Bhagavad-gita As It Is
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
CHAPTER EIGHT
Attaining the Supreme
Bg8.1
TEXT 1
arjuna uvaca
kim tad brahma kim adhyatmam
kim karma purusottama
adhibhutam ca kim proktam
adhidaivam kim ucyate
arjunah uvaca—Arjuna said; kim—what; tat—that; brahma—Brahman; kim—what; adhyatmam—the self; kim—what; karma—fruitive activities; purusottama—O Supreme Person; adhibhutam—the material manifestation; ca—and; kim—what; proktam—is called; adhidaivam—the demigods; kim—what; ucyate—is called.
TRANSLATION
Arjuna inquired: O my Lord, O Supreme Person, what is Brahman? What is the self? What are fruitive activities? What is this material manifestation? And what are the demigods? Please explain this to me.
PURPORT
In this chapter Lord Krsna answers these different questions of Arjuna beginning with, “What is Brahman?” The Lord also explains karma, fruitive activities, devotional service and yoga principles, and devotional service in its pure form. The Srimad-Bhagavatam explains that the Supreme Absolute Truth is known as Brahman, Paramatma, and Bhagavan. In addition, the living entity, individual soul, is also called Brahman. Arjuna also inquires about atma, which refers to body, soul and mind. According to the Vedic dictionary, atma refers to the mind, soul, body and senses also.
Arjuna has addressed the Supreme Lord as Purusottama, Supreme Person, which means that he was putting these questions not simply to a friend but to the Supreme Person, knowing Him to be the supreme authority able to give definitive answers. Bg8.2 TEXT 2 adhiyajnah katham ko ’tra dehe ’smin madhusudana prayana-kale ca katham jneyo ’si niyatatmabhih adhiyajnah—the Lord of sacrifice; katham—how; kah—who; atra—here; dehe—in the body; asmin—in this; madhusudana—O Madhusudana; prayana-kale—at the time of death; ca—and; katham—how; jneyah—be known; asi—You can; niyata-atmabhih—by the self-controlled. TRANSLATION How does this Lord of sacrifice live in the body, and in which part does He live, O Madhusudana? And how can those engaged in devotional service know You at the time of death? PURPORT The Lord of sacrifice accepts Indra and Visnu. Visnu is the chief of the primal demigods, including Brahma and Siva, and Indra is the chief of the administrative demigods. Both Indra and Visnu are worshiped by yajna performances. But here Arjuna asks who is actually the Lord of yajna (sacrifice), and how is the Lord residing within the body of the living entity. Arjuna addresses the Lord as Madhusudana because Krsna once killed a demon named Madhu. Actually these questions, which are of the nature of doubts, should not have arisen in the mind of Arjuna because Arjuna is a Krsna conscious devotee. Therefore these doubts are like demons. Since Krsna is so expert in killing demons, Arjuna here addresses Him as Madhusudana so that Krsna might kill the demonic doubts that arise in Arjuna’s mind. Now the word prayana-kale in this verse is very significant because whatever we do in life will be tested at the time of death. Arjuna fears that at the time of death, those who are in Krsna consciousness will forget the Supreme Lord because at such a time body functions are disrupted and the mind may be in a panic-stricken state. Therefore Maharaja Kulasekhara, a great devotee, prays, “My dear Lord, may I die immediately now that I’m healthy so that the swan of my mind may enter into the stem of Thy lotus feet.” This metaphor is used because the swan often takes pleasure in entering the stem of the lotus flower-similarly, the mind of the pure devotee is drawn to the lotus feet of the Lord. Maharaja Kulasekhara fears that at the moment of death his throat will be so choked up that he will not be able to chant the holy names, so it is better to “die immediately.” Arjuna questions how one’s mind can remain fixed on Krsna’s lotus feet at such times. Bg8.3 TEXT 3 sri-bhagavan uvaca aksaram brahma paramam svabhavo ’dhyatmam ucyate bhuta-bhavodbhava-karo visargah karma-samjnitah sri bhagavan uvaca—the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; aksaram—indestructible; brahma—Brahman; paramam—transcendental; svabhavah—eternal nature; adhyatmam—the self; ucyate—is called; bhuta-bhava-udbhava-karah—action producing the material bodies of the living entities; visargah—creation; karma—fruitive activities; samjnitah—is called. TRANSLATION The Supreme Lord said, The indestructible, transcendental living entity is called Brahman, and his eternal nature is called the self. Action pertaining to the development of these material bodies is called karma, or fruitive activities. PURPORT Brahman is indestructible and eternally existing, and its constitution is not changed at any time. But beyond Brahman there is