BG 05.20 na prahrsyet priyam prapya... cited

Expressions researched:
"A person who neither rejoices upon achieving something pleasant nor laments upon obtaining something unpleasant" |"brahma-vid brahmani sthitah" |"is already situated in transcendence" |"na prahrsyet priyam prapya" |"nodvijet prapya capriyam" |"sthira-buddhir asammudho" |"who is self-intelligent" |"who is unbewildered" |"who knows the science of God"

Notes from the compiler: VedaBase query: "5.20" or "A person who neither rejoices upon achieving something pleasant nor laments upon obtaining something unpleasant" or "brahma-vid brahmani sthitah" or "is already situated in transcendence" or "na prahrsyet priyam prapya" or "nodvijet prapya capriyam" or "sthira-buddhir asammudho" or "who is self-intelligent" or "who is unbewildered" or "who knows the science of God"

BG Chapters 1 - 6

BG 5.20, Translation and Purport:

A person who neither rejoices upon achieving something pleasant nor laments upon obtaining something unpleasant, who is self-intelligent, who is unbewildered, and who knows the science of God, is already situated in transcendence.

The symptoms of the self-realized person are given herein. The first symptom is that he is not illusioned by the false identification of the body with his true self. He knows perfectly well that he is not this body, but is the fragmental portion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is therefore not joyful in achieving something, nor does he lament in losing anything which is related to his body. This steadiness of mind is called sthira-buddhi, or self-intelligence. He is therefore never bewildered by mistaking the gross body for the soul, nor does he accept the body as permanent and disregard the existence of the soul. This knowledge elevates him to the station of knowing the complete science of the Absolute Truth, namely Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān. He thus knows his constitutional position perfectly well, without falsely trying to become one with the Supreme in all respects. This is called Brahman realization, or self-realization. Such steady consciousness is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 5.14-22 -- New York, August 28, 1966:

Ihaiva tair jitaḥ sargo yeṣāṁ sāmye sthitaṁ manaḥ (BG 5.19). Sāmye means equilibrium. Equilibrium. Just a person in transcendental position, he sees equally the intelligent man and the dog equal. Intelligent man and the dog equally. A brāhmaṇa, a dog, a cow, an elephant, and a dog-eater. So all these categories... There are different categories of life, but one who is situated in the transcendental position, they do not see any difference because in the material world this, I mean to say, this position is higher and this position is lower. They are all simply mental speculation. Actually, one who is not situated in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness, his higher and lower calculation—all so-called speculation. That's all. So ihaiva tair jitaḥ sargo yeṣāṁ sāmye sthitaṁ manaḥ. Sāmye sthitaṁ manaḥ. One who has cultured himself that these different activities of the material world has nothing to do with him, his only business is to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Then it is to be understood that he has conquered death even in this present life, ihaiva. Nirdoṣaṁ hi samaṁ brahma tasmād brahmaṇi te sthitāḥ. Nirdoṣam. This sort of equilibrium in the transcendental stage of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, nirdoṣam, faultless, it is called faultless life. Nirdoṣaṁ hi samaṁ brahma. And when it is faultless, or beyond the spell of the material nature, then that is the stage of Brahman. Brahman.... Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. And the Vedic literature and..., I mean to say, gives us instruction that "You are Brahman; you are not this matter." And this is the position of Brahman, how when one is in transcendental position. Nirdoṣaṁ hi samaṁ brahma tasmād brahmaṇi te sthitāḥ. And one who is situated in such condition of life, he's already in Brahman perfection. Brahmaṇi te sthitāḥ. Na prahṛṣyet priyaṁ prāpya nodvijet prāpya cāpriyam (BG 5.20).

Now, what are the signs? Now Kṛṣṇa describes the symptoms of this stage. Simply superficially, if we think that "I am already in the Brahman stage of life," no, there should be symptoms. Now here Kṛṣṇa says to the symptoms of Brahman. Simply if I say that "I have now hundred millions of dollars in my bank," that will not do. There must be some symptom that actually I have got. I am doing something which requires money. I am spending like that. Then one can trust, "Oh, yes, this man has got some money." Similarly, simply by understanding that "I am in brahman sthiti," oh, no... "I am brahmāsmi." Then I am doing all the nonsense, ordinary work. No, that is not. Here Kṛṣṇa gives the symptom how one is situated in the Brahman situation. Na prahṛṣyet priyaṁ prāpya. When one is situated in Brahman conception of life or Kṛṣṇa consciousness life, suppose all of a sudden he gets some hundred millions of dollars. Suppose he is a poor man, but all of a sudden... There was a case in... There are many case.

