So this om means addressing the Lord. In the all the Vedic mantras they are addressing. Our this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, mahā-mantra, that is also addressing. Hare, Hare, addressing the energy of the Lord, Harā. The energy is Harā, Rādhā, Sītā. So when a female is addressed, it is like that: Hare, Late, Sīte, Rādhe. So Hare means addressing first, first of all the energy. The impersonalists, they do not know this, this addressing first of all Kṛṣṇa's energy. We Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas, we don't worship Kṛṣṇa alone, ekala-vāsudeva. No. We must worship Kṛṣṇa along with His energy. Just like Kṛṣṇārjuna, Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna. Arjuna is also energy, living entity, and Kṛṣṇa, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, His internal energy, and marginal energy. So Kṛṣṇa means with His energy. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. This bhagavate means full of energies. I have several times explained bhagavān. Bhaga means opulence, and vān means one who possesses. Bhagavān. That is the meaning of word bhagavān. So when this bhagavān word is addressed, it is addressed as bhagavate. The word is bhagavat, bhagavat-śabda. Of course, these are grammatical arrangement. Vat, this affix, is there when it is meant... Sanskrit, every word, every syllable, has got meaning. That is Sanskrit language. It is not like that "beauty but, (?) beauty put." No. If you say "beauty but," then you must say "peauty put." But in English, "beauty but, peauty put." So in Sanskrit language, you cannot do like that. If you have to follow the rules, then the same rule will go on. So bhagavate address, oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Vāsudevāya. This is the form of, fourth form of, śabda, sound vibration, fourth form. Just like kṛṣṇāya. When I offer something, kṛṣṇāya, viṣṇave. Similarly, bhagavate, vāsudevāya.
Arjuna was... (Lectures, SB cantos 2 - 12)
Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
They are thinking that they are this body, and they are fighting. And everywhere it is going on: "I am this body." Cats and dogs are fighting. So actually, we are not this body. That is knowledge. Therefore Bhagavad-gītā begins when Arjuna was thinking in terms of his body that he was declining to fight in terms of body. "Kṛṣṇa, they are my family members, my brothers, my grandfather, my nephews. How can I kill them?" So therefore Kṛṣṇa, when Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa as his spiritual master... Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam: (BG 2.7) "Kṛṣṇa, now we are talking like friends, but that will not make a solution, because friendly talking useless waste of time. Let us talk seriously. So I accept You as my spiritual master." Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam. "Now you teach me."
So this is the process of taking lessons. Just like Mahārāja Parīkṣit also trying to take lesson from the learned saintly persons there. At last it was settled that "Whatever Śukadeva Gosvāmī will say, that will be accepted. That will be accepted." So therefore Śukadeva, after being questioned by Mahārāja Parīkṣit, Śukadeva Gosvāmī is answering, varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ (SB 2.1.1). He inquired. Parīkṣit Mahārāja inquired. He was a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa from the very beginning. Because Pāṇḍava family, they were all Kṛṣṇa's devotee, so Parīkṣit Mahārāja also was a devotee from his childhood. He was worshiping the Deity of Kṛṣṇa. That was his plaything. Just like Mirabai had kṛṣṇa-mūrti. So those who are born devotees, their inclination is to... That is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā, śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate (BG 6.41). Devotees, from the childhood, they get chance of worshiping Kṛṣṇa or to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. So Parīkṣit Mahārāja was a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. So he inquired from Śukadeva Gosvāmī, "Whether I shall now fully devote myself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness?" And therefore the answer was from Śukadeva Gosvāmī, varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ (SB 2.1.1).
So this is the conception of the (someone coughs loudly) Disturb... (Hindi) So sleeping is also pleasure, but for the devotees, for advanced devotees, just like Gosvāmīs in Vṛndāvana, śrī-rūpa-sanātana-bhaṭṭa-raghunātha, they conquered over sleeping. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau **. Vijitau, they conquered over sleeping. That is required. Just like Arjuna is addressed, "Guḍākeśa." He conquered over sleeping. To conquer over sleeping is the success of life, not to be servant of sleeping. That is not required. That is for the conditioned soul. Nidrayā hriyate naktam. For conditioned soul. Therefore we have to practice. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau. Śrī-gaurāṅga-guṇānuvarṇana-vidhau śraddhā-samṛddhy-anvitau, nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau cātyanta-dīnau ca yau. This is the description of the gosvāmīs. Rūpa Gosvāmī used to sleep generally one and half hour only. And that is also sometimes not sleeping. That is the description in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta.
So to increase sleeping is no qualification. To decrease sleeping. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca sāmānyam etat paśubhir narāṇām. Eating, sleeping, sex life and defending, these business is meant for the animals. So we have got the animal portion of our life, because we are animals. Unless we come to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness point, we are simply animals. Those who are working on the bodily concept of life whole day and night, they are simply animals. Their business is to sleep as much as possible at night. Nidrayā hriyate naktam. Otherwise, vyavāyena ca vā vayaḥ. Vyavāya. Vyavāya means sex. Two business at night, either sex indulgence or sleep. This is ātma-tattvam apaśyatām, apaśyatām. Those who are awakened to the ātma-tattva, they will simply think, "How much time I have wasted!" That is... Avyartha-kālatvam (Cc. Madhya 23.18-19). Avyartha kā... A devotee should be always alert whether he is wasting time or utilizing time.
The Bhagavad-gītā begins, therefore, this self-realization. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). Asmin dehe, this body, contains the dehī, really the proprietor. So such person, apaśyatām ātma-tattvam (SB 2.1.2), they are simply busy with all these things: body and children and wife and relationships. Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣu (SB 2.1.4). Because, through kalatra we increase. Strī means "which expands," strī. Strī, one accepts strī, wife, means to expand his relationship. As soon as I get one strī, one family becomes my father-in-law, and in relation to, I have got my family, and she has got her family. We combine together. Then boys, children. Then get them married. Increase. Increase relationship: "He is my brother-in-law, he is my father-in-law, he is my father, he is my brother, he is brother's brother-in-law, father's father-in-law..." Just like Arjuna was seeing. Oh, Arjuna was seeing like that: "How can I kill them? They are all my... " The same. As ordinary man has got, so Arjuna was playing the ordinary man, just like. He was thinking, "Here is my brother-in-law, here is my brother, here's my nephew, here's my father-in-law, here's my grandfather. How can I kill them?" So... But they will be killed. Nobody can protect. But we are paśyann api na paśyati, that "I have my father; he was killed. He is gone, dead and gone. So I will be also dead and gone, and my son will be also dead and gone." So why we are depending on these things which will be dead and gone? Nobody will live. Nobody will live. Take big big leaders in our country or any country. They are absorbed in nationalism, cannot give up the post of prime ministership, presidentship or leadership. Even great leader like Gandhi. He was always... He got sva-rājya. I wrote him letter: "Mahatma Gandhi, you have got respect as a religious personality. If you..." (aside:) Don't bother, don't... "If you take preaching these things, what I am doing, preach Bhagavad-gītā... You are also lover of Bhagavad-gītā." No. Even after getting sva-rājya, he was implicated. Unless he was killed he would not leave it. Everyone has to leave it, voluntarily or by force, but they will not leave it voluntarily.
So all these rascals, some, forgetting Kṛṣṇa, are suffering in this material world, and he is thinking that this dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣu (SB 2.1.4) will give him protection. This is rascaldom. Nobody can give you protection. Only Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, tasmād bhārata. Bhārata. Bhārata means he is the descendant of King Bharata Mahārāja, under whose name this whole planet is called Bhāratavarṣa. This is Bhāratavarṣa. This planet is called Bhāratavarṣa because formerly it was ruled by Mahārāja Bharata, the son of Ṛṣabhadeva. Therefore it is called Bhārata-varṣa. So this Mahārāja Parīkṣit belonged to that dynasty, Bhārata dynasty, and he is addressed as Bhārata. Sometimes you will find Arjuna is also addressed as Bhārata, Vidura is addressed as Bhārata, because they belongs to the same family, Bhārata family. So tasmād bhārata: "My dear king, Parīkṣit Mahārāja..." Tasmād bhārata sarvātmā, sarvātmā. Kṛṣṇa is everywhere. Don't think that Kṛṣṇa is only in Goloka Vṛndāvana. No. Goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhutaḥ (Bs. 5.37). That is God. As you are sitting here, you are not sitting at home. That is finished. Means you are limited. But Kṛṣṇa, He is sitting everyone's heart; still, He is in Goloka. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they, another kind of fools, they think Kṛṣṇa like us. They consider that "If I am sitting here, how can I sit everywhere?" They think that "Kṛṣṇa is like me." Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). These rascals, they think Kṛṣṇa like himself. Because he is sitting one place, he cannot be anywhere else, similarly, Kṛṣṇa also, if He is in India, He is not in Europe. That is their idea. Therefore Europe and America, they say sometimes that "Kṛṣṇa is Hindus' God." Why Hindus' God? He says, sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti mūrtayo yāḥ (BG 14.4), ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā: "I am the seed-giving father of all different forms of life." Kṛṣṇa claims that He is...
So Śukadeva Gosvāmī recommended, tasmād bhārata. Parīkṣit, the King Parīkṣit, he's addressed as Bhārata. You know India is called Bhāratavarṣa. Why it is called Bhāratavarṣa? Because it is named after the King Bhārata. There was a big emperor of the world whose name was Bhārata. From that Bhārata, his descendants have come also Bhārata, and the country is also called Bhārata. So Parīkṣit Mahārāja happens to be a descendant in that family of Bhārata Mahārāja; therefore he's addressed as Bhārata. Sometimes you'll find in the Bhagavad-gītā Arjuna is also addressed as Bhārata, because Arjuna was also grandfather of this Parīkṣit Mahārāja. Similarly you'll find in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Vidura is also addressed as Bhārata. Sometimes Dhṛtarāṣṭra is addressed as Bhārata. So this common family designation is very prominent still in India. Gotra, the family designation. So the old custom, he's also following, addressing him Bhārata. Tasmād bhārata sarvātmā bhagavān īśvaro hariḥ (SB 2.1.5). He bhārata sarvātmā iti bhagavān iti sundarya. This very... Each word of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is important. This bhagavān word means all-attractive. Bhagavān... I've explained several times, bhaga means opulences, and van means one who possesses. So there are six kinds of opulences: richness, reputation, strength, beauty, wisdom and renunciation. Six kind of opulences. So anyone who possesses these six kinds of opulences in full, not partially, He's Bhagavān, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Take, for example, we are attracted. Suppose some rich man comes in this meeting, very rich man, very famous. We shall immediately be prepared to receive him, because he's attractive. If some reputed philosopher or scientist comes, we shall immediately be prepared to receive him nicely, because he's attractive. So these things are attractions: richness, beauty, education, knowledge, reputation, strength—either bodily strength or political strength or monetary strength; there are so many divisions of strength. So if one is strong, powerful, if one is beautiful, if one is wise, reputed, these things are attraction.
These informations are there. If you accept it, then it is all right. But if you..., even if you don't accept it, that is also all right, because we take Vedic version as absolute truth. So these informations are there and they have been accepted by great ācāryas. Not that we are simply accepting. Great ācāryas. Just like Vyāsadeva, Nārada, Asita, and modern age Śrī Rāmānuja, Śrī Madhvācārya, Śrī Caitanya. They are great scholars. They're great, expert in the spiritual science. They have accepted. And we accept Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by His activities, by the definition of possessing all the six opulences. We don't accept anybody, an ordinary man... Just like now it is a fashion. Everybody comes and says, "I am God." No. We don't accept in that way. Arjuna was talking with Kṛṣṇa. He knew that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but, in order to convince us that in future there may not be any misunderstanding about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he requested Kṛṣṇa to show His universal form. So He showed him. So there is no doubt about, about Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
So here it is recommended, ante nārāyaṇa-smṛtiḥ (SB 2.1.6). Somehow or other, if you can remember the Supreme Personality of Godhead in any way, by His name, by His form, by His quality, by His activities, by His paraphernalia, anything, then your life is successful. Now Śukadeva Gosvāmī is speaking about his own self. Śukadeva Gosvāmī's supposed to be liberated from his birth.
This is natural. This is not artificial. But it is perverted in the material covering. That is the defect. When we are free from this material covering, then we are qualitatively ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12), as jolly... As Kṛṣṇa is dancing always... Kṛṣṇa you will never find... You have seen the picture of Kṛṣṇa. He is fighting with the Kāliya serpent. He is dancing. He is not afraid of the serpent. He is dancing. As He is dancing with the gopīs in rāsa-līlā, similarly, He is dancing with the snake. Because He is ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. He is ānandamaya, always jolly. Always. You will see Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa... Just like in Kurukṣetra the fighting is going on. Kṛṣṇa is jolly. Arjuna is morose because he is living entity, but He is not morose. He is jolly. That is the nature of God. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. This is the sūtra, in the Brahma-sūtra, that "God is ānandamaya, always jolly, always cheerful." So you can become also cheerful when you go back to home, back to Godhead. That is our problem.
Therefore how we can go there? The first thing is we must hear. Śrotavyaḥ. Just try to hear what is God, what is His kingdom, how He acts, how He is cheerful. These things are to be heard. Śravaṇam. Then as soon as you are convinced, "Oh, God is so nice," then you will be eager to demonstrate or to broadcast this news to the whole world. This is kīrtanam. This is kīrtanam.
That is the, I mean to say, scientific way of studying God. Whatever qualities you have got, you can understand the same qualities is there in God, but your present condition being contaminated with material contact, it is being pervertedly represented. This has to be purified. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The same thing. The same love affair, the same anger or anything, that is to be purified. Then it is godly. That's all. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to purify. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). Nirmalam means purification, completely purified. When this... Suppose this anger. If this anger is applied in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it is purified. It is purified. Just like Arjuna. Arjuna was not becoming angry to his enemy. He was a very good man. "No, I'm not going to fight." And Kṛṣṇa was, I mean to say, encouraging him to be angry. Otherwise how could he fight? So when he fought for Kṛṣṇa, that became service. Of course, these are very intricate questions. When one studies very seriously and scientifically, this will be revealed. So on the whole one can understand that "All the qualities of God is with me. But I am now materially contaminated." Just like a diseased person. A diseased person, he wants to enjoy the facilities of healthy life, but the physician says, "No, don't. Don't." Because that will create danger. Similarly, all the qualities we have got, but because it is materially contaminated, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness process is to purify them and to bring them to the normal condition, and then it will be happy. That is the whole idea. Yes?
So Parīkṣit Mahārāja's, these are the qualifications. Sa vai bhāgavato rājā, not ordinary rājā. Rājā means king. Bhāgavataḥ. Bhāgavata means great devotee. First-class devotee, bhāgavata. Pāṇḍaveya. How he became bhāgavata? Because son and grandson, all in the dynasty of the Pāṇḍavas. Parīkṣit Mahārāja was the grandson of Arjuna. So Arjuna was Kṛṣṇa's friend, he was bhāgavata. So unfortunately, Arjuna's son died in the Battle of Kurukṣetra. He was also bhāgavata. He was Subhadrā's son. Arjuna... Kṛṣṇa's sister Subhadrā, who is sitting here with Jagannātha. So Subhadrā's son was Abhimanyu, but he died in the battlefield of Kurukṣetra. Sixteen years old. But fortunately, his wife Uttarā was pregnant. So Parīkṣit Mahārāja was within the womb of Uttarā, so he was saved. All others died. Pāṇḍaveyaḥ, coming in the dynasty of the Pāṇḍavas.
Therefore bhāgavataḥ. Mahā-rathaḥ. At the same time, he could fight thousands of warriors, mahā-ratha. A kṣatriya who alone can fight with another thousand kṣatriyas, he's called mahā-ratha. So it does not mean to become bhāgavata means, to become devotee, one has to stop all other activities. No. Here it is called, mahā-ratha. Mahā-ratha means a great commander. So a great commander can also become bhāgavata, a great merchant can also become bhāgavata, and a great brāhmaṇa, learned scholar, he can also become bhāgavata. There is no restriction. Not that simply one who is Vedantist, who is a very learned scholar, he can become bhāgavata. No. The social system was so nice that everyone could become bhāgavata. The brāhmaṇa could become bhāgavata, a kṣatriya could become bhāgavata, a vaiśya could become bhāgavata, or a śūdra could also become bhāgavata. Striyaḥ śūdrās tathā vaiśyāḥ. Kṛṣṇa says personally, "Never mind whether he's woman or a śūdra or a vaiśya, te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim, "all of them can go back to home, back to Godhead."
So he could understand that this Caitanya Mahāprabhu has not come to criticize him: "He's serious." So he informed Him, "Sir, I am reading Bhagavad-gītā, but I am illiterate. I am illiterate, but my spiritual master has ordered to read. So what can I do? I have taken this book and moving these pages. That's all. What can I do? Actually I cannot read." Then Caitanya Mahāprabhu inquired, "But I see you are sometimes crying." "Yes, sir, I sometimes cry." "Why?" "Now, because as soon as I take this book in my hand and I see the picture that Lord Kṛṣṇa is driving the chariot of Arjuna, I cry. 'Oh, Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He has taken the service of His devotee. He should have been seated on the chariot—Arjuna should have driven the chariot—but He's driving the chariot and Arjuna is sitting on the seat. So Kṛṣṇa is so kind and beloved that He can serve His devotee. It is the duty of the devotee to serve Him, but He's so kind and affectionate that He serves His devotee.' So as soon as I think of this-Kṛṣṇa's magnanimity—I cry."
