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Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 9.34
मन्मना भव मद्भक्तो मद्याजी मां नमस्कुरु ।
मामेवैष्यसि युक्त्वैवमात्मानं मत्परायण: ॥ ३४ ॥
man-manā bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru
mām evaiṣyasi yuktvaivam
ātmānaṁ mat-parāyaṇaḥ
Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, become My devotee, offer obeisances to Me and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me.
Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.ioWhat this verse is saying, and where it sits in the story.
3 study points
Kṛṣṇa says to always think of Him, become His devotee, bow to Him and worship Him. Fully absorbed in Him, you will surely reach Him.
Prabhupāda explains that Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the only way to be freed from the material world. Thinking of Kṛṣṇa must be done with devotional love.
Hear and chant about Kṛṣṇa, learn from a genuine teacher, and engage your mind, body and activities in His service.
Worship Krishna directly — This verse points out clearly that “Krishna consciousness is the only means for deliverance from material world.”
How to worship Krishna directly
Engage your mind always in thinking of Me
Become My devotee
Offer obeisances to Me
Worship Me
How to engage one’s mind
Engage in His eternal form, the primal form of Krishna
With conviction that Krishna is the Supreme
Engage body, mind and activities in His service without deviation – Nine activities
Benefit: Transfer to Krishna-loka
Srila Prabhupada refutes unscrupulous commentators
Unscrupulous commentators defined
Make profit and mislead: Make profit out of misleading people. Divert their mind to that which is not at all feasible
They refer to Krishna’s mind: They do not know that there is no difference between Krishna’s mind and Krishna
Our Response is:
Krishna is not an ordinary human but Absolute (Body, Mind and Himself are Absolute One)
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati quotes from Caitanya Charitamrta: “No difference between Krishna and His body”
Demoniac Mentality — They do think of Krishna but always unfavourably and enviously e.g. Kamsa
Real bhakti defined based on correct understanding
One should “Think of Krishna as a person”
Favourably in devotional love
Cultivate knowledge of Krishna continuously
What is that favourable cultivation – Learn from bona-fide spiritual master
What are the bona-fide teachings of such a Spiritual Master – Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His body is eternal, blissful and full of knowledge and we are His eternal servants
End of chapter 9
Bhagavad Gita Notes 1 Chapter 9 Appendix CHAPTER 9 Appendix Selected Texts extracted from “Surrender unto Me” Introduction Chapter Seven and Chapter Nine share various themes: hearing from Kåñëa (7.1-2 / 9.1-2); the rela- tionship between Kåñëa and material nature (7.4-7, 7.12 / 9.4-10); Kåñëa’s potency manifested within matter (7.8-11 / 9.16-19); worship of demigods contrasted with worship of Kåñëa (7.20-23 / 9.20-28); and the impersonalists’ knowledge of Kåñëa contrasted with that of devotees (7.24-26 / 9.11-15)
Texts 9.33 & 9.34
Krishna concluded Text 9.33 with the words “bhajasva mam”, “Engage in loving service unto Me.” In the next text, Krishna will clearly tell us how to do so.
Affection and dedication
Pure devotional service – If one worships Krishna with devotion or even offers Him the fruit of his work, one becomes free from reactions and comes to Him. Worship is simple and result is super excellent (9.26 – 9.28)
Krishna shows favouritism to His devotee. He considers a devotee saintly, even if he’s committed a horrible act, and He quickly purifies the devotee (9.29 – 9.31)
Devotional Service purifies all. By thinking of Krishna, offering Him obeisances and being absorbed in Him, one goes back to Godhead, regardless of his position (9.32 – 9.34)
Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.
The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.
Remembrance
Fix the mind on Krishna and worship Him.
Take one thing from this verse into your day.
What is the real object of my daily attention and affection?
Create one intentional moment of remembrance and worship.
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.