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TEXT 5 kleso 'dhikataras tesam
SYNONYMS  klesah--trouble;
adhika-tarah--more troublesome; tesam--of them; avyakta--to
unmanifested; asakta--being attached; cetasam--of those whose
minds; avyakta--toward the unmanifested; hi--certainly; gatih
duhkham--progress is troublesome; deha-vadbhih--of the embodiments;
avapyate--achieve.
TRANSLATION For those
whose minds are attached to the unmanifested, impersonal feature of the
Supreme, advancement is very troublesome. To make progress in that discipline
is always difficult for those who are embodied.
PURPORT The group of
transcendentalists who follow the path of the inconceivable, unmanifested,
impersonal feature of the Supreme Lord are called jnana-yogis, and
persons who are in full Krsna consciousness, engaged in devotional service
to the Lord, are called bhakti-yogis. Now, here the difference between
jnana-yoga and bhakti-yoga is definitely expressed. The process
of jnana-yoga, although ultimately bringing one to the same goal,
is very troublesome, whereas the path of bhakti-yoga, the process
of being in direct service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is easier
and is natural for the embodied soul. The individual soul is embodied since
time immemorial. It is very difficult for him to simply theoretically understand
that he is not the body. Therefore, the bhakti-yogi accepts the
Deity of Krsna as worshipable because there is some bodily conception fixed
in the mind, which can thus be applied. Of course, worship of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead in His form within the temple is not idol worship.
There is evidence in the Vedic literature that worship may be saguna
and nirguna--of the Supreme possessing or not possessing attributes.
Worship of the Deity in the temple is saguna worship, for the Lord
is represented by material qualities. But the form of the Lord, though
represented by material qualities such as stone, wood or oil paint, is
not actually material. That is the absolute nature of the Supreme Lord.
A crude
example may be given here. We may find some mailboxes on the street, and
if we post our letters in those boxes, they will naturally go to their
destination without difficulty. But any old box, or an imitation, which
we may find somewhere, which is not authorized by the post office, will
not do the work. Similarly, God has an authorized representation in the
Deity form, which is called arca-vigraha. This arca-vigraha
is an incarnation of the Supreme Lord. God will accept service through
that form. The Lord is omnipotent and all-powerful; therefore, by His incarnation
as arca-vigraha, He can accept the services of the devotee, just
to make it convenient for the man in conditioned life.
So, for
a devotee, there is no difficulty in approaching the Supreme immediately
and directly, but for those who are following the impersonal way to spiritual
realization, the path is difficult. They have to understand the unmanifested
representation of the Supreme through such Vedic literatures as the Upanisads,
and they have to learn the language, understand the nonperceptual feelings,
and they have to realize all these processes. This is not very easy for
a common man. A person in Krsna consciousness, engaged in devotional service,
simply by the guidance of the bona fide spiritual master, simply by offering
regulative obeisances unto the Deity, simply by hearing the glories of
the Lord, and simply by eating the remnants of foodstuffs offered to the
Lord, realizes the Supreme Personality of Godhead very easily. There is
no doubt that the impersonalists are unnecessarily taking a troublesome
path with the risk of not realizing the Absolute Truth at the ultimate
end. But the personalist, without any risk, trouble, or difficulty, approaches
the Supreme Personality directly. A similar passage appears in Srimad-Bhagavatam.
It is stated there that if one has to ultimately surrender unto the Supreme
Personality of Godhead (this surrendering process is called bhakti),
but instead takes the trouble to understand what is Brahman and what is
not Brahman and spends his whole life in that way, the result is simply
troublesome. Therefore it is advised here that one should not take up this
troublesome path of self-realization because there is uncertainty in the
ultimate result.
A living
entity is eternally an individual soul, and if he wants to merge into the
spiritual whole, he may accomplish the realization of the eternal and knowledgeable
aspects of his original nature, but the blissful portion is not realized.
By the grace of some devotee, such a transcendentalist, highly learned
in the process of jnana-yoga, may come to the point of bhakti-yoga,
or devotional service. At that time, long practice in impersonalism also
becomes a source of trouble, because he cannot give up the idea. Therefore
an embodied soul is always in difficulty with the unmanifest, both at the
time of practice and at the time of realization. Every living soul is partially
independent, and one should know for certain that this unmanifested realization
is against the nature of his spiritual blissful self. One should not take
up this process. For every individual living entity the process of Krsna
consciousness, which entails full engagement in devotional service, is
the best way. If one wants to ignore this devotional service, there is
the danger of turning to atheism. Thus this process of centering attention
on the unmanifested, the inconceivable, which is beyond the approach of
the senses, as already expressed in this verse, should never be encouraged
at any time, especially in this age. It is not advised by Lord Krsna.
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