Then immediately, Caitanya Mahāprabhu embraced him, that "You are... Your reading of Bhagavad-gītā is perfect. Because you have understood the essence of the Bhagavad-gītā." The scholars, they will say... When Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65), the scholars will say "It is not to Kṛṣṇa the person, it is to the impersonal Brahman which is within Kṛṣṇa." They cannot conceive that the Supreme Absolute Truth can become a person. They cannot conceive. Such a huge cosmic manifestation is created by a person like us, resembling like us, two hands, two legs—their poor brain cannot accommodate. Paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). That is stated in Bhagavad-gītā. Mūḍhāḥ. "Fools and rascals," avajānanti, "deride at Me, thinking Me as ordinary man." Paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ, "He does not know what is the transcendental potency behind Me."
Tattva-darśinaḥ, "who has seen the truth," not imagination. He cannot be guru. Who has actually seen, tattva-darśinaḥ... These are the injunction in the śāstras, and Parīkṣit Mahārāja is strictly following the same principles and asking Śukadeva Gosvāmī, bhavanto jānate yathā: "As you have learned from your predecessor." So that is perfect knowledge. The knowledge is coming from Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is all-perfect, and Arjuna is hearing directly from Him, and the statement of Arjuna is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. He understands that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead; that is, he acquired knowledge from Kṛṣṇa.
So here the question is... This question is almost inquired by intelligent persons, that "We have come to this material world and suffering, but the living entity is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, or God. How he has come to this material world?" That is very intelligent question. Therefore it is said here, yadṛcchayā: "It is automatically, by nature's law," or hetunā, "or there is some cause? Whether there is any cause about the living entities coming down in this material world? Which one is correct?" So without any cause, there cannot be anything. That is logic. And the rascal philosopher's statement, "It happened automatically. There was a chunk, and the creation came...," this is rascal's philosophy. Jagad āhur anīśvaram (BG 16.8). The rascals, they do not accept that there is a cause of this creation. That they do not understand. They do not know, and they theorize. You'll find mostly in the Western countries all these philosophers... The Darwin's theory... He cannot give any reasonable cause. Some theory: "It may be, perhaps, for millions of years there was no..." Speculate. And he admits that "Whatever I am presenting, it is all my speculation." We have seen his letter, some, from 150 years ago. He wrote a letter to a friend. He admitted that "Whatever I am presenting, that is speculation." But science is not speculation. Science cannot be speculation. That is not science. "Two plus two equal to four"—this is science.
Prabhupāda: I have given understanding already in my book. That I am explaining. Why these books are being written? Just to explain things very nicely. They are already there. You try to understand. If you cannot understand, then you... (break) ...make the thing clear. But you are unable to understand. So in that case you have to cleanse yourself. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). Both things. You must be able to understand and the instructor should be able to make you understand, both of them... Just like Śukadeva Gosvāmī and Parīkṣit Mahārāja, Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa. One answer, and he's answered, but the answer is not understandable by us. But Arjuna is understanding. Śukadeva Gosvāmī is understanding. Just like this is a question, attempt?
Bali-mardana: Śukadeva Gosvāmī and Parīkṣit?
Prabhupāda: Yes. So sometimes we cannot understand due to our incapable(?). But things are already there. So by discussing, by repeated trying to understand and being cleansed of heart, everything will be done. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). The two things are there—seva and praṇipāt: surrender, at the same time, service. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234). If one is inclined to give service, then automatically things become understood. This is science like that.
So kapilas tattva-saṅkhyātā bhagavān. Kapila is Bhagavān. Nowadays Bhagavān is so cheap. They misuses of the word. But here you will find that Bhagavān is not an ordinary man. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ (BG 9.11). Because Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa appeared as human being, so the mūḍhas, rascals and fools, they think of Kṛṣṇa as ordinary human being, mūḍha. Mohitaṁ nābhijānāti mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam, tribhir guṇamayair bhāvaiḥ, mohitam (BG 7.13). So still there are devotees who can understand. Just like Arjuna understood that "Kṛṣṇa, although He's my friend, playing the part of my friend, but He is Supreme Personality of Godhead." Therefore, when Kṛṣṇa instructed Arjuna for our benefit... Arjuna is in perfect knowledge, but aiming at Arjuna, Kṛṣṇa is giving instruction for all human society, and he admitted. After knowing Bhagavad-gītā, Arjuna said, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān: (BG 10.12) "My dear Kṛṣṇa, You are the Paraṁbrahma." Paraṁbrahman. Every one of us, Brahman. Brahman means spirit soul. We are not this body. Bhāgavata... This is realization, self-realization. That is Vedic culture. One must understand what he is. We should not keep ourself in ignorance like cats and dogs, thinking that "I am this body," "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am kṣatriya," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," or so many designations. That is bodily designation. So when one comes to the spiritual understanding, that is called Brahman realization. Bhāgavata...
He's the friend. That means he has association with Vyāsadeva. Just like friend and friend, the one friend knows the other friend, what is his position, what is his knowledge. So Maitreya was friend of Vyāsadeva. That means he knows what Vyāsadeva knows. So we have to approach such spiritual master or instructor who is in disciplic succession of Vyāsadeva. Vyāsadeva. Everyone claims that "We are also following Vyāsadeva." But not superficially. Actually following Vyāsadeva. Just like Vyāsadeva accepted Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When Arjuna said, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12), he accepted Kṛṣṇa as the Parabrahman, the Supreme Person. So one may say that "Arjuna was friend of Kṛṣṇa; he might have accepted like that." No. He gave evidence that "Vyāsadeva also accepts You. Vyāsadeva also accepts You, 'You are the Parabrahman.' " Vyāsadeva begins the comments on Vedānta-sūtra: oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. He begins, janmādy asya yataḥ, paraṁ satyaṁ dhīmahi (SB 1.1.1).
So if we actually are interested to understand spiritual knowledge, we must approach the representative of ācārya. Pratijāne. And ācārya means who follows Vyāsadeva. Just like Maitreya, dvaipāyana-sakha. Maitreyo bhagavān. He has been addressed as Bhagavān. Of course, the Supreme Bhagavān is Bhaga... Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). But other powerful persons, just like Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva, or Vyāsadeva, Maitreya, very, very big personalities, they are also sometimes addressed as Bhagavān. Nāradadeva. They are bhagavān.
He's also bhagavān. Bhagavāṁs tathā, prāha, he said, idam, viduram, unto Vidura, and prītaḥ, being pleased. Not that simply talking between friends and friends. No. Being prītaḥ. Just to... He's also eager. He's also eager, and he's also very much pleased. Vidura was eager to receive the transcendental knowledge, and Maitreya was pleased upon him.
How one can be pleased? That is the process. Praṇipātena sevayā. You can please one simply by surrendering to himself and by rendering service, "Sir, I am your most obedient servant. Please accept me and give me instruction." Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). Even Arjuna was a very intimate friend of Kṛṣṇa, still, while learning Śrīmad-Bhagavad-gītā from Him, he surrendered himself to Kṛṣṇa and said that "I am no more your friend." Of course, friend is also, a friend of Kṛṣṇa is also surrendered. That is... But specifically he said, śiṣyas te 'ham. Śiṣya means "You can rule over me now." Śās-dhātu. Śās-dhātu. From śās-dhātu, śāstra, śiṣya, śāstra, these things have come. So śiṣyas te 'ham. Śiṣya means "Now I am under Your full control. You can use me in whatever way You like." So in this way, ānvīkṣikyāṁ pracoditaḥ.
So this is the process of asking. Paripraśna is asking question. Of course, one, the śiṣya, must ask. He must... But not challenge. Just to understand. Jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. Not to defeat the spiritual master. But one should be inquisitive, inquire from the spiritual master, being jijñāsu, very inquisitive to understand the spiritual science. Not that "I know better than you. Let us talk." No. That is not with guru. You must find out a guru where you can surrender, praṇipātena. If you don't find a person where you cannot surrender, don't waste your time and his time. First of all surrender. So this is the process of understanding transcendental... Ānvīkṣikyāṁ pracoditaḥ.
Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi. If you simply surrender to Kṛṣṇa, sarva-dharmān... Sarva... There are many dharmas, or many activities or function. Some of them are pious; some of them are impious. There are two kinds. So Kṛṣṇa says, "You give up, pious and impious, both." That is sarva-dharmān. Because we are acting piously and impiously. So you can give up both pious activities and impious activities. Just like Arjuna. Arjuna was thinking that "Fighting with my brother, it is impious." So Kṛṣṇa was insisting that "You must fight." So how Arjuna could take impious activities? Because Kṛṣṇa's service is above these pious and impious activities. That is called sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). Just like the gopīs. The gopīs went to Kṛṣṇa at mid..., midnight, by simply hearing the flute of Kṛṣṇa. So young girl, going to Kṛṣṇa at midnight, this is impious activities. According to śāstra, according to moral, it is impious activities. But because it was done for Kṛṣṇa, it is understood as the most pious. Recommends. Who recommends? Caitanya Mahāprabhu, that ramyā kācid upāsanā vraja-vadhū-vargeṇa yā kalpitā. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He was sannyāsī. He was very, very strict. And no woman could come near Him to offer respects. He was very strict about woman. And now, He's saying, ramyā kācid upāsanā vraja-vadhū-vargeṇa yā kalpitā: "What can be more wonderful process of worship than as it was conceived by the gopīs?" The six Gosvāmīs also: gopī-bhāva-rasāmṛtābdhi-laharī-kallola-magnau muhur vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau. So, so although it looks apparently that gopīs went to Kṛṣṇa to dance with Him, that is not very moral, but Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommends that is the highest method of worshiping Kṛṣṇa.
So Kṛṣṇa says, "Yes, you can do business. There is no harm. But you give Me the result." Yat karoṣi yaj juhoṣi yad aśnāsi yat tapasyasi, kuruṣva tad mad-arpaṇam (BG 9.27). He does not say that you have to do something particular. Of course, bhakta, bhakti, but one who is not accepting bhakti cult immediately, to him Kṛṣṇa says, "All right, never mind. Whatever you do, that's all right." Yat karoṣi. He does not say that "Do this." Yat karoṣi yaj juhoṣi yad aśnāsi. "Try to give it to Me."
That is the beginning of bhakti-yoga. If you do business and you earn money and spend it for Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is also bhakti. That is also bhakti. Just like vivid example is Arjuna. Arjuna is a fighter, and by fighting, he became a devotee; not by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, but by fighting. Kṛṣṇa advised him to fight. He was, rather, because he was a Vaiṣṇava, he was not willing to fight, to kill. Vaiṣṇava does not like to kill. But if there is necessity... Just like Arjuna had to kill. That is by the order of Kṛṣṇa, not by his own will. By his own will, Kṛṣṇa did..., Arjuna did not like to kill, to fight. That is Vaiṣṇava's natural instinct. He does not wish to do harm or to kill anybody. But when a Vaiṣṇava knows that Kṛṣṇa wants it, he doesn't care for his own consideration. "Never mind." That is practical example, Kṛṣṇa.
So similarly, sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya (BG 18.46). Everyone has got his some particular duty, occupation. If, by executing your occupational duty, you worship Kṛṣṇa, then your life is perfect. That is the instruction given in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Naimiṣāraṇya.
The cinema is here, a few steps away, but you will never see a student or a disciple of Kṛṣṇa consciousness will go to that nonsense place. Practical you can see. Why it has become possible? Bhaktyā pumāñ jāta-virāga aindriyāt. It is practical. The more you engage yourself in devotional service, the more you will forget your sense gratification process. And as soon as you become completely detestful for sense gratification, then you are liberated person, fit for going back to home, back to Godhead. This is the process.
So the bhakti gives you chance to see Kṛṣṇa, as you can see now. On this seeing or any other kind of seeing, they are the same thing. There is no difference. When Arjuna was seeing Kṛṣṇa face to face—Kṛṣṇa was teaching Bhagavad-gītā—that seeing of Kṛṣṇa and when you read Bhagavad-gītā, it is the same thing. There is no difference. Somebody, they say that "Arjuna was fortunate enough to see Kṛṣṇa face to face and take instruction." That is not correct. Kṛṣṇa, He can be seen immediately, provided you have got eyes to see. Therefore it is said, premāñjana-cchurita... Prema and bhakti, the same thing. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti (Bs. 5.38). I will recite one story in this connection, that one brāhmaṇa in South India, in Raṅganātha temple, he was reading Bhagavad-gītā. And he was illiterate. He did not know neither Sanskrit nor any letter, illiterate. So the people, neighborhood, they knew that "This man is illiterate, and he is reading Bhagavad-gītā." He is opening the Bhagavad-gītā, "Uh, uh," like that he was. So somebody was joking, "Well, brāhmaṇa, how you are reading Bhagavad-gītā?" He could understand that
"This man is not joking." So he said, "Sir, I am reading Bhagavad-gītā. I am trying to read Bhagavad-gītā, but I am illiterate. So my Guru Mahārāja said that 'You must read eighteen chapters daily.' So I have no knowledge. I cannot read. Still, Guru Mahārāja said, so I am just trying to carry out his order and opening the pages, and that's all. I do not know how to read it." Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that "You are crying sometimes, I see." Then, "Yes, I am crying." "How you are crying if you cannot read?" "No, because when I take this Bhagavad-gītā book, I see one picture, that Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He has taken the chariot driver, sārathi, of Arjuna. He is His devotee. So Śrī Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He can accept the position of a servant because Arjuna was ordering, 'Keep my chariot here,' and Kṛṣṇa was serving him. So Kṛṣṇa is so kind. So when I see this picture within my mind, I am crying." So Caitanya Mahāprabhu immediately embraced him, that "You are reading Bhagavad-gītā. Without any education, you are reading Bhagavad-gītā." He embraced him.
So this is... How he was seeing the picture? Because he was a lover of Kṛṣṇa, it doesn't matter, he could read these ślokas or not. But he was absorbed in love of Kṛṣṇa and he was seeing, Kṛṣṇa was sitting there, and He was driving the chariot of Arjuna. This is required, not that education. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). Kṛṣṇa said, "Not by passing M.A., Ph.D." Bhaktyā: "Simply by bhakti." Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ. And bhaktyā, the practical example, if you become pure bhakta, then you will forget all this material sense enjoyment. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt (SB 11.2.42). This is the test of bhakti. But if you have got taste for material enjoyment and at the same time you advertise yourself that you have become a bhakta, that is not bhakta. One who knows who is a bhakta, immediately detect that "Here is not a bhakta." Ei dharma dadi.(?) He has got the tilaka and kaṇṭhi simply for advertisement. He is not a bhakta, because he has got material taste.
The real business is ātyantika-duḥkha-nivṛtti, everyone is trying to minimize the miserable condition, but they are busy for temporary miserable condition. But the Vedic knowledge is how to mitigate the topmost miserable condition. That topmost miserable condition is the repetition of birth, death, and old age. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam, anu-darśanam (BG 13.9). We should not be very much afflicted with these temporary things. We must have the sense how to solve the ultimate miserable condition of life. That, tad-vijñānārtham, in order to know that science sa gurum evābhigacchet.
If one is interested to know that science, then it is necessary to approach Just like Arjuna was busy, perturbed that he has to fight with his relatives, the other side, and they will be killed. And he was presenting so many problems that, If I kill my brothers, my sister-in-laws will become widow and they will be polluted, and there will be varṇa-saṅkara generation, then the whole world will be hell. In this way he was thinking, the immediate material problems, but when, after arguing with Kṛṣṇa, he could not find out any solution, then Arjuna submitted to Kṛṣṇa, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). "My dear Kṛṣṇa, now I don't want to talk with you as friend, because friendly talk, the talking will be very much, but there will be no benefit." Generally we do so. We talk with some person, some friend, without any duty, just to waste time. That is not the way. If you go and talk with some person, then you must derive some benefit. Gain should be there, otherwise simply waste of time. And it is the injunction of the śāstra that, unless one is submissive, the superior man should not talk, tad viddhi praṇipātena (BG 4.34), unless one is submissive he will not be able to accept the sublime instruction.
So one has to become submissive. That submissiveness Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna is teaching us, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam. I am now submitting myself to you, not that equal position with you, friend and friend equal position, that I am giving up. I am becoming your disciple, submissive, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). Prapannam means submissive, that is the way. You cannot speculate. Your speculation has no value, athāpi te deva ciraṁ vicinvan (SB 10.14.29). Ciraṁ vicinvan, you can go on speculating for many births, many years, still you will not be able to understand the ultimate goal of your life. It is not possible, therefore all the śāstras, they advise that you go to a guru. Guru means weighty, one who has got more weight, one who can teach you, because everyone thinks that "I am learned. I am all learned." Who can teach you? No. Nobody is like that. Everyone requires instruction, therefore the Vedic system is (indistinct), to make one's life fruitful, one must approach guru.