Parabrahman. Brahman refers to the living entity, and Parabrahman refers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The constitutional position of the living entity is different from the position he takes in the material world. In material consciousness, his nature is to try to be the lord of matter, but in spiritual (Krsna) consciousness, his position is to serve the Supreme. When the living entity is in material consciousness, he has to take on various bodies in the material world. That is called karma, or varied creation by the force of material consciousness. In Vedic literature the living entity is called jivatma and Brahman, but he is never called Parabrahman. The living entity (jivatma) takes different positions—sometimes he merges into the dark material nature and identifies himself with matter, and sometimes he identifies himself with the superior spiritual nature. Therefore he is called the Supreme Lord’s marginal energy. According to his identification with material or spiritual nature, he receives a material or spiritual body. In material nature he may take a body from any of the 8,400,000 species of life, but in spiritual nature he has only one body. In material nature he is sometimes manifested as a man, demigod, an animal, a beast, bird, etc., according to his karma. To attain material heavenly planets and enjoy their facilities, he sometimes performs sacrifices (yajna), but when his merit is exhausted, he returns to earth again in the form of a man. ln the process of sacrifice, the living entity makes specific sacrifices to attain specific heavenly planets and consequently reaches them. When the merit of sacrifice is exhausted, then the living entity descends to earth in the form of rain, then takes on the form of grains, and the grains are eaten by man and transformed into semen, which impregnates a woman, and thus the living entity once again attains the human form to perform sacrifice and so repeat the same cycle. In this way, the living entity perpetually comes and goes on the material path. The Krsna conscious person, however, avoids such sacrifices. He takes directly to Krsna consciousness and thereby prepares himself to return to Godhead. Impersonalist commentators on the Gita unreasonably assume that Brahman takes the form of jiva in the material world, and to substantiate this they refer to Chapter Fifteen, verse 7, of the Gita. But this verse also speaks of the living entity as “an eternal fragment of Myself.” The fragment of God, the living entity, may fall down into the material world, but the Supreme Lord (Acyuta) never falls down. Therefore this assumption that the Supreme Brahman assumes the form of jiva is not acceptable. It is important to remember that in Vedic literature Brahman (the living entity) is distinguished from Parabrahman (the Supreme Lord). Bg8.4 TEXT 4 adhibhutam ksaro bhavah purusas cadhidaivatam adhiyajno ’ham evatra dehe deha-bhrtam vara adhibhutam—the physical manifestation; ksarah—constantly changing; bhavah—nature; purusah—the universal form; ca—and; adhidaivatam—including all demigods like the sun and moon; adhiyajnah—the Supersoul; aham—I (Krsna); eva—certainly; atra—in this; dehe—body; deha-bhrtam—of the embodied; vara—the Supreme. TRANSLATION Physical nature is known to be endlessly mutable. The universe is the cosmic form of the Supreme Lord, and I am that Lord represented as the Supersoul, dwelling in the heart of every embodied being. PURPORT The physical nature is constantly changing. Material bodies generally pass through six stages: they are born, they grow, they remain for some duration, they produce some by-products, they dwindle, and then they vanish. This physical nature is called adhibhutam. Because it is created at a certain point and will be annihilated at a certain point, the conception of the universal form of the Supreme Lord that includes all the demigods and their different planets is called adhidaivatam. The individual soul (jiva) accompanies the body. The Supersoul, a plenary representation of Lord Krsna, is called the Paramatma or adhiyajna and is situated in the heart. The word eva is particularly important in the context of this verse because by this word the Lord stresses that the Paramatma is not different from Him. The Supersoul, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, seated beside the individual soul, is the witness of the individual soul’s activities and is the source of consciousness. The Supersoul gives the jiva an opportunity to act freely, and He witnesses his activities. The functions of all these different manifestations of the Supreme Lord automatically become clarified for the pure Krsna conscious devotee engaged in transcendental service of the Lord. The