We shall always remember that we are reading Bhagavad-gītā, and whatever is spoken in the Bhagavad-gītā, we have to, at least, we have to accept that. Otherwise, there is no question of reading this Bhagavad-gītā. Here the Lord says that "I am, I am present here as incarnation, and this is My mission." And as He comes with a mission, there are some activities.
Just like Lord Kṛṣṇa is taking part with Arjuna, and He's taking part in the battlefield of the Kurukṣetra, just like ordinary man. When there is war between two parties, somebody takes part with this party or somebody takes part . . . or some nation takes part with one party or another nation takes part with another nation. So here also, we see that Kṛṣṇa is taking part with Arjuna. Partiality. It appears that Kṛṣṇa is partial. So Kṛṣṇa is not partial. But it, externally, it appears that "He is partial. How He can be God?"
Now, therefore this verse is spoken by Lord Kṛṣṇa. So janma karma me divyam (BG 4.9): "My activities and My coming down to this material world is transcendental." Divyam means transcendental. It is not ordinary things.
Just like Kṛṣṇa, we observe in India the Kṛṣṇa's birthday. This month of August, by the end of August, there will be Kṛṣṇa's birthday, and every Indian home, especially the Hindus, never mind in whatever sect or division they belong, they observe Kṛṣṇa's birthday. As here in the Christian world you observe the birthday of Lord Jesus Christ, similarly . . . so janma.
Now, here Kṛṣṇa says that, "My janma, My birth . . ." And because there is birth, there are some activities. Just like we have taken our birth and there are some activities. So this Kṛṣṇa's birth and Kṛṣṇa's activity are transcendental. Transcendental means they are not these material activities. Now, people will be surprised, "How Kṛṣṇa's activities are transcendental? He's taking part with Arjuna. He's taking part in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra. Oh, He's born of a father whose name is Vasudeva. And He has got a family," and so on, so on. "So just like us." But He says it is transcendental. Transcendental.
And again He says, divyam evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ. Tattvataḥ means "in truth." Simply by knowing, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa is born here at Mathurā, and He was brought up by His foster father at Vṛndāvana. Then, when He was grown up, He went back to His father at Dvārakā. And when He was old, He married so many wives and He had children, and there was a Battle of Kurukṣetra, and He took part." These things are there in the history or in the scriptures, but one has to understand this tattvataḥ, tattvataḥ, in truth.
And the one who understands this Kṛṣṇa's birth and activities and His presence tattvataḥ, in truth, then what the result is? The result is tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). The result is that any person who understands this Kṛṣṇa's activities, His birth and His pastimes, His paraphernalia, everything, the result will . . . simply by understanding it, the result will be that after leaving this material body, he goes directly to Kṛṣṇa. He goes directly to Kṛṣṇa.
That means he becomes a liberated soul, and he goes to the eternal world, and he becomes in his constitutional position of blissful and knowledge and eternal life—simply by knowing this. Simply by knowing in truth the transcendental nature of Kṛṣṇa's birth and activities, one is at once promoted to the, I mean, the transcendental world. This is clearly stated here. Tyaktvā deham.
Just like when . . . ordinarily, when we give up these body, we quit this body, we have to accept another body. Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22). We have discussed this point that we living entities, our life is going on simply by changing dresses from one body to another, transgression (transmigration) of the soul, according to our work. So this, this body is dress. Therefore I have got an actual body.
Just like at the present moment we think, "This material body is my actual body, and there is dress, shirt and coat. The shirt and coat is superficial to this actual body." But here in the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find that we have got our real, spiritual body, separate from the material covering. And as we give up old garments, old dress, and take up another new dress, another new garment, similarly, we give up this body, material body, when it is old enough, when it cannot be used or . . . then we give it up, and we take another body. And this change of body is going on every moment and every second.