Therefore our system is, Vedic system is from the very beginning, a child, a boy is sent to gurukula to learn. Not that automatically one learns. One must go to gurukula, brahmacārī. Brahmacārī goes to guru, and he works like a menial servant. He may be a son of a big brāhmaṇa or big king, it doesn't matter. The one who goes to gurukula, he immediately becomes the menial servant of guru. This is the system. That means guru can order him to act any, I mean to say, low class service, still he is prepared to do it. This is the business of brahmacārī, and he takes all trouble, and childhood, he doesn't mind. Even Kṛṣṇa, he went to gurukula. To teach us. Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, what is the use of His going to gurukula? No, He is teaching, āpani ācari' prabhu jīveri śikhāya. Caitanya Mahāprabhu also accepted guru, teacher, guru more mūrkha dekhi' karila śāsana (CC Adi 7.71).
I will forget everything." People say, in western country, even the university student, they say they don't, so ignorance. Therefore they have been described as mandāḥ.
Formerly, especially in India, the cātur-varṇyaṁ, the brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, so at least the most intelligent class of men, the brāhmaṇas, they were interested to understand brahma-jijñāsa. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. But at the present moment they are all śūdras. They are not interested about brahma-jijñāsā. They are interested how to get more money, where is the cinema, where, what picture is going, they are interested in that, not about brahma-jijñāsā. But the human life is meant for that purpose. Therefore we learn from Bhagavad-gītā. Arjuna is personally teaching us. He is accepting Kṛṣṇa as guru, śiṣyas te 'ham (BG 2.7), "Kṛṣṇa now I become Your servant, not that I remain as Your friend." Friend to friend talk is not very serious. Now I want to talk with serious. You become my spiritual master, you teach me, and I will take your lesson. This should be the It is not meant for only Arjuna. It is meant for everyone, that if you, you must find out the guru. The first guru is Kṛṣṇa, and anyone who is Kṛṣṇa's representative, he is guru. Guru is Kṛṣṇa, the original guru, and if Kṛṣṇa representative is found, is available, then he is also guru.
Para-upakāra means the whole world does not know about the message of Kṛṣṇa, therefore it is the greatest welfare activity to carry this message and inform them. This is the work of Kṛṣṇa's representative, and any Indian can do it but they'll not do it. They will take Bhagavad-gītā and speak their hodge podge, that's all. That is not Kṛṣṇa's representative. Therefore it has not been successful. For the last 200 years so many swamis and yogis went to foreign countries, but nobody spoke about Kṛṣṇa. Simply hodge-podge. Therefore there was not a single person accepted this cult; Vedic culture. That is fact.
So as Arjuna We are reading Bhagavad-gītā, you can understand that Arjuna is a friend, why he's accepting Kṛṣṇa as guru? Why? He's a friend. He's talking equally, sitting equally, friend and friend, sometimes talking nonsense. Kṛṣṇa, in the Eleventh Chapter he was begging Kṛṣṇa, "Forgive me. As a friend I have misbehaved with you." Friend has got right, Kṛṣṇa did not mind for that, but he knew that "Kṛṣṇa, although He is my friend, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, He is the proper person to become my guru." And he says also that "The perplexity which I have been put into now in this battlefield, this cannot be solved by anyone else except Yourself." That he said also. So this is instruction we get from Bhagavad-gītā, everyone reads Bhagavad-gītā, that we have to accept Kṛṣṇa as the guru, or Kṛṣṇa's representative as guru. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34), and we have to give service to such guru and we have to surrender ourself. Not that I accept you guru just to know how much you are learned, how much you can talk with me, not with that spirit. (indistinct) ...that I surrender to you sir, śiṣyas te 'ham, I have become śiṣya. Śiṣya means voluntarily accepting his ruling. Whatever guru will say he will accept, that is called śiṣya. Śiṣya means ruling, who accept disciple, means disciplinary measure. Whatever guru says, one who accepts he becomes disciple. He, I don't care for my guru's order and still I am disciple, that is not accepting guru.
Five thousand years ago a personality like Arjuna, who was so qualified that he could talk with Kṛṣṇa as ordinary friend... How much exalted he was, just we can imagine. And born in the royal family, very exalted position, great warrior. He said that "Kṛṣṇa, I cannot execute this yoga system. It is not possible." Cañcalaṁ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa pramāthi balavad dṛḍham, tasyāhaṁ nigrahaṁ manye (BG 6.34). "My mind is so disturbed that to control the mind is exactly like that, to control the wind." Suppose there is very heavy wind, and if one tries to stop it by spreading his hand, is it possible? It is not possible. He has given this example. Pramāthi balavad dṛḍham. Mind is so uncontrollable, just like madman. Mind's business is like that. Immediately I am accepting something and again rejecting. Everyone has got this experience. Therefore he frankly said that "To control the mind is not possible for me. I cannot do so."
So now just try to understand the... A personality like Arjuna is not ordinary man. He was advised by Kṛṣṇa to practice this yoga system, meditation, generally. Actually yoga system means meditation. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (SB 12.13.1). The yogis, they dhyānāvasthita manasā, mind being absorbed in meditation and concentrates the mind on Viṣṇu form of the Lord, four-handed Viṣṇu. That is dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (SB 12.13.1).
So this yoga system is meant for persons who are too much bodily attached, this haṭha-yoga system. And otherwise, real yoga system is the sāṅkhya-yoga or bhakti-yoga, real yoga system. This is preliminary. Therefore when Arjuna declined, that "I cannot execute the yoga system," so Kṛṣṇa, in order to pacify Arjuna... Because he was friend—Kṛṣṇa thought that Arjuna is thinking unable to execute this yoga—He pacified him by saying ultimately, "My dear Arjuna, don't be agitated." Indirectly He said that "You are a first-class yogi." "How is that, I am first-class yogi?" "Now, because you are always thinking of Me." Arjuna, he did not know anything but Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, when He placed Himself divided into two in the battlefield... Because it was a family fight, so Kṛṣṇa said that "I can divide Myself." Both of them approached. Duryodhana approached and Arjuna also approached, "Kṛṣṇa, You become my side." So Kṛṣṇa said that "I have got eighteen akṣauhiṇī, division of soldiers. That is one side. And I personally, one side." So Arjuna (Duryodhana) thought that "What shall I do simply by taking Kṛṣṇa? And He says that 'I'll not fight. If I go to any side, I'll not fight.' " So Arjuna (Duryodhana) thought it wise that "Let me take His soldiers, eighteen divisions, many thousands of elephants, horses, chariot." There is estimate, very big number of elephants, horses. I don't remember exactly. But... So Duryodhana decided to take the soldiers of Kṛṣṇa. (aside:) That child may be... But Arjuna thought that "If I get Kṛṣṇa in my side, that is sufficient. I don't want His soldiers."
Everyone will admit this, that simply by seeing, because the sunshine is entering your room from the window, that does not mean you know everything of the sun. Similarly, this impersonal understanding of the Absolute Truth is like that. Just like sunshine is impersonal, but the sun-god is person. If sun-god is not person, how Kṛṣṇa says, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam: (BG 4.1) "This Bhagavad-gītā..." He says to Arjuna, that "This Bhagavad-gītā, science of Bhagavad-gītā, or this yoga system, bhakti-yoga system, I spoke to sun-god. Exactly like that, I am speaking to you."
So Arjuna is person, and Kṛṣṇa is person. Therefore the..., in the sun planet the predominating deity is a person. He is not imperson. So you cannot understand that person simply by seeing the sunshine. That requires better qualification, how to enter the sun planet, how to see the predominating deity. The impersonalists, they simply conclude that, the same way as we foolish persons conclude, that the sun planet is simply a fiery substance, and there is nothing, no... If there is nothing, if there is no sun-god, predominating deity or the president of the sun globe, then how Kṛṣṇa could speak with him? In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān. Just like we talk. We are talking with you. We are not talking in the sky, vacant. We are talking with persons. These are intelligent. These require intelligence. So how we can imagine that "How the sun-god can be person? It is a fiery, big fire substance, and how one can live?" This is also foolishness. "Because I cannot live in the fire, therefore nobody can live in the fire." That is my foolishness. My body is not so made. Just like you cannot live in the water. It does not mean that there is no living entity in the water. It requires intelligence. Similarly, if you cannot live in the fire, it does not mean that nobody lives there. Yes. There are living entities whose body is so made. Just like the fish and other aquatics, they live. Their body is so made. This is intelligent study. Otherwise, if you simply compare with my intelligence, my position, my circumstances, and we'll conclude all others like that, that is blindness. That is not... Blindness.
That is pure bhakti. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (Brs. 1.1.11). To... Just like there are many bhaktas. They are not pure bhaktas. Chanting, they are also chanting, but they are aspiring after mukti. So they are not pure bhaktas; they are adulterated bhaktas. A bhakta does not want mukti. We have discussed all things. Bhakta wants nothing from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He simply wants to serve Him. That's all. And serve Him ānukūlyena, not whimsically, "I want to serve You as I like." No. Ānukūlyena. Just like Arjuna did. Arjuna served Kṛṣṇa not whimsically, but as Kṛṣṇa desired. Kṛṣṇa... Arjuna was not willing to fight. He said, "No, Kṛṣṇa, the other side, my friends and relatives, I cannot." That is whimsical. But when he decided after hearing Bhagavad-gītā, kariṣye vacanaṁ tava (BG 18.73): "Yes, I shall do what You are asking, to fight. I shall kill my grandfather. That's all." That is anukūla. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā (CC Madhya 19.167). You cannot serve Kṛṣṇa by your whims. Ānukūlyena. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam, ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam (Brs. 1.1.11). You have to serve Kṛṣṇa as He says. If I want a glass of water, you must give me a glass of water. You cannot say, "Prabhupāda, milk is better than water. Why don't you take one glass of milk?" That is not anukūla. You must supply me what I want. That is anukūla. That is favorable. I want to drink water. Why should you give me milk? That is anukūla. That is bhakti. That is ananyayā... You don't manufacture your own trademark of bhakti. No, that is not bhakti. It is not that...
So first ātma-darśanam is that anādir ātmā. Ātmā. The soul and the Supersoul, both of them. We must always know that soul and Supersoul, īśvara and Parameśvara... So ātmā... Ātmā means Bhagavān; ātmā means this individual ātmā. So both of them are anādi. But we have got experience ādi, birth and death. So that is not ātma-darśanam. You have to understand that there is no ādi, there is no beginning. Anādir ātmā puruṣaḥ. Puruṣa, that, either the soul or the Supersoul, both of them are puruṣa. Puruṣa means having form and having the desire to enjoy, enjoy blissful life. That is called puruṣa. Puruṣa is always desiring to enjoy. And prakṛti is enjoyable. That is the distinction between puruṣa and prakṛti. But ātmā-Paramātmā is puruṣa, and the jīvātmā is prakṛti. Then nirguṇaḥ, nirguṇaḥ. Therefore Arjuna was advised by Kṛṣṇa, traiguṇya-viṣayā vedā nistraiguṇyo bhavārjuna: "My dear Arjuna, you try to be nirguṇa." This all Vedic knowledge or any knowledge—Veda means knowledge—that is traiguṇya, of this material world, having...
Material world means the three guṇas, sattva, rajo, tamo-guṇa. So one has to become above these three guṇas. That is ātma-darśanam, above three guṇa. How to become above traiguṇya? Very easy.
So twenty-four elements we have discussed yesterday: the five gross elements, and the five sense objects, and five knowledge gathering senses, and five working senses—twenty—and four internal senses—twenty-four—and then again, all under the control of time, the fifth, or twenty-fifth. And above these there is the soul and Supersoul. That is spiritual. These are all material, analytical study of the material composition of this cosmic manifestation. This is called Sāṅkhya philosophy.
So here there is one word, brahmaṇaḥ saguṇasya. These twenty-four or twenty-five material elements is covering the Brahman, and therefore he is called saguṇa. There are two words generally used, saguṇa and nirguṇa. Saguṇa means material, and nirguṇa means spiritual. So in the Bhagavad-gītā Arjuna is advised to come to the platform of nirguṇa. Traiguṇya-viṣayā vedā nistraiguṇyo bhavārjuna. That is the aim of life. We are also Brahman. We are part and parcel of Brahman, Supreme Brahman; therefore we are also Brahman. Brahman realization is not very difficult thing, provided we want to realize. And how we want? You take instruction from the Bhagavad-gītā, and if you accept it, then immediately your Brahman realization is there. Kṛṣṇa says that "These jīvas, they are My part and parcel." So if Kṛṣṇa is Brahman, Parabrahman, then we are Brahman. If we accept this... We have to accept because that is the constitutional position. We are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa.
It is very nice. Simply you have to learn how to engage your senses. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). Your senses are property of Hṛṣīkeśa. As it is said here, hṛṣīkeśa adhīśvaram. Hṛṣīkeśa adhīśvaram. He is adhīśvaram. He is the proprietor. So you must use it. It is not that you stop your senses. That is not required. That is not bhakti. Bhakti means you must engage your senses fully with more enthusiasm, but it should be for Kṛṣṇa. That's all. If you want to do business, do it very nicely, but give the profit to Kṛṣṇa. Yat karoṣi yaj juhoṣi yad aśnāsi, kuruṣva tad mad-arpaṇam (BG 9.27). Kṛṣṇa says, "Give it to Me." That is bhakti. Nothing is stopped, but you cannot do any unlawful. Bhakti does not mean you can do anything unlawful. But ultimate issue: whatever you do, if it is for Kṛṣṇa, that is rightful. Just like materially, Arjuna was trying to become very gentleman, nonviolent, Arjuna: "Kṛṣṇa, I am not going to fight." People very much appreciate, "Just see, Arjuna is so gentle, he is trying to become nonviolent, and Kṛṣṇa is inducing him to become violent." This is the vision of the demons. They do not know, whatever Kṛṣṇa desires, that is rightful. Kṛṣṇa wanted Arjuna to fight. That is rightful. And Arjuna wanted to become nonviolent. That is not rightful. Therefore Kṛṣṇa chastised him, kutas tvā kaśmalam idaṁ viṣame samupasthitam: "Why you are talking like anārya?" Anārya-juṣṭam: "This kind of talking... You are kṣatriya, and you are not willing to fight. What is this? This kind of proposal is made by the anārya, uncivilized. You are a kṣatriya. Your duty is to fight, and you are trying to refrain from the fight? You have become so ignorant? Oh, this is not good." Then, when Arjuna understood that he was not in the right point, declining the fight, kārpaṇya-doṣa upahata-svabhāvaḥ, kārpaṇya-doṣa. "I am not doing my duty. I can understand. All right. But I am perplexed. Therefore I become Your student." Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam: (BG 2.7) "I surrender unto You as śiṣya, as Your disciple. Now correct me." And he was, when he was corrected, the same Arjuna said, "Yes." Kariṣye vacanaṁ tava (BG 18.73): "Yes, I will fight."
So that something else, ultimately if we can realize, that is Kṛṣṇa. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham (Bs. 5.35). Kṛṣṇa is there even within the paramāṇu, electrons, protons. There is; He is there. Aṇor aṇīyān mahato mahīyān. Kṛṣṇa showed Arjuna the virāḍ-rūpa, the gigantic universal form. So one side, He is universally represented, virāḍ-rūpa. And in another side He is within the aṇu paramāṇu, smaller than the aṇu, smaller than the paramāṇu. Aṇor aṇīyān mahato mahīyān. That is Kṛṣṇa. Mahīyān. But these are all material forms. In the Bhagavad-gītā, you will find in the Eleventh Chapter, Arjuna is requesting to come to His original form. So he was very much threatened, or frightened, and he requested, "This form is very much unbearable to see. Please come to Your original form." So Kṛṣṇa first of all came to His form, four-handed Viṣṇu form; then again He came into His two-handed Kṛṣṇa form, and that is the ultimate, real form of Kṛṣṇa.
Kṛṣṇa has got many forms. Every form is Kṛṣṇa's form. That's a fact. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). Some of the forms are personal, some of the forms are of His potencies, śakti, but all forms belong to Kṛṣṇa. So some of them are material forms, and whatever differentiation of forms we see in the material world, they are all Kṛṣṇa's form. But in the spiritual world there are also many forms—just like Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma, then Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Aniruddha, Pradyumna, Nārāyaṇa, and the puruṣa-avatāra. There are many. And there are innumerable planets also. In each and every planet there is one form. And when incarnation comes, one of the forms from Vaikuṇṭha, They come as incarnation.
In the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu it is..., Kṛṣṇa is worshiped there that akhila-rasāmṛta, akhila. There are many kinds of taste, and that taste are all combined together in Kṛṣṇa, akhila-rasāmṛta. In the Vedas it is said, raso vai saḥ. Rasa means mellow. So we have presented a little book, Kṛṣṇa is the Reservoir of All Pleasure. Rasa means pleasure, taste, pleasing taste, rasa, or humor. Everyone has got different taste. So all the taste are there in Kṛṣṇa. Raso vai saḥ, labdhvānandī. Anyone who has tasted Kṛṣṇa he gets real taste of pleasure, either in this rasa or that rasa.
