General

(a) King of all knowledge and king of all secrets

This knowledge is the king of all types of knowledge (rāja-vidyā) such as śāṇḍilya-vidyā, vaiṣvānara-vidyā, and dahara-vidyā, which are all mentioned in the Upaniṣads. Among the principal philosophers in India are Gautama, Kaṇāda, Kapila, Yājñavalkya, Śāṇḍilya and Vaiśvānara. And finally there is Vyāsadeva, the author of the Vedānta-sūtra. So there is no dearth of knowledge in the field of philosophy or transcendental knowledge. But the Lord says that this is the king of all such knowledge. Since knowledge here refers to bhakti, this is the highest bhakti exceeding all others. This is the king of secret matters (rāja-guhyaṁ) concerning the real nature of the jīvātmā and other items. Bhakti of any type is very secret, and of all types of bhakti, this is the king, the most secret.

Rāja vidyā and rāja guhyaṁ also means knowledge belonging to the kings and the secret belonging to the kings. This knowledge belongs to persons like kings who are generous and compassionate, and who thus consider even heaven insignificant. It is not the knowledge of those with selfish hearts worshipping devatās with desire for quick gain of sons or wealth. Just as kings do not keep their treasures secret, but attentively keep their personal mantras secret, though they are generous, so the devotees, though generous, keep this knowledge secret with great care, though they do not keep other types of knowledge secret.

(b) Most purifying

This knowledge is supremely pure because it destroys all sins including the subtle body, where the karmas are stored. With the disappearance of all karmas, the subtle body dissolves and one attains liberation. Sins in the form of aprārabdha (whose effects will manifest in future lifetimes), kūṭa (dormant), bīja (seed like state) (both stages are intermediate stages before which the effects manifest), and prārabdha (effects manifest this lifetime as enjoyment and suffering) are gradually destroyed for a person engaged in worship of Viṣṇu. As a needle pierces one leaf at a time in a pile of leaves, so bhakti will destroy karmas one at a time. Thus this knowledge is most purifying.

(e) Joyful to perform

Bhakti is joyfully performed. Bhakti destroys all karmas, yields perception of Bhagavān and is easy to execute. Devotional service consists of śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ [SB 7.5.23], so one can simply hear the chanting of the glories of the Lord or can attend philosophical lectures on transcendental knowledge given by authorized ācāryas. Simply by sitting, one can learn; then one can eat the remnants of the food offered to God, nice palatable dishes. In every state devotional service is joyful. Bhakti yoga is joyfully performed because it entails using our senses in Kṛṣṇa’s service, and does not require renouncing our activities as in jñāna yoga. Renouncing sense activities does not bring joy but rather, dryness and misery.

(f) Eternally performed

Bhakti is indestructible and exists even in liberation. Being beyond the guṇas it is eternal. Karma yoga does not destroy all karmas until it turns to jñāna. Jñāna yoga and aṣṭāṅga-yoga are not easy to execute and are given up on liberation. But bhakti continues after liberation. Karma yoga indirectly leads to perception of ātmā, and jñāna yoga and aṣṭāṅga-yoga give perception of the ātmā and Paramātmā but not Bhagavān.

The remarkable powers stimulate devotion to Him. This knowledge is required by devotees who are in dāsya bhakti. Kṛṣṇa says that He pervades the whole universe by His unmanifested form. All beings are in Him, as He is the cause, but He is not in them, since He is completely detached. The universe is pervaded by the Lord, whose svarūpa cannot be grasped by the material senses. All moving and non moving entities are within Him because their existence depends on Him. But the Lord is not situated in all of these living entities because He is not dependent on them. Thru His expansion as the Paramātmā, rather than personally, Kṛṣṇa enters within the universe and controls and supports it. The material world rests on His energy, but He is aloof. Just as the sunshine is spread all over the universe, the energy of the Lord is spread all over the creation, and everything is resting in that energy. Yet one should not conclude that because He is spread all over He has lost His personal existence. To refute such an argument the Lord says, "I am everywhere, and everything is in me, but still I am aloof." He is the source of the material world, and He maintains it, but He does not directly associate with it. He is free from material nature, but material nature is not free from Him. This is knowledge of Kṛṣṇa’s inconceivable opulent potency – all matter rests upon Him yet He remains aloof.

The jīvas accept a body, protect it, and developing attachment to it, remain in that body. But the Lord, though He accepts all living beings and protects them, is not situated in them because He is not attached.

Kṛṣṇa gives the example just as the wind blowing everywhere rests always in ether, so all beings are resting in Him alone. The great air which cannot support itself, situated in the great ether which also cannot support itself, moves everywhere. Since they have no supporting power of their own, their existence is enabled by Kṛṣṇa’s will alone, and movement takes place thru the Paramātmā within. The wind remains always situated in the ether, which has a nature of being detached. The wind has a nature of being restless, going everywhere and is great in size. Because of the detachment of the ether, the wind is situated in it, but also not situated in it; the ether, though in the wind, is not in the wind, because of detachment. Similarly all things such as ether, which are great in dimension and are moving everywhere, are situated in Kṛṣṇa, who is also detached.

Out of fear of the Lord, the wind blows (Taittirīya Upaniṣad). The sun moves in its orbit by the order of Govinda. This material manifestation, which appears to us to be very wonderful and great, is under the complete control of the Supreme. Just as the air exists and moves in the ether by the Lord’s will, all beings are situated in the Lord, maintained and controlled only by His will. But the Lord remains unaffected.