Strategic

Expressions researched:
"strategic" |"strategical" |"strategically" |"strategies" |"strategy"

BG Chapters 1 - 6

BG 1.11, Translation and Purport:

All of you must now give full support to Grandfather Bhīṣma, as you stand at your respective strategic points of entrance into the phalanx of the army.

Duryodhana, after praising the prowess of Bhīṣma, further considered that others might think that they had been considered less important, so in his usual diplomatic way, he tried to adjust the situation in the above words. He emphasized that Bhīṣmadeva was undoubtedly the greatest hero, but he was an old man, so everyone must especially think of his protection from all sides. He might become engaged in the fight, and the enemy might take advantage of his full engagement on one side. Therefore, it was important that other heroes not leave their strategic positions and allow the enemy to break the phalanx. Duryodhana clearly felt that the victory of the Kurus depended on the presence of Bhīṣmadeva. He was confident of the full support of Bhīṣmadeva and Droṇācārya in the battle because he well knew that they did not even speak a word when Arjuna's wife Draupadī, in her helpless condition, had appealed to them for justice while she was being forced to appear naked in the presence of all the great generals in the assembly. Although he knew that the two generals had some sort of affection for the Pāṇḍavas, he hoped that these generals would now completely give it up, as they had done during the gambling performances.

BG 3.40, Purport:

The enemy has captured different strategic positions in the body of the conditioned soul, and therefore Lord Kṛṣṇa is giving hints of those places, so that one who wants to conquer the enemy may know where he can be found. Mind is the center of all the activities of the senses, and thus when we hear about sense objects the mind generally becomes a reservoir of all ideas of sense gratification; and, as a result, the mind and the senses become the repositories of lust. Next, the intelligence department becomes the capital of such lustful propensities. Intelligence is the immediate next—door neighbor of the spirit soul. Lusty intelligence influences the spirit soul to acquire the false ego and identify itself with matter, and thus with the mind and senses. The spirit soul becomes addicted to enjoying the material senses and mistakes this as true happiness.

Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead

Krsna Book 50:

Kṛṣṇa was certain that Jarāsandha would take advantage of the opportunity to capture Mathurā when it was also being besieged by Kālayavana. He therefore thought it wise to take precautionary measures for defending against an attack upon Mathurā from two strategic points. If both Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were engaged in fighting with Kālayavana at one place, Jarāsandha might come at another to attack the whole Yadu family and take his revenge. Jarāsandha was very powerful, and having been defeated seventeen times, he might vengefully kill the members of the Yadu family or arrest them and take them to his kingdom. Kṛṣṇa therefore decided to construct a formidable fort where no two-legged animal, either man or demon, could enter. He decided to keep His relatives there so that He would then be free to fight the enemy.

Krsna Book 76:

The soldiers fighting on behalf of Śālva were also very strong, and the release of their arrows also harassed the heroes of the Yadu dynasty. But still the Yadus were so strong and determined that they did not move from their strategic positions. The heroes of the Yadu dynasty were determined either to die on the battlefield or to gain victory. They were confident that if they died in the fighting they would attain a heavenly planet and if they came out victorious they would enjoy the world.

Krsna Book 77:

Lord Kṛṣṇa began to think that while He was staying in Hastināpura with Balarāma after the killing of Śiśupāla, Śiśupāla's men must have attacked Dvārakā. On reaching Dvārakā, Lord Kṛṣṇa saw that the whole city was greatly endangered. He placed Balarāmajī in a strategic position for the protection of the city, and He Himself asked His charioteer, Dāruka, to prepare to start. He said, “Dāruka, please immediately take Me to where Śālva is staying. You may know that this Śālva is a very powerful, mysterious man. Don’t fear him in the least.” As soon as he got his orders from Lord Kṛṣṇa, Dāruka had Him seated on the chariot and drove very quickly toward Śālva.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 4.1 and Review -- New York, July 13, 1966:

And the last, and the last śloka in the third chapter, that He said, "By intelligence we have to conquer over the formidable enemy which has captured three strategic positions." That means the senses and the mind and intelligence. "In three strategic positions, the formidable enemy..." That means ignorance that I am trying to lord it over the material nature, this ignorance. This is ignorance because I cannot lord it over the material nature. It is impossible. I am not so powerful that I can become the master of the material nature.