Just like Bhīṣma. Bhīṣma was fighting with Kṛṣṇa. He had no business fighting with Kṛṣṇa because He is charioteer. But sometimes the horses, the charioteer, are also killed by the opposing party. So when Arjuna was in a very dangerous position... Because Bhīṣma promised to Duryodhana. Duryodhana was criticizing his grandfather, that "You are not fighting wholeheartedly. Because your affection is there on the other side, your other grandsons, pañca-pāṇḍava, therefore you are not fighting with your full strength." So this is a great insult for the kṣatriya. So he promised to kill the five Pāṇḍavas next day. That was a challenge to Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa promised that He will not fight in the battle, and Bhīṣma promised that "Unless Kṛṣṇa fights and protects His friend, Arjuna, he could not be saved. I will fight in that way." So he was fighting in that way, and Arjuna's chariot became broken into pieces, and he was in danger. And Kṛṣṇa could understand that "Bhīṣma wants Me to fight on account of Arjuna; otherwise he would not be saved."
A devotee thinks how to... (break) One is favorable, and the other is unfavorable. One is thinking of Kṛṣṇa, how to kill Him, and the other is thinking of Kṛṣṇa, how to serve Him. So this thinking, how to serve Him, is called bhakti, not the otherwise. As Kaṁsa was thinking how to kill Him, that is not bhakti. Bhakti means ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam (CC Madhya 19.167). Anukūla. Anukūla means favorable. If you think of Kṛṣṇa in various ways favorably—how to serve Kṛṣṇa, how to decorate Kṛṣṇa, how to give Kṛṣṇa a nice place for residential quarter, temple, how to preach Kṛṣṇa's glories—in this way, if you think, that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā. That is first-class bhakti, how to serve Kṛṣṇa. Just like Arjuna he changed his all decision. (microphone rattling) (aside:) You can take it that side. Arjuna was thinking not to fight, but when he heard very minutely, listened Kṛṣṇa's instruction, he changed his decision. "No, Kṛṣṇa wants it. Kṛṣṇa wants this fight, so I shall do this." This is kṛṣṇānuśīlanam, cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness, not his decision. His decision was not to fight. A Vaiṣṇava does not want to kill anybody. That is natural tendency. Suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām: (SB 3.25.21) "A Vaiṣṇava is friend of everyone." So Arjuna was Vaiṣṇava, a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Naturally, he was not inclined to kill and gain the fight. So he declined, that "I will not fight." But after hearing Bhagavad-gītā, he decided that "Kṛṣṇa wants to fight. He wants me..." Nimitta-mātraṁ bhava savyasācin. "He says so far that 'These people who have assembled here, they are already killed. That is My plan. You simply take the credit of becoming victorious over them.' "
Now there are books. Either you chant, sit down in the Deity room in front of the Deity, see how āratrika is going on, how Deity is nicely dressed with flower, ornaments, so if you constantly be engaged in thinking of the Deity, that is first-class meditation, not artificially going to That is not possible at the present moment, that, as it is recommended in the Bhagavad-gītā, you have to select a very solitary place and you have to sit down under certain posture, looking half-opened eyes on the tip of the nose so that you may not sleep in the name of meditation. There are so many. And you have to follow brahmacārya. All these rules and regulations are there: dhyāna, dhāraṅā, āsana, prāṇāyāma. Prāṇāyāma. Then? What is called? Pratyāhāra. Pratyāhāra means you have to completely withdraw the senses from sense gratification. That is called pratyāhāra. Then there is samādhi. So this yoga system is recommended, but that it is very, very difficult. Five thousand years ago, when Kṛṣṇa explained this haṭha-yoga system in the Sixth Chapter to Arjuna Arjuna was honest man. He flatly denied, "Kṛṣṇa, these things cannot be done by me." Because in those days, especially a person like Arjuna, why he should speak lies? This meditation is not possible. It was only possible in the Satya-yuga when people were very peaceful, long duration of life, there was no artificial necessities of life. Kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇum. At that time, to meditate upon Viṣṇu and for years Just like Vālmīki Muni. He practiced meditation for sixty thousands of years. Then he got perfection. At that time people used to live for 100,000.
So this meditation is very difficult to execute at the present moment. That is the verdict of the Vedic literature.
Whole Vedic civilization means: realize God. That is Vedic civilization. Viṣṇur ārādhyate. We are part and parcel of Viṣṇu, or the Supreme Lord. As it is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). Jīva-bhūtaḥ, these living entities, not only human being but everyone, sarva yoniṣu kaunteya (BG 14.4), in every form of life, the living entities are covered with the material dress. So Bhāgavata-dharma, or spiritual life, can be understood when one has understood his identification, what he is. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā the first lesson given by Kṛṣṇa to Arjuna is to bring him to the spiritual platform. When Arjuna was lamenting on the body of his relatives on the other side, he was too much affected in the bodily conception of life: "How I shall fight with the other side? They are all my brothers, nephews, my teacher, my grandfather, and who has fought with such enemies in the history?" Everyone fights. There is fighting but not fighting with own men, even at the present moment, although there is sometimes civil war.
So Arjuna was too much affected by the bodily conception of life. That is the disease of this material world. We are thinking in terms of this body, but the śāstra says that,
- yasyātma-buddhiḥ kunape tri-dhātuke
- svā-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ
- yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij
- janeṣv abhijñeṣu sa eva go-kharaḥ
- (SB 10.84.13)
The bodily conception of life is animal life. If I think that "I am this body. I am Indian," and you think that you are this body, you are American or Englishman—in so many ways we are designated—so, so long we think in these terms of knowledge, that "I am this body..." Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kunape tri-dhātuke. This is a bag of three elements: kapha, pitta, vayū. Or if we don't understand kapha pitta vāyu, we can understand that this body is made of flesh, bone, mucus.
When you come to this platform of transcendence, brahma-bhūtaḥ... Because we are going on under the wrong impression that "I am this body." This is the most fallen condition of the present human society. They are taking this body... Of course, this bodily conception of life there was even five thousand years ago, when the Battle of Kurukṣetra took place. Arjuna was very much disturbed on the platform of this bodily conception of life, because he thought that he belonged to a particular family, and in that battle he was to fight with his family members. So he declined to fight. But Kṛṣṇa, to raise him from that platform, He chastised him, that aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase: "My dear Arjuna, you are lamenting for a subject matter and at the same time you are talking just like a very learned man."
- aśocyān anvaśocas tvam
- prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase
- gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca
- nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ
- (BG 2.11)
That means indirectly He accused Arjuna that "You are not paṇḍita. You're a fool because you are lamenting on the subject matter on which no paṇḍita laments." So what is that? This bodily conception, agatāsūṁś ca. Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca. This body, dead or alive, is not the subject matter of study by learned scholars—this is the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā—dead or alive.
So Dr. Jyestish(?) gave stress on bhakti. That is very good idea. So simply by becoming bhakta... Kevalayā... Kecid kevalayā bhaktyā vāsudeva-parayaṇaḥ. Kevalayā bhakta. Simply if you take to the process of bhakti... That is recommended in the Bhagavad-gītā also. Bhaktyā mām abhijānanti. If you want to know God, if you want to know the relationship with God, if you know what is your business after understanding God, then bhakti. Kṛṣṇa says. Kṛṣṇa, no... Although there are different ways of self-realization—karma, jñāna, yoga, bhakti, these are the principles. But Kṛṣṇa recommends that "If you want to know Me actually, then bhaktyā." Kṛṣṇa teaches Arjuna Bhagavad-gītā because Arjuna was a devotee. Bhakto 'si me priyo 'si: (BG 4.3) "Because you are My dear friend and bhakta, therefore I am teaching you."
So bhakti-mārga is not very difficult. Very easy. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). Any child can do it. Any child, if he sees the form of Lord Kṛṣṇa in the temple, he remembers, and he continues to think of Kṛṣṇa. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto. And if you think of Kṛṣṇa always, automatically you become devotee. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto. And then mad-yājī, little offering. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). Where is the difficulty? Little flower, little fruit, little water. Kṛṣṇa is not poor person, (that) He wants something from you. But yo me bhaktyā prayacchati. He wants to revive your original Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore He comes. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). So in India we have got this opportunity. Why should we miss this opportunity? It is a suicidal policy. Don't do it. Take to it very seriously.
Arjuna also made like that. In the beginning Arjuna was talking with Kṛṣṇa on equal level like friends, but later on he said, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). Prapannam, this praṇipā, "I am surrendering to You."
So find out guru. Who is guru? Guru means who's coming from the paramparā system. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, evaṁ paramparā prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). Rajarṣaya, big, big, learned saintly kings. That means government. Now we are taking, accepting king by democracy, anyone by votes. No. Rājarṣaya. One must be governor, he must be as good as a ṛṣi, saintly person. Rājarṣaya. They must understand the purport of Bhagavad-gītā, the aim of life. Then they will educate, the governor will educate the citizens how to make life successful. But if he does not understand what is the success of life, how he will govern? But it is going on. But Bhagavad-gītā says, imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ. The Bhagavad-gītā is meant for the rājarṣis, saintly kings, saintly governor. Because he has to govern, he must know how to govern: what is the aim of life, how they can be elevated. Just like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, because he was a good governor, good king, so during his time, it is said that kāmaṁ parjanya vavarṣa. There is word I am just forgetting, that all the necessities of life were supplied through rain. Kāmaṁ vavarṣa parjanyaḥ sarva-kāma-dugha-mahī: (SB 1.10.4) that we derive all necessities of life through the earth. Sarva-kāma-dugha-mahī. So if the king is pious, then the earth will give you production enough for your satisfaction.
They can become great soul. So how they can become great soul? Ye vā mayīśe kṛta-sauhṛdārthā. They're Such gṛhastha, householder, is not exactly meant for "How to get money, how to get money." No. Their aim is how to get friendship of the Lord. That is their aim. It doesn't matter he lives with wife and children. That doesn't matter. But what is the aim of his life? The aim of his life Mayīśe kṛta-sauhṛdārthā. This instruction is given by Ṛṣabhadeva. He is incarnation of God. Therefore He said, "One who is seeking the friendship of Me," or God, kṛta-sauhṛdārthā, "his only business is how to keep friendship with Kṛṣṇa."
Just like Arjuna. Arjuna is a householder, and he is a kṣatriya, royal family, and he was a warrior. He knew how to fight. But his friendship with Kṛṣṇa was very, very intense. Kṛta-sauhṛdārthā. Therefore Kṛṣṇa instructed Arjuna that "Arjuna, I am instructing this mystery of Bhagavad-gītā unto you." Arjuna might have said that "Why you are giving me instruction? I am neither sannyāsī, nor a very learned scholar in Vedānta or... I am gṛhastha, householder, a politician, in royal family. So why You have selected me?" Bhakto 'si: "Because you are My devotee." So this is wanted. Bhakto 'si priyo 'si (BG 4.3). Not only ordinary friend; very dear friend. So if you become dear friend like Arjuna of Kṛṣṇa, or God, then in whatever position you remain, you are mahātmā, great soul. That is required. It is not that... In the Kali-yuga, in this age, it is very difficult to accept renounced order of life. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommended that "You remain in your position—it doesn't matter—but become a mahātmā, great soul." That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's recommendation. Sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ manobhir prāyaśo jito ajita. The process is how to become mahātmā.
They come to see the fun. They do not come to learn something. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu never made any big meeting. In big meeting He was present, but kīrtana, saṅkīrtana. He was meeting in big meeting daily in the evening for four hours in Jagannātha temple, but the whole period of time was engaged in chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. But when there was a person like Sarvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya or Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī or Rāmānanda Rāya, like such exalted person, He used to discuss. Otherwise, He was not discussing. There was no need of discussing, because they do not approach with that humbleness. They think... Just like Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna. So long Arjuna was thinking that "Kṛṣṇa is my friend. I shall reply Him equally," then Kṛṣṇa was very gravely speaking. But when Arjuna understood that "This kind of talking there will be no benefit," then he became His disciple: śiṣyas te 'ham śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). "There is no more discussion. Now I accept You as my guru."
Guru means whatever instruction he'll give, we have to accept without any argument. Vedic knowledge is like that. You cannot interpret. As it is, you have to accept. Similarly guru's word also you have to accept. No argument. That is Vedic knowledge. That is the Vedic system. This example we have given many times. Just like this cow dung. Cow dung is the stool of an animal. So the stool of an animal is most impure thing. As soon as you touch. Even your own stool. You may be very learned scholar or devotee, but that does not meant you can touch your own stool and remain purified. No. Immediately you have to take bath. Even his own, what to speak of others'. But in the Vedic instruction we see that the cow dung, it is the stool of an animal also, lower animal than the man, and it is pure, it is said. So you have to accept pure. No argument that "Such stool is impure, even my spiritual master's stool is also impure. How is that that animal cow dung is pure?" But because it is in the Vedas it is said pure, you have to accept.
That is mahātmā. Ānukūlyena, just like Arjuna did. Arjuna did not like to fight. He completely denied, he set aside his arrows and bows, became very morose, and then he asked Kṛṣṇa, "I am now puzzled, you can give me instruction, what is my duty, because kārpaṇya doṣa upahata svabhāvaḥ. Actually my, it is duty, my duty, that uh I am kṣatriya, and there is fight, battlefield, I should take advantage of it, but still, kārpaṇya doṣa upahata svabhāvaḥ. I am going against my nature, so I do not know what to do, please instruct." Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7).
So, actually Arjuna was not willing to fight, because he is a Vaiṣṇava. He does not want to kill, even if he is, even if he was put into so many difficulties. That was his attitude. So his decision was that he would not fight, but for the sake of Kṛṣṇa, when he understood that Kṛṣṇa wants this fight... Kṛṣṇa said finally, nimitta-mātraṁ bhava savya-sācin. "Don't think that these people who have come here will go back home. They will be killed here. That is my plan. You simply become an instrument, so that you may take the credit. I shall be happy. But they are already finished. This is my plan." So when he understood that Kṛṣṇa wants me to fight, took the credit of becoming victorious. So he doesn't care for credit, but he understood that this is my duty, to please Kṛṣṇa. Then when Kṛṣṇa asked him, "What is your decision?" He said, "Yes, kariṣye vacanaṁ tava (BG 18.73), I shall fight," and he fought. This is called kṛta-sauhṛdārthā. For Kṛṣṇa's sake they can do anything.
He is first-class yogi. So everything is there ending in bhakti. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā, the only talk is about bhakti, in a different way, either through karma-yoga, or jñāna-yoga, or haṭha-yoga. The point is how to become a devotee, and at the end He concludes, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is the conclusion of, so these things cannot be understood by anyone who is not a devotee. Without being devotee, you cannot understand. Therefore there are so many, the politicians, the scholars, they are commenting Bhagavad-gītā in so many ways, but they are misled. Because they are not devotee of Kṛṣṇa. They cannot poke their nose in the Bhagavad-gītā. It is not possible. So Arjuna was bhakta, therefore Bhagavad-gītā was spoken to him. Not to a yogi, not to a karmī, not to a jñānī. This is the answer.
So there is little difference, that the devotees, they work for Super-self-interest. There is self, but it is Super-self-interest. And the karmīs, jñānīs, yogis they work for individual self-interest. Self-interest there must be. That is the difference between lust and prema, or love. It has been defined in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, what is the difference between lust and love. It appears almost the same but Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī has given a definition very clear, ātmendriya-prīti-vāñchā-tāre bali 'kāma' (CC Adi 4.165). When one is interested for his personal sense gratification, that is called kāma or lust, and kṛṣṇendriya-prīti-icchā dhare 'prema' nāma, and when one is interested for satisfying the senses of Kṛṣṇa, that is prema. And the concrete example is there in the Bhagavad-gītā, that in the beginning Arjuna was thinking of interest of the family. How can I kill my brother, my nephews, my master, teacher, my grandfather, in terms of his family interest.
There are, for the materialistic person, there are two varieties of self-interest. One is concentrated interest and other is expanded interest. Just like a child, if you give him some foodstuff, a cake, he will immediately eat himself, and if he is little liberal, then his other friends also, he will give. First of all, first is, he wants to eat, and then the other friend, "Oh you are eating, give me something." Alright you also take. So, this is called extended interest and the beginning is self-interest, anna brahma(?), I shall... Self-preservation is the first law of nature.
So He asked him that "What you are reading?" He said frankly, "Sir, I cannot read. I have no education. Illiterate." "Then? It appears that you are reading something. And if you are illiterate, why you are reading Bhagavad-gītā?" "No, my Guru Mahārāja said. He knew that I am illiterate, but still, my Guru Mahārāja said that 'You read every day the ślokas of Bhagavad-gītā.' So on account of his order, although I do not know anything what is written there, I am trying to read." "Oh, that's very nice. You are carrying the order of your Guru Mahārāja. But it appears that you are crying also. How you are crying if you cannot read?" "Yes, Sir, that's... Because as soon as I take this Bhagavad-gītā in my hand I see the picture that Arjuna is asking Kṛṣṇa to place his chariot in the warfield, and Kṛṣṇa is driving the chariot by his order. So this is creating some feeling in me: 'Oh, Kṛṣṇa is so kind, so nice, that although He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is carrying the order of His devotee as servant.' When I feel this, I cry: 'Oh, how Kṛṣṇa is kind. How Kṛṣṇa is merciful.' " So immediately Caitanya Mahāprabhu embraced him: "You are reading Bhagavad-gītā. It is not the literacy or education or knowing grammar and putting jugglery of words. That is not reading. If one feels what is the purport of Bhagavad-gītā, that is reading Bhagavad-gītā."
