“He who meditates on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his mind constantly engaged in remembering Me, undeviated from the path, he, O Partha [Arjuna], is sure to reach Me.” (Bg.8.8)

“For one who remembers Me without deviation, I am easy to obtain, O son of Pritha [Arjuna], because of his constant engagement in devotional service. After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogis in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection. From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains to My abode never takes birth again.” (Bg.8.14-16)

“Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state will be attained without fail.” (Bg.8.6) “And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body remembering Me alone, at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.” (Bg.8.5)

Lord Krishna says here that all of the planets in this material world are places of misery. This is not our real home nor where we are meant to be. It is all temporary wherein we undergo the continual drama of repeated birth and death. How many times is enough? So we should not be overly attached to anything in this creation when we leave this body.

So as we pursue this spiritual path and make progress, it becomes increasingly easier to think of God. And those that do will certainly find it easy to think of God at the time of their death. The only reason why people cannot think of the Supreme when they are leaving the body is because they do not practice during life. This is the purpose of the spiritual path, to give you that practice. Otherwise, people may occupy themselves with a million other things but leave out what is most important. Thus, at the time of death their consciousness dwells on those other things. In fact, in any yoga system or religion, this is the ultimate goal–to be able to think or meditate on God at the moment one leaves the body. This allows one to return to God and leave this material existence behind.

As stated in the above verses, whatever our state of consciousness is at the time of death, we take that with us into our next life. In fact, what we are thinking of when we leave this body directs us toward our next existence. So it is very important to attain the right level of consciousness by the time we die, and to easily be thinking of the right thoughts and objects at the moment of death. Those who think of Lord Krishna at that time certainly attain His nature and reach His spiritual abode. Once one has attained the spiritual planets, birth in the material worlds never takes place again.

“Whatever action is performed by a great man, common men follow in his footsteps. And whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues.” (Bg.3.21)

If being a devotee is a rare position as previously established, then we should not feel proud. We surrender to God to humble ourselves to reach a higher point, a higher and clearer connection to God. This does not mean that we become so humble that we are the doormat for everyone else, or get easily pushed around. But we free ourselves from the complex details of life by knowing that if we do God’s will, and connect with His intent, then that energy can flow through us to reach others. To be a good servant of God we must also be a reflection of God’s unconditional love for us. We must be a vehicle through which God’s love can come through to reach everyone else. We see everyone else as part of God’s family. That is true greatness.

We are all born sensitive, but the details of life often desensitize us. We can not allow life to do that to us. We have to remain aware of others’ feelings, pain, and needs and be able to respond to that in a humane and spiritual way. We have to remember that the more we help or assist others, the more we also help ourselves. We have to do that because we are the ones who need the help. This attitude will keep us humble as well as focused on what is our real purpose, and empowered to keep in mind our own spiritual position as the devotee of God. We have to remember that if we love God, we will also love all of His energy and His innumerable parts and parcels.

So we need to see the example of what should be done. We may become great teachers or not. Being great and being popular are two different things. And being popular without being truly great can be very dangerous. That has brought about the end of many people. If you are popular but not great, then when you fall, and everyone will be watching everything that happens to you. So we need to be great in the essential spiritual standards, no matter whether anyone else notices or not. We have to set the example. That itself is often the best way to teach. As these standards are presented, others will follow and accept the example you have set. Or they will at least respect it.

There is an old saying that the world never knows its greatest men. It is better to be like that than to think you are great and infallible, and then become popular only to later fall down from your position and cause others to become disturbed by having their faith crushed.

So be a great devotee by being humble yet strong, being kind and merciful yet firm, and by being loving but fair and equal. And most of all, be an instrument and representative of God that all can view with respect and admiration.

“After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.” (Bg.7.19)

“Four kinds of pious men render devotional service unto Me–the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute… All these devotees are undoubtedly magnanimous souls, but he who is situated in knowledge of Me I consider verily to dwell in Me. Being engaged in My transcendental service, he attains Me.” (Bg.7.16, 18)

“Intelligent persons who are endeavoring for liberation from old age and death take refuge in Me in devotional service.” (Bg.7.29)

“Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.” (Bg.9.14)

“I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But whoever renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a friend to him.” (Bg.9.29)

“He who follows this imperishable path of devotional service and who completely engages himself with faith, making Me the supreme goal, is very, very dear to Me.” (Bg.12.20)