gigantic universal form of the Lord called adhidaivatam is contemplated by the neophyte who cannot approach the Supreme Lord in His manifestation as Supersoul. The neophyte is advised to contemplate the universal form whose legs are considered the lowet planets and whose eyes are considered the sun and moon, and whose head is considered the upper planetary system. Bg8.5 TEXT 5 anta-kale ca mam eva smaran muktva kalevaram yah prayati sa mad-bhavam yati nasty atra samsayah anta-kale—at the end of life; ca—also; mam—unto Me; eva—certainly; smaran—remembering; muktva—quitting; kalevaram—the body; yah—he who; prayati—goes; sah—he; mad-bhavam—My nature; yati—achieves; na—not; asti—there is; atra—here; samsayah—doubt. TRANSLATION And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me alone, at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt. PURPORT In this verse the importance of Krsna consciousness is stressed. Anyone who quits his body in Krsna consciousness is at once transferred to the transcendental abode of the Supreme Lord. The word smaran (remembering) is important. Remembrance of Krsna is not possible for the impure soul who has not practiced Krsna consciousness in devotional service. To remember Krsna one should chant the mahamantra, Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, incessantly, following in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya, being more tolerant than the tree, humbler than the grass and offering all respect to others without requiring respect in return. In such a way one will be able to depart from the body successfully remembering Krsna and so attain the supreme goal. Bg8.6 TEXT 6 yam yam vapi smaran bhavam tyajaty ante kalevaram tam tam evaiti kaunteya sada tad-bhava-bhavitah yam yam—whatever; va—either; api—also; smaran—remembering; bhavam—nature; tyajati—give up; ante—at the end; kalevaram—this body; tam tam—similar; eva—certainly; eti—gets; kaunteya—O son of Kunti; sada—always; tat—that; bhava—state of being; bhavitah—remembering. TRANSLATION Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail. PURPORT The process of changing one’s nature at the critical moment of death is here explained. How can one die in the proper state of mind? Maharaja Bharata thought of a deer at the time of death and so was transferred to that form of life. However, as a deer, Maharaja Bharata could remember his past activities. Of course the cumulative effect of the thoughts and actions of one’s life influences one’s thoughts at the moment of death; therefore the actions of this life determine one’s future state of being. If one is transcendentally absorbed in Krsna’s service,then his next body will be transcendental (spiritual), not physical. Therefore the chanting of Hare Krsna is the best process for successfully changing one’s state of being to transcendental life. Bg8.7 TEXT 7 tasmat sarvesu kalesu mam anusmara yudhya ca mayy arpita-mano-buddhir mam evaisyasy asamsayah tasmat—therefore; sarvesu—always; kalesu—time; mam—unto Me; anusmara—go on remembering; yudhya—fight; ca—also; mayi—unto Me; arpita—surrender; manah—mind; buddhih—intellect; mam—unto Me; eva—surely; esyasi—will attain; asamsayah—beyond a doubt. TRANSLATION Therefore, Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of Krsna and at the same time carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on Me, you will attain Me without doubt. PURPORT This instruction to Arjuna is very important for all men engaged in material activities. The Lord does not say that one should give up his prescribed duties or engagements. One can continue them and at the same time think of Krsna by chanting Hare Krsna. This will free one from material contamination and engage the mind and intelligence in Krsna. By chanting Krsna’s names, one will be transferred to the supreme planet, Krsnaloka, without a doubt. Bg8.8 TEXT 8 abhyasa-yoga-yuktena cetasa nanya-gamina paramam purusam divyam yati parthanucintayan abhyasa—practice; yoga-yuktena—being engaged in meditation; cetasa—by the mind and intelligence; na anya-gamina—without being deviated; paramam—the Supreme; purusam—Personality of Godhead; divyam—transcendental; yati—achieves; partha—O son of Prtha; anucintayan—constantly thinking of. TRANSLATION He who meditates on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his mind constantly engaged in remembering Me, undeviated from the path, he, O Partha [Arjuna], is sure to reach Me. PURPORT In this verse Lord Krsna stresses the importance of remembering Him. One’s memory of Krsna is revived by chanting the mahamantra, Hare Krsna. By this practice of chanting and hearing the sound vibration of the Supreme Lord, one’s ear, tongue and mind are engaged. This mystic meditation is very easy