So Arjuna, when came to the camp of Duryodhana, Duryodhana well received him: "Yes, my dear brother, come. What do you want? Why you have come?" "Now, you promised something to give me. I have come to take that." "Yes, I will give you. You want without fight the kingdom? Take it immediately. You want that?" "No, no, no. I don't want that. Fighting must go on. That is not I have not come to beg you that. We shall I have come to take that weapons which you have kept." Immediately he delivered. He kept the safety for killing them, and because he has come to beg "A kṣatriya should not beg, but he is begging? All right, take it." This is India. This is India's civilization.
And the next day also, Bhīṣmadeva fought so vigorously that Arjuna was going to be killed. His chariot broken, his everything was torn. Then Kṛṣṇa... You have seen the picture. Then Kṛṣṇa came with a broken wheel to kill Bhīṣmadeva, and Bhīṣmadeva immediately stopped: "Yes, my now promise is fulfilled. Yes, my dear Sir, You have broken Your promise. You promised not to fight, not to... Now, at the present moment, to give protection to Your friend, You have now broken. Yes." So Kṛṣṇa can do that. Kṛṣṇa, He can do everything to give protection to His friend and devotee. He can do, break His promise. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa says, kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati (BG 9.31). He does not promise personally, because He might sometimes break His promise. He is asking Arjuna, "You promise so that your promise will be kept always. I shall see to that." This is the philosophy.
So if we actually formulate peace formula, then everything is possible. Simply we have to accept the instruction of Kṛṣṇa. Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for this purpose. We are simply requesting to accept the Kṛṣṇa philosophy. Then the whole world will be peaceful. There is no doubt about it.
The rascals, they do not know that his real self-interest is how to approach Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, Viṣṇu, therefore comes personally just to show His causeless mercy upon them, to exhibit Himself, how He can be friend to everyone. Suhṛdaḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ jñātvā māṁ śāntiṁ ṛcchati. If you want śānti, then you must accept Kṛṣṇa, suhṛdaḥ. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaraṁ, suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 5.29). He is friend of everyone; therefore He comes. He is not only friend of Arjuna. Arjuna is symbolic friend. He is instructing Arjuna, Bhagavad-gītā, His friend, but He is friend of everyone. Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām.
So we must take advantage of the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā. It is not meant for... Arjuna is already liberated, but he is placing himself as one of us just to take the lessons of Kṛṣṇa for the benefit of the whole world. And Arjuna, who is living with Kṛṣṇa as friend not only in one life... Bahūni me janmāni vyatītāni tava cārjuna. So Arjuna is always with Kṛṣṇa. He cannot be in ignorance. Kṛṣṇa-sūrya-sama, māyā andhakāra, yāhāṅ kṛṣṇa tāhāṅ nāhi māyāra adhikāra (CC Madhya 22.31). Who is constantly living with Kṛṣṇa, he has no ignorance, but he's putting himself as ignorant. Just like Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He is asking question from Rāmānanda Rāya. Does it mean that Caitanya Mahāprabhu did not know, Rāmānanda Rāya No. Just to make a scene that how we can get knowledge from hearing from the authorities Similarly, Arjuna placed himself. It is a theatrical stage, that ignorant. But actually he is liberated. When Arjuna was advised to practice haṭha-yoga, he said, "Kṛṣṇa, it is not possible for me."
"I cannot do this." He was frank enough. Or on behalf of us he said frankly that "It is impossible," at least in the Kali-yuga, "to control the mind." Yoga indriya saṁyamaḥ. It is not possible. Cañcalaṁ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa pramāthi balavad dṛḍham (BG 6.34). Five thousand years, Arjuna is denying to accept this yogic process. "It is not possible to give that. I am a politician. I am a military man. I have to fight. I have to see so many things. How can I control my mind? It is not possible."
So that is fact. This controlling the mind by the yogic process, by meditation, is impossible. (break) ...read so many śāstras, the essence of the śāstra. That is the duty of the ācārya. The essence of the śāstra should be presented to the fools and rascals so that, just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he presented himself before His guru that guru more mūrkha dekhi' karila śāsana: (CC Adi 7.71) "My guru found Me a great rascal." Caitanya Mahāprabhu was not a rascal, but He presented Himself as a rascal because we are rascals. These people of this age, they are all rascals. Therefore he presented Himself, guru more mūrkha dekhi' karila śāsana: "My guru saw Me a great rascal; therefore he has asked Me, chastised Me, that 'You rascal, You cannot understand Vedānta. You cannot read even.' " Mūrkha tumi nāhi tomāra vedānta adhikāra: "You cannot read Vedānta." That means the rascals of this age, what they will understand Vedānta? He will simply misrepresent. They will simply mislead the persons. You see so many big, big politicians, scholars, simply misleading people from Bhagavad-gītā. Bhagavad-gītā is spoken on the battlefield, and they want to prove that it is nonviolence. In this way people are being misled.
This paramaṁ guhyam. What is that paramaṁ guhyam? Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is paramaṁ guhyam, Kṛṣṇa said. Guhyād guhyatamam. What is that verse? Who can say? Just before saying, sarva-dharmān parityajya, Kṛṣṇa said that "You are My very dear friend. Therefore I am talking to you the most confidential part of knowledge." Is it not? What is that confidential part? Sarva-dharmān parityajya: "Give up everything. Simply surrender unto Me." This is confidential knowledge. Jñāna, karma, yoga, this will not help. It will take some time. You can waste your time in that way, you are at liberty, but real dharma is that "You fully surrender unto Me. Don't talk nonsense." Arjuna was talking so many nonsense things. So Kṛṣṇa ultimately said, "My dear Arjuna, you are My confidential friend. Therefore I am asking you. You do this. Don't waste your time. It will not help." It will help—bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). You can go on with your learning, with your study of Vedas, with your practice of yoga or ritualistic ceremonies, karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-kāṇḍa, but unless you come to this point—sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66)—there is no happiness. That is not possible. This is the confidential...
You bring and mix with them stool and urine and make a Professor Einstein. (laughter) You are advanced scientist. You bring this ingredient and make a very intelligent man. So this is all foolishness. Sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13). Anyone who thinks this body as the self, then he is in the animal kingdom. One, if anyone wants spiritual knowledge, he first of all know what is spirit, then spiritual knowledge. If you have no idea of spirit, what is the value of your spiritual knowledge? There is no value. Sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13).
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is giving that enlightenment, that you are not this body. Not this movement; it is there... in the statement of Kṛṣṇa. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yau... (BG 2.13). Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). When Arjuna was declining to fight... Other side was his kinsmen, his brother, nephews, his teacher, all very affectionate. So Arjuna declined, "Kṛṣṇa, I am not going to fight. They have usurped our kingdom. That's all right. They are also our own men. Let them enjoy. But I am not going to kill them." This is Vaiṣṇava. Because he is a devotee, in spite of being harrassed by the other party... Wife was insulted, then kingdom was taken by betting, by gambling. In this way they were put into so many troublesome position. Still, when there was actual fight, because Arjuna was a Vaiṣṇava, devotee, he said, "Let them enjoy. I am not going to fight." This is Vaiṣṇava. Ordinary man would have taken very seriously, "Oh, these people have insulted like that.
When Arjuna declined to fight, and then Kṛṣṇa had to instruct him about the whole instruction of Bhagavad-gītā just to induce him to fight. And at last, Arjuna was asked by Kṛṣṇa, "Now what is your decision? I have told you everything. What do you decide? Whatever you decide, now you do. I have finished My instruction." He said, "Yes, I shall fight." Kariṣye vacanaṁ tava, naṣṭo mohaḥ (BG 18.73). "I was illusioned. Now it is my duty. Because You are ordering and I have heard You very patiently, so it is my duty to fight." Kariṣye vacanaṁ tava (BG 18.73). This very word is there. "I shall act as you advise." This is the result of studying Bhagavad-gītā. You read Bhagavad-gītā, and when you agree to act by the instruction of Kṛṣṇa, then your Bhagavad-gītā reading is success. Otherwise, if you act differently, then you may read Bhagavad-gītā for many thousands of years. There is no benefit.
So Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that aśocyān anvaśocan. In the beginning Arjuna was arguing with Kṛṣṇa to support his decision that he would not fight, but he could not convince Kṛṣṇa very nicely. That he understood, that "Although I am speaking so many things, Kṛṣṇa is not changing. He is fixed up." Then he surrendered himself: "My dear Kṛṣṇa, we are now talking as friends. No, we shall talk now as master and disciple. You I accept You as my master." Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). He accepted Him as the master and he became disciple to understand Bhagavad-gītā. This is the way. If you have got your own opinion, you will never understand Bhagavad-gītā. You have to take lessons from the master. Although the book is there, for example I can give you. Suppose if you want to be a medical man, the books are available in the market. You can purchase and read and become a doctor. Is it possible?
And who requires a guru? Guru is not a fashion. It is necessary. How it is necessary? Now, anyone who is inquisitive to understand the spiritual science, for him it is necessary. Jijñāsuḥ sreya uttamam. Even if you want to become an ordinary electrician, still, you require a teacher, and what to speak of spiritual science. So that is necessary. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet. So Arjuna followed it, and he submitted himself to Kṛṣṇa to become His disciple, not to talk as friend. So when he accepted Him as the spiritual master, so... Teacher... The teacher has the right to chastise the student. That is accepted. So He immediately chastised him, Arjuna. Arjuna was chastised. What is that? Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase: (BG 2.11) "My dear Arjuna, you are talking just like a very learned man, but you are lamenting on the subject matter on which no learned man laments. That means you are a fool." It is indirectly said. "No learned man laments on this subject." What was the subject? He was considering that "If I kill the other side, my brother or my nephew or my teacher, they will die." So that is the general impression in the whole world. Then He teaches, "No. On account of death of the body, the soul does not die. The soul simply changes another body. That's all." This is the first instruction.
We may attempt so many things, but if we do not know how to stop the mental activities which is prone to commit sinful activities That is our first business. That cannot be done by any other means except Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Except Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it is not possible to control the mind. If you can Now, it is the business of everyone If he wants to be the first-class man in the society, brāhmaṇa, the qualification is śamo damas satyaṁ śaucaṁ titikṣva. These are the brāhmaṇa Śamaḥ means controlling the mind. Even Arjuna, he said to Kṛṣṇa when Kṛṣṇa was teaching him the process of mystic yoga and control the mind Five thousand years ago Arjuna A person like Arjuna is not ordinary person. He is talking with Kṛṣṇa. So still he says, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, this is not possible for me. I am a family man and a politician. I cannot control my mind. It is not possible." So nowadays, after five thousand years when Arjuna thought himself incapable of controlling the mind by the so-called yogic process, how it is possible now—this world has so much deteriorated—to practice this meditation and yoga process and control the mind? It is impossible. That is not possible. It is simply humbug. You have to
Therefore śāstra gives us the instruction, kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇum (SB 12.3.52). Kṛte mean in the Satya-yuga, when man used to live for one hundred thousands of years. Just like Valmiki Muni, he underwent meditation for sixty thousands of years, and he attained success. So it was possible, kṛte, in the Satya-yuga. Satya-yuga was the first, beginning of millennium. Satya-yuga exists for eighteen hundred thousand years, and then Treta-yuga, for twelve hundred thousand years, then Dvāpara-yuga, eight hundred thousands of years. Now it is Kali-yuga, it is four hundred thousands of years. And the duration of life in Satya-yuga was hundred thousands of years, and in the Treta-yuga it was one thousands of years. No?
They are not changing. Therefore it cannot be checked in that way. Karmaṇā karma-nirhāra. Now Śukadeva Gosvāmī is suggesting the platform of speculative knowledge. When it has failed that a thief repeatedly committing criminal activities, repeatedly he is being punished but he is not corrected, then what is the remedy? That is vimarśanam, speculative knowledge. Progressing from karma-kāṇḍa to jñāna-kāṇḍa, he is proposing prāyaścittaṁ vimarśanam: real atonement is full knowledge. One should be given knowledge. Unless one comes to the knowledge...
So modern education there is no real knowledge. Real knowledge begins in the Bhagavad-gītā. Those who have read Bhagavad-gītā, the first understanding, Arjuna was given lesson. When he was perplexed and he became a disciple of Kṛṣṇa, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam: (BG 2.7) "Kṛṣṇa, let us stop this friendly talking. Let us stop this friendly talking. Now I agree to become Your disciple. Now You teach me." So the first teaching was chastisment. Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase: (BG 2.11) "You have no knowledge." Gātāsun agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ: "You are talking like a paṇḍita but you are not paṇḍita." He indirectly said, "You are a fool," because nānuśocanti, "This kind of thinking is not maintained by learned scholars." That means "You are not a learned man." That is going on at the present moment. Everyone is thinking that he is very highly elevated, learned, but he is fool number one. That is going on because there is no standard knowledge. Sanātana Gosvāmī also, when he approached Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he also said the same thing. He was in the sense. He was prime minister. He was very learned scholar in Sanskrit and Urdu—in those days Urdu because it was Muhammadan government. But he thought it wise that "They call me learned scholar, but what kind of scholar I am?" He put this question before Caitanya. Grāmya vyavahāre kahaye paṇḍita satya kari māni, āpanāra hitāhita kichui nāhi jāni: "My dear Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, these common men, they say that I am M.A., Ph.D., D.A.C. and so on, so on. I am very learned scholar. But I am so big scholar that I do not know what I am and what is my aim of life. Just see." Ask any so-called scholar that "What is the aim of life?" He cannot say. The aim of life is the same like the dog: eat, drink, be merry, and enjoy, and die. That's all.
So you are not practiced. So instead of practicing yoga in the Himalaya, you practice yoga here. We have come here to help you. Here this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is there. If you are serious about practicing yoga, this, take bhakti-yoga. That will come, how it happens in the next lines.
So this aṣṭāṅga-yoga is not possible in this age—śamo damaḥ, controlling the mind, controlling the senses. Because nobody can properly practice the aṣṭāṅga-yoga system. Impossible. It is not only impossible now—even five thousand years ago, when Kṛṣṇa was advising about this aṣṭāṅga-yoga to Arjuna. Arjuna was not ordinary man. He was friend of Kṛṣṇa. He was a great son of a royal family. And Arjuna's name and fame, everyone knows. So he said to Kṛṣṇa: "My dear Kṛṣṇa, this yoga practice is not possible to be performed by me. I am unable." So Arjuna said frankly that he was unable to practice this yoga system. And what we are, in comparison to Arjuna? So this aṣṭāṅga-yoga system is not possible at all in this age. If you are satisfied by learning some sitting posture, artificially, that may give you some chance of good exercise of the body. You can keep good health. But there is no chance of spiritual realization by aṣṭāṅga-yoga practice in this age. So Śukadeva Gosvāmī says śamena. Śama means manasa-niyamam, controlling the mind. The mind's business is acception, acceptance and rejection. This is mind's business. Even one is very elevated, the mind's business is mind's business. Mind will accept something: "It is very good," and next moment it will reject. That is mind's business. But you have to fix up your mind in something which you cannot reject. That is only the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. If you fix up your mind on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, then your mind cannot go elsewhere. You practice it and you'll see it. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ (SB 9.4.18).
Therefore that is the speciality of human society, that the more one society follows the rules and regulation, he is to be considered civilized. Just like throughout the whole history there are civilization, Aryan civilization, Aryan and non-Aryan. What is the difference? Aryan means progress. One who is progressing towards the perfection of life, they are called Aryans, and those who are degrading towards animal propensity, they are non-Aryans. This is the difference. Aryan culture.
So Kṛṣṇa, when found Arjuna, that he was in the battlefield and Kṛṣṇa Himself is guiding him and becoming the chariot driver, and He saw that "Arjuna is declining to fight?" He became surprised. So He chastised him, kutas te kaśmalam idaṁ viṣame samupasthitam anārya-juṣṭam. Aryan, ārya, ārya. "So this is not for a gentleman, business. You are behaving like non-Aryans." Non-Aryan. So this is the difference between culture and nonculture, that... There is a Bengali proverb that one girl was to dance on the stage. So in Indian civilization the girls or the woman, they cover their head with..., from superiors. So nāste vase guntala(?). She has gone to dance on the stage, and she is pulling on the veil. "Now, where is the opportunity of here to become a household wife? You have come to dance." So similarly, Arjuna was chastised that "You have come to fight, and now you are becoming very nonviolent, atheist..., er, theist. What is...? So this is anārya. You have to do your duty in proper place." That is Aryanism. That is ārya. Ārya-samāj means one who knows his duty, how to do it in proper time. So kṣatriya, his duty is to fight, to defend from the hands of the enemy. So he was declining to fight, so He chastised him, "Non-Aryans. You are not Aryan.
Sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1). His form, His form is described in the Brahma-saṁhitā, that aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti (Bs. 5.32). He has got form, but every part of His limb has got the power of other limbs. Just like I can see with the eyes only, but Bhagavān, Kṛṣṇa, can see with His fingers. I can eat with my tongue, with my mouth, but Kṛṣṇa can eat by seeing, by eyes. Therefore His form is not exactly like your form.
