Bhagavad Gita and my questions

[cmorel02]

So, last night I bought a copy of the Bhagavad Gita. While I was reading it, I felt so much spiritial extacy. But of corse, that's not the only thing that came to me. A lot of questions and confusion. Whenever Sri Krishna calls himself 'Brahman', I don't really understand that. I also thought that worshiping any Hindu Deva would bring one to Brahman, if they followed karma yoga or bhakta yoga but while reading it, it soulnded like Sri Krisna was saying to worship him (Vishu) and it will lead one to true Moksha. Can you guys help me understand this a little more? I'd really apreciate it.

[NayaSurya]

You have a ladle and you sit beside the ocean. You dip the ladle into the ocean and then place the water into a deep basin...as the basin fills beside the ocean it begin to get so large that it mirrors the ocean.

How many ladles of water does it take until you no longer call it water, but once again call it ocean?

When Krishna say He Brahman, He is! He was simply and most beautifully so Full.

Can you imagine being born in such a state of fullness as Beloved Krishna? What a true Gift to this realm.

[Arjuni]

I'm not sure that this will help, but I received a very useful e-mail recently from someone I greatly respect, discussing Sri Krishna's words in Gita, and specifically, this section from his post seems somewhat relevant to your question. This is heavily cut and excerpted, so please forgive me if it reads as choppy or strange.


If you take things literally, Sri Krishna did say that worshipping "Me" is supreme and those worshipping "Me" reach "Me"...

By "I" and "Me", Krishna meant the supreme cosmic self (Aatman or Brahman) and not the specific form he occupied then...

Suppose someone worships Krishna, and sees Krishna as the supreme cosmic self WITHIN whom Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, etc. and all the 14 worlds are created, maintained and destroyed. If one worships Krishna with that attitude and without any desires, one is indeed worshipping "Me" as said by Krishna and one indeed gets "Me" (Self of Veda/Upanishad). One becomes liberated...

One does not do something wrong by just using the word "Shiva" and the right thing by just using the word "Krishna". It's not in the name, but in "attitude".

Indraneela
===
Oṁ Indrāya Namaḥ.
Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya.

[SOV]

In the chapter Vibhuti Yoga or Divine Manifestations, Krishna describes about his manifestations as Vishnu, shiva, Karthikeya etc. And there is also a verse, possibly in previous chapter, where krishna says-'whatever you may pray, you are praying me indirectly(without understanding/ignorantly)'.
Also another verse where krishna says-'Those who worship other gods go to them, but those who worship me come to me'.

And Krishna has explained that he is beyond forms and is present everywhere in everything. But also when enquired by Arjuna about the best worship, Krishna says-'worshipping the vyakta rupa of me is best in my opinion'. It is not contradicting each other. It is true that God ultimately is formless and present in every being. But it is very hard to have this conviction all the time. That is why so many yogas are explained in the geeta-abhyasa yoga,sankhya yoga,karma yoga, bhakti yoga and karma phala tyaga.

The blessed lord says-'Knowledge is better than practice. But renunciation of the fruits of action is best since peace follows immediately'
Now again referring to the same verse'whatever you may pray....' continuing krishna says-'Hence arjuna, always pray to me, bow down to me always, whatever you do like eating, sleeping, do it as an offering to me'

Think about it from all angles.

[Kumar_Das]

It simply is what He says there, that He [personal and with form] is also Brahman [transcendental, incorporeal and formless].

Its pretty much proof and counter argument against anyone who wants to say "Krishna was a prophet or just a human" or something.

Muslims can get away with the Jesus problem because there is nothing clear cut in the Bible where Jesus says "hey, I am God".

Well thats word for word exactly what Krishna says here in the Bhagavad Gita.

[smaranam]

I also thought that worshiping any Hindu Deva would bring one to Brahman, if they followed karma yoga or bhakta yoga but while reading it, it soulnded like Sri Krisna was saying to worship him (Vishu) and it will lead one to true Moksha. Can you guys help me understand this a little more? I'd really apreciate it.

Haribol

Since you choose to ask this in the VaishNav/ISKCON forum, i shall tell you what it means.

It means this:

KrushNa "was" not simply an extraordinarily intelligent or gifted human who was Brahman-bhUta or Brahman-realized. HE IS BRAHMAN and more - He is the foundation, basis of the formless Brahman. He is the principle (tattva) behind Brahman, as well as the PERSON behind Brahman.

KrushNa is not "just a [material-human-bodied] instrument (spokesperson) of Brahman like you and me" as some people say. He is sat-chit-anand-vigraha , an eternal pure spiritual original form of existence-knowledge-bliss combined. Brahman.

If it is hard to understand that God is a person, then understand for the time being that He is the Supreme Tattva (Principle).

When KrushNa says worship Me, offer your acts, deeds, thoughts, food, fruits of labor, love, devotion, service, all to Me, He means it. ME. Me who is ParamAtmA and ParaBrahman, yes, but He also says those who approach Him through His transcendental FORM are most perfect acc. to Him. Me that you see in THIS PARTICULAR VIGRAHA (FORM).

He says I will take care of you. Simple grammar.

A question: If one is new, blank, fresh as the spring flower, a sponge for SD, and they first open a book sung, spoken, written by KrushNa, then why brush KrushNa aside as an instrument and worship "someone else" or "some other form" ? Then what exactly are they following ? It is a different story if they are already devoted to a devtA.

KrushNa is saying so explicitly that HE IS THE SUPREME LORD of trailokya - the three worlds. The taste, liquidity in water, the beauty in all beautiful, the intelligence in the intelligent, strength in the strong, wisdom in the wise, are His Vibhutis i.e. sparks of His splendor. That is what He is saying. So where is the question of choosing a form of God ? HE is the original transcendental FORM.

Hare KrushNa

[srinidhi]

smaranam - Beautiful answer. I have read some of your other posts and I just love the way you explain things.

OP - Please read Sri Ramanujacharya's commentary on Srimad Bhagavad Gita. You can find English translation of the same online. Check this site: http://www.gitasupersite.iitk.ac.in/
You can compare commentaries of various Acharyas in this site. I recommend you to read Sri Ramanujacharya's and Sri Adi Sankaracharya's commentaries. Then try to choose whichever path you feel comfortable.