to practice, and it helps one attain the Supreme Lord. Purusam means enjoyer. Although living entities belong to the marginal energy of the Supreme Lord, they are in material contamination. They think themselves enjoyers, but they are not the supreme enjoyer. Here it is clearly stated that the supreme enjoyer is the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His different manifestations and plenary expansions as Narayana, Vasudeva, etc. The devotees can constantly think of the object of worship, the Supreme Lord, in any of His features, Narayana, Krsna, Rama, etc., by chanting Hare Krsna. This practice will purify him, and at the end of his life, due to his constant chanting, he will be transferred to the kingdom of God. Yoga practice is meditation on the Supersoul within; similarly, by chanting Hare Krsna one fixes his mind always on the Supreme Lord. The mind is fickle, and therefore it is necessary to engage the mind by force to think of Krsna. One example often given is that of the caterpillar that thinks of becoming a butterfly and so is transformed into a butterfly in the same life. Similarly, if we constantly think of Krsna, it is certain that at the end of our lives we shall have the same bodily constitution as Krsna. Bg8.9 TEXT 9 kavim puranam anusasitaram anor aniyamsam anusmared yah sarvasya dhataram acintya-rupam aditya-varnam tamasah parastat kavim—one who knows everything; puranam—the oldest; anusasitaram—the controller; anoh—of the atom; aniyamsam—smaller than; anusmaret—always thinking; yah—one who; sarvasya—of everything; dhataram—maintainer; acintya—inconceivable; rupam—form; aditya-varnam—illuminated like the sun; tamasah—of the darkness; parastat—transcendental. TRANSLATION One should meditate upon the Supreme Person as the one who knows everything, as He who is the oldest, who is the controller, who is smaller than the smallest, who is the maintainer of everything, who is beyond all material conception, who is inconceivable, and who is always a person. He is luminous like the sun and, being transcendental, is beyond this material nature. PURPORT The process of thinking of the Supreme is mentioned in this verse. The foremost point is that He is not impersonal or void. One cannot meditate on something impersonal or void. That is very difficult. The process of thinking of Krsna, however, is very easy and is factually stated herein. First of all, He is purusa, spiritual, Rama and Krsna, and is described herein as kavim; that is, He knows past, present and future and therefore knows everything. He is the oldest personality because He is the origin of everything; everything is born out of Him. He is also the supreme controller of the universe, maintainer and instructor of humanity. He is smaller than the smallest. The living entity is one 10,000th part of the tip of a hair, but the Lord is so inconceivably small that He enters into the heart of this particle. Therefore He is called smaller than the smallest. As the Supreme, He can enter into the atom and into the heart of the smallest and control him as the Supersoul. Although so small, He is still all-pervading and is maintaining everything. By Him all these planetary systems are sustained. We often wonder how these big planets are floating in the air. It is stated here that the Supreme Lord, by His inconceivable energy, is sustaining all these big planets and systems of galaxies. The word acintya (inconceivable) is very significant in this connection. God’s energy is beyond our conception, beyond our thinking jurisdiction, and is therefore called inconceivable (acintya). Who can argue this point? He pervades this material world and yet is beyond it. We cannot even comprehend this material world, which is insignificant compared to the spiritual world—so how can we comprehend what is beyond? Acintya means that which is beyond this material world, that which our argument, logic and philosophical speculation cannot touch, that which is inconceivable. Therefore intelligent persons, avoiding useless argument and speculation, should accept what is stated in scriptures like the Vedas, Gita, and Srimad-Bhagavatam and follow the principles they set down. This will lead one to understanding. Bg8.10 TEXT 10 prayana-kale manasacalena bhaktya yukto yoga-balena caiva bhruvor madhye pranam avesya samyak sa tam param purusam upaiti divyam prayana-kale—at the time of death; manasa—by the mind; acalena—without being deviated; bhaktya—in full devotion; yuktah—engaged; yoga-balena—by the power of mystic yoga; ca—also; eva—certainly; bhruvoh—between the two eyebrows; madhye—in; pranam—the life air; avesya—establishing; samyak—completely; sah—he; tam—that; param—transcendental; purusam—Personality of