BHAKTI SASTRI ESSAY

ESSAY QUESTION - Krishna explains in verses 4.1-2, imam vivasvate yogam..,etc, that Bhagavad
Gita is imparted to kings and rulers. Discuss the relevance of this principle for ISKCON’s future. Give
reference to Bhagavad Gita 4.1-2 in your response

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Sri Guru and Shri Gauranga and all
glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Krishna says in BG 3.21

yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhas
tat tad evetaro janaḥ
sa yat pramāṇaṁ kurute
lokas tad anuvartate
Translation
Whatever action a great man performs, common men follow. And whatever standards he sets by
exemplary acts, all the world pursues.
Hence the Lord imparted the Bhagavad Gita to the kings and rulers as they are the greatest position
in the kingdom and most importantly they could rule the citizens according to the principles of the
Gita and when the citizens will see the the King doing things according to Gita they would follow
him which will uplift everybody to the transcendental loving service of Krishna.

For example in Skanda Purana there is a story of King Rukmangad, He was a dear devotee of Krishna
and used to follow the ekadashi vrat very meticulously and faithfully and 'because of him' his whole
kingdom( the whole earth) used to follow ekadasi and as a result there was no one left in hell and
Lord Yama had to go to Brahma for a solution. This is the result if the leaders of the society are
Krishna conscious and that's why Krishna gave it to the kings.

In ISKCON we can take this principle from 2 approaches, primarily for the leaders of ISKCON and
secondarily for leading figures of the society at large.
BG 4.2 This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession, "and the
saintly kings understood it in that way"
For the leaders of ISKCON it is very important to meticulously study and understand the Bhagavad
Gita As It Is and Prabhupada's mood in its purport because it will directly affect all the devotees in
the movement. And also they should follow the injunction of the Gita whole heartedly as seeing that
will give strength and faith to the other devotees in the movement.

And for mass preaching purposes it will be very efficient if Bhagavad Gita can be given to the leading
figures of the society because for example if Will Smith or others who have billions of followers
altogether will take up Bhagavad Gita or even say the name of Krishna those billions of people will
be affected or will hear Krishna's name. Also if this knowledge of Gita is understood and followed by
leaders of Nations then it will cause world peace and everybody's upliftment and we will actually be
visibly able to see the Golden Age. That's why Krishna who All knowledgeable gave this knowledge to
the kings.
Ultimately this Apaurusheya knowledge of Bhagavad Gita which by Prabhupada's mercy we have the
good fortune to have, should be passed on to everybody (Chaitanya mahaprabhu said, "amara agya
guru hoiya tara ei desh yare dekho tare kaho krishna upadesha") especially to the leaders like
Krishna gave it to Vivasvan or Arjuna.

Hare Krishna….