Surrender to God
Kripaluji Maharaj explains that Ved Vyas writes that Vedant is of many kinds: Adwait-vedant (mono-dualism), vishisht-adwait vedant (qualified monism), dwait-vedant (dualism), achintya-bhedabhed-vad vedant (inconceivable mono-dualism), vishudh-adwait vedant (pure monism). The essence of all the vedantas is the Bhagwatam, which describes the leelas and devotion to Krishn, the supreme personality of God. Yet, Shankaracharya says that the personal form of God doesn’t even exist! But Shankaracharya’s Guru’s Guru’s Guru’s Guru, Ved Vyas, says that the Bhagwatam is the essence of all the the vedantas. Bhagwatam, 12/13/15.
So the path of gyan is difficult to explain, difficult to understand and difficult to follow. Even if someone could do it, he would have to cross these six material stages of maya, prithvi, jal, tej, vayu, akash and ahankar. Perhaps this is possible in some other ages, but no one could do this in age of kali. Beyond these is mahan, and beyond this is prakriti or maya. He can’t conquer these two. He can’t eliminate them. Unless he surrenders to God, maya won’t leave him. The gyani may eliminate everything up to his ego, but he can’t end mahan and prakriti. So, Krishn’s challenge is, “Only the one who surrenders to Me can cross over maya.” If any yogi or gyani is without devotion, he can’t attain freedom from maya. Forget about God realization. Freedom from maya can’t happen. Even after terminating his ego, a yogi or gyani can’t cross gunavarika maya. He attains swaroopavarika maya and, engrossed in that, maya surrounds him and causes him to wander in the 8.4 million forms of life. This caused a paramhans like Jadbharat to become a deer.
Jadbharat became emotionally attached to a baby deer and at the time of his death, he remembered the deer, and after his death he was reborn as a deer. The Gita says the same thing. You all must have read it many times. In the first verse of the twelfth chapter, Arjun asked Krishn a question, “Maharaj! Gyanis worship impersonal brahm and bhaktas worship the personal form of God. Which of these two is better?” Krishn said, Gita, 12/2, “The bhakt is better.” Why? The formless, impersonal aspect is also Your form. Impersonal brahm is only You. “That is correct, but,” Gita, 12/5. It's not that devotion to impersonal brahm is just difficult. There is ‘adhik’, and an ‘adhiktar’. Following the path of gyan is the absolute limit of extreme difficulty, and a gyani will repeatedly fall.
For example, a baby monkey holds onto his mother. The mother keeps on jumping from house to house or to a tree or here or there, so if the baby gets a little careless, it will fall. But a devotee is like a kitten. The mother cat holds the kitten, so he is carefree. Krishn ensures the spiritual upliftment of His devotees. [Krishn - says, “I take care of those who surrender to Me.” The Gita has described three paths: karm, gyan, and bhakti. But in front of Arjun, Krishn made a promise for only one path, “My devotee can’t fall. Arjun, this is My promise.” But he didn’t say this for a karmi or a gyani. He made this promise only for a bhakt (devotee). He said, “I take complete care of him. I ensure his spiritual upliftment. I take full responsibility for him.” “I take responsibility for him.” No one is qualified for the path of gyan. This is point number one. Then, following it is even more difficult. Then, if someone follows it and arrives at the highest state, he will fall. If there was a Gyani Saint like the Sankadik, King Janak, or Shukdev,they didn’t become Saints only on the strength of gyan. They achieved all the stages of gyan and then surrendered to God.