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Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 9.11
अवजानन्ति मां मूढा मानुषीं तनुमाश्रितम् ।
परं भावमजानन्तो मम भूतमहेश्वरम् ॥ ११ ॥
avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā
mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam
paraṁ bhāvam ajānanto
mama bhūta-maheśvaram
Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature as the Supreme Lord of all that be.
Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.ioWhat this verse is saying, and where it sits in the story.
3 study points
Fools mock Kṛṣṇa when He appears in human form, not knowing His nature as the Supreme Lord of all.
Prabhupāda explains that Kṛṣṇa is no ordinary man: His body is nonmaterial, eternal, blissful and full of knowledge.
Accept Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Lord, surrender to Him and serve Him with devotion.
Fools think of Krishna’s form as ordinary human and do not consider Aishvarya-Jnana of Text 9.4 – 9.10
Fools do not consider His transcendental nature as the Supreme Lord of all that be
First half of the purport establishes that Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, although appearing ordinary but He is not a common man
Based on 9.4 – 9.10 (Yogam-Aishvaram) – One who conducts such inconceivable acts of creation, cannot be a common man
Ref. Brahma Samhita 5.1 – Krishna is the Supreme Ishvara – Supreme Controller
Ref. Gopala-Tapani Upanisad and Brahma Samhita – His body is sac-cid-ananda and not like a common man
If Bg. 7.14 (“daivi hy...”) says: ‘A soul surrendered unto Krishna can get out of material energy’ – Then how can Lord who conducts creation, etc., and controls material energy, have a material body like us
Mudhas – Great scholars, who may be born as extra-ordinary man due to good karma, deride Him because of poor fund of knowledge – They are called Mudhas
What knowledge they lack? – They do not know Krishna’s transcendental knowledge like...
Confidential activities of Supreme Lord and His different energies
His eternal body is of complete bliss and knowledge
He is Supreme proprietor
He can award liberation to anyone
His manifestation in material world is a manifestation of internal energy
He controls infinite (biggest) and finite (smallest) and still He is aloof
This can be established by ‘Yogam-Aishvaram’ (9.4 – 9.10)
Who accepts Krishna ‘yogam-aishvaram’ easily
Pure devotee who know Krishna as the Supreme personality of Godhead
Result of this knowledge – Complete surrender in devotional service FOCUS OF LEARNING: PURPORT 9.11 continued…
Solution to controversies between impersonalists and personalists on lord’s appearance as a human being – Solved on the basis of authoritative texts like Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam
Superhuman acts of Krishna and Balarama (Ref. SB 1.1.20) – Krishna and Balarama played like human beings but performed many superhuman acts which no human can perform
Two examples of the Lord’s appearance – Lord’s appearance as human is one of His features of His transcendental body
Krishna appears as four-armed form and then two-armed form in front of Vasudev and Devaki
Universal form and four-armed-form in front of Arjuna (Ref. Bg. Chapter 11)
Mayavadis quote Srimad Bhagavatam to prove Krishna as ordinary man. They say everyone is God
Argument: They use Text SB 3.29.21 – “Supreme is present in every living entity” – to establish Krishna as an ordinary man or ‘Everyone is God’
Refutation: Based on Srila Jiva Goswami and Srila Visvanath Chakravathi Thakura
Jiva Goswami says: Krishna is present as Paramatma in all the hearts. To give attention to Archa Murti in temple and not to respect other living entities is neophyte mentality and is useless worship. Visvanath Chakravathi Thakur warns about this mentality
Conclusion: Devotees vision – “Krishna is present is everyone’s heart as Paramatma, therefore everyone is embodiment or temple of the Lord, so everyone should be given proper respect.”
Impersonalists deride temple worship
Argument: Since God is everywhere why restrict ourselves to Deity worship
Refutation: If God is everywhere then why not also in the temple or in the Deity
Knowledge of Perfect Devotee in Krishna Consciousness:
Knows that “Although Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is all- pervading by His energies and plenary expansions” (Ref. Brahma Samhita)
Texts 9.11 & 9.12
What happens to those, who in bewilderment, disrespect Krishna’s form
Duratmas – Fools who think Krishna’s form is ordinary are defeated in their endeavours (9.11 – 9.12)
Mahatmas – Those who know that Krishna has a transcendental form take shelter of Him and worship Him (9.13 – 9.14)
Indirect worshippers – All who take shelter of a conception of Supreme and worship it, are ultimately worshipping Krishna, but they worship Him indirectly – These are of 3 types:
Ekatvena – the monist, the lowest, worships himself as one with the Supreme (9.11 – 9.12)
Visvato-mukham – a worshiper of the material, universal form is the best (9.16 – 9.19)
Prthakvena – a demigod worshiper, is situated higher than the ‘ekatvena’ (9.20 – 9.25)
Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.
The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.
Key ideas: prakṛti, guṇa.
Take one thing from this verse into your day.
What does BG 9.11 establish in Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport, and how does it connect to nature & guṇas?
Observe which mode shaped your last decision.
Mahābhārata episodes and stories from the purports that shed light on this verse.
Keep going: verses that carry this teaching further.
Study notes are editorial summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport.