Following in the footsteps (Lectures, BG)

Expressions researched:
"Following in the footprints" |"follow His footprints" |"follow His footsteps" |"follow Lord Caitanya's footprints" |"follow Lord Caitanya's footsteps" |"follow Rupa Gosvami, their footprints" |"follow foot prints" |"follow in His footsteps" |"follow in Narada's footsteps" |"follow in his footprints" |"follow in his footsteps" |"follow in his lotus footsteps" |"follow in the footprints" |"follow in the footsteps" |"follow in their footsteps" |"follow in your footsteps" |"follow the foot prints" |"follow the footprint" |"follow the footprints" |"follow the footsteps" |"follow their footprints" |"follow their footsteps" |"follow these footprints" |"followed in his footsteps" |"followed in the footsteps" |"followed the foot prints" |"followed the footprints" |"following Caitanya Mahaprabhu's footprints" |"following His butter-smeared footprints" |"following his footsteps" |"following in His footsteps" |"following in Your footsteps" |"following in the footprints" |"following in the footsteps" |"following in their footsteps" |"following the foot prints" |"following the footprint" |"following the footprints" |"following the footsteps" |"following their footprints" |"following their footprints" |"following their footprints" |"following your foot prints" |"follows in his footsteps" |"follows in the footsteps" |"follows strictly the footprints" |"follows the footsteps" |"footprints of acaryas are followed" |"footprints should be followed" |"footprints we have to follow"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 1.20 -- London, July 17, 1973:

This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, man-manā: "Always think of Kṛṣṇa, Me, about Me," Kṛṣṇa says. And they will make meaning that you can say also. "Kṛṣṇa says that you always think of Him; you can say also, Think of me." This meaning, they are distorting. So Kṛṣṇa says man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65), and this Dr. Radhakrishnan says, "It is not to the Kṛṣṇa person." Just see. Just a big scholar, doctor of philosophy, he cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says directly, man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ (BG 9.34). He is interpreting in a different way.

Therefore this word is used here, hṛṣīkeśa. Hṛṣīkeśam idaṁ vākyam, hṛṣīkeśam tadā vākyam idam āha mahī-pate (BG 1.20). Mahī-pate, "O King..." Sañjaya was addressing Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He's a king. So mahī-pate. Hṛṣīkeśaṁ kapi-dhvajaḥ. Kapi-dhvajaḥ is nominative. So "He said..." Kapi-dhvajaḥ. Kapi-dhvajaḥ is also significant. Kapi-dhvajaḥ, Arjuna, on his... Just like nowadays also, every nation has different types of flags, so Arjuna also had his flag on the... Dhvajaḥ. Dhvajaḥ means the flag. The flag was on the top of his chariot. And it was marked with Hanumān, Vajrāṅgajī, Vajrāṅgajī, Hanumān, who fought for Lord Rāmacandra. He is fighting for Kṛṣṇa. So he is also following the footsteps of Vajrāṅgajī.

Vaiṣṇavism is like that. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ. Vaiṣṇava should follow his previous mahājana, authority. That is Vaiṣṇavism. We don't manufacture ideas. We don't commit such rascaldom. We simply accept the behavior or the activities of previous ācāryas. There is no difficulty. There is no difficulty.

So in the fighting principle, Arjuna is fighting for Kṛṣṇa. He is following the previous fighting ācārya, Hanumānji. Therefore he has depicted his flag with Hanumān, that "Hanumānji, Vajrāṅgajī, kindly help me." This is Vaiṣṇavism. "I have come here to fight for Lord Kṛṣṇa. You fought also for the Lord. Kindly help me." This is the idea. Kapi-dhvajaḥ. So any activities of the Vaiṣṇava, they should always pray to the previous ācārya, "Kindly help me. Kindly..." This is, Vaiṣṇava is always thinking himself helpless, helpless. And begging help from the previous ācārya.