Rebuke (Lectures)

Expressions researched:
"rebuke" |" rebuked" |" rebukes" |" rebuking"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

So immediately He rebukes him, anārya-juṣṭam. "You are talking just like non-Āryan, uncivilized person."

Lecture on BG 2.2 -- London, August 3, 1973: So from material point of view, Arjuna is supposed to be very, very good man. But the Supreme Person, Kṛṣṇa, what does He say? Anārya-juṣṭam: "You rascal, you are speaking like anārya." He'll say rascal later on. He posed himself to be very good man, but when he comes to the test of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He refuses to accept him as a good man. He's saying that "You are anārya." There are two kinds of men: anārya and ārya. Āryan. Āryan means advanced in knowledge. He's called Āryan. And anārya means uncivilized. So immediately He rebukes him, anārya-juṣṭam. "You are talking just like non-Āryan, uncivilized person." People are very much, nowadays, eager how to stop war. But Kṛṣṇa says... [break] ... at any case is not required. There is necessity of war. Just like He's trying to convince Arjuna. Our war means... According to Vedic civilization, that is dharma-yuddha, religious fight. When the actual need is there to fight, we must fight. Not that when there is need of fight, one becomes nonviolent.

Kṛṣṇa, still He has not used very strong words. He has simply mildly rebuked his doing to Arjuna that "You are not talking just like a intelligent man or advanced in civilization. You are talking like uncivilized man."

Lecture on BG 2.2 -- London, August 3, 1973: So how many people do understand this intelligence? And where is the teaching? Therefore one who is not devotee, he has no good qualifications. If he's still under the distresses of this material world, that is not very intelligent question. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, bahūnām janmanām ante jñānavān [Bg. 7.19]. Jñānavān means intelligent, wise. What does he do? Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān maṁ prapadyate. He surrenders to Kṛṣṇa. This is intelligence. This is wisdom. So here also, the same thing. Kṛṣṇa has already expressed that "You must fight." But he is showing himself as very good man, nonviolent: "I shall not kill. I shall not do this. I shall not do this." So immediately Kṛṣṇa very strongly criticizing him that "You are talking just like anārya, not civilized man." Kṛṣṇa, still He has not used very strong words. He has simply mildly rebuked his doing to Arjuna that "You are not talking just like a intelligent man or advanced in civilization. You are talking like uncivilized man." Anārya-juṣṭam.

Just like Kṛṣṇa rebuked Arjuna: anārya-juṣṭa. "You are talking like anārya." One who is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, he's anārya.

Lecture on BG 2.7 -- London, August 7, 1973: This human form of life, simply working uselessly hard, day and night, for sense gratification. This is the business of the hog and dog. They are doing also the same thing, whole day and night, working hard simply for sense gratification. So therefore in the human society there must be a system of division. That is called varṇāśrama-dharma. That is Vedic civilization. That is really called Ārya-samāja. Ārya-samāja does not mean to become rascal and fool and deny the existence of God. No. That is Anārya. Just like Kṛṣṇa rebuked Arjuna: anārya-juṣṭa. "You are talking like anārya." One who is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, he's anārya. Anārya. Ārya means who is advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So really Ārya-samāna means Kṛṣṇa conscious person. Otherwise, bogus, bogus ārya-samāna. Because here from the Bhagavad-gītā says, Kṛṣṇa says Arjuna, rebuking, because he was refusing to fight, because he does not know what is his duty, again Arjuna is admitting here that kārpaṇya-doṣopahata-svabhāvaḥ [Bg. 2.7]. "Yes, I am anārya. I have become anārya. Because I have forgotten my duty."

Just like a teacher has the right to sometimes rebuke the student, so in the first instance Kṛṣṇa is rebuking Arjuna

Lecture on BG 2.7-11 -- New York, March 2, 1966: In knowledge, in wealth, in strength, in beauty, and in everything Kṛṣṇa was opulent. Therefore He is Bhagavān. You cannot accept any ordinary man as Bhagavān. So therefore Bhagavān. Now, bhagavān uvāca. And because He has been accepted as the spiritual master... Just like a teacher has the right to sometimes rebuke the student, so in the first instance He is rebuking Arjuna in the following words that

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ

prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca

nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

[Bg. 2.11]

that "Arjuna, you are speaking just like a very great, learned man, but you are... You are... In other words, you are a fool. You do not know how things are going on because paṇḍitāḥ, those who are learned men, they would not have lamented just like you are doing." That means indirectly He says... Paṇḍitāḥ means learned. Learned man does not lament over a dead body or a living body.

Kṛṣṇa mildly rebuked him that "This kind of lamentation is not done by paṇḍita, by learned scholar."

Lecture on BG 7.1-3 -- Stockholm, September 10, 1973: The translation reads, "The Blessed Lord said, While speaking learned words..." Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa as the spiritual master. First of all he was talking just like friends, but when he saw that by friendly talkings the problem which was present before him, that cannot be solved, therefore he accepted Kṛṣṇa as the spiritual master, and the spiritual master, Kṛṣṇa, first of all chastised him in this way, that aśocyān anvaśocas tvam: [Bg. 2.11] "You are lamenting on the subject matter which is not object of lamentation." Aśocyān. Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś... "But you are talking like a very learned scholar." So He mildly rebuked him that "This kind of lamentation is not done by paṇḍita, by learned scholar." That means "You are rascal number one. You are fool. You are talking like learned scholar, but you are a fool." Indirectly He says that gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. "Paṇḍitāḥ, those persons who know..." Just like this body. Paṇḍitaḥ, those who are learned scholar, they know that his body is the lump of matter.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Vidura rebuked Dhṛtarāṣṭra, that "Still you are sitting here just for a morsel of food like dog. You have no shame, my dear brother."

Lecture on SB 1.14.43 -- New York, April 7, 1973 (New-2003): First of all children should be sumptuously fed, then the brāhmaṇas, and children and old men. In the family, children and old men... Just see Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, how much he was anxious to take care of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. Although he played, played the part of an enemy throughout, still it is the duty of the family member to take care of the old men. When Dhṛtarāṣṭra left home after being accused by his younger brother Vidura, so, "My dear brother, you are still attached to family life, you have no shame. You are taking food whom you..., from whom you considered your enemies. You wanted to kill them from the very beginning. You set fire to their home. You banished them in the forest. You intrigued against their lives, and now everything is finished, all your sons, grandsons and son-in-laws and brothers, fathers, uncles...," I mean to say Bhīṣma was his uncle. So all the family. In the battlefield of Kurukṣetra everyone was killed except these five brothers: Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhīma, Arjuna, Nakula, Sahadeva. All male members were killed. So, only the remaining descendant was Mahārāja Parīkṣit. He was within the womb of his mother. And his father died, Arjuna's son, Abhimanyu. He was sixteen years old. Fortunately his wife was pregnant. Otherwise the Kuru dynasty was finished. So, he rebuked ,that "Still you are sitting here just for a morsel of food like dog. You have no shame, my dear brother."

So he took it very seriously, "Yes, yes my dear brother, you are saying all right. So what, what do you want me to do?"

"Be..., immediately come out. Immediately come out. And go to the forest." So he agreed, he went there.

A criminal is punished by the government and rebuked by people in general.

Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Nellore, January 5, 1976: Mahārāja Parīkṣit said, "One may know that sinful activity is injurious for him because he actually sees that a criminal is punished by the government and rebuked by people in general, and because he hears from the scriptures and learned scholars that one is thrown into hellish condition in the next life for committing sinful act. Nevertheless, in spite of such knowledge one is forced to commit sins again and again, even after performing acts of atonement. Therefore what is the value of such atonement?" [break] Parīkṣit Mahārāja was ruler, the king. He knew everything practically, that so many citizens committing criminal act were imprisoned and punished. Still, they, after coming back from the jail, prisonhouse, again committed. So on the whole, Parīkṣit Mahārāja did not like, the process of prāyaścitta is ultimately beneficial to the people.

One who becomes a criminal by committing sinful acts is punished by the government's law, but although rebuked, he does the same thing again.

