All Calamities Disappear

This material world is always unstable, a place of calamities. Here there is only thing we can be sure of, and that is uncertainty. Therefore we can never find solid shelter here. As soon as we think our material situation is stable and secure something comes along to disrupt it. Therefore those who are thoughtful do not look to material arrangements as their basis for happiness and security. They look instead to the Supreme Person, the source of all existence. When we take direct shelter of Him by total surrender at His lotus feet or the lotus feet of His representative, our position becomes sure and solid, and we become completely peaceful and free from all anxieties. Thus all calamities disappear when you have Sri Krishna's shelter

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: Why Surrender to Krishna?

All my respects to you.

I humbly with folded hands put forward my doubts.

Is the Bhagavad-gita the base of all the Vedas?

Since Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Shiva are the three forms which have emerged from the brahma-tattva in the three modes of rajas (passion), sattva (goodness), and tamas (ignorance) respectively, why does Lord Krishna suggest that we should surrender to Him instead of the brahma-tattva?

Shouldn't our purpose of studying Bhagavad-gita be to know the ultimate truth which even the Vedas are not able to explain?

Is the brahma-tattva different or same as Lord Krishna?

Should we strictly not worship any other gods and goddesses if we want to advance in Krishna consciousness?

Can a person who is a samsari (caught up in illusion) advance in Krishna consciousness?

Kindly feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

Smita

Answer: Krishna is the Source of Everything

Thank you very much for your sincere questions. The answers are as follows:

Yes, the wisdom contained in the Bhagavad-gita is the base or foundation for all of the Vedic wisdom. The Bhagavad-gita is indeed the finest essence of all the Vedic wisdom.

Although the demigods and all other living beings emerge, as you say, from the brahma-tattva (the impersonal Brahman effulgence), that brahma-tattva is nothing other than the aura or effulgence radiating from the transcendental body of Lord Sri Krishna. Therefore the real origin of all gods and living beings is that they are all coming from Krishna and merely coming through His effulgence, the brahma-tattva. It only appears that they are originating in the brahma-tattva, when in fact they are all originating in Krishna. Lord Krishna confirms in the Bhagavad-gita that He is the source of the brahma-tattva, the impersonal Brahman effulgence:

brahmano hi pratisthaham

"I am the basis of the brahma-tattva, the impersonal Brahman effulgence."--Bhagavad-gita 14.27

Therefore Krishna's injunction that everyone should surrender to Him is fully just and proper. By surrendering to Krishna we become fully reconnected with our original source of existence and thus become unlimitedly peaceful and happy.

Yes, our purpose in studying the Bhagavad-gita is to understand the ultimate truth. The ultimate truth is explained throughout the Vedic wisdom but often in a hidden or covered way. It is in the Bhagavad-gita and the Srimad Bhagavatam where the ultimate truth is unequivocally explained as the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krishna.

Even though the demigods have higher positions in this material world than we do, there is no sense in worshipping them. This is because they are conditioned souls just like us who are also caught up in the cycle of birth and death. Therefore they are not able to deliver us from the clutches of illusion. Only Lord Krishna can do that.

No matter how you much you may be caught up in illusion, if you will chant the Hare Krishna mantra at least 16 rounds daily on japa mala beads and give up sinful activities, you can quickly and easily advance on the path of self-realization.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari