the story is that Gāndhārī, the mother of Duryodhana, she was great chaste woman. Because her husband was blind, she used to remain as blind woman, covering the eyes. But she had some power. Chaste woman, anyone who sticks to the regulative principles, (s)he gets a power, spiritual or material. He gets power. A brahmacārī gets power if he follows brahmacarya. Everyone, if we follow the prescribed rules and regulations, automatically you become powerful. So Gāndhārī had some power. So his (her) eldest son, Duryodhana, was advised to see the mother naked. She advised, "My dear son, tomorrow morning when you come to offer your obeisances to me, you come naked. I shall see you, and you will be solidified just like iron." So she (he) was going naked, and Kṛṣṇa saw. So He asked him, "Where you are going?" And this is the . . . "I am going to see my mother." "How is that? You are going naked? At least you have some laṅgoṭā. This is not good." So he took the instruction of Kṛṣṇa and covered the private part with a laṅgoṭā. And when Gāndhārī saw, she saw that she (he) was not fully naked, so she regretted, "O my dear son, I asked you to come before me naked. Why you have got this . . .?" "No, Kṛṣṇa advised." Then she began to smile, that "My attempt is failure." So Kṛṣṇa knew it, that part which was covered, that was not turned iron. The other parts turned into iron on account of seeing by Gāndhārī. So in this fight Kṛṣṇa hinted Bhīma that "You strike here. That part is not ironized." Although it is against the regulative principle to strike the opponent party below this waist, Kṛṣṇa advised that "Unless you transgress this law, you cannot kill him." So he was stroken below the waist, and he was not killed, but his waist was broken. Therefore it is said, vṛkodarāviddha-gadābhimarśa (SB 1.7.13-14). Then he died. This is mentioned here. So bhagnoru-daṇḍe. Bhagna uru. Uru-daṇḍa was broken.
Bhagnoru-daṇḍe dhṛtarāṣṭra-putre. Dhṛtarāṣṭra-putra, Duryodhana was dhṛtarāṣṭra-putra. At that time, Drauṇi, his master was Duryodhana. A brāhmaṇa became a servant of kṣatriya, that is degradation. A brāhmaṇa cannot become servant. Nobody can become servant. Only the śūdras can become servant. Brāhmaṇa never becomes servant. They are instructed, satyaṁ śamo damas titikṣā ārjavaṁ jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). This is brāhmaṇa's qualification. They will train the brahmacārīs and the gṛhasthas how to become perfect, discipline. First discipline is truthfulness. A brāhmaṇa will never speak lies. That is the first qualification. So who is going to take training in that way? Nobody is interested. This is Kali-yuga. We are trying to train people, "No illicit sex, no meat-eating, no gambling, no intoxication." Still, there are some failures. And if we teach in our institution, "Please do not speak lies," people will laugh: "What is this nonsense? Nowadays is it possible to remain in this society without speaking lies?" This is the position. This is called Kali-yuga. Nobody is interested to be trained up as a brāhmaṇa. Nobody is interested to be trained up as a kṣatriya, neither as a vaiśya. They are all śūdras. Therefore it is said, kalau śūdra-sambhavaḥ. There is no training. It is very, very difficult to train them to become purified by training. These status of life were different status of training, so that ultimately one can become brāhmaṇa, and when he's fully trained up as a brāhmaṇa then he transcends the brāhmaṇa's position, and he becomes a Vaiṣṇava.
So to become Vaiṣṇava is not so easy thing. One has to become brāhmaṇa, then when he surpasses the stages of becoming brāhmaṇa, then he becomes Vaiṣṇava. Śuddha-sattva. Sattvaṁ viśuddhaṁ vasudeva-śabditam (SB 4.3.23). Then Kṛṣṇa is born. When one comes to the Vaiṣṇava stage, then he can understand what is Kṛṣṇa. Just like Kṛṣṇa was born of Vasudeva. Similarly, when one comes to the stage of Vasudeva . . . Vasudeva means perfect Vaiṣṇava. Do you think Kṛṣṇa accepts somebody as father, an ordinary man? No. He is perfect Vaiṣṇava. Kṛṣṇa accepts somebody as mother . . . who is His mother, father? Nobody can be. He is the ādi-puruṣam. He's original person. Who can become His father, mother? But He accepts, when He descends to exhibit His līlā . . . yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata tadātmānam sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7). So He is everyone's father. How Vasudeva can be . . .? Ajo'pi sann avyayātmā (BG 4.6). (break) Very exalted devotee, He accepts him as father or mother. And therefore one has to learn everything scientifically. Janma karma ca me divyam (BG 4.9). Don't take ordinarily: "Oh, Kṛṣṇa is born of a father, Vasudeva, and of a mother, Devakī. That's all. We know He was born." No. One has to learn who is His father, who is His mother, how He accepts His devotee as father. That is called yo jānāti tattvataḥ. This is tattvataḥ.
- manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
- kaścid yatati siddhaye
- yatatām api siddhānāṁ
- kaścin vetti māṁ tattvataḥ
- (BG 7.3)
To understand Kṛṣṇa tattvataḥ, in truth, that is not so easy. It is possible for a man out of many millions of men: manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati.
So that tattvataḥ one can understand simply by pure devotional service. If you become a pure devotee, without any contamination—unalloyed devotee—then Kṛṣṇa reveals: "This is I am. I am like this." You cannot speculate upon Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible. Nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo na bahunā śrutena na medhayā (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.23). You cannot understand Kṛṣṇa simply because you are a learned Sanskrit scholar. You are a rascal. Kṛṣṇa is not so easy to be understood by scholarship or Sanskrit language. Don't commit this mistake. Kṛṣṇa is understood by a person to whom Kṛṣṇa reveals. That is understanding. Nāyam ātmā. This is completely said: nāyam ātmā, nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo na medhayā. Because you have got a fertile brain, therefore you'll be able to understand Kṛṣṇa? No. Na bahunā śrutena. Oh, because you are very good scholar, you have studied so much . . . no. If Kṛṣṇa reveals to you, then you'll be able. That revelation is possible when you are a devotee. Otherwise, it is not possible. Nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyaḥ.