Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18,Text 65: Conclusion- the perfection of Renunciation. 

man-manā bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru
mām evaiṣyasi satyaṁ te
pratijāne priyo ’si me

Translation: Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus, you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.

 Krishna reveals to Arjuna, his dear friend about the most confidential knowledge about how one can become a pure devotee of the Lord , through a process by which he is certainly  can return to the abode of Krishna and will get an opportunity to  be engaged in the association of Krishna face to face. 

Actually, everyone has got a natural propensity to love and serve Krishna. But Instead of doing that we are going behind material happiness, and are getting frustrated in our life. So, Krishna is recommending, that if you simply follow these processes, that is   man-manā bhava, “always think of Me.,” mad-bhaktaḥ: “You become My devotee., mad-yājī  Worship me, māṁ Namaskuru offer your homage to me. Whoever does this, will go to Krishna’s place for sure. That’s his promise. So, one should become a pure devotee of Krishna and always think of him and act for him. Whoever understand this fact they are the great devotees. In BG (7.19),Krishna says,

bahūnāṁ janmanām ante 

 jñānavān  māṁ prapadyate vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti

sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ

Translation: After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.

Even though we may try various ways to be happy in this material world, we are not happy. But when we come to the real point of loving Krishna there is happiness, because there is love. If we see on Sunday programs or festivals when we come together, everyone is happy because they sing the holy names of Krishna, listen to his glories and eat delicious prasadam. There is no sign of anxiety on anyone’s face including the children. So, when we come to the stage of loving Krishna, there will be feel of real happiness.

For example) a child cries in the lap of another woman whereas the same child will be happy when he sits on the mother’s lap. The same way we will be happy when we stay with our Supreme father and Mother. When the child goes to school ,the mother will be waiting until the child comes back home running  in the evening .Similarly Krishna is waiting for all of us. We should also aspire to go back home back to Godhead.

Sometimes there can be questions raised by practical persons that, “If I think of Krishna always, then where from money will come?”

Krishna  says, in BG: 9.22,

ananyāś cintayanto māṁ 

ye janāḥ paryupāsate 

teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ

yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham

Translation: But those who worship Me with devotion, meditating on My transcendental form—to them I carry what they lack and preserve what they have.

How to think of Krishna ?

When someone asks us, who are you? We will simply say like we are an Indian, an American etc. But actually, we are not this body but a spirit soul. Also, we designate the land as India or America or something.However this whole Land was Bharata Varsha. As the time evolved, we changed the name of the land with influence. Now the point here is, what is our designation before this birth and what will be after the death.We are changing the bodies. When we were born, we like a little baby, later a kid, a teenager, an adult and then become old .The body is changing from the time to time.Still we will identify ourselves with our body and feel like the owners of the Land. This is because of the false ego influenced by the modes of material nature.

In BG 3.27, Krishna says,

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ Ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā

kartāham iti manyate

Translation: The spirit soul bewildered by the influence of false ego thinks himself the doer of activities that are in actuality carried out by the three modes of material nature.

Everything is being conducted by the supreme laws of nature, but the man thinks that “I am something. I am independent.” Ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā.Ahaṅkāra means false egoism.Identifying with the body is false egoism. So ,what are we if not body ….aham brahmasmi. We are spirit souls. So long I am in this body, this body is not actual “I am.” It is just like a vehicle. Just like you are sitting in a car and the car is moving according to your desire, not  moving independently. Suppose, if you are out of the car, your personality is not  gone. So this body is just like a car .It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā [Bg 18.61].The  Supreme  Lord  is  situated  in  everyone’s  heart,  O Arjuna,  and  is  directing  the  wanderings  of  all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.

Simply by getting down from the car will we lose everything? Will we become void?

The Bhagavad-gītā does not agree to that.Lord Krishna, says that “Arjuna, Myself, yourself and all these persons who have come here to fight with one another, they were individual self before, they are individual self now, and they will continue to be individual self in the future. Spiritual identity, will continue.

Krishna says in BG, 2.13

dehino ‘smin yathā dehe

 kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā 

tathā dehāntara-prāptir

dhīras tatra na muhyati

As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change. “Dehe” means in this body, and “ Dehī “means the person who is within this body, he is there, pea like form. Because the form, measurement, is so small that we cannot see. It is not possible. It is ten-thousandth part of the tip of the hair. It is so small. So, with our material eyes, or our material conception, we cannot see the soul. But the soul is there, and the proof is  material body is growing. When this body becomes useless, imperceptibly, the soul gives up this body.

Also, Krishna says in BG, 2.22

vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya

 navāni gṛhṇāti naro ’parāṇi 

tathā śarīrāṇi vihāya jīrṇāny 

anyāni saṁyāti navāni dehī

As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies,giving up the old and useless ones. After the death, we will take another body .The selection of the body depends on our thoughts while leaving the body according to BG 8.6

yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram

taṁ tam evaiti kaunteya

sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ

Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, O son of Kuntī, that state he will attain without fail.