That is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā (BG 9.11). Because they see as a human being they commit mistakes and they say, "How it can be?" Just like Arjuna inquired from Kṛṣṇa, "How can I believe that You delivered the yoga system of Bhagavad-gītā to the sun-god?" Arjuna was taking the position of ordinary man. Because our form, we have got this form in our previous form, body, we are existing because we are eternal, but we don't remember. We don't remember what I was in my previous life. So this form is distinct. Kṛṣṇa's form is distinct from this form. He hasn't got a form like this useless form. Therefore He is formless. Not that He hasn't got form. His form is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1). His form is eternal, sat; cit, full of knowledge; and blissful. Our this form is not blissful. Why you are covering the body? Because it is painful. Unless what is the use of covering? Similarly during summer season we have to take out all this...
So we cannot be desireless, but desirelessness means no bhukti, no yogic siddhi, neither oneness, monism, to merge into the Supreme. These are all material desires. So bhakti means ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ bhaktir uttama (CC Madhya 19.167). That is first-class bhakti, when we are ready to serve Kṛṣṇa as He orders. So to become ready to serve Kṛṣṇa is desirelessness. Otherwise a living entity, a living being, cannot be desireless.
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is teaching how to become desirous to serve Kṛṣṇa. This teaching, perfection of instruction, we find in the Bhagavad-gītā when Arjuna says kariṣye vacanaṁ tava (BG 18.73): "I shall execute what You order me." Te vacanaṁ tava: "I shall execute any order which You order me." Arjuna was a warrior, soldier. When he was... Before his hearing Bhagavad-gītā he was a soldier, and after hearing Bhagavad-gītā he remained a soldier. But in the beginning of the fight he was not willing to fight with his brothers. Although Kṛṣṇa was speaking to him that "You fight," he was declining. This is the stage of abhakta, or nondevotee. Although mundane person will very much be pleased that "Arjuna was not willing to fight. He is nonviolent," but Kṛṣṇa was not accepting. So fighting is not a good business, so Arjuna was declining to fight. It was good from the worldly point of view. But after hearing Bhagavad-gītā, when Kṛṣṇa inquired from Arjuna, "What you have decided?" Arjuna replied, naṣṭo mohaḥ smṛtir labdhā kariṣye vacanaṁ tava (BG 18.73): "Now I am quite in knowledge. I shall execute Your order." This is mukti. When we are prepared to execute the order of Kṛṣṇa, that is the platform of mukti. Therefore it is said, kecit kevalayā bhaktyā vāsudeva-parāyaṇāḥ (SB 6.1.15). Simply by executing the order of Vasudeva one becomes mukta. Just like master and servant. If the servant executes the order of the master, he is faultless. If the servant declines to execute the order of the master, however qualified he may be, he is useless. So therefore it is said, kevalayā bhaktyā: "without any contamination, simply ready to execute the order of Kṛṣṇa, or Vasudeva."
So what is the qualification of nārāyaṇa-parāyaṇa? It does not require any qualification to become nārāyaṇa-parāyaṇa, but if you become voluntarily nārāyaṇa-parāyaṇa... Nārāyaṇa-parāyaṇa means my life is now dedicated for Nārāyaṇa. Nārāyaṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Viṣṇu, they're the same. So that is qualification, if you simply take it as vow that "From this day my life is dedicated to Nārāyaṇa, Kṛṣṇa." Sarvopādhi vinirmuktaṁ tat paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). As soon as we take this vow, that "From this day my life is dedicated to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa wants everyone to surrender. I surrender unto the...," from that day you become free from all designation. Simply this determination, that "From this day I belong to Nārāyaṇa, or Kṛṣṇa. Whatever He wants..." That is the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā So long Arjuna... That is a superficial picture. Arjuna is always for Kṛṣṇa, but just to teach us, he became for his family. He became... In the warfield, when there was to be fighting, he became to the family side and he said, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, how can I fight with my family? They are my brothers, they are my nephews, they are my grandfather, they are my teacher, the other..." Because it was a family fight, five brothers and hundred brothers. So at the warfield he became perplexed, that "I am fighting with my family. The fight means to fight with enemies. How is that? What kind of war it is? Eh? I have to fight with family." He said, Kṛṣṇa, "So who has taught this kind of fighting, Kṛṣṇa, to kill his own brother, his nephews and...?" Therefore that means he leaned to the family side. This is designation. This is designation. Because he belonged to the Kuru's family he took side of the family. But after hearing Bhagavad-gītā, after understanding Kṛṣṇa, when he came to the conclusion that "I must be with Kṛṣṇa's side, not to the family side," then he became perfect. After hearing thoroughly Bhagavad-gītā, he... Kṛṣṇa said, "Now what you will do? To the family side or My side?" Yathecchasi. That freedom is there. Yathecchasi: "Whatever you like, you can do. I have given my instruction."
This is training. Mind is very flickering. Even five thousand years ago, when Arjuna was advised by Kṛṣṇa that "You make your restless mind fixed up," he frankly said, "Kṛṣṇa, it is not possible." Cañcalaṁ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa pramāthi balavad dṛḍham: (BG 6.34) "I see my mind is always very much agitated, and to control the mind is exactly an attempt to stop the wind. So it is not possible." But actually his mind was fixed up in Kṛṣṇa. So those who mind have been fixed up at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, they have conquered. Their mind is fixed up. That is wanted. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane (SB 9.4.18). These are the qualifications of Mahārāja Ambarīṣa. He was very responsible emperor, but his mind was fixed up at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. That is wanted.
So this is brahminical qualification, to practice how to fix up the mind at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, and that is the perfection of yoga. Yoga means not to show some magical feats. No. Real perfection of yoga means to fix up the mind at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā you will find the last conclusion of this yoga chapter, Sixth Chapter,
- yoginām api sarveṣāṁ
- mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā
- śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ
- sa me yuktatamo mataḥ
- (BG 6.47)
That was encouraging to Arjuna because Arjuna thought, "Then I am useless. I cannot fix up." But his mind was already fixed up. Therefore Kṛṣṇa encouraged him, "Don't be discouraged. Anyone whose mind is already fixed up in Me always, he is the first-class, topmost yogi." Therefore we should be always thinking of Kṛṣṇa.
So He knows everything because He is perfect. But I do not know. Although it is by my energy this body is produced. I do not know how these veins are created, how these bones are created. I do not know. Therefore I am not God. I do not know... I say "my body," but actually this body has developed, me, as spirit soul, but I do not know how many hairs are there on my head and how it is growing. But He knows. That is a characteristic of the Absolute Truth. He must be knowing everything, and that is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā. Vedahaṁ samatītāni: (BG 7.26) "I know everything in the past. I know what will happen in the future. I know everything." That is God.
When Arjuna was asked to Kṛṣṇa that "How can I accept that You taught this philosophy to sun-god? Because You are my contemporary. We are born practically on the same date." So He replied, "Yes. Both you and Me, we took many, many births. But you have forgotten. I know everything." And that is God. That is God. Abhijñaḥ. God must be cognizant of everything. And I do not know everything, and still, I claim I am God and people accept. How rascal. The Bhāgavata explains that the Absolute Truth is cognizant of everything, abhijñaḥ. "So how His knowledge is so perfect?"—the next question, because we become cognizant by taking knowledge or accepting knowledge from spiritual master. But how he has become so cognizant? The answer is svarāṭ, fully independent. He hasn't got to learn... (break) But He is God without taking knowledge from anybody. That is real God. Svarāṭ. In this way Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam has explained the Vedānta-sūtras, that Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the right explanation of Vedānta-sūtra. Bhāṣyāyāṁ brahma-sūtrānām. The Brahma-sūtra means Vedānta-sūtra. And the real commentary and explanation is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, of Vedānta.
If he can maintain a wife I have no objection." That means to maintain a wife is a very big job in your country. I've seen it. (laughter) Of course, when we talk we must talk freely. (laughter) That is a fact. (laughter) But formerly, in our father's age, they used to come to foreign countries and they thought it, it is a great laugh to possess one white wife. Yes, they are thinking like that. So all the students who used to come to England for higher studies, naturally he'd carry one white elephant. (laughter) They used to say—it is not my coined words—they used to say, "Oh, to maintain European wife, it is like maintaining white elephant." So anyway, you have got so many white elephants. (laughter)
So this is the way, ato gṛha-kṣetra-suta-āpta, friends. Arjuna was lamenting, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, You are asking me to fight with my relatives. Then suppose I become victorious and they're killed. Then whom I shall show the kingdom?" That was his objection. (laughter) "If everyone is killed on the other side, my friends and relatives, and suppose I become victorious, then whom I shall show my prosperity?" So āpta, suta, ato gṛha-kṣetra-suta-āpta and vitta and money. It is one after another. First wife, then apartment, then field for agriculture, then friends, then children, then money, bank balance. In this way he does not know he's becoming entangled more and more. Ato gṛha-kṣetra-suta-āpta-vittaiḥ, janasya moho 'yam. He's thinking that "Now everything is settled up; I am very happy." And next day death comes and kicks him out: "Get out!" That he does not understand. That he does not understand, that "Any moment death can come and kick me out of all this arrangement." That is ignorance. That is foolishness.
There are three stages: the stage of ignorance, the stage of passion, the stage of goodness, and the stage of transcendence. There are different stages. So, after millions of births, nature gives us this human form of life when, if we try, we can understand in which stage I am standing. Yes. Either in ignorance or passion or goodness. And to understand this there are books. These books are there. So you have to study. The Caitanya-caritāmṛta says, anādi-bahir-mukha jīva kṛṣṇa bhuli gela ataeva kṛṣṇa veda-purāṇa korila. The Vedas, this knowledge, for whom? Is it for the cats and dogs? No. They cannot read. They cannot understand. It is meant for men, and especially civilized men. Not for the crude men in the jungle. Those who are civilized—for them. They are called civilized men, means another word is Āryan. For them it is. Just like Arjuna was chastised by Kṛṣṇa. When he did not like to fight He chastised him, "Non-Āryan." Kutas tvāṁ kaśmalam idaṁ viṣame samupasthitam anārya juṣṭam. "You're talking like non-Āryan." Āryan means advanced. So if you claim to belong to the Āryan family, then it is your duty to study Vedic literature and understand your position and make your life successful. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
He saw that the prime minister has become a horse, and his grandchildren driving him. That is enjoyment. He is the prime minister but he has become a horse of his grandchild. (laughter).
So this is the position. There are different types of position. When there is battlefield, Kṛṣṇa said that "I'll not fight. Arjuna, although I shall be on your side, but don't expect that I shall fight. Because it is between your brothers, both of you are My relatives, I will not fight." So Arjuna accepted, "Yes, You don't fight. So You, any way You like, You can help me." So He said, "All right, I shall become your chariot, I shall drive your chariot." So "That's all right; whatever You like." This was the agreement. So Duryodhana complained to Bhīṣmadeva that "Arjuna is your pet grandchild. You are not fighting wholeheartedly." So he began to criticize him. He was also grandchild. So when Bhīṣmadeva saw that "Duryodhana is thinking that I am inclined to Arjuna, I am not fighting properly," so he said: "All right, tomorrow I shall finish Arjuna. Tomorrow I shall fight in such a way, either Arjuna has to die, or his friend who has promised not to fight, He has to fight. Otherwise there is no escape of Arjuna." So Duryodhana became very satisfied. And Bhīṣma was a great hero. He was not ordinary hero. He fought in such a way that Arjuna's chariot became broken and he became fainted and so on, so on. Then Kṛṣṇa saw that "My friend is going to die." So He became very angry. And He was coming with the chariot wheel to kill Bhīṣmadeva, and Bhīṣmadeva was piercing His body with arrows like anything. So Kṛṣṇa was feeling very satisfaction, because Bhīṣma is also great devotee. So when Kṛṣṇa came before Bhīṣmadeva, that "Now I shall kill you, you are doing too much," so he immediately left, means "That was my promise, that either You have to fight or Your friend will be killed."
So these are the transactions between devotee and God. Generally, people cannot understand. But if one understands, he becomes liberated. If some way or other... It is not very difficult; simply we have to associate with devotees and discuss this literature. Then we'll understand Kṛṣṇa very easily. And Kṛṣṇa is explaining in the Bhagavad-gītā about Himself.
Then the Vaiṣṇava ācāryas, Rāmanujācārya, Madhvācārya, they said, brahma satya. And what is Brahman? Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11). Brahman, first realization, impersonal; then localized; then person. Just like Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam: (BG 4.1) "Long, long years ago, millions of years ago, I spoke this philosophy to the sun-god, Vivasvān." So, Kṛṣṇa, as He was instructing Arjuna, similarly, He was instructing the sun-god that... Arjuna is a person. Kṛṣṇa is a person. Similarly, sun-god is also a person, and Kṛṣṇa is a person. And Kṛṣṇa says in the Second Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā that "My dear Arjuna, you, Me, and all of them who are standing here in this battlefield, we were existing in the past, we are existing now, and we shall continue to exist." So God is person; we are also person. We existed in the past as person, we are existing now as person and we shall continue to exist as person. There is no question of imperson. If past, present, future, everywhere is a person, where is the question of imperson? So imperson means... Just like the sun-god is person, but the sunshine is imperson. Those who are in the sunshine, they cannot understand what is sun-god. That is not possible. It requires strength. If you want to go and see the sun-god Vivasvān, that requires qualification. It is not so easy. You cannot enter even the sun planet, what to speak of talking with him. But Kṛṣṇa could talk. Kṛṣṇa can go anywhere. And when there is sun-god, then "god" means not alone. A king does not mean alone. King means he has got his kingdom, he has got his subjects, he has got minister, he has got military strength. Everything is there. So similarly, if we accept Kṛṣṇa's statement that "I spoke to sun-god," the sun-god is there in the sun globe, and he has his kingdom, so dazzling kingdom. It looks like fire, blazing. But don't think it is impersonal. Impersonal? How Kṛṣṇa could talk with him? There is no question of impersonality.
In the Kali-yuga the memory will be reduced, the duration of life will be reduced, the strength of the body will be reduced, people's sense of mercifulness will be reduced. In this way there are eight items mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, it will be reduced.
So this is the age of Kali, and we are in darkness, and a mode of life just like animals. So this is our position. But the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, He is sympathetic. He comes, therefore. He comes... He came in the Dvāpara-yuga, by the end of Dvāpara-yuga, and He left behind Him this Bhagavad-gītā, being merciful upon these conditioned soul, that "You make your life perfect by reading this Bhagavad-gītā. I am leaving behind him. Arjuna is My friend." So in the way of questions or answers and in the way of Arjuna's falling in difficulty... Arjuna was not difficulty. He is personal friend of Kṛṣṇa. But in order to derive the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā, he showed himself as in ignorance. The benefit is our, that we have got this Bhagavad-gītā. But still, we are so fallen. Because Kṛṣṇa said that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja, therefore people misunderstood. Again Kṛṣṇa came in this Kali-yuga as Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya nāmne. The Rūpa Gosvāmī, he prayed to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, namo mahā-vadānyāya. Kṛṣṇa came. That's all right. But He was not so liberal. He wanted first of all surrender.
That is intelligence. That is jñānī. But a jñānī does not know that "I get out from this entanglement. Then where I stay?" That they do not know. So that information is given by Kṛṣṇa, that "Give up this, and take up Me," negative and positive, both. Sarva-dharmān parityajya: (BG 18.66) "Give up this nonsense desires." Then? What to do? Now, mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: "Come to Me, under Me." This is required. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu. Mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. That is not varietyless, that "I surrender unto You; then business finished." No. Śaraṇaṁ vraja means ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam: (CC Madhya 19.167) what Kṛṣṇa says, you do that. Just like Arjuna. Arjuna was not willing to fight, but when he listened Bhagavad-gītā from Kṛṣṇa, then he agreed to fight.
So our first business is that if we want to stop this repetition of birth and death—and sometimes we are very happy, sometimes we are very unhappy, sometimes we are in fearfulness, sometimes in so many other calamities—then our first business is that we shall stop all these material desires. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). To stop means... The desire cannot be stopped. Because we are living entities, life, we are not dead stone, that desires will be stopped. No. Desires are to be purified. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). Desires to purified... Everyone is working under some impure consciousness, just like nationalism: "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am Englishman," "I am German." This desire is polluted, because I am spirit soul, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. What is the benefit, my identifying with America or India or...? This is called purification of the desire. Everyone is working under national, and they are fighting with one another because the desire is impure.
To become very pious man does not mean that he is a liberated man. He is good man, on the platform of the quality of goodness, but he is not a liberated man. Try to understand. A good man is not a liberated man. Good man is also conditioned soul. He is bound up by good condition. Just like to become a brāhmaṇa. That does not mean that... He has acquired the good qualities but that does not mean that he is a devotee. You will find in this prayer. You will find many good men but you will find rarely a pure devotee. So good man is not a devotee. Try to distinguish. Good man is good for this material existence but devotee is different from good man. A devotee...
