UNIT-2 OPEN BOOK ASSESSMENT

BALARAMDESH
28 AVRAO PRABHU

Q 2: Evaluate, in your own words, the importance of punya-

karmanaam prerequisite for practice of Krishna-bhakti with
reference to 7.28 verse and purport.
Ans: In the Bhagavad-Gita sloka 7.28, Krishna Says “Yesam tv antagatam
paapam – First rid of your dirty sinful life and then Janaanaam punya
karmanaam – Engage in Bhakti, the real punya karma. Te dvandva
moha nirmuktaa – They become free from duality and moha, Bhajante
maam drdha-vratah – Then you surrend to me, worship me with great
determination.

Chanting God's name and living according to Dharma is Punya

Karma. Our level of faith and belief will be influenced by our past life
activities. Punya karmanam means pious activities from previous life.
Once one has developed that faith through pious activities he can
engage in any or all of the nine processes of devotional service to
develop one’s love of God.

Dharma stands on four legs. Those are

1. Satya – Truthfulness
2. Suchi – Cleaniness
3. Daya - Austerity
4. Tapa – Mercy

What destroy Satya – Gambling, we cannot be truthful when we do

gambling.
What destroy Suchi – illicit sex
What destroy Daya – Meat Eating
What destroy Tapa – Intoxication, when we intoxicated, we loose our
senses and they are not in sharp. We cannot focus and execute our
work with gravity and determination.

These 4 pillars of Dharma will destroy by four illegal activities. So, we

should at least bear minimum refrain from the bad activities. That
does not mean, it will not be sufficient even you follow four regulative
principles. We follow all four regulative principles, but we speak
sometimes untruth, not take bath, not wakeup in the early morning
and chanting, unclean clothes, no compassion even though devotees
or family members, not follow Ekadasi. So, it is necessary to follow
four regulative principles, but not sufficient. We have to follow Dharma
also and positive side of living by these principles like Satya, Suchi,
Daya and Tapa to get punya.

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Janaanaam Punya Karmanam:

Pious can be done knowingly and unknowingly.
Ajñata means “unknowing” or “unconscious” and sukriti means “pious
actions, that means doing pious activities without knowledge. It is
chance to everyone act very piously without their knowledge. This is
the Krishna consciousness movement." (Srila Prabhupada
conversation with Bob Cohen, February 1972, Mayapur).

So a literal reading of the full phrase would be “unplanned or unwilling

pious engagement.” This engagement results in unexpected future
reward, often manifesting long after the initial activity has any real
substance. To more clearly understand this phenomenon by way of
analogy: One might naturally be kind to a child without any
expectation of reward. However, if the child grows up and reciprocates
in a significant way, this would be an instance of ajñata-sukriti, at least
from a material point of view.

Punya Karma is of three kinds.

1. Bhoga (Karma) Unmukhi Sukrti
2. Moksha (Jnana) Unmukhi Sukrti
3. Bhakti Unmukhi Sukrti

1. Bhoga (Karma) Unmukhi Sukrti:

Some one does pious activities like charities, donations, opening
orphanages etc.., in the life to enjoy for better material pleasure or
enjoy in higher planets like swargaloka in future. We do Punya Karma,
but for Bhoga i.e., for pleasure. Simply, Bhoga (Karma) Unmukhi
Sukrti derived from fruitive activities,

2. Moksha (Jnana) Unmukhi Sukrti:

The people do punya to get Moksha, free from sufferings. Suppose
someone is diseased, they will do vrata or pooja to get rid of from that
disease. Moksha (Jnana) Unmukhi Surkrti derived from the cultivation
of knowledge.

3. Bhakti Unmukhi Sukrti:

We don’t want to getting rid of pain or not seeking for material
pleasure, but simply we want Krishna to be pleased or satisfy with our
endeavour. Bhakti Unmukhi Surkti derived from devotional service.

In this verse 7.28 of Bhagavad-Gita, Krishna explains punya

karmanaam means Bhakti Unmukhi Sukrti and such person free from
duality and delusion. The result of this one is Bhajante maam drdha-
vratah, engage in devotional service to Krishna with full determination.