Lecture on SB 6.1.9 -- Los Angeles, June 22, 1975:

Santoṣa (reading): "I have actually seen that one who becomes a criminal by committing sinful acts is punished by the government's law, but although rebuked, he does the same thing again. One also hears from the scriptures spoken by learned scholars that committing sin throws one into hell in the next life. Nevertheless, although he has received full experience through seeing and hearing, which are the sources of practical knowledge, he is forced repeatedly to commit sins and again perform acts of atonement. What then is the value of such atonement?"

Prabhupāda:

dṛṣṭa-śrutābhyaṁ yat pāpaṁ

jānann apy ātmano 'hitaṁ

karoti bhūyo vivaśaḥ

prāyaścittam atho katham

[SB 6.1.9]

This is intelligence. Mahārāja Parīkṣit is Vaiṣṇava, and his inquiry was: "How these men who are rotting in this hellish condition can be relieved?" That was his question. So... (about music on loudspeakers:) What is that?

Jayatīrtha: The radio, some interference on the microphone. The radio is being picked up outside.

Prabhupāda: I have already explained that there are three ways, karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-kāṇḍa, and upāsanā-kāṇḍa. Therefore Veda is called trayī, three kinds of activities. So devotees, they are not in the karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-kāṇḍa. He is not pure devotee. Bhakti means jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam: [Cc. Madhya 19.167] "There is no touch of this fruitive activities or speculative knowledge." The devotees do not accept this.

"What is my position? My position is that I am born of rajas-tamo-guṇa." This birth takes place according to quality we acquire. Just like I was rebuking that toilet. This is so nasty, tamo-guṇa, and if I have no response to such tamo-guṇa place, that means I am also of that quality.

Lecture on SB 7.9.26 -- Mayapur, March 4, 1976:

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Translation: "O my Lord, O Supreme, what is my position because I am born in a family which is full of the hellish material qualities of passion and ignorance? And what to speak of Your causeless mercy, which was never offered even to Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva and the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī, because You never put Your lotus hand upon their heads, but You have done so on my head."

Prabhupāda:

kvāhaṁ rajaḥ-prabhava īśa tamo 'dhike 'smin

jātaḥ suretara-kule kva tavānukampā

na brahmaṇo na tu bhavasya na vai ramāyā

yan me 'rpitaḥ śirasi padma-karaḥ prasādaḥ

[SB 7.9.26]

This is the position. Prahlāda Mahārāja, humbly submitting, because he is Vaiṣṇava, that "What is my position? My position is that I am born of rajas-tamo-guṇa." This birth takes place according to quality we acquire. Just like I was rebuking that toilet. This is so nasty, tamo-guṇa, and if I have no response to such tamo-guṇa place, that means I am also of that quality. Just like fire and fire, there is no reaction, but in fire and water there is reaction. Between fire and fire there is no reaction, but fire and water there is reaction. Similarly, sattva-guṇa—sattva-guṇa, there is no reaction. Tamo-guṇa—tamo-guṇa there is no reaction. It is... In English it is called incompatible. When different qualities, there is reaction, chemical reaction, acid and alkaline. Acid and acid, you mix; there is no reaction. But acid and alkaline, if you mix, there will be effervescence immediately. So kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo asya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu [Bg. 13.22]. If one is developing tamo-guṇa, then, if he becomes, he becomes a pig next life, there is no reaction. He'll be very glad that "I am pig," "I am dog." There is no reaction. But if one is sattva-guṇa, then he cannot tolerate. Immediately obnoxious: "Oh, such a nasty condition." So I am very sorry there was no reaction in such nasty toilet room. And you are getting sacred thread, the quality of brāhmaṇa, sattva-guṇa. It is very regrettable. Nobody reacted.

So he was very sorry. "You have taken service from Rādhārāṇī? Oh, you have done very wrong. We are trying to serve Rādhārāṇī, and you have taken service from Rādhārāṇī?" He rebuked him. This is pure service.