Lecture on BG 4.1 and Review -- New York, July 13, 1966:

So this has been explained by Kṛṣṇa to Arjuna that "This is your... This sense of mastering over or lording over the material nature, kāma..." Kāma means to enjoy. Kāma means enjoy. "That is your formidable enemy, and that formidable enemy is sitting in three places: on your mind, on your intelligence, on your senses." Now, you have to deal with them very tactfully. How? That you have to replace the enemy with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You have to replace. Simply, you have to replace. Just like if you have got a glass of water, now, if you want to fill up this glass with milk, then you have to throw the water and take milk. Similarly, if your mind is occupied by the lust of enjoying the material world, if you replace Kṛṣṇa on your mind, then you'll find that the enemy which is occupying your strategic position of mind, it will be defeated.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud:

Śyāmasundara: He says that the ego develops strategies of defense against this anxiety which is entering from the id, and one of the strategies it develops is repression. Whenever there is some strong animalistic desire, the ego represses that desire in order to preserve itself.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- June 16, 1975, Honolulu:

Siddha-svarūpa: ...in the United States and Russia are to get on special airplanes that are equipped... It's like a city in the air, where they will be able to wage war from the air so that even if the all the cities are destroyed, they will still be able to make strategy and keep sending missiles with warheads because they have so many missiles with warheads all over the country that even if all the cities are wiped out they can keep sending more.

Room Conversation -- October 29, 1975, Nairobi:

Brahmānanda: The Indians had the experience of the independence in India to draw on for inspiration and also for their strategies and so on, to guide the Africans.

Morning Walk -- December 19, 1975, Bombay:

Dr. Patel: They are doing strategical fight. Strategically great. They should not repeat, but our army is doing strategical fight.

Prabhupāda: There is a Bengali saying-palabanata boineki(?): "Am I afraid of you, that I shall not go away?"

Dr. Patel: (laughing) I understand.

Prabhupāda: "I must go away. That is my independence!"

Dr. Patel: (Hindi)

Prabhupāda: And Kṛṣṇa says specifically, kṣatriya, yuddhe cāpy apalāyanam: "You must fight. Face."

Dr. Patel: That yuddhe must be also religious. Not...

Prabhupāda: Yuddha... Everything must be religious. Why yuddha? Your ordinary living must be also religious. Otherwise animal. Animal also lives. But if you don't live religiously, that is animal. Dharmena hena paśave sa. If you live like animal, then you are animal. If you live like human being, that human being means dharma

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Arrival of BBT Manager -- January 9, 1977, Bombay:

Rāmeśvara: I can show you this later. This is a copy of a newsletter that we have intercepted from the enemy camp. We have our newsletter, and they also have their newsletter. So we have gotten ourselves on their mailing list, so we can find out all their strategy.

Prabhupāda: Yes. When there is fight these things are studied. (Hindi) When there is fight there is no question of immoral or moral. "We must get victory," that's all. Kṛṣṇa did it. Kṛṣṇa asked...

Hari-śauri: According to this, they've made it legal, deprogramming. They're making it legal that they can hold a person by force until they break him mentally.

Room Conversation -- January 27, 1977, Puri:

Satsvarūpa: I'll write to New York and tell them the strategy.

Prabhupāda: Yes! Why not? You just consider, yourself. You are three GBCs. And give your opinion. This is my suggestion. The same suggestion as Dr. Rajaveri(?) Ghosh said, "Yes, my lord, I have brought the whole library to teach you law."

Gargamuni: And they can't take any decision against the books, because the scholars have already...

Prabhupāda: Yes. Scholars have supported. This is a fact.

Gargamuni: They have already supported.

Prabhupāda: That is also right.

