Chapter 5: Karma yoga Action in Krishna Consciousness

Verse 25

labhante brahma-nirvāṇam
ṛṣayaḥ kṣīṇa-kalmaṣāḥ
chinna-dvaidhā yatātmānaḥ
sarva-bhūta-hite ratāḥ

Those who are beyond the dualities that arise from doubts, whose minds are engaged within,
who are always busy working for the welfare of all living beings and who are free from all sins achieve liberation in the Supreme.

In this Sloka Krishna talks about how to achieve the supreme lord. He talks about four things.
 One who is beyond the dualities that arise from doubts.
 Whose minds are engaged within
 Who are always busy working for the welfare of all living beings
 One who is free from all sins.
If you have these four you will achieve the supreme Lord.

What is Duality and how does it comes?
Here in this slokha we came across the term “Duality”. Duality means the experiences we go
through our life is conditioned by our mind and intelligence. If something is pleasing and
favorable to our body and mind we accept it. If mind says this is not pleasurable, that it will
create unhappiness to us, to our senses then our mind will reject it.

Based on the condition of mind and intelligence the soul experiences certain things in life. In other words it is like dreaming and desiring state of human beings. An imaginary experiences created by the mind and intelligence and the soul experiences it. Because our soul sees everything whatever the mind and intelligence displays. Mind is like opening a window, there is a reality. We see things outside the window. Our mind reflects the reality as it is. Example is like watching a horror movie. We experience the anxiety, fear, tension etc. We think the movie is real, we associate ourselves with the characters in the movie .What the pain the characters in the movie go through we will feel we too are experiencing it. So when mind is conditioned it does not show the actual reality. It gives different picture that is when we experience dualities in life. Another example is judging people, looking down at people it all comes from our mind.

In this Slokha it says dualities arises doubts in mind, when we don’t have the right intelligence and knowledge. Here the doubt is whether Krishna is the Supreme Personality of God Head. If we read Bhagavat Gita there are several slokha which clearly says that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of God head, he is Pare Brahman, there is no truth Superior to him, everything comes from him, He is the father of the universe, mother, Grandsire, from him knowledge, remembrance and forgetfulness comes still in this material world we doubt him.

If we don’t have a firm conviction the mind constantly questions us. We think that if Krishna is
supreme personality of God head it is ok I have my desires to fulfill. But we keep on going
fulfilling our material desires endlessly without getting any satisfaction of heart because we get pure satisfaction only if our soul is satisfied. And that is by engaging in devotional service to the Lord selflessly. Also we should understand that nothing is permanent in this material world.
There is always a destructive aspect, a TIME FACTOR (Krishna himself), anything you have it, will deteriorate. But we should not be disappointed. Krishna gives us a hope, an optimistic way how to lead our life in this material world so as we will reach him and live with him in the kingdom of god permanently
Krishna say focus our mind in devotional things. Read scriptures, follow the instructions of
Guru’s and senior devotees. If we read Bhagavat Gita everything is there, it teaches us the
important lessons in life , like when you are down what to do , how to be a true leader, how to
be diplomatic in tough situations, how to practice pure devotional service, the relationship
lessons how to do deal with tough people.
In this Sloka welfare of all living beings does not mean it is material welfare, but it is taking
care of both material and spiritual welfare of all living beings. Srila Prabupad and his spiritual
master Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was against material welfare activities. They wanted charity to be material well as spiritual, because it will help complete the person receiving. If you think devotion to god and kindness to living entity like giving food, charity are two different things then this is not actual bhakti, it is just a shadow of Bhakti, not the actual Bhakti. If we show kindness to god you should show kindness to other living entity we should not do it whimsically. Example of Nimi Maharaja and the Dove (9 th Canto of Bhagavadam) teaches us how to be compassion, tolerant to other living beings.

To conclude. In the world of duality—that is to say, in the material world—so-called goodness
and badness are both the same. Therefore, in this world, to distinguish between good and bad, happiness and distress, is meaningless because they are both mental concoctions
(manodharma). Because everything here is miserable and troublesome, to create an artificial
situation and pretend it to be full of happiness is simply illusion. The liberated person, being
above the influence of the three modes of material nature, is unaffected by such dualities in all circumstances. He remains Krishna conscious by tolerating so-called happiness and distress.