Now we can see how special is the position of being a devotee of the Lord. It is very rare to attain. One gets the opportunity to be a devotee in only two ways: 1) You have to qualify yourself after many lifetimes of pursuing the spiritual path, or 2) you receive and intelligently accept the mercy of another pure devotee, which itself is the merciful arrangement of God.             The people who become devotees of God, engaged in His devotional service in various ways, are described here by Lord Krishna as great souls, a friend to Him, and very, very dear to Him. So when a person is regarded by God in such a way, their position is secure. In this situation all we have to do is keep following the spiritual path of devotion and entrance into the spiritual domain after death is guaranteed. However, on this platform we only pray to be an instrument of God, to do the will of God, and be channels through which comes peace and spiritual knowledge. So if He calls us to go back home to the spiritual worlds, that will be the greatest day of our lives. Yet, if He wants us to stay in this material creation to do something else, then we readily accept that as well. If our consciousness is spiritualized, then it does not matter where we are, because we see God everywhere and we remain close to Him. Our very being is spiritually surcharged. Thus, in any situation, we are already home. We are already in the spiritual domain because that is what we perceive when our consciousness is saturated with transcendental frequency.

“Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, or who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me.” (Bg.7.15)

“I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My eternal creative potency [yoga-maya]; and so the deluded world knows Me not, who am unborn and infallible.” (Bg.7.25)

“Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature and My supreme dominion over all that be.” (Bg.9.11)

“Arrogance, pride, anger, conceit, harshness and ignorance–these qualities belong to those of demonic nature, O son of Pritha” (Bg.16.4)

Naturally, while living in this material world we will come in contact with those who are not inclined toward religious or spiritual practice. Maybe they believe in God but just are not so interested. This can be tolerated. And generally they may not ridicule religious practice. So, some of these people may still be engaged in small amounts of service to God or discussions about God, but not much else should be expected from them. However, I have seen a few of such people change and later become strong devotees. But you have to approach them very carefully.

Others, however, may be outright atheists who want nothing to do with anything that deals with God. You might say that atheists are merely those who have no faith because they are spiritually inexperienced. They are like children that have little or no background but may say anything without proper education or investigation. Of course, this is the material creation where everyone has the freedom to believe what they like. But in the above verses it is described that their lack of faith is due to foolishness, illusion, or because of sinful or demonic activities and attitudes. Those who are covered by darkness due to wicked motivations never surrender to the Lord or engage in devotional service. If they appear to do so, it is for ulterior motives and desires. But such people are especially demonic if they deride religion or God, or are harsh and insulting to those engaged in the service of God. Such people will never understand the Supreme Being, nor will God reveal Himself to them, except in the form of the final lesson of death. Then they will be forced to submit to the power of God that causes their body to shut down and kicks them into a different situation.

In any case, such a person should be avoided. It is not that we want to try to engage him in discussions about spiritual topics or try to persuade them toward accepting spiritual reality. It may only make them disturbed and give them more opportunity to make offenses to us and to God. We do not need to try to make their karma any worse than it is. And we do not give our reasons and purpose over to the contradiction of foolish men. So we merely remain polite to such persons, wish them well, smile and keep walking.

However, if we are bold enough, we may prepare some nice food, sweets or something anyone will like, offer it to the Deity or picture of God which then makes it prasada, sacred food. Then we can offer some of it to our atheistic or demonic acquaintances. Of course, we do not tell them it is prasada. We just offer it as a friend. In any way that people may come in contact with spiritual substance, it has its affect. Like fire, whether you understand it or not it will burn if you touch it. Similarly, genuine spirituality in any form always produces positive results.

“And of all yogis, he who abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all.” (Bg.6.47)

“To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me. Out of compassion for them, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance.” (Bg.10.10-11)

“The Blesses Lord said: He whose mind is fixed on My personal form, always engaged in worshiping Me with great and transcendental faith, is considered by Me to be most perfect.” (Bg.12.2)

“One who is not envious but who is a kind friend to all living entities, who does not think himself a proprietor, who is free from false ego and equal both in happiness and distress, who is always satisfied and engaged in devotional service with determination and whose mind and intelligence are in agreement with Me–he is very dear to Me.” (Bg.12.13-14)

“One who is equal to friends and enemies, who is equipoised in honor and dishonor, heat and cold, happiness and distress, fame and infamy, who is always free from contamination, always silent and satisfied with anything, who doesn’t care for any residence, who is fixed in knowledge and engaged in devotional service, is very dear to Me.” (Bg.12.18-19)

In these verses we learn the qualities and characteristics and even some of the behavior of a person who is dear to the Lord. We can go over these verses repeatedly to remind ourselves of what we need to attain that position. It is actually not so difficult. It is simply a matter of incorporating the previous points that have been outlined in this course. Then, as instructed above, we focus on abiding in the Lord with great faith, worshiping Him in transcendental loving service, being devoted to Him in love, and concentrating on His personal form as Lord Krishna.

