When Krishna offers multiple levels to connect with him how to avoid the tendency to connect at the easiest level?

Question, in the Bhagavad Gita conclusion, Krishna talks about those who share his message, those who study his message and those who hear his message, how all of them are benefited. Do all of them get the same benefit and how can we ensure that we don’t choose the easier option instead of the tougher option? Answer, broadly speaking, Krishna is not explicitly stating the benefits for all three of them. For those who share his message, he says they become very dear to him and in fact there is no one sodier and then they get Parabhakti.

So that clearly indicates that they attain the highest abode. Now that’s 1868-1869, 1870, Krishna talks about those who study his message, they worship him with his intelligence. So he is saying that they worship him with their intelligence.

He doesn’t specify any destination. And then in the next verse, he talks about those who hear his message, they attain the auspicious planets. Now Chakravarti Pa there mentions in his commentary that this is also referring to the heavenly planets but to the planet of Dhruva, which is in the material world but is also in the spiritual world.

So in that sense, the prapniyat-punya-karmanam is not just the result of piety but is the result of bhakti. So Dhruva’s planet is in the material world but still it is considered a spiritual planet. And from there one attains the spiritual world.

So if we consider Chakravarti Pa’s explanation that even those at the lowest level of simply hearing Krishna’s message will also eventually attain the spiritual world, then we can say that applies to the intermediate level also where they are studying the Gita. So now when Krishna is accommodating all the levels, how can we avoid choosing the easiest path? I think it depends on we understanding the principle of love or we could say the difference between love and business or commerce. In commerce, often we want to give the least amount of service or resources or money and get the maximum amount in return.

In love, we naturally want to offer the best to the beloved. And if you are trying to get away by offering the least, then that is not a loving relationship, that is a transactional or commercial relationship. And we need to go beyond that kind of mentality.

So broadly when we see such multi-level presentation from Krishna, whether it is in the 18th chapter, whether it is in the 12th chapter, from verses 8 to 12, we need to see that this is the expression of Krishna’s loving heart. And when Krishna expresses loving heart, then we should also reciprocate with our loving heart. Krishna says as we approach him, so he rewards.

So if he is revealing his loving heart and extending his multiple levels, if we start having a calculative head, that let me do this much only and because of doing this much also I will get elevated, then Krishna will also respond with his calculative head. So when our Ajamil, after just once chanting the holy name, gets delivered from the clutches of Yamaraj, Parikshit Maharaj doesn’t think that, he doesn’t say to Shukadeva Swami, you know, Shukadeva Swami, shut up, there is no need for you to speak for 7 days now for me to hear. When the Dakshak comes, at that time I will chant one Narayan.

So just giving the options that are easier doesn’t necessarily mean that we take the easier options or that everyone uses it as a license to stay at the lowest possible level. That’s why rather than talking about this level leading to this destination and that level leading to that destination in the specifics, something which Krishna himself does not emphasize by leaving out the specific destination for 1870, what we understand is the principle that Krishna is revealing his love and it is out of his love that he is accommodating us at multiple levels. And we also reciprocate with love by trying to connect with him at the level that we can while also trying our best to connect more intimately, rising to a higher level.

Thank you.