SB 01.15.30 gitam bhagavata jnanam... cited

Expressions researched:
"gitam bhagavata jnanam" |"it appeared that Arjuna forgot the instructions" |"kala-karma-tamo-ruddham" |"punar adhyagamat prabhuh" |"yat tat sangrama-murdhani"

SB Canto 1

SB 1.15.30, Translation and Purport:

Because of the Lord's pastimes and activities and because of His absence, it appeared that Arjuna forgot the instructions left by the Personality of Godhead. But factually this was not the case, and again he became lord of his senses.

A conditioned soul is enwrapped in his fruitive activities by the force of eternal time. But the Supreme Lord, when He incarnates on the earth, is not influenced by kāla, or the material conception of past, present and future. The activities of the Lord are eternal, and they are manifestations of His ātma-māyā, or internal potency. All pastimes or activities of the Lord are spiritual in nature, but to the laymen they appear to be on the same level with material activities. It so appeared that Arjuna and the Lord were engaged in the Battle of Kurukṣetra as the other party was also engaged, but factually the Lord was executing His mission of incarnation and association with His eternal friend Arjuna. Therefore such apparently material activities of Arjuna did not drive him away from his transcendental position, but on the contrary revived his consciousness of the songs of the Lord, as He sang them personally. This revival of consciousness is assured by the Lord in the Bhagavad-gītā (18.65) as follows:

man-manā bhava mad-bhakto

mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru

mām evaiṣyasi satyaṁ te

pratijāne priyo 'si me

One should think of the Lord always; the mind should not forget Him. One should become a devotee of the Lord and offer obeisances unto Him. One who lives in that fashion becomes undoubtedly endowed with the blessing of the Lord by achieving the shelter of His lotus feet. There is nothing to doubt about this eternal truth. Because Arjuna was His confidential friend, the secret was disclosed to him.

Arjuna had no desire to fight with his relatives, but he fought for the mission of the Lord. He was always engaged in the execution of His mission only, and therefore after the Lord's departure he remained in the same transcendental position, even though it appeared that he forgot all the instructions of the Bhagavad-gītā. One should, therefore, adjust the activities of life in pace with the mission of the Lord, and by doing this one is sure to return back home, back to Godhead. This is the highest perfection of life.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.15.30 -- Los Angeles, December 8, 1973:

Pradyumna: Translation: "Because of the Lord's pastimes and activities and because of His absence, it appeared that Arjuna forgot the instructions left by the Personality of Godhead. But factually this was not the case, and again he became lord of his senses." (SB 1.15.30)

Prabhupāda: Hmm. So here it is explained what is Bhagavad-gītā. Gītaṁ bhagavatā. Bhagavatā means "by the Supreme Personality of Godhead," and gīta means "spoken." They say "sung," you can say. But gīta means "spoken by." Therefore it is called Bhagavad-gītā, "the instruction given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead personally." Therefore it is called Bhagavad-gītā.

Now Arjuna said that science was spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If we read Bhagavad-gītā, then we must follow the person of Arjuna, because Arjuna directly heard Bhagavad-gītā from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And he says that this science, gītaṁ bhagavatā. So why there should be interpretation? Because the person who heard directly from Bhagavān, the Supreme Per..., he said that this is spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So one who is hearing directly, he's saying something, but you are saying something. You have no right. This is called paramparā system. The person who heard Bhagavad-gītā directly from Kṛṣṇa, whatever he says, that is to be accepted. You cannot interpret. This is the paramparā system.

So if you want to understand Bhagavad-gītā, then we must understand in the same way as the person who directly heard from. This is called paramparā system. Suppose I have heard something from my spiritual master, so I speak to you the same thing. So this is paramparā system. You cannot imagine what my spiritual master said. Or even if you read some books, you cannot understand unless you understand it from me. This is called paramparā system. You cannot jump over to the superior guru, neglecting the next ācārya, immediate next ācārya. Just like our, this Gau..., Caitanya Mahāprabhu's cult; we cannot understand Caitanya Mahāprabhu directly. It is not possible. We have to understand through the Gosvāmīs. Therefore you'll find in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta and at the end of every chapter, the writer says,

śrī-rūpa-ragunātha-pade yāra āśa

caitanya-caritāmṛta kahe kṛṣṇa-dāsa

This is the process. He does not say that "I've understood Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu directly." No. That is not understanding. That is foolishness. You cannot understand what is Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Therefore repeatedly he says, rūpa-ragunātha-pade... "I am that Kṛṣṇa dāsa, Kavirāja, who is always under the subordination of the Gosvāmīs." This is paramparā system. Similarly, Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura also says, ei chay gosāi jār mui tār dās, "I am servant of that person who has accepted this six Gosvāmīs as his master. I am not going to be servant of any other person who does not accept the way and means of..." Therefore we say or we offer our prayer to our spiritual master, rūpānuga-varāya te, rūpānuga-varāya te, because he follows Rūpa Gosvāmī, therefore we accept, spiritual master. Not that one has become more than Rūpa Gosvāmī or more than... No. Tāṅdera caraṇa-sebi-bhakta-sane vās. This is the paramparā system.