We are always very dear to the Lord, but especially when we see all situations and all living beings equally with spiritual vision and are engaged in His service as much as our time allows. The more we can remember the Lord, the more He reciprocates and give us additional insights of knowledge that destroys the darkness of ignorance which holds us back from progressing spiritually. Thus, we approach ever closer to Him. And the more we try to get close to God, the closer He gets to us. So with God’s help and our sincere desire, we remain close to Him.

“Of all that is material and all that is spiritual in this world, know for certain that I am both its origin and dissolution. There is no Truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me as pearls are strung on a thread.” (Bg.7.6-7)

“Those who know Me as the Supreme Lord, as the governing principle of the material manifestation, who know Me as the one underlying all the demigods and as the one sustaining all sacrifices, can, with steadfast mind, understand and know Me even at the time of death.” (Bg7.30)

“Those who are not deluded, the great souls, are under the protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in devotional service because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, original and inexhaustible.” (Bg.9.13)

“I am the father of this universe, the mother, the support, and the grandsire. I am the object of knowledge, the purifier and the syllable om. I am also the Rig, the Sama and the Yajur [Vedas]. I am the goal, the sustainer, the master, the witness, the abode, the refuge and the most dear friend. I am the creation and the annihilation, the basis of everything, the resting place and the eternal seed.” (Bg.9.17-18)

“One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.” (Bg.18.55)

These verses will help us to further understand the power and position of the Supreme Being. Read them and meditate on them. It is only through the devotional attitude by which one can understand God, and is the cause of reciprocation between the Lord and His devotee. This love is what brings the Lord to reveal Himself to His devotee. And even those of us who may not be completely pure but are sincere can still get a glimpse of this exchange and how the Lord reveals Himself to us. Remember, sincerity is the essence of purity. With that, God can give you whatever else you need.

The point is to understand and focus your mind on God, especially at the time of death. By doing that, it is certain one will enter the kingdom of God, and leave this material world hundreds of times faster than a rocket traveling through the sky. Even now, as a devotee, when sitting quietly thinking of God, we should feel ourselves zooming out of this material world. Understanding the knowledge in these verses is all that it takes. So read them again. As we absorb this information and engage in devotion to God, we come under the influence and protection of the divine nature. This helps move us forward in our comprehension of our eternal relationship with God. As we absorb our consciousness in devotion toward the Lord, we can certainly enter into the kingdom of God.

“Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, and a predominant rise of irreligion–at that time I descend Myself. In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium. One who knows this transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode.” (Bg.4.7-9)

“I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.” (Bg.10.8)

These verses describe the importance of understanding the divine nature of God. God is always the source of all spiritual and material worlds and, therefore, never comes under control of His own creation. Thus, He can enter and exit it at will. And He does so to protect dharma and the spiritual path for the benefit of the masses. However, if He has His representatives or pure devotees present to protect and preserve His instructions and the path of dharma, then that is just as good as His personal presence. Society can still take advantage of it, which is essential.

This is why Lord Krishna comes to deliver the pious. But He also comes to annihilate the miscreants. So this also means that there may be times when drastic measures must be taken to protect the dharma if it is threatened by others who want to damage or alter it, or make it extinct. So Krishna’s representatives must also be able to stand up for what is right and do what is necessary if there are those who want to destroy the dharma.

As Sri Krishna explains, by understanding His divine nature and the reasons for His appearance in this world, we do not take birth in this material creation again. Such wise persons, knowing that the Lord is the origination of everything, certainly engage in the devotional service to the Lord with all their hearts.

“Even if you are considered to be the most sinful of all sinners, when you are situated in the boat of transcendental knowledge, you will be able to cross over the ocean of miseries.” (Bg.4.36)

“Even if one commits the most abominable actions, if he is engaged in devotional service, he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated. He or she quickly becomes righteous and attains lasting peace. O son of Kunti [Arjuna], declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes.” (Bg.9.30-31)

All right, so what if you make a mistake along the way? Or what if you made so many mistakes or sinful activities before accepting this path? Some people may wonder if they have a chance? But do not let things like this make you depressed, upset or ready to give up. I have already explained that whatever you can do gives eternal benefit. So feeling like quitting is just another temporary mood of an unfriendly mind. We have to control this and stay focused on the goal, which is attained over the long-term with faithful and steady progress. However, it can also be attained immediately, depending on how sincere we are.

As Lord Krishna says here, even if we have been the worst of sinners, if we accept this path and enter the boat of spiritual knowledge and follow it sincerely, we become purified of our previous acts and can cross this ocean of material existence to the spiritual domain.