Godhead; upaiti—achieves; divyam—in the spiritual kingdom. TRANSLATION One who, at the time of death, fixes his life air between the eyebrows and in full devotion engages himself in remembering the Supreme Lord, will certainly attain to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. PURPORT In this verse it is clearly stated that at the time of death the mind must be fixed in devotion on the Supreme Godhead. For those practiced in yoga, it is recommended that they raise the life force between the eyebrows, but for a pure devotee who does not practice such yoga, the mind should always be engaged in Krsna consciousness so that at death he can remember the Supreme by His grace. This is explained in verse fourteen. The particular use of the word yoga-balena is significant in this verse because without practice of yoga one cannot come to this transcendental state of being at the time of death. One cannot suddenly remember the Supreme Lord at death unless he is practiced in some yoga system, especially the system of bhakti-yoga. Since one’s mind at death is very disturbed, one should practice transcendence through yoga during one’s life. Bg8.11 TEXT 11 yad aksaram veda-vido vadanti visanti yad yatayo vita-ragah yad icchanto brahmacaryam caranti tat te padam sangrahena pravaksye yat—that which; aksaram—inexhaustible; veda-vidah—a person conversant with the Vedas; vadanti—say; visanti—enters; yat—in which; yatayah—great sages; vita-ragah—in the renounced order of life; yat—that which; icchantah—desiring; brahmacaryam—celibacy; caranti—practices; tat—that; te—unto you; padam—situation; sangrahena—in summary; pravaksye—I shall explain. TRANSLATION Persons learned in the Vedas, who utter omkara and who are great sages in the renounced order, enter into Brahman. Desiring such perfection, one practices celibacy. I shall now explain to you this process by which one may attain salvation. PURPORT Lord Krsna explains that Brahman, although one without a second, has different manifestations and features. For the impersonalists, the syllable om is identical with Brahman. Krsna here explains the impersonal Brahman in which the renounced order of sages enter. In the Vedic system of knowledge, students, from the very beginning, are taught to vibrate om and learn of the ultimate impersonal Brahman by living with the spiritual master in complete celibacy. In this way they realize two of Brahman’s features. This practice is very essential for the student’s advancement in spiritual life, but at the moment such brahmacari (unmarried celibate) life is not at all possible. The social construction of the world has changed so much that there is no possibility of one’s practicing celibacy from the beginning of student life. Throughout the world there are many institutions for different departments of knowledge, but there is no recognized institution where students can be educated in the brahmacari principles. Unless one practices celibacy, advancement in spiritual life is very difficult. Therefore Lord Caitanya has announced, according to the scriptural injunctions for this age of Kali, that no process of realizing the Supreme is possible except the chanting of the holy name of Lord Krsna: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Bg8.12 TEXT 12 sarva-dvarani samyamya mano hrdi nirudhya ca murdhny adhayatmanah pranam asthito yoga-dharanam sarva-dvarani—all the doors of the body; samyamya—controlling; manah—mind; hrdi—in the heart; nirudhya—confined; ca—also; murdhni—on the head; adhaya—fixed; atmanah—soul; pranam—the life air; asthitah—situated; yoga-dharanam—the yogic situation. TRANSLATION The yogic situation is that of detachment from all sensual engagements. Closing all the doors of the senses and fixing the mind on the heart and the life air at the top of the head, one establishes himself in yoga. PURPORT To practice yoga, as suggested here, one first has to close the door of all sense enjoyment. This practice is called pratyahara, or withdrawing the senses from the sense objects. Sense organs for acquiring knowledge, such as the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and touch, should be fully controlled and should not be allowed to engage in self-gratification. In this way the mind focuses on the Supersoul in the heart and the life force is raised to the top of the head. In the Sixth Chapter this process is described in detail. But as mentioned before, this practice is not practical in this age. The best process is Krsna consciousness. If one is always able to fix his mind on Krsna in devotional service, it is very easy for him to remain in an undisturbed transcendental trance, or in samadhi. Bg8.13 TEXT 13 om ity ekaksaram brahma vyaharan mam anusmaran yah prayati tyajan deham sa yati