Lecture on BG 5.14-22 -- New York, August 28, 1966:

Prabhupāda: In India there was a case in Calcutta. One... What is called? The caretaker of the horse? What is this called? What is his name?

Devotee: Groom. A groom.

Prabhupāda: Groom, yes. He, with his master, purchased some lottery ticket, and the master did not get anything, but the groom, he got some ten lakhs of rupees or something like that. His name was there. So when he was informed by the master, "Oh, you have got this money," he at once failed his heart and died. So he thought, "Oh, so much money I have got." So thinking that, there was heart failure and died. (laughter) Yes. All of a sudden this happened. You see. It is a shock. Just like you get some horrible shock, so this is pleasure shock. This is pleasure shock. Shock it was really... Poor man, ordinary man, when he understood that "I have got ten millions of dollars in my bank now," oh, he became shocked and at once died.

So here the same thing: one who is actually in the stage of equilibrium—na prahṛṣyet priyaṁ prāpya. Suppose something... There are... In our present stage of life, although we may be situated in a transcendental position, still, so long this material body is there, we are materially connected. Under the circumstances there are so many worms, so many, I mean to say, requisition. That is..., perforce (?) is. But one who is actually situated in the transcendental position..., na prahṛṣyet priyaṁ prāpya. If something favorable for..., he does not become too much happy. He thinks, "All right, by Kṛṣṇa's grace I have got this. Let me engage it in the Kṛṣṇa's service." That's it. Because he has dedicated his life, he dedicated his life, he does not claim anything. Everything, Kṛṣṇa's property. So if something is obtained, achieved, some favorable thing, he engages that thing in the service of the Lord. Na prahṛṣyet priyaṁ prāpya. That... That is his happiness. That is his happiness. Just like family man. Whatever he earns, if he can spend for the family, then he becomes happy because his affection is there in the family. Similarly, some great man of the country, if he can give some service to the people, to the country, he is... He feels happy. Similarly, a man who is in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if he gets some opportunity to serve more, I mean to say, accelerately in the service of the Lord, then he feels happy. But not materially.

Lecture on BG 5.14-22 -- New York, August 28, 1966:

Na prahṛṣyet priyaṁ prāpya nodvijet prāpya ca apriyam (BG 5.20). This is our disease. In the material conception of life we do not want what is unfavorable, but we want simply favorable. But the laws of nature, they are so cruel that they enforce upon us unfavorable things. But one who is transcendentally realized, he does not care for the unfavorable or the favorable. He knows that "When the time will come, either the favorable things will come or unfavorable things will come in the law of nature. Let me be engaged in my own business, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Yes." Sthira-buddhir asammūḍhaḥ brahma-vid brahmaṇi sthitaḥ. Sthira-buddhiḥ. He is steady. He is steady in his conclusion. He is not changing, steady in his conclu... Asammūḍhaḥ. Asammūḍhaḥ means he is not bewildered, brahma-vit, because he knows what is Brahman and brahmaṇi sthitaḥ, and he is situated in Brahman. Sthira-buddhir asammūḍhaḥ brahma-vid brahmaṇi sthitaḥ.

bāhya-sparśeṣv aksaktātmā

vindaty ātmani yat sukham

sa brahma-yoga-yuktātmā

sukham akṣayam aśnute

(BG 5.21)

Now, the one who is situated in that transcendental position, he is not attached... Bāhya-sparśeṣu asaktātmā. Now, those who are materially situated, they take pleasure outside, which is in contact with my senses. In contact with my senses. And the highest contact of senses in the material world is the sex contact. So one who is situated in this Brahman, so he has no connection with the external things and enjoy with the sense attachment, bāhya-sparśa. Sparśa means touch, and bāhya means external. So he is not interested in such sort of happiness. Bāhya-sparśeṣu asakta. He is detached. He is detached from. His ātmā, his, I mean to say... Ātmā means mind, ātmā means body, and ātmā means soul. So you take either way, either body, soul, or mind, he is detached from such external. He is not attached to that external happiness. Vindaty ātmani yat sukham: "He enjoys within himself." Enjoys within him... That is real happiness. This word rāma... We chant Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare. This rāma... he rāma means that unlimited enjoyment in real happiness. There is another meaning of rāma. Rāma, Lord Rāma, that is all right. And also some grammatical meaning that rāma means ramante. Ramante means to enjoy.