Room Conversation -- February 3, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: And this is India's mission, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission, para-upakāra. So... And Kṛṣṇa also confirms, ya idaṁ paramaṁ guhyaṁ mad-bhakteṣv abhidhāsyati, na ca tasmād... (Bg 18.68). You'll be recognized by Kṛṣṇa. Simply go on sincerely working for this movement. Nobody can defeat you. Take all strategic point, fighting with māyā, and become victorious. From any point of view, come on. We shall fight with māyā. It is a great declaration of fight with māyā. Not with māyā. Our fight is with the demons. Māyā is servant, maidservant of Kṛṣṇa. She can withdraw by the order. But she cannot withdraw because people are demons. So this European opposition, American opposition is that the demons are now feeling the pressure. That is recognition that "Now it is a fight. We have to defend."

Room Conversation -- February 4, 1977, Calcutta:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Describe in letter. You have got fourth-class, tenth-class culture. How you'll understand the culture of becoming meek and humble?

Satsvarūpa: The District Attorney who was trying to prosecute us, Ādi-keśava, he reveals his strategy here because many lawyers say that we have a right to practice our religion. This is freedom of religion. He says...

Prabhupāda: Free... It is bona fide religion.

Satsvarūpa: He said "But it's not a question of religion." He said, "What we're..." He said, "Mind control has nothing to do with religion. It's a question of individual free will. I don't think an individual in his right state of mind would allow someone else to control his mind. Just think of it in terms of hypnosis."

Prabhupāda: Mind control is everything.

Room Conversation Meeting with Dr. Sharma (from Russia) -- April 17, 1977, Bombay:

Guest (2): No, my point is everyone has some special strategy if we don't want the total population the world is Communist. Should not there be a special strategy to enter in their own hearts?

Prabhupāda: This is special strategy, that as far as possible, give them those who are educated, read then, give them chance to read. And those who are not, let them come, and music and dance. Everyone likes to do this. And take prasādam, feast, lecture. Common sense.

Guest (2): Politic of other.

Room Conversation -- November 3, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: On the whole, it is favorable. Hm?

Girirāja: Oh, yes. There is a tremendous scope. And the royal family is very powerful. They run the whole country, and, of course, they're Hindus. So I also went with Prabhaviṣṇu to meet one relation of the Queen Mother, and this lady was very enthusiastic about our activities. So I discussed with Prabhaviṣṇu the strategy how to approach the royal family, and... It's a Hindu state. They don't claim to be secular, like in India, so...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Hopeful.

Girirāja: Yes, it is hopeful. Then he has one local boy who has joined, Nepali, and he's a very nice boy. I mean, there's so much field for preaching. There's the royal family, then there's membership for the business community, and there's saṅkīrtana and book distribution for the general people, and then also there are many hippies there. So we could recruit devotees from amongst them.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The hippies seem to be still our best customers, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Kirtanananda -- Los Angeles 6 May, 1970:

So if Krsna is giving us the chance to purchase it, let us take advantage of the opportunity.

But from strategic point of view, as we are expecting to purchase Mr. Snyder's property next year, he may be still tighter. But the advantage of being on the roadside in future will be of great use, there is no doubt of it.

Here in L.A. we are decorating the Temple room very nicely. As I am inviting everyone to come here and see, I think you should also once come here and see the Temple room so that you can erect in New Vrndavana in the same style. It is not very difficult, but it looks very gorgeous.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Damodara -- London 6 August, 1972:

So far your purchasing that building is concerned, if it is a great endeavor, how can you manage? If you have so many debts to the book fun and Spiritual Sky business, how can you take more debts to the book fund? We are not very much for owning buildings, our real business is to preach and propagate Krishna Consciousness widely. Washington D.C. is the capital of your country, and therefore it is a very strategic location for preaching amongst the nations leaders. Concentrate on this work, and the sankirtana and book distribution activities, and if you wait until there is solid financial basis before purchasing, what is the harm? But if we spend our whole time simply to earn money to pay for big, big buildings and decorations, what is the value? I am more interested in preachers than builders and decorators. But if you think you are able, and there is good opportunity, you may purchase, I have no objection. When I come there in September I can install the Jagannatha Deities if you invite me. If you can find eucalyptus twigs, you can send them to me wherever I am in the world, and I shall always have nice toothbrushes thanks to you. Eucalyptus is the best.