paramam gatim om—the combination of letters, omkara; iti—thus; eka-aksaram—supreme, indestructible; brahma—absolute; vyaharan—vibrating; mam—Me (Krsna); anusmaran—remembering; yah—anyone; prayati—leaves; tyajan—quitting; deham—this body; sah—he; yati—achieves; paramam—supreme; gatim—destination. TRANSLATION After being situated in this yoga practice and vibrating the sacred syllable om, the supreme combination of letters, if one thinke of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and quits his body, he will certainly reach the spiritual planets. PURPORT It is clearly stated here that om, Brahman, and Lord Krsna are not different. The impersonal sound of Krsna is om, but the sound Hare Krsna contains om. It is clearly recommended in this age that if one quits his body at the end of this life chanting the mahamantra, Hare Krsna, he will reach the spiritual planets. Similarly, those who are devotees of Krsna enter the Krsna planet or Goloka Vrndavana, whereas the impersonalists remain in the brahmajyoti. The personalists also enter many innumerable planets in the spiritual sky known as Vaikunthas. Bg8.14 TEXT 14 ananya-cetah satatam yo mam smarati nityasah tasyaham sulabhah partha nitya-yuktasya yoginah ananya-cetah—without deviation; satatam—always; yah—anyone; mam—Me (Krsna); smarati—remembers; nityasah—regularly; tasya—to him; aham—I am; sulabhah—very easy to achieve; partha—O son of Prtha; nitya—regularly; yuktasya—engaged; yoginah—of the devotee. TRANSLATION For one who remembers Me without deviation, I am easy to obtain, O son of Prtha, because of his constant engagement in devotional service. PURPORT ln this verse the bhakti-yoga of the unalloyed devotees of the Supreme Godhead is described. The preceeding verses mention four different kinds of devotees—the distressed, the inquisitive, those who seek material gain, and the speculative philosophers. Different processes of liberation from material entanglement have also been described: karma-yoga, jnana-yoga, and hatha-yoga. But here bhakti-yoga, without any mixture of these, is mentioned. In bhakti-yoga the devotees desire nothing but Krsna. The pure bhakti devotee does not desire promotion to heavenly planets, nor does he seek salvation or liberation from material entanglement. A pure devotee does not desire anything. In the Caitanya-caritamrta the pure devotee is called niskama, which means he has no desire for self-interest. Perfect peace belongs to him alone, not to them who strive for personal gain. The pure devotee only wants to please the Supreme Lord, and so the Lord says that for anyone who is unflinchingly devoted to Him, He is easy to attain. The devotee can render service to any of the transcendental forms of the Supreme Lord, and he meets with none of the problems that plague the practitioners of other yogas. Bhakti-yoga is very simple and pure and easy to perform. One can begin by simply chanting Hare Krsna. Krsna is very merciful to those who engage in His service, and He helps in various ways that devotee who is fully surrendered to Him so he can understand Him as He is. The Lord gives such a devotee sufficient intelligence so that ultimately the devotee can attain Him in His spiritual kingdom. The special qualification of the pure devotee is that he is always thinking of Krsna without considering the time or place. There should be no impediments. He should be able to carry out his service anywhere and at any time. Some say that the devotee should remain in holy places like Vrndavana or some holy town where the Lord lived, but a pure devotee can live anywhere and create the atmosphere of Vrndavana by his devotional service. It was Sri Advaita who told Lord Caitanya, “Wherever You are, O Lord—there is Vrndavana.” A pure devotee constantly remembers Krsna and meditates upon Him. These are qualifications of the pure devotee for whom the Lord is most easily attainable. Bhakti-yoga is the system that the Gita recommends above all others. Generally, the bhakti-yogis are engaged in five different ways: 1) santa-bhakta, engaged in devotional service in neutrality; 2) dasya-bhakta, engaged in devotional service as servant; 3) sakhya-bhakta, engaged as friend; 4) vatsalya-bhakta, engaged as parent; and 5) madhurya-bhakta, engaged as conjugal lover of the Supreme Lord. In any of these ways, the pure devotee is always constantly engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Supreme Lord and cannot forget the Supreme Lord, and so for him the Lord is easily attained. A pure devotee cannot forget the Supreme Lord for a moment, and similarly, the Supreme Lord cannot forget His pure devotee for a moment. This is the great blessing of the Krsna conscious process of chanting the mahamantra, Hare Krsna.