Even if one is on this path yet for some reason makes some mistakes, if he or she is apologetic for them and continues to seriously engage in devotional service, then one will still be rightly situated. He will again become purified of such mistakes. Of course, this does not mean that you make a plan to engage in questionable activities while thinking you will again become freed from the reactions of them by your devotional service. That will not work. You will still be held accountable. In fact, to think that you can engage in sinful activities and then be free from the reactions by the performance of devotional service is offensive. And too much of such nonsense spoils your spiritual service. But those who are serious and enthusiastic about spiritual life and try their best, despite some mistakes along the way, can take courage because Lord Krishna explains that His devotee never perishes. He is always protected, and at the time of death he or she can reach the spiritual abode.

“Just fix your mind upon Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and engage all your intelligence in Me. Thus you will live in Me always, without a doubt. My dear Arjuna, if you cannot fix your mind upon Me without deviation, then follow the regulated principles of bhakti-yoga. In this way you will develop a desire to attain to Me. If you cannot practice the regulations of bhakti-yoga, then just try to work for Me, because by working for Me you will come to the perfect stage. If, however, you are unable to work in this consciousness, then try to act giving up all results of your work and try to be self-situated. If you cannot take to this practice, then engage yourself in the cultivation of knowledge. Better than knowledge, however, is meditation, and better than meditation is renunciation of the fruits of action, for by such renunciation one can attain peace of mind.” (Bg.12.8-12)

At times we may have doubts that we will be successful on the spiritual path, or we may feel that we may not be able to continue because of various reasons or obstacles. Or maybe we think our mind simply gives us too much trouble.

Do not be troubled. Here in these verses Lord Krishna gives the solutions. The best way is to fix the mind and intelligence on Him by any means available. But if that cannot be done at times, then there are other recommended things you can do to help control the mind, or stay focused and work toward the essential goal. So simply take up whatever level is best for you, as described above. Then work up the ladder of spiritual success of always remembering God. There is no pressure, and, as previously explained, whatever progress you make is eternal and helps to keep you moving forward.

Here Lord Krishna simply explains that the best position is to fix the mind and intelligence in various ways on Him. If you cannot do that so easily, then observe the principles of bhakti-yoga since the process will help you increase your thoughts and affection towards God. If that cannot be done, then dedicating one’s work and activities to God will also help. If you cannot adopt that attitude, then you can also offer the results of your work to God and remain free from greed. Or you can learn spiritual knowledge about the position of God, His activities and personality, along with the nature of your own spiritual identity. Or you can simply meditate on the Deity form of the Lord and the descriptions of His pastimes, or even give up the fruits or results of your actions. This can be done by doing service in the temple or to your Deity of God, and so on. Of course, a person can do all of these at different times, since they all assist in our spiritual development and the attainment of God consciousness. Thus, the Vedic path of spiritual progress is most flexible and broad in scope, and allows someone to approach God from any position in life.

There may also be some people who may not have any inclination for spiritual practice. For them, it just does not grab their interest. Nonetheless, they may simply hear about the Lord from others and still worship the Supreme Being as best they can. Because they merely accept advice and instructions from spiritual authorities and observe the worship of the Lord, either at home or in the temples, they can also reach success on this path of devotional service. As Lord Krishna explains:

“There are those who, although not conversant in spiritual knowledge, begin to worship the Supreme Person upon hearing about Him from others. Because of their tendency to hear from authorities, they also transcend the path of birth and death.” (Bg.13.26)

“A person who accepts the path of devotional service is not bereft of the results derived from studying the Vedas, performing austere sacrifices, giving charity or pursuing philosophical and fruitive activities. At the end he reaches the supreme abode.” (Bg.8.28)

“My dear Arjuna, one who is engaged in My pure devotional service, free from the contamination of previous activities and from mental speculation, who is friendly to every living entity, certainly comes to Me.” (Bg.11.55)

“Though engaged in all kinds of activities, My devotee, under My protection, reaches the eternal and imperishable abode by My grace.” (Bg.18.56)

“That abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by electricity. One who reaches it never returns to this material world.” (Bg.15.6)

Again we need to realize the special nature of devotional service to Lord Krishna. It is the epitome of spiritual understanding. This is Vedanta, the end of all Vedic study. By reaching this conclusion, the results of all other processes are included, whether it be studying the Vedas, doing intense austerities, giving charity to altruistic purposes, or attaining whatever else that is offered by any other religion. It is indeed the culmination of all religious practice and inquiry. It is that which all other philosophical research and religious pursuits eventually lead. But you are being given it now.

Devotional service is the process of using the material body and engaging it in the direct service of the Lord. It purifies us of all karma and activities. It is the means of engaging in the same devotional service that goes on by those already liberated and serving God in the spiritual world. Thus, by following this system we will certainly attain the Supreme abode of the Lord, and, thus, never return to the material worlds. There is no goal or purpose higher than this.