Lecture on BG 5.17-25 -- Los Angeles, February 8, 1969:

Revatīnandana: "The humble sage sees with equal vision a learned and gentle brāhmaṇa, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and a dog-eater or outcaste (BG 5.18). Those whose minds are established in sameness and equanimity have already conquered the conditions of birth and death. They are flawless like Brahman and as such, are already situated in Brahman (BG 5.19). A person who neither rejoices upon receiving something pleasant nor laments upon obtaining something unpleasant, who is self-intelligent, unbewildered and who knows the science of God is to be understood as already situated in transcendence (BG 5.20). Purport."

Prabhupāda: Yes. Go on.

Revatīnandana: "Purport: The symptoms of the self-realized person are given herein. The first symptom is that he is not illusioned by the false identification of the body with his true self."

Prabhupāda: Yes. So achieving something pleasant... Generally we accept a thing pleasant when it satisfies our senses. We accept it as pleasant. But actually, satisfaction of my sense is not real pleasure because my senses are at the present moment diseased. Therefore as it is stated in the Nārada Pañcarātra, that tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). One has to purify the senses in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not to become void of the senses. The other philosophers, they say that "You don't desire." We say that we don't desire nonsense but we desire Kṛṣṇa. Desire is there, but as soon as desire is purified, then I shall desire Kṛṣṇa. When one is desiring only Kṛṣṇa, that is his healthy state. And if somebody is desiring something else, something other than Kṛṣṇa, then he is to be understood in diseased condition.

Lecture on BG 5.17-25 -- Los Angeles, February 8, 1969:

So diseased condition means contaminated by māyā. This is external. So our philosophy, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, is not to stop desiring but purify desiring. And how you can purify it? By Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If you desire... Just like—concrete example—if I desire a very nice apartment for my personal sense gratification, this is diseased desire. And if I desire a nice costly temple for Kṛṣṇa, that is purified desire. So desire is there. You are sitting here in a very nice room, very cleansed, very good atmosphere. But this desire is purified desire. And if you require similar room for your sense gratification, that is impure desire. So desire there must be. But when it is desired for Kṛṣṇa it is purified desire. And when it is desired for non-Kṛṣṇa then it is impurified. So those who are desiring for Kṛṣṇa, they are not behind any enjoyment. They are rather in perfect enjoyment. These Kṛṣṇa conscious students, they are desiring for Kṛṣṇa nice prasādam, so they are not bereft. Practically they are enjoying but it is Kṛṣṇized. Therefore their everything is becoming purified.

This is the science. How it is? Now, it is said here that "Who is self intelligent, unbewildered, and who knows the science of God." How do you know the science of God? The same example, that this finger, when it is in healthy condition it serves the whole body... When it is not in a healthy condition it cannot serve. Similarly, we are part and parcel of God or Kṛṣṇa. When we are engaged in transcendental loving service of God, that is our healthy condition. That is our natural condition. That is our situation in Brahman, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. This is self-realization. Just like this finger. If it thinks, "I am finger of this body. My duty is to serve this whole body," this is healthy stage. Similarly, when we are fully convinced that "I am part and parcel of God..."

There are many examples. Just like you are American citizen. If you think yourself that "I am part and parcel of the state..." Sometimes there is some advertisement that "If you spoil this thing, you must know you are spoiling your own thing because the state is yours." Similarly, if I know the science of God, if I know science of Kṛṣṇa, then I am, my duty is to utilize everything for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa, just like the same citizen who is conscious that "I am part and parcel of this state. I shall see that everything is nicely done for the interest of the state." In Communist state they are very much strict. In other state they are not so much strict but in Communist state, if you go a little against the state, you are immediately punished.