Just like Arjuna. Arjuna is killing, engaged in killing. People may think that "Oh, Arjuna is not very good man. He is killing his grandfather, he is killing his, what is called, nephews, and devastating the whole family. Oh, he is not a good man." Sometimes comment, people comment like that. But Kṛṣṇa says, bhakto 'si priyo 'si me: (BG 4.3) "You are My very dear friend." Just try to understand. In the estimation of the material world he is a very good man, er, he is not a good man because he is killing his own kinsmen. But in the estimation of Kṛṣṇa, he is dear friend and devotee. So that is the difference between a devotee and good man of this world. A devotee is naturally very good man, but when he acts just like a bad man on behalf of Kṛṣṇa, he does not fall down. He still remains a pure devotee.
So Arjuna said, cañcalaṁ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa pramāthi, balavat. And not only balavat, "is very strong," and dṛḍham, "and very strong and determined" Tasyāhaṁ nigrahaṁ manye: "If you ask me to control my mind, it is very difficult for me." Tasyāhaṁ nigrahaṁ manye vāyor api suduṣkaram: "If there is some wind, strong wind, and if one thinks that 'I shall control this wind, stop this strong blowing of wind,' as it is impossible, similarly, the movement of my mind is so strong that I cannot promise that I can control this mind." And after the statement of Arjuna, Kṛṣṇa said... Kṛṣṇa saw that His friend was becoming disappointed. Because he cannot prosecute the yoga system, so he's becoming disappointed. But He knew that Arjuna was always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. That was certain. Although his mind was very agitated because he was politician, he was warrior, still, his mind was fixed up in Kṛṣṇa. That He knew. Therefore He said that yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā (BG 6.47).
The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, the technique, is that you may be engaged in various types of work, but the mind must be always fixed up in Kṛṣṇa. That art you have to learn. How it is possible? It is possible. Perhaps you have not seen—in India the women, they go to draw water from the well and they keep on the head. They are going, but the head is so balanced that the waterpot will never fall down. There are many instances that if you learn how to keep the balance, in spite of your movement the waterpot on the head will not fall. Similarly, if you mold your life in such a way that Kṛṣṇa should always be remembered, then, in spite of your mind being very agitated, your mind will be fixed up in Kṛṣṇa. That is required. Therefore in the devotional service we have got so many engagements.
Prabhupāda: That's nice. All right.
Devotee (1): Prabhupāda? You said Arjuna was lamenting, but pure devotees become... Superior qualities that all devotees possess... So why is this? So why did Kṛṣṇa call him a fool?
Prabhupāda: Yes. In spite of our superior qualities, we are always fool. You should know. Don't be puffed up with your superior qualities. You should remain always fool. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He presents Himself as a fool. So even Caitanya Mahāprabhu presents Himself before His spiritual master as a fool. So that is a good qualification, to remain a fool. Otherwise, it he becomes puffed up—"Oh, I have learned everything. My business is finished"—so there is prone to fall down again. And the spi... Because... Arjuna was addressed as a fool because Kṛṣṇa accepted, er, Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa as his spiritual master. So the spiritual master has the right, just like father has the right to say like that. So there was nothing wrong. (break) ...kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ. This is chanting and hearing of the glories of Viṣṇu, harer nāma kīrtanam (CC Adi 17.21). So that is the beginning. Devotional service begins from hearing. Unless there is chanting, what you can hear? Śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte. Śravaṇādi. Śravaṇa means hearing. That is the beginning of devotional... As you chant and hear, so you become purified more and more. Then your heart becomes cleansed. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). The whole thing is that we have accumulated so many nasty things in our heart. That has to be moved. It is cleansing process. So chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra means beginning the cleansing process. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam. Is it clear? Or you have got any question like that?
Prabhupāda: Not seven months. I am speaking from the human point of view. But that consciousness is, I mean to say, subdued for a few days, a few months, then you get another body. Again consciousness is there, and you begin your work. Even you get human form of life, but if you do not utilize it properly, then what is the use of getting human form of life? That is the defect, but there is no training. There are so many university departments, but there is no department for understanding what is the soul or what is God. No department. This Bhagavad-gītā teaches this department of knowledge. Beginning. From the very beginning. The Bhagavad-gītā is begun from the understanding that Arjuna was spoken by Kṛṣṇa, aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāmś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). "My dear Arjuna, you are talking like a very learned man but," gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ, "but actually one who is learned man, he does not bother about this body either dead or alive." This is not the subject matter, to supply the necessities of body. This is not the subject matter of study for a learned man. In other words, the whole world is absorbed in the study of this body only. So there is no learned man according to Bhagavad-gītā. Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāmś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). That you are talking Actually, so many learned men, M.A., Ph.D., with university qualification, they are talking so much, but as soon as they are asked, "Do you know what is the soul?" They stop. Yes?
Guest: I have here a Holy Bible.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
If you have to learn Bhagavad-gītā, then you have to learn Bhagavad-gītā as Kṛṣṇa speaks or as Arjuna understands. Just like if you take a medicine bottle. The direction, as it is stated in the bottle, you have to take medicine in that way. You cannot make your own direction, interpretation. (break) Nonsense. We don't accept. (break) We are publishing one book, Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. It has been taken by one great publisher, Macmillan Company, and we'll have it by the month of October. Don't interpret. We explain things as they are. That should be the attitude. Why? Why interpretation? By interpretation, there are 664 editions of Bhagavad-gītā. Simply by... One medical man he has interpreted Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa is a physician and Arjuna is a patient. And he has tried to explain through Bhagavad-gītā all anatomic physiology, not this. Gandhi, he wanted to prove nonviolence from Bhagavad-gītā. The Bhagavad-gītā is being spoken in the battlefield, full of violence, and he is trying to prove that the Bhagavad-gītā is nonviolent. These are all artificial attempts. These explanations will never give you the real light from Bhagavad-gītā. You try to understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is. (break)
...everything then he becomes perfect. Perfect. Simply by understanding God perfectly... Not perfectly, preliminary. Nobody can understand God perfectly. That is not possible. That is not in our capacity. God is so great, we are so small. But to our small understanding whatever we can know, that are described in different kinds of scripture, and Bhagavad-gītā is also another description of the truth, Absolute Truth. So here Kṛṣṇa says that anyone who understands this Absolute Truth or the activity or the purpose or the appearance, disappearance, about God, what is God, what are His activities...
Devotee: Is Arjuna described in disciplic succession?(?) I mean...
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Devotee: How come the other incarnations are (indistinct)?
Prabhupāda: Arjuna is disciple of Kṛṣṇa, that is known. Then what is your next question?
Devotee: Did Kṛṣṇa describe to Arjuna the disciplic succession?
Prabhupāda: Yes. He said that "I am speaking to you Bhagavad-gītā because you are My devotee, you are My confidential friend." That is the qualification to receive this from disciplic succession. That is the qualification. He, he, Arjuna did not go to instruct, yes, Kṛṣṇa did not like to instruct the confidential system of yoga to any so-called impersonalist or so-called Vedantist. Arjuna was ordinary householder. He was, of course, belonging to the royal family. He was a great warrior, that's all, but he did not belong to the brāhmaṇa family or any learned scholar. He was a military man. Then why Kṛṣṇa to discuss the mystery of Bhagavad-gītā to him? Because his qualification is accepted by Kṛṣṇa that, "I am speaking to you that old system of Bhagavad-gītā, Arjuna, because you are My devotee and you are My confidential friend." So we have to become a devotee or we have to establish a transcendental relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Then it is possible to understand what is the mystery of Bhagavad-gītā. Bhagavad-gītā cannot be understood by so-called scholars by academic degrees. One has to become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. One has to become a friend or some way related with Kṛṣṇa. Then it is possible to understand Bhagavad-gītā. Otherwise it is impossible.
Just like we come from airport to this hotel. This city is very nice. Not only this city. I am traveling all over the world. There are very very nice cities in Europe, America, and other countries also. It is all right. You decorate this city nice, you make your life very comfortable. But if you forget Kṛṣṇa, then you are defeated. Then you are defeated. That is the instruction given by Kṛṣṇa to Arjuna. Yuddhyasva mām anusmara (BG 8.7). Arjuna did not stop his fighting capacity. He was a kṣatriya. And Kṛṣṇa did not encourage him that you should stop fighting. Rather Arjuna was trying to stop fighting. Kṛṣṇa said, "No. You are kṣatriya. You cannot stop fighting." So don't think that by becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious one becomes a vagabond. No. One gentleman talked with me that "Your Vaiṣṇava philosophy has made our country coward." No. You do not know what is Vaiṣṇava. In India there were two great fights. One the fight between Rāma and Rāvaṇa, and the other great fight was between the two, Kurus and the Pāṇḍavas. In both the fighting the hero was Vaiṣṇava. The hero, Hanumānjī, Vajrāṅgajī, who fought on behalf of Lord Rāmacandra, he is a Vaiṣṇava. And Arjuna, who also fought on behalf of Kṛṣṇa, he is a kṣatriya. So they do not know what is Vaiṣṇava philosophy.
Vaiṣṇava philosophy means the Vaiṣṇava is ready to do anything for God's sake. That is Vaiṣṇava. It is approved by God, Kṛṣṇa, then they are ready to do anything. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It is not that by Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement everything, our daily routine work will be stopped. No. I am very glad to see that these small children are being trained here in such a far distant place from India. I thank our Bhūrijana Prabhu for this work. But this is the aim for training them in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, brahmacārī. If one becomes very solid in Kṛṣṇa consciousness then his further progress of life. Just like I was quoting the instance of Prahlāda Mahārāja. Prahlāda Mahārāja was a devotee from the very birth, but he was a great king, he was a great ruler. Dhruva Mahārāja, he was also a devotee from the very beginning of his life, but he was a great ruler, a great king. So do not misunderstand that by accepting Kṛṣṇa consciousness everything will be stopped. No. Nothing will be stopped. Simply one has to change the consciousness. That's all. Just like Arjuna did. Arjuna was a fighter in the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā. He remained a fighter after hearing Bhagavad-gītā. He did not change his position as a fighter, as a kṣatriya. But in the beginning he was thinking non-Kṛṣṇa conscious. He was thinking of his personal interest, personal sense gratification. But at the end he decided to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. This is the difference, materialism and spiritualism. If you want to satisfy your senses that is materialism, and if you want to satisfy Kṛṣṇa's senses, that is spiritual. You have to satisfy. Our position is... (end)
That is Prahlāda Mahārāja's instruction. There is no guarantee. Why you are thinking that way, that now you are five years old; you will live for five hundred years? No. There is no guarantee. At any moment you can die.
Durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma. This body, human form of body, is obtained after many, many millions of years through evolutionary process. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati, 8,400,000 species of life we had to come through. Then we have got this body, human form of life, and civilized. Civilized, according to our Vedic conception, a civilized means ārya, ārya. When Arjuna was declining to fight, Kṛṣṇa condemned him, anārya-juṣṭam: "You are just like..., speaking like an anārya, not an ārya. It is your duty. You must do it." Anārya-juṣṭam akīrtiṁ karam arjuna. "You'll be defied by others. Don't do it." So an ārya... Aryan means who accepts this varṇāśrama-dharma, four varṇas, four āśrama. Varnāśramācāravatā puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān viṣṇur ārādhyate (CC Madhya 8.58).
The real aim is to go back to home, back to Godhead, Viṣṇu. So this is the process. If we execute this varṇāśrama-dharma rightly, then we gradually make progress towards spiritual realization. It is so arranged in that way, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, not by birth but by qualification. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam (BG 4.13). If these qualifications are found anywhere else, you should accept that. Even...
In the kṛte, means Satya-yuga, when people used to live for one hundred thousands of years, at that time it was possible. Just like Valmiki Muni meditated for sixty thousands of years. So actually this meditation, dhyāna, dhāraṇā, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, the yogic system, it is recommended in the śāstras, the Bhagavad-gītā also it is there, but in this age it is not possible. Even Arjuna denied. "Kṛṣṇa, You are recommending me to undergo the process of yoga, but it is not possible for me." Tasyāhaṁ nigrahaṁ manye vāyor iva suduṣkaram. It is not possible. But Arjuna was a pure devotee. He was always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. He had no other business. Therefore Kṛṣṇa, to encourage Arjuna, He said that "Don't be disappointed. Because you are thinking that you are unfit to meditate upon Lord Viṣṇu, don't be disappointed. The first-class yogi... You are first-class yogi." Why? Because,
- yoginām api sarveṣāṁ
- mad-gatenāntarātmanā
- śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ
- sa me yuktatamo mataḥ
- (BG 6.47)
Anyone who is thinking of Kṛṣṇa always within the heart, he's first-class yogi. Therefore kalau tad dhari-kīrtanāt. This is first-class yoga system. In this age, Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommended, in the śāstra also it is recommended, that harer nāma harer nāma harer nāma eva kevalam kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva (CC Adi 17.21).
One who is interested to get out of these activities of external energy, tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta (SB 11.3.21), for him, guru is required. Don't make a guru as a fashion. That is useless. Then you get some guru who can manufacture gold, and you are interested in gold, so that kind of guru will be... No. Here it is said, tasmād guruṁ prapad..., tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum (MU 1.2.12). Tad-vijñāna means spiritual science. For that purpose, one requires a guru. Not for any other purpose.
So Arjuna also showed by example. Although he was talking as friend, he submitted to Kṛṣṇa, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). Arjuna was talking directly with Kṛṣṇa. But because the relationship was affectionate friendship, there could not be any serious talk. Therefore Arjuna submitted that "Kṛṣṇa, we are talking like friends; it will never come to any serious. Now I accept You as my guru." Śiṣyas ye 'haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam. Kārpaṇya-doṣopahata-svabhāvaḥ (BG 2.7). "I am now perplexed." So when one is actually in knowledge, he feels perplexed. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. Unless one feels perplexed in this materialistic way of life, his human life is imperfect. One must feel that this material world, actually it is not happiness. Just like Sanātana Gosvāmī approached Caitanya Mahāprabhu that grāmya-vyavahāre paṇḍita, satya kari māni. "I am minister, I am also born of a brāhmaṇa family." In India the brāhmaṇas are addressed as paṇḍitajī. So he says, grāmya-vyavahāre paṇḍita kaha ei paṇḍita: "Just like ordinary relationship, village friendship, they call me paṇḍita." Paṇḍita means learned. "I also accept that I am paṇḍita. But actually I am not paṇḍita." Why not?
It is lost. The regulating processes are lost now, and neither it is possible to reintroduce it. It is not possible. People have become so much degraded that it is not possible. Therefore direct method. Direct method: chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That will revive your old consciousness. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā: "In this age there is no other alternative, there is no other alternative." The so-called meditation, yoga or karma, jñāna, mental speculation—everything will fail. They are, of course, standard processes, but that is not possible to execute in the present age. What is to speak of present age, even five thousand years ago, when Arjuna was taught to learn yoga system... That is also mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā, the practice of yoga, the sitting posture, the breathing exercise, and controlling the senses and regulating eating, sleeping. So many things, they are recommended. And after hearing, Arjuna said, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, it is not possible for me." Actually, Arjuna was a fighter, a military man. Where is his time to practice this meditation, all these things? He frankly admitted. But we are so proud that we want to surpass even a personality like Arjuna.
These are inevitable. As birth is inevitable, death is inevitable, similarly, old age is inevitable. So in this way our time is wasted because we do not know how valuable this human form of life is. There is no such education. They think human life is as cheap as dog's life, but factually it is not. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). One gets this human form of life, 8,400,000 species of life, especially advanced life, the Aryan civilization... Aryan means advanced, advanced in spiritual knowledge. The materialists, they claim Aryan only from the bodily conception, but that is not the fact. Anyone who is advanced in spiritual life, they are called Aryans. Anārya-juṣṭam. Arjuna was chastised by Kṛṣṇa that "You are talking like non-Aryan." Anārya-juṣṭam. So non-Aryan and Aryan, what is the difference? The Aryan civilization means this varṇāśrama-dharma, four varṇas, four āśramas. And non-Aryan means there is no division. Everyone is one or equal. That is advocated now at the present moment. In India also, they think of casteless society, no caste. But it is not caste. It is division of culture. Brāhmaṇa means advanced in culture, kṣatriya means less advanced than the brāhmaṇa, and vaiśya means less advanced, and śūdra is less advanced, and the pañcamas, fifth grade, sixth grade, kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ (SB 2.4.18), they are less. In this way high grade and low grade division of the society, one who follows the high grade culture, they are called Aryans, Arya. In many places in Vedic literature the superior person is addressed as Arya.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja says, etad dvāraḥ hi saṁsāraḥ. Material existence means we are passing on, I mean to say, do not know how long we are passing. They say, "We cannot remember," "Time immemorial." This is called saṁsāra. This is called material existence. Etad dvāro hi saṁsāro guṇa-karma-nibandhanaḥ. And this material body is there due to my material qualities and according to the quality, my work; and these two things are binding me. Guṇa-karma-vibhāga. So here the caste system, according to guṇa, according to quality, and karma, according to work.