Lecture on SB 7.9.55 -- Vrndavana, April 10, 1976: So that is the highest perfection, that don't ask anything from Kṛṣṇa. Try to make such arrangement that Kṛṣṇa may not give you anything; you give to Him. There is another narration of Sanātana Gosvāmī and Rūpa Gosvāmī. They were living in this forest of Vṛndāvana. So Sanātana Gosvāmī was elder brother, and Rūpa Gosvāmī was younger brother. So they were living underneath a tree. So they had no means. Rūpa Gosvāmī thought that "If I could get some articles, I could prepare something and invite my guru, Sanātana Gosvāmī." So just after a few minutes one very nice young girl came with so much presentation, rice, dahl, ghee, and so many other things. So She came and offered to the gosvāmī. The saintly persons are addressed as "bābā." "Bābā, please take this presentation. We have got some ceremony at our home, so my mother has sent. You take it." So he was very glad: "Oh, I was thinking if I could get some nice things, I could prepare and invite Sanātana Gosvāmī." So he was very glad to receive those articles and invited Sanātana Gosvāmī and prepared so many nice foodstuff and offered to the Deity, and Sanātana Gosvāmī was given the prasādam. So Sanātana Gosvāmī was very pleased, and he inquired, "Rūpa Gosvāmī, where you got these nice things? You are living in this... How you could receive all these things?" "Yes, my dear brother, I was just thinking in the morning. In the meantime a very nice young girl came and offered so many things, so I could..." "So what is that? Who is that young girl in this forest? So how She was looking?" "Oh, she was very, very beautiful." "Oh, Rādhārāṇī. Oh." So he was very sorry. "You have taken service from Rādhārāṇī? Oh, you have done very wrong. We are trying to serve Rādhārāṇī, and you have taken service from Rādhārāṇī?" He rebuked him. This is pure service. They are avoiding to take service from Kṛṣṇa-Rādhārāṇī. And Kṛṣṇa-Rādhārāṇī was finding out the opportunity how to serve the devotee. This is the competition between Kṛṣṇa and His devotee.

Festival Lectures

Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī, when he was a child two, three years old, he ate one mango fruit which was kept for offering to the Deity. So his father mildly rebuked him, "Oh, you have done a very wrong thing. It was meant for Deity, and you have taken it.

His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Disappearance Day, Lecture -- Los Angeles, December 9, 1968: Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, when he was a child two, three years old, he ate one mango fruit which was kept for offering to the Deity. So his father mildly rebuked him, "Oh, you have done a very wrong thing. It was meant for Deity, and you have taken it. You should not have done it." The child was two or three years old. He took it so seriously that never after that he took mango. Whenever we offered him mango he said, "No, I am offender. I cannot take mango." He was thinking like that, you see. Never in his life he took a mango. He was thinking that "I offended in my childhood by taking the mango of the Deity." This is the characteristic of ācārya. They teach by their life's action that one should be so much determined, that one should not be... A child took the mango, there was no offense. But he took that vow.

Philosophy Discussions

Suppose a man rebukes a dog. So the dog also responses. Even a small ant, it is going to certain direction, if you check it, it will protest. So personality is there always, either in the body of human being, cats, dogs, even an ant. So the bodily changes do not affect the personality, but one identifies himself according to the body.

Philosophy Discussion on Carl Gustav Jung:

Hayagrīva: The life sequence is interrupted by different reincarnations, but it's not certain whether or not personality survives. There may only continuity of karma.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Personal, personality is there. Suppose a man rebukes a dog. So the dog also responses. Even a small ant, it is going to certain direction, if you check it, it will protest. So personality is there always, either in the body of human being, cats, dogs, even an ant. So the bodily changes do not affect the personality, but one identifies himself according to the body. When a soul is within the, a body of a dog, he thinks in that bodily conception, "I am dog, I have my duty." In the human society also. When one is born in America, he thinks, "I am American, and my duty is like this, my duty is like this, I am..." So this, according to the body the personality manifests, but personality is there.

Hayagrīva: Personality is there certainly, but is it continued? Is there a continuity of personality from the dead body to the new body?

Prabhupāda: Yes, certainly.