darkness of delusion.

13) But, O Partha, the great souls take refuge in the divine and
godly nature. With unalloyed hearts, they render loving service
exclusively unto Me Krsna, of human features knowing Me, in this
eternal form, to be the primeval cause of all beings.

14) Disregarding the purity or impurity of time, place, and
circumstances, those great souls are constantly absorbed in
singing or narrating the glories of My holy name, form, qualities,
pastimes, and paraphernalia. They are attentive to the irrevocable
and conclusive definition of My nature, personality, and
expansions, and they strictly follow the rules and regulations for
taking the holy name and observing holy days such as Ekadasi.
Following all the practices of devotion beginning with offering
obeisances unto Me, the devotees, earnestly longing for their
eternal relationship with Me in the future, worship Me by the
path of engaging in My transcendental devotional service.

15) And of those who are worshipers on the path of knowledge,
some are conscious of their own oneness with Me, others are
conscious of the various demigods' oneness with Me, and still
others are conscious of the oneness of My diverse universal
opulence with Me. In so many ways they worhsip Me alone.

16) I am the Vedic Jyotistoma sacrifice and the five sacrifices to
the Visva-deva demigods and others as enjoined in the Smrti
scriptures. I am the oblation to the ancestors, the auspicious
offering of the autumnal crop, and the mantra. I am the sacrificial
ingredients such as ghee, I am the consecrated fire, and I alone am
the act of offering the sacrifice.

17) I am the father of this universe, the mother, the bestower of
the fruits of all actions, the forefather, and the object of all
knowledge. The purifying agent Om, the Rg, Sama, and Yajur-
vedas certainly I am all these.

18) And certainly I am everyone's goal, maintainer, controller,
witness, refuge, guardian, and unconditional well-wisher. I am
creation, dissolution, and sustenance. I am the reservoir and the
seed, as the eternal Supreme Person.

19) O Arjuna, I, as the sun, bestow heat during summer, and
during the rainy season I send forth the rains and sometimes
withdraw them. Undoubtedly, I am liberation and death, and
everything gross or subtle.

20) Person who perform the fruitive ritualistic sacrifices
prescribed in three of the Vedas worship Lord Indra and other
demigods. Factually, they worship Me alone, but in an indirect
way. They drink the sacrificial remnants of Soma beverage, purify
themselves of sin, and pray to attain to the heavenly plane. As the
result of their piety, they reach heaven and enjoy celestial
pleasures.

21) After enjoying that great heavenly delight, upon the depletion
of their pious merits, they accept birth in this mortal world. In
this way, lustful persons who follow the Vedic rules for demigod
worship come and go they are born and they die over and over
again in this material world.

22) I personally assume the whole responsibility of acquiring and
protecting the necessities of My full dependent devotees who are
always absorbed in thought of Me alone, and who worship Me
exclusively in all respects.

23) O Kaunteya, persons who have alternately developed faith in
the demigods and devoutly worship them certainly also worship
Me, but improperly.

24) Because I alone am the enjoyer and rewarder of all sacrifices.
But since they cannot know Me in this way, they again undergo
birth, disease, infirmity, and death.

25) The demigod worshipers reach the appropriate demigod, the
forefather worshipers go to the plane of their ancestors, and the
worshipers of the ghostly section transfer to the ghostly plane.
However, those who worship Me, undoubtedly come to Me.

26) Certainly, if he offers Me with devotion a leaf, flower, fruit,
and water, I partake of that whole offering from such a
purehearted and affectionate devotee of Mine. With heartfelt love,
I graciously accept.

27) O Kaunteya, whatever your action whether general or
scriptural, whatever you eat, what you offer in sacrifice, whatever
you donate in charity, and any vow you keep do everything as an
offering unto Me.

28) In this way, although performing either general or scriptural
duties, you will be liberated from the bondage of auspicious and
inauspicious results of action. And due to remaining internally
indifferent to the fruits of your every action, you will attain
distinction among even the liberated souls, and proceed directly to
Me.

29) I am equally disposed to all souls, therefore no one is My
enemy or friend. Yet, for those who render devotional service unto
Me with love, as they are bound by affection for Me, I am
similarly bound by the tie of affection for them.

30) If even a person of extremely abominable practices,
abandoning all nondevotional pursuits of exploitation and
renunciation engages in My exclusive and uninterrupted
devotional service, he is venerable as a true saint because he has
embraced the revolutionary plane of life.

31) That most degraded person very swiftly becomes adorned
with virtuous practices and attains to eternal tranquillity. O son of
Kunti, declare it proclaim it My devotee is never vanquished!
or

31) O Arjuna, promise to the public that My exclusively devoted
servitors will never come to ruin. He who declares this swiftly
becomes virtuous, and truly attains eternal divine grace.

Commentary: The second interpretation of this verse was revealed to
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in a dream. In the Srimad Bhagavatam
(11.11.32) Lord Krsna says:
ajnayaivam gunan dosan,
mayadistan api svakan
dharman samtyajya yah sarvan,
mam bhajet sa ca sattamah

 "The best of honest persons are those who have left behind the forms
of duties that I Myself have recommended in the scriptures, for the
general public. Although it is My direction, they cross it and come to
render loving service to Me. They are the real honest men."
In society, one must obey the law, but there is also the situation of
crossing law to show faithfulness to the king. If one risks his life and
reputation, and crossing the general law, enters into the royal chamber
to combat an assassin, then he will be considered the best and most
loyal servitor. Similarly, the Lord is saying, "I have already given
some direction for the general public. Do this, don't do that, don't
cross these laws, etc. But if for My interest anyone takes the risk of
committing sin, then he should be considered the best among all My
devotees. So, Arjuna, you go and declare it, promise it to the public
that the ananya-bhak (9.30), the exclusively devoted persons, will
never come to ruin. Then you will get the benefit. You will become
dharmatma, religious, and attain eternal divine happiness. The ananya-
bhak, the exclusive devotees, have already crossed the threshold of
dharma, the standard of dutifulness, and taken the risk to throw
themselves fully into My service. Sarva dharman parityajya mam
ekam saranam vraja (18.66). There is no question of them again
becoming virtuous or religious. They surpassed dharma long before,
and took the risk and entered into prema-dharma, My loving service,
rejecting both piety and sinfulness."

32) O son of Prtha, low-born persons of degraded lineage, women,
merchants, or laborers they also attain the supreme destination by
taking full refuge in Me.

33) So who can doubt that the pure devotee brahmanas and
ksatriyas will achieve that supreme goal? Therefore, surely
engage in My devotional service, since you have attained this
temporary and miserable human body after wandering
throughout many births.

34) Give Me your heart, be dedicated to Me in devotional service,
and be absorbed in My worship. Offer prostrate obeisances unto
Me alone. In this way, with mind and body dedicated in My
service, taking full refuge in Me, you will certainly reach Me.

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