Now it’s our responsibility to give freedom to our Soul which is trapped in this material body for millions of years. We should be free from the cycle of birth and death. The real independence is when we reach the Supreme and be in – dependent on Krishna. Fortunately, we got the human birth and this birth itself we should free our soul which is trapped in this city of Nine gates. Even though our country had won independence, we are not  free yet because we are dependent on our material senses, wealth etc.The real problem is that we are away from Krishna , and we are living independent of him but dependent on the people who are in power (who think that they are the proprietors). We need to be released from this miserable material life  and  get freedom from the four major problems birth, disease, old age and death. The real independence  actually comes when we get out of the of this cycle of Birth and Death.

Story

There was a cage which was very beautiful .It was made with gold and studded with the precious metals .Beautiful pillars were shining like stars. A queen happened to see that cage ,got attracted and ordered her helpers to buy and get to the palace. But the seller forgot to inform that there is a bird inside the cage that it also needs to eat. The queen owned it and placed in the hallway. She polished it so bright that everyone can be attracted. However, she neglected the voice coming from the cage. Feed me, feed me sang the bird. Feed me please cried the bird. But the lady saw only cage not the bird inside. She never heard the birds cry. She went to the sleep dreaming of the cage. She wanted to display the cage to everyone and show her pride of owning a rare beautiful one.

The next morning, she was busy in sending the invites to her friends for the cage show party. She was busy thinking of the beautiful dresses, opulent jewelry  that she can wear .She also bought nice brocade clothing that she wrapped around the cage.

Days passed and the bird continued crying and finally the bird left his final breath. Finally, the day had come and all her friends visited and  noticed a smell coming from the cage .She was thinking oh, I cleaned the cage and decorated where is this bad odor coming. When they saw inside the cage, they found the dead bird . All her friends started saying that the cage is attractive but how could you neglect the poor bird

What is our duty ?

The duty is mentioned in this verse 18.65 and 9.34

man-manā bhava mad-bhakto

mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru

mām evaiṣyasi yuktvaivam

ātmānaṁ mat-parāyaṇaḥ

We are  always thinking about something  and without thinking, for a moment we cannot stay. That is not possible. So, instead of thinking something let’s make it our duty  to Just think of Krishna. Because Just at the time of our death, based on our  thoughts, we’ll get the specific body in the next birth. So, the intelligent man will understand that  “I am not this body.” First thing. Then he’ll understand what is his duty as a spirit soul. 

Krishna has got so many activities, so many literatures, and so many bhajans. We can read about Krishna, listen about Krishna and give the knowledge about Krishna to others. In this way, we can always think about Krishna. Krishna is the supreme boss ;the benefits are ultimate .And our existence is only due to him. So, our very duty is to think about him. Therefore, Krishna says, bhava mad-bhakta: “You just become My devotee. Then you’re thinking of Me will be nice.”

What is Bhakti 

Bhakti is devotion and devotion mean service.

Mad-yājī means render some service to the Lord .The service can be anything chanting, hearing, making garlands to the deities, cleaning the temple etc. Every simple service with love towards Krishna will make us near to Krishna.

In the 12th chapter of Bhagavad Gita, Krishna has given us many ways to serve .From BG, 12.8- BG, 12.12 Krishna is so kind he is giving us so many options. Initially, he says that just fix your mind upon me and engage your intelligence in me.Then you will live in me always without a doubt. He then says ,if you are not able to fix your mind without deviation, then follow the regulative principles of Bhakti Yoga. Bhakti Yoga is the purification of the senses.If you can’t practice the regulations of Bhakti Yoga, then just try to work for me.If you are unable to work in this consciousness of me, then try give up all the result of your work  to me.All the above ways of devotional services, will ultimately lead us to the path of perfection and hence we can fix the mind.

mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru: The duty is not successful if we don’t obey. The real essence of the vedas is to be obedient. Then we should offer respectful obeisance to the Lord.With love, respect, and designated duties, if we are engaged in Krishna consciousness, then life will be successful. If we practice all these things then  we will be the dearest to Krishna. Then we can serve him face to face in his abode.Thats the truth he mentioned twice in Bhagavad Gita.

Tips to think of Krishna

1.Surrender to Krishna in the favorable mood. Not like Kamsa , who always remember Krishna in the anxiety mood.

2. One should concentrate the mind upon Krishna – the very form with two hands carrying a flute, the bluish boy with a

beautiful face and peacock feathers in his hair. There are descriptions of Krishna found in the Brahma-saṁhitā and other literatures.

3.In order to be elevated in Bhakti, listen from the right source. The person without Bhakti cannot give the same.

4.One must engage in the nine different processes of devotional service, beginning with hearing and chanting about

Krishna. 

Sravanam,Kirtanam,Vishnu Smaranam,Pada Sevanam ,Archanam,Vandam,Dasyam,Sakhyam,Atma Nivedanam.

Pure devotional service is the highest achievement of human society.

5.One should always act in such a way that all his daily activities are in connection with Kṛṣṇa

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama

Rama Rama Hare Hare