Now Arjuna was advised by Kṛṣṇa that nistraiguṇyo bhavārjuna. Trai-guṇya-viṣayā-vedā nistrai-guṇyo bhavārjuna: "My dear Arjuna, this world is moving on the platform of these material modes: goodness, passion and ignorance. And the whole Vedic literature, or scriptures, they are meant for transcendenting one from this platform to the spiritual platform." So Arjuna was advised, nistrai-guṇyo bhavārjuna: "Just get out of yourself, get out yourself from this entanglement of three guṇas and their work." So Prahlāda Mahārāja is similarly advising, "This is saṁsāra. This is material existence." And what is the basic principle of this material existence? Ajñāna, ignorance, because I have forgotten that I am part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. This is ajñāna. Ajñāna-mūlaḥ apārtho 'pi puṁsaḥ svapna ivārpyate. Although it is just like dream, say, ten years before or twenty years before, oh, I was in India. I was a family man. I was sitting with my wife and children and doing something else. Now that thing is now dream. So we are passing... Just like at night we dream something, so this is also another kind of dream, because this is concrete dream, and at night we see abstract dream. The quality is dream.
So this stage... We have several times cited the example, that reading of Bhagavad-gītā... When Lord Caitanya was traveling in South India, He saw one brāhmaṇa, he was reading Bhagavad-gītā, but he was illiterate. But he was crying. So on inquiry from Caitanya Mahāprabhu what he is reading, he frankly admitted that "I am illiterate. I do not know even the letters. But my Guru Mahārāja asked me to read Bhagavad-gītā daily, so I am trying to read it. But I cannot read it." Then Caitanya Mahāprabhu inquired, "Then why you are crying?" He replied, "Yes, I get an ecstatic sentiment. As soon as I touch this book, I see the picture, that Kṛṣṇa is driving the chariot, and Arjuna is sitting, and He is instructing. So Kṛṣṇa is so kind, Kṛṣṇa is so faithful to His devotee, that He has taken the menial execution of service to His devotee. These feelings, whenever I feel, I am crying." This is the stage. This is the stage, when one becomes too much, I mean to say, glorifying about the wonderful acts. This is very wonderful act. The Supreme Personality of Godhead who is the greatest, God is great, but He has taken the service of a devotee as a menial driver. So this feeling gave him in ecstasy. This is a sign. It is not artificial. Tad guṇa-sūnavan, er, śruti-mātreṇa.
It is not childish. Rather the so-called meditation is childish. You cannot, if you do not know what is God, how you can meditate upon Him? Meditation means, dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yogino. The yogis perform meditation. Why? To concentrate their mind on the Viṣṇu form. You'll find some picture that everyone is depicted with the Viṣṇu form in the core of the heart. That is real yoga. Indriya-samyamaḥ. Real yoga means indriya-samyamaḥ. Our senses are so much disturbed, agitated always. So if you can control your sensory organs to your, employ them in the matter of understanding God, yoga indriya-samyamaḥ.
Real purpose of yoga is to control the senses. Very, very difficult. Even five thousand years ago when Arjuna was being instructed on the yoga system, concentrating the mind, fixing up the mind on Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu, the same thing. So Arjuna said, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, it is very difficult." Cañcalaṁ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa pramāthi balavad dṛḍham (BG 6.34). It is not possible, for me at least. Yes, those who are busy, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas. Brāhmaṇa may be able. Not nowadays brāhmaṇa, those who are actually brāhmaṇa, because they practice samaḥ, damaḥ, satyam, śaucam, controlling the mind, controlling the senses, brahmacārī. They can do that. But the kṣatriyas and the vaiśyas they cannot, because they have not practice samaḥ, damaḥ. But at the present moment in this age, Kali-yuga, everyone is śūdra, nobody is brāhmaṇa, by the caste system or by birthright. Śudra, kalau śūdra sambhavaḥ. So, in this age, how to concentrate the mind upon Kṛṣṇa.
They were thieves and rogues, very fallen condition. But Nityānanda Prabhu wanted to show an example that "I shall deliver these two brothers. Never mind they are so fallen." That is called kṛpa-siddha. So we should always remember there are three categories: nitya-siddha, sādhana-siddha and kṛpa-siddha. But when they become siddha, perfect, by any process, they are on the same level. There is no distinction.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja's position is nitya-siddha. Gaurāṅgera saṅgi gane nitya-siddha boli māne. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, when He came... Not only He, but others also. Just like with Kṛṣṇa so many devotees, they descended. Just like Arjuna. Arjuna is nitya-siddha, nitya-siddha friend. When Kṛṣṇa said that "I spoke this philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā to the sun-god...," imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam... (BG 4.1). That is so many millions of years ago. To clear the matter, Arjuna inquired that "Kṛṣṇa, You are of my age. How I can believe that You spoke this philosophy so many millions of years ago?" So what Kṛṣṇa replied, you know, that "My dear Arjuna, both you and Me, we appeared many, many times. The difference is that you have forgotten. That means you were also present at that time because you are My nitya-siddha friend. Whenever I appear, you also appear. But you have forgotten; I have not forgotten." That is the difference between jīva and śiva, or Lord, that we are minute part and particle of the Supreme; therefore we may forget. But Kṛṣṇa does not forget. That is the difference. So nitya-siddha. Prahlāda Mahārāja is to be understood as nitya, mahā-bhāgavata, nitya-siddha. They appear to complete the līlā of Kṛṣṇa.
If Kṛṣṇa says, "Yes, I will eat meat," oh, I shall kill all the animals and give Him, offer Him. But if Kṛṣṇa says, "No, I want fruits," then how can I give everything Him against His will? Is that devotion? Kṛṣṇa says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). He says that "Fruits, flower, vegetables—anyone give Me with devotion, I eat." Therefore you have to do that. Everything, anything, does not mean that you will go against the will of Kṛṣṇa. Does it mean that? If Kṛṣṇa says, "You bring this," "Ah, never mind." Even though I do not like it, I shall do it. Just like Kṛṣṇa said that "You fight." Is fighting good? He was good man. He didn't want to fight. But Kṛṣṇa said, "You fight," so against his will he fought. That is anything and everything. From gentleman's point of view, from nonviolence point of view, Arjuna was very nice. He was not willing to fight. But Kṛṣṇa said, "You must fight," and therefore everything was engaged. That is everything: with permission of Kṛṣṇa. Not that you can manufacture anything, "Oh, it is for Kṛṣṇa's service." You can offer everything to Kṛṣṇa under His permission, or His representative's permission, not whimsically. Is that clear? Yes. Because you are Kṛṣṇa's servant, you have dedicated your life to serve Him, how you can offer anything which He does not like? Anything and everything does not mean beyond the jurisdiction of His permission. That you cannot do.
Viṣṇu, Mahā-Viṣṇu, His description is given, yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ. Mahā-Viṣṇu is so big, He is lying in the Causal Ocean, that many innumerable quantity of universes are coming out by His exhaling and in..., exhaling. And from the pores of His body, innumerable universes are coming. And the Brahma lives only during the exhaling and inhaling time, that's all. Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ, viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kāla-viśeṣo (Bs. 5.48). This Mahā-Viṣṇu is portion of the portion of Kṛṣṇa's expansion. Just like Kṛṣṇa says... This Mahā-Viṣṇu and Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. When Kṛṣṇa... When Arjuna was asking Kṛṣṇa about His vibhūti, about His power. So He summarized, athavā bahunaitena kim jñātena tavārjuna, "How much I shall explain about My power and energy?" Vistabhya aham ekamsena sthito jagat (BG 10.42). Aham, "I enter in one of My plenary portion, that is Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, I maintain the whole material cosmic manifestation." Ekāṁśena sthito jagat.
And this instruction of Kṛṣṇa is Bhagavad-gītā. And what is that Bhagavad-gītā? Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Just be surrendered to Kṛṣṇa; be Kṛṣṇa conscious. This is... So everything is there. We haven't got to manufacture anything. And simply by strictly following the orders of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu everyone can become the spiritual master. Spiritual master means who is strictly following the orders of his superior. He is spiritual master. Spiritual master does not mean that he has got four hands or eight legs or three heads. No. One who is strictly following the orders of his predecessor, he is spiritual master. Just like Arjuna was told by Kṛṣṇa that "This system, paramparā system, disciplic succession of spiritual masters, is now lost." Sa kālena yogo naṣṭaḥ: "That yoga, that system of yoga is now lost. Therefore I am making you again My disciple."
So if you follow the instruction, although you are not present before Kṛṣṇa, if you follow the instruction of Arjuna or a faithful servant of Kṛṣṇa, then you understand. What was spoken to Arjuna, you can also understand. It is not very difficult. Prahlāda Mahārāja also is speaking in that capacity because he is also a disciple of Nārada. So he is saying, bhaktyā tutoṣa bhagavān gaja-yūtha-pāya. These material acquisitions are no good for understanding Kṛṣṇa or God. Simply you become a devotee. And how devotional attitude becomes elevated? That is also mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā and all Vedic literatures, especially in Bhāgavatam, that ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136).
It is not a means to achieve some thing else. Bhakti is such thing. Therefore bhakti is transcendental. It is not material, that... In the material world, in exchange of something you get something else, but in the spiritual world the endeavor and the achievement the same thing. So actually, a person who is in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he has no such desire. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). The exact definition you'll find in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam. Śūnyam means completely devoid of any other desires. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (CC Madhya 19.167). And uncovered by the activities of knowledge or fruitive action. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam. Simply acting in favor of Kṛṣṇa: "Kṛṣṇa wants this, I shall do it." "Kṛṣṇa wants this fight"—Arjuna did it. Not for himself. We shall keep always in mind that Arjuna was engaged into fight not for his personal self. For his personal self he denied: "Oh, what shall I do with this kingdom by fighting with my brothers and grandfather? No. Kṛṣṇa, excuse me. I cannot fight." But when he understood that the fight is to be done for Kṛṣṇa, he took all the responsibility. Similarly, a Kṛṣṇa conscious person will not aspire anything for his sense gratification, but he will aspire for all the world for Kṛṣṇa's service. Is that clear? Yes. Yes?
So physical conception is temporary. The vibration conception is eternal. Just like we are enjoying or we are relishing the vibration of Kṛṣṇa's teachings. So by vibration He is present. As soon as we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa or chant Bhagavad-gītā or Bhāgavata, so He is present immediately by His vibration. He's absolute. Therefore try to remember His words of instruction; you'll not feel separation. You'll feel that He is with you. So we should associate by the vibration, and not by the physical presence. That is real association. Śabdād anavṛtti. By sound. Just like we are touching Kṛṣṇa immediately by sound. Sound vibration. So we should give more stress on the sound vibration, either of Kṛṣṇa or of the spiritual master. Then we'll feel happy and no separation. When Kṛṣṇa departed from this world, at that time Arjuna was overwhelmed with sorrow and he began to remember the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā. You'll find in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Then he was pacified. He immediately began to remember the teachings which was taught to him in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, and he was pacified. He was his constant friend, so when Kṛṣṇa went to His abode he was feeling overwhelmed, but he began to remember His teaching. So whenever we shall feel separation, the best thing is to remember the teachings. Then it will be very nice. Is that clear? Yes. So you can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Janārdana, you can play mṛdaṅga. Yes. (kīrtana) (end)
So these are the ways. You cannot understand by your erudite scholarship what is Kṛṣṇa. It is not possible. Then Kṛṣṇa would have instructed Bhagavad-gītā to..., finding out a very great Vedantist. No. Kṛṣṇa found Arjuna. What was Arjuna? Arjuna was a gṛhastha. Arjuna was a kṣatriya, and although a soldier... A soldier is not expected to become a Vedantist. We recruit soldiers not from the Vedantists' group. One who can fight, one who has got strength—we recruit soldier. So Arjuna was not very qualified in that way to understand Bhagavad-gītā or instruction, but Kṛṣṇa said, "Yes, I will speak, speak to you. This Bhagavad-gītā, the paramparā is lost, so I shall again speak the old thing to you." "Why to me?" Bhakto 'si priyo 'si me: (BG 4.3) "Because you are My bhakta. You are My priya." So by scholarship one cannot understand Bhagavad-gītā. That is not possible. One must become a servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa (CC Madhya 13.80). Then one can understand what is Bhagavad-gītā. Otherwise it (is) not possible.
No. Suppose you are all coming from America. You can claim that you are American, but that does not mean you are Mr. Ford, the President. So similarly, this is false ego. If somebody thinks, "Because I am American, therefore I am equal to Mr. Ford," that is false. That is not... So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is how to bring back these, I mean to say, insane, crazy fellows to their real consciousness. These crazy fellows, they are thinking, "I am God," "I am master," "I am this," "I am that," "I am prime minister," "I am president." This false ego. The real ego is, "I am servant of Kṛṣṇa." That is the beginning of Caitanya Mahāprabhu's teaching.
When Caitanya Mahāprabhu was approached by Sanātana Gosvāmī, his first question was ke āmi: "Who am I?" This is the first education, spiritual education. And the same thing is taught in the Bhagavad-gītā because Arjuna was too much identifying himself in the bodily conception of life: "I belong to this Kurus' family, so if I kill them, then family will be ruined. The women will be widows, and they'll be corrupted. Then there will be unwanted children, varṇa-saṅkara, and in this way the whole world will be hellish," and so on, so on, so many, but beginning with the bodily conception of life. All, what was, Arjuna was explaining to Kṛṣṇa, that was... From material point of view, it is very nice. He wanted to become nonviolent. He did not like to kill his family members. He, rather, liked to forego his claim, that "I don't want. Let them enjoy." But everything, from material point of view, it was very nice proposal. But this identification with family, with nation, with community, this is all foolishness. All foolishness.
That is yoga. Because without controlling the mind and the senses, there is no question of spiritual advancement. That is not possible. Without controlling the mind, there is no question of spiritual advancement. Therefore Kṛṣṇa advised to Arjuna that "You practice yoga," in the Sixth Chapter, "so that you'll be able to control the mind." But Arjuna said that "Control the mind is very difficult for me, Kṛṣṇa. I cannot practice this yoga system." Cañcalaṁ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa pramāthi balavad dṛḍham: (BG 6.34) "Mind is very restless, and it is very difficult to control." Tasyāhaṁ nigrahaṁ manye vāyor iva suduṣkaram: "I think to control the mind is still more difficult than to control the wind." Nobody can control the wind. So Kṛṣṇa... Arjuna said, "Even though I am able to control the wind, I cannot control my mind. It is so strong." So Kṛṣṇa recommended... Kṛṣṇa not discouraged Arjuna. Arjuna is a family man, and he went to the war field to gain his victory. So everyone is engaged in some such engagement, occupational duty, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, in this world. And so mind is very difficult to control. But Kṛṣṇa gave the easy method:
- yoginām api sarveṣāṁ
- mad-gata āntarātmanā
- śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ
- sa me yuktatamo (mataḥ)
- (BG 6.47)
If you can keep Kṛṣṇa always in your mind, then the whole thing is solved. This is easiest. So chant always Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa...
Just like one man is put in the prison house. He has come from his free home. By his work he is criminal; therefore he is put into the prison house. Similarly, we are all part and parcel of God. Our real home is Vaikuṇṭha. But we have come here. How we have come, that is a very mysterious thing; but we are part and parcel. Somehow or other... Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has sung, anādi karama phale, padi 'bhavārṇava-jale. Somehow or other we have fallen this. Therefore the real aim of life, how to get out of this bhavārṇava, nescience, that is the aim of life. If we remain again like the monkeys and cats and dogs, eating, sleeping, mating, and dancing, that is not very responsible life. Every man should be responsible. That is Vedic culture, to create responsible man, not varṇa-saṅkara. Therefore Arjuna was very much afraid that "After war the women will be widows, they will be polluted, and varṇa-saṅkara population will come out." Actually that is the fact. After the last war the hippies have come out all over the world. This is the fact.
So if there is varṇa-saṅkara population, that means the human civilization is lost. Therefore here is the civilization, how... In this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Nārada Muni is describing how civilization should be advanced. The first proposal is brahmacārī, how to create brahmacārī. Brahmacārī guru-gṛhe vasan dānto guror hitam. What is that? So what is the duty of the brahmacārī, it is now said. The first duty is that sāyaṁ prātar upāsīta: "They should be taught how to worship the Supreme Lord at least twice in a day," sāyaṁ prātaḥ, "in the morning and in the evening." Tri-sandhya. The prescription is for tri-sandhya. One should take bath three times. In India there is no difficulty.
Mind, intelligence, ego, ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā. So they are subtle form of matter. So yogic exercise means to control the mind, dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā. In order to make the mind controlled and fully fixed up on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, that is required in yoga meditation. Dhyānāvasthita, one remains in meditation. What for? Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā, just in order to make the mind completely, completely absorbed in Kṛṣṇa. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti. By concentrating the mind upon Kṛṣṇa, generally Lord Viṣṇu, dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (SB 12.13.1). They are also material endeavor. They are not spiritual. Because spiritual life begins when one understands fully that he is not this body. That is the beginning of instruction in the Bhagavad-gītā. When Kṛṣṇa saw that Arjuna was talking on the platform of bodily concept of life, He was not talking seriously. Arjuna could understand that, that Kṛṣṇa was just talking as friend, not very seriously. Therefore, he submitted himself as a student. Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). So... And He chastised him, that "You have no spiritual knowledge, still you are talking just like a great scholar." Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). "You are talking just like a very learned man." That means one who... (break)
| Page Title: | Arjuna was... (Lectures, SB cantos 2 - 12) |
| Compiler: | MadhuGopaldas, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 27 of Apr, 2013 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=94, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 94 |