the universal scripture

Someone may say that this self-realization business is for the yogis and sadhus. What does it have to do with a practical person of this world with a family and a job? 

The Bhagavad Gita is a scripture specifically meant for the people who live within this world. The Bhagavad Gita is not a sectarian scripture. It is a universal scripture, which explains how to live in an artful and beautiful manner, every moment of our life.

Arjuna was the recipient of the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita. He was a warrior. He was a politician. He had to manage the affairs of the state, and he had to defend the laws of the state. This is very, very practical service. He was by no means a sadhu or a sannyasi (renunciate). 

And when then he was faced with a very difficult crisis - talk about crisis management. He was standing between two armies and he realized that his friends, well-wishers, and relatives were on both sides. He didn’t want to fight; he wanted to run from the problem. He told Krishna, “I’m not going to fight, I’m going to run away to be a yogi or a sadhu or a sannyasi, but Krishna, I’m not going to stay here and fight.” 

Some people say that people like me [a sannyasi] are the people who have escaped from the world, that I couldn’t face the problems of the world, that I couldn’t face practical life so I ran off to become a sadhu. Arjuna wanted to become like that. The whole reason for scripture of the Bhagavad Gita was to convince Arjuna that he had no right to run away from the problems that he was facing in his occupation. Krishna said, "You must face your problems and you must solve them. You must fight because you are a fighter. You must work; work hard. 

'But you must do it in divine consciousness, in consciousness of self realization."

apply the knowledge

So it is a very important factor of our devotional service to try to deeply understand with our intelligence the philosophy of Krishna consciousness; to carefully study our scriptures.

But we shouldn’t think that by purely studying the scripture, this will give us realisation; it is not what is going to really give us faith. Ultimately, the knowledge that we receive, we must apply it to the spirit of humble service to the spiritual master, to the Vaishnavas and our parampara (spiritual lineage). We must chant offenselessly. That is what is going to bring about true faith and realisation.

Srila Prabhupada quotes how mystical the process of Krsna consciousness is, in the sense of how it transforms people’s hearts. The qualities of God and the demigods all manifest within the body of one who surrenders to Krsna.

Prabhupada gives an example of the hunter who surrendered to Narada Muni. What was his qualification? Was he very deeply learned and renounced? No. But because he just followed the instruction of Narada Muni, what a transformation of the heart, from a ruthless murderer to the most gentle loving sage.