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The first two result in enjoying the fruits of action and in liberation,
respectively. However, bhakty-unmukhi involves faith in and
appreciation of pure devotional service. Such exalted piety is achieved
by unknowing performance of pure devotional service, without spiritual
knowledge (ajñata-sukriti). Bhakty-unmukhi is the most important kind
of sukriti, and it leads the jiva to meet a pure, saintly devotee. By
associating with a devotee of Krishna the jiva’s faith becomes firm.
Gradually he develops a taste for chanting the holy name, becomes
compassionate toward all beings, and is fixed in devotional service.
(Harinama-cintamani, Chapter 1).

The first two pious activities are not actually fortunate. Pious activities
are fortunate when they help one become Krishna conscious. The
good fortune of bhakty-unmukhi is attainable only when one comes in
contact with a devotee. By associating with a devotee willingly or
unwillingly [consciously or unconsciously], one advances in devotional
service, and thus one’s dormant Krishna consciousness is awakened.

For example, someone who hears devotees chanting on the street

has unintentionally performed a devotional act because hearing about
Krishna is one of the nine processes of devotional service described
in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. So even though that person doesn't know
the value of hearing the holy names, that hearing can gradually
mature into direct and conscious devotional service. If it does, this
is ajñata-sukriti par excellence.

Sukriti is of two kinds: nitya [eternal] and naimittika [occasional,

accidental]. Sukriti that leads to sat-sanga [the company of devotees]
and bhakti is nitya-sukriti; and sukriti that results in material enjoyment
and impersonal liberation is naimittika-sukriti, otherwise known
as anitya-[temporary]-sukriti. Sukriti is differentiated on the basis of
results – if the result is eternal, sukriti is the eternal nitya-sukriti; and if
the result is evanescent, sukriti is the temporal naimittika-sukriti.
(Jaiva Dharma Chapter 6)

Bhakti gives facilities but we use it more than what we need and forget
to practice Bhakti.

Three important activities to overcome our difficulties and get Bhakti.

1. Shraddha – We have to increase Shraddha/faith on Krishna
2. Sadhusangha – Quality of devotees association

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3. Bhajana – Hearing Krishna stories and chanting Hare Krishna

Mahamantra with quality.

Chant every day, Read Prabhupada books, meet mentors and asking
them any doubts for clarification and getting coaching. Eventually we
will come drdha-vrata. Prabhupada conclude in this verse that we will
get Bhakti by association of pure devotees.

We will become drdha-vrata by association of pure devotees or by

taking shelter of Sadhu-Sanga. All our Sradha, Bhajana may have
difficulty. But, somehow we manage to stay with good devotees. We
should always pray Krishna that please keep me in the association of
pure devotes, good people because Sanga Sajayate Kalah, the
quality of desires decided by the kind of association we keep. We
should always try to associate with saintly people throughout our life.
We should value Sadhu-Sanga.

Srila Prabhupada explains that Pious activities are fortunate when

they help one become Kṛṣṇa conscious. The good fortune of bhakti-
unmukhī is attainable only when one comes in contact with a devotee.
By associating with a devotee willingly or unwillingly, one advances in
devotional service, and thus one’s dormant Krishna consciousness is
awakened.

In Chaitanya Charitamrutam madhya 22 45 mentioned that “By good

fortune one becomes eligible to cross the ocean of nescience, and
when one’s term of material existence decreases, one may get an
opportunity to associate with pure devotees. By such association,
one’s attraction to Krishna is awakened.”

One may collect Bhakti unmukhi sukriti and it may sometime ensure
that someone starts his spiritual journey from a higher platform but
bhakti will not start on its own and one can only `encash’ these
spiritual credits when one gets in touch with a devotee and get mercy.

We must always hanker for the association of devotees and spend

rest of the time, as much as possible, in hearing and chanting or
talking about Krishna.

Each moment of our life is precious and we need to use the best use
of each moment in Krishna Consciousness.

TOTAL WORDS : 1300

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