Lecture on SB 1.15.30 -- Los Angeles, December 8, 1973:

So association is so... Therefore we have named this Kṛṣṇa Consciousness Society. Not Kṛṣṇa consciousness only. Kṛṣṇa Consciousness Society. A society's so beneficial we should understand. So, in this way, atha bhajana-kriyā anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. If we prosecute our devotional activities and keep our association with the devotees, then we can be free from sinful activities. And when you are completely free from sinful activities, then we get niṣṭhā. Yes, it is full faith. Niṣṭhā means full faith. Tato niṣṭhā. Tato ruciḥ. Ruci means taste. Why you are hearing about Kṛṣṇa daily, the same thing? We are speaking nothing new. "Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and you have to surrender." This is our daily business. But why you are coming to see..., hear the same hackneyed words? Because it is very pleasing. This is called ruci, taste, "Yes, I want to hear this repeatedly. Yes. Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord, I am the eternal servant." You have got a taste. Unless one gets the taste, then you'll say, "What is this hackneyed word?" Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, twenty-four hours you can chant because you have got the taste. Others cannot do. This is called ruci. And ruci means āsakti, attraction: "I must go. I must chant. I must do." Tato niṣṭhā, tato ruciḥ, atha āsaktiḥ. Tato bhāvaḥ. Then bhāva: "Ah, Kṛṣṇa. I will associate with Kṛṣṇa. Then Kṛṣṇa's love, that is perfection."

So those who are not attained to this stage, first stage is how to become free from sinful ac..., anartha. Anartha you don't require, but you are habituated. And māyā is so strong, you don't require to smoke, but the māyā is advertising, "Here is one cool cigarette, or this hot cigarette, or this..." This is called māyā. You don't require it. It has no existence. There is no pleasure, but still you are attached to it. That is called māyā, illusion. That is called illusion. So we have got so friend, so nice friends all over the world, that we... You do not require... They are simply illurimous(?), "Here is whisky, here is this wine, here is that wine, here is this woman, here is this illicit sex, here is this cigarette, here is meat-eating, here is..." This is going on.

So therefore this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the only humanitarian work who can save the human society. All are helping them to go to hell. This is a fact. All are helping simply... So many innocent human beings are being slaughtered by education, by culture, by so-called society, friendship... It is very vicious cycle. Therefore here it is said, Kṛṣṇa sai... Arjuna said, yathā..., saṅgrāma-mūrdhani, kāla-karma-tamo-ruddham. This nice instruction of Bhagavad-gītā becomes choked up by the time, kāla. The time, you know, everyone, time's business is to destroy. You construct very nice house-ten years or, say, five years after, you have to again replace it because the time has destroyed it, so many things. The time..., time destroys. This is the business of time, kāla. And karma, our karma, because we are always engaged in sinful activities, karma. Kāla, karma, and tamas, ignorance. Ignorance. Tamas means darkness, and the symptom of tamo-guṇa is laziness and sleep. Those who are lazy and sleeping, you must know he's under the influence of tamo-guṇa. And rajo-guṇa, always acting foolishly. Just like these people are running. They're rajo-guṇa. But actually in this world there are two guṇas-rajas and tamas, ignorance and foolishly active. Foolish active is very dangerous. There are four classes: lazy intelligent, busy intelligent, lazy foolish, and active foolish. The active foolish is a fourth-class man. So at the present moment they're very active, but they're all foolish. Therefore the world is in danger. Active foolishness. Foolish, if he stops, he does not work, it is better. But as soon as he becomes active he becomes more dangerous.

So this rajas-tamo-bhāva is prominent. There is no sattva-guṇa, goodness. It is very rare. The symptom of goodness is that he can see everything right. That is goodness. Prakāśa. Just like in sunshine you can see everything clearly. Similarly, one who sees clearly things as they are, they are in the goodness, mode of goodness. There are three modes of the material nature. One who's acting foolishly, he's in rajo-guṇa, and one who does not know what is the meaning of life, simply laziness and darkness, that is tamo-guṇa. So those who are in the tamo-guṇa, jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ. So they will go to the again to the animal kingdom. They'll go again animal kingdom. Rajo-guṇa may have their human birth again, but that is also very difficult. But if you stay in the sattva-guṇa, then your life is successful even if you do not get Kṛṣṇa in this life; you'll get next life if you keep yourself sattva-guṇa. Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ (BG 14.18), they will gradually be promoted to the higher planetary system or in the spiritual world.

Therefore we are trying to keep ourselves, our students always in the sattva-guṇa. Cleanliness, sattva..., to remain a brāhmaṇa. If you remain a brāhmaṇa then you'll not fall down. You'll not fall down. Otherwise, if you remain in tamo-guṇa, then you are going to be next animal. This is the process of nature. You cannot check. You may be very great scientist, but you cannot check the process of nature. That is not... Daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). That is not possible. That is natural. I've given the instance that if you contaminate some poisonous disease you must suffer. That is natural way. Not that why you shall suffer. No, you must suffer because you are already contaminated. Therefore the contamination of the material world is going on, sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. If you contaminate with the tamo-guṇa, then you must suffer. If you contaminate rajo-guṇa, you must get disease. That is not in your hand. You cannot say. But people are so foolish they do not know how nature is working. They're puffed up with little knowledge and thinking they're master of the thing. That is not possible.