Sri Krishna's Advice to All of Us
Shortly before Sri Krishna left the world, He spoke his Uddhava, who was His friend, counsellor and cousin (according to Brahma-Vaivarta that says that Uddhava was the son of Devabhaga, who was in turn the brother of Vasudeva, Krishna's father).
Sri Krishna's conversation began when Uddhava, quite like the way Arjuna was on the battlefield, was perplexed seeing the destruction of Sri Krishna's Yaduvanshi lineage and community, as well as wondering why the Lord was leaving the world at the time when He was dearly required during Kali Yuga.
As with the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna's advice to and conversation with His friend, Uddhava, came to be called Uddhava Gita (which is sometimes referred to as Hamsa Gita). This Gita is actually in Srimad Bhagavatam (11th Canto, from Chapter 6:40 to the end of Chapter 29: almost 1000 verses).
The following are very important pieces of advice that the Lord gives us through His friend:
Question: How to live in Kali Yuga when Man is unrighteous?
Sri Krishna: “Free yourself from all attachments. Give up your affection for your friends, family, wealth, etc. Fix your mind firmly on Me. Roam about over this earth, seeing Me in all beings, looking on all beings with equal eyes. All that you see or grasp with the senses, or understand by your mind, are unreal and evanescent. They are creations of your mind, and Maya."
Uddhava asks Sri Krishna: The giving up of desires is not possible for those worldly-minded people who are addicted to sense-objects, and who are not devoted to Thee who art the Self of all. How is it possible to renounce desire all of a sudden or see the world as transitory, for people like me who are immersed in worldliness? I have not yet got over the sense of ‘I’ and ‘Mine.’ I am a poor creature of clouded understanding. I am passionately attached to this body and its belongings, which are the creation of Thy Maya and regard these as ‘I’ and ‘Mine’. The attachment towards son, family and body is very strong in me. Tell me, O Lord! How I can easily follow Thy teachings?”
Sri Krishna: “Very often in the world, men who have insight into the true nature of the world, who have truly discerned the truth about the world, lift up their self and free themselves from evil inclinations and cravings for worldly objects by their own efforts....For, in this human body, men who have controlled their mind and senses, who practise Yoga, who are fixed in meditation, truly find Me out, the Supreme Ruler who cannot be perceived or found out by means of the attributes such as the intellect, etc., that are perceived and by means of inference through those indications."
Question: How to gain clear wisdom and light, by which one is able to give up all attachments?
The following is a summary of Sri Krishna's advice:
1. A wise man should not swerve from the path of righteousness.
2. One should be content with mere supporting his life. He should never long for what gratifies the senses so that knowledge may not be destroyed and the mind may not be dissipated on
worthless objects.
3. One should not be attached to the objects although one is placed in the midst of objects with different attributes and though one is placed in the physical body.
4. One's mind should remain unaffected by the good and evil consequences of the objects, just as the air remains unaffected by the good or bad odour of objects over which it blows.
5. One should eat to live and not live to eat.
6. One should not eat to give strength and nourishment to the senses. The food should be just sufficient to feed the flame of life.
7. One should not have too much affection or attachment for anyone. Too much attachment towards anything causes one’s own destruction.
8. The pleasures obtained through the avenues of the senses, whether in this world or the
next, are transient and fleeting. The wise man never hankers after them.
9. One should be calm, profound or deep, difficult to fathom, illimitable and immovable
or not liable to be perturbed by worldly circumstances like the tranquil ocean.
10. One should extract the essence from all scriptures, great or small, just as the bee does from flowers.
11. One should not listen to sensuous music.
12. One should not allow one's sense of taste to overpower one. (If the sense of taste is controlled, all other senses are controlled. One cannot become master of his organs until he controls the organ of taste. No man can be said to have conquered his senses unless his organ of taste is completely curbed. Thoughtful men soon subdue their senses by fasting.)
13. One should not care for honour or dishonour.
14. One should, having obtained after many births this extremely rare human body which
though transient and frail is yet conducive to the attainment of high purpose, viz., Moksha or the
final emancipation, quickly endeavour to attain liberation or the highest good before it falls a
prey to death; for sense-enjoyment may be had indeed in any body.
Source: pgs. 67 - 83, Lord Krishna, His Lilas and Teachings by Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh
The following are very important pieces of advice that the Lord gives us through His friend:
Question: How to live in Kali Yuga when Man is unrighteous?
Sri Krishna: “Free yourself from all attachments. Give up your affection for your friends, family, wealth, etc. Fix your mind firmly on Me. Roam about over this earth, seeing Me in all beings, looking on all beings with equal eyes. All that you see or grasp with the senses, or understand by your mind, are unreal and evanescent. They are creations of your mind, and Maya."
Sri Krishna: “Very often in the world, men who have insight into the true nature of the world, who have truly discerned the truth about the world, lift up their self and free themselves from evil inclinations and cravings for worldly objects by their own efforts....For, in this human body, men who have controlled their mind and senses, who practise Yoga, who are fixed in meditation, truly find Me out, the Supreme Ruler who cannot be perceived or found out by means of the attributes such as the intellect, etc., that are perceived and by means of inference through those indications."
The following is a summary of Sri Krishna's advice:
1. A wise man should not swerve from the path of righteousness.
2. One should be content with mere supporting his life. He should never long for what gratifies the senses so that knowledge may not be destroyed and the mind may not be dissipated on
worthless objects.
3. One should not be attached to the objects although one is placed in the midst of objects with different attributes and though one is placed in the physical body.
4. One's mind should remain unaffected by the good and evil consequences of the objects, just as the air remains unaffected by the good or bad odour of objects over which it blows.
5. One should eat to live and not live to eat.
6. One should not eat to give strength and nourishment to the senses. The food should be just sufficient to feed the flame of life.
7. One should not have too much affection or attachment for anyone. Too much attachment towards anything causes one’s own destruction.
8. The pleasures obtained through the avenues of the senses, whether in this world or the
next, are transient and fleeting. The wise man never hankers after them.
9. One should be calm, profound or deep, difficult to fathom, illimitable and immovable
or not liable to be perturbed by worldly circumstances like the tranquil ocean.
10. One should extract the essence from all scriptures, great or small, just as the bee does from flowers.
11. One should not listen to sensuous music.
12. One should not allow one's sense of taste to overpower one. (If the sense of taste is controlled, all other senses are controlled. One cannot become master of his organs until he controls the organ of taste. No man can be said to have conquered his senses unless his organ of taste is completely curbed. Thoughtful men soon subdue their senses by fasting.)
13. One should not care for honour or dishonour.
14. One should, having obtained after many births this extremely rare human body which
though transient and frail is yet conducive to the attainment of high purpose, viz., Moksha or the
final emancipation, quickly endeavour to attain liberation or the highest good before it falls a
prey to death; for sense-enjoyment may be had indeed in any body.
Source: pgs. 67 - 83, Lord Krishna, His Lilas and Teachings by Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh
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