Things may not be arbitrary, whimsical, therefore we have to take reference from Bhagavad-gita. Lawbook. When a judge gives his judgement, he does not give it arbitrarily. There is lawbooks

Expressions researched:
"Things may not be arbitrary, whimsical; therefore we have to take reference from Bhagavad-gītā. Lawbook. When a judge gives his judgment, he does not give it arbitrarily. There is lawbooks"

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Things may not be arbitrary, whimsical, therefore we have to take reference from Bhagavad-gītā. Lawbook. When a judge gives his judgement, he does not give it arbitrarily. There is lawbooks. So there is no question of arbitrary. The reference is there. How you can say it is arbitrary? That is not a fact. Śāstra-vidhi. Rather, if you don't care for śāstra-vidhi, then he'll never be successful.

Garden Discussion on Bhagavad-gita Sixteenth Chapter -- June 26, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Dhṛṣṭadyumna: Yes, heroism. In this purport, Śrīla Prabhupāda perfectly describes our student life. As students, we were doing everything whimsically. Or we would accept bad things.

Prabhupāda: Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja recommends from the beginning of student life, kaumāra ācaret prajño dharmān bhāgavatān iha (SB 7.6.1), they should be trained up in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That Prahlāda Mahārāja recommends. Now from the very beginning of student life, because there is no education, he is trained up as demon. What can be done? So many things have to be reformed by pushing on Kṛṣṇa consciousness. These are Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Whatever is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, that is within the jurisdiction of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. So we have to do all this. (aside:) Water.

Dhṛṣṭadyumna:

daivī sampad vimokṣāya

nibandhāyāsurī matā

mā śucaḥ sampadaṁ daivīm

abhijāto 'si pāṇḍava

(BG 16.5)

"The transcendental qualities are conducive to liberation, whereas the demoniac qualities make for bondage. Do not worry, O son of Pāṇḍu, for you are born with the divine qualities."

"Lord Kṛṣṇa encouraged Arjuna by telling him that he was not born with demoniac qualities. His involvement in the fight was not demoniac, because he was considering the pro's and con's. He was considering whether respectable persons such as Bhīṣma and Droṇa should be killed or not, so he was not acting under the influence of anger, false prestige or harshness. Therefore he was not of the quality of the demons. For a kṣatriya, a military man, shooting arrows at the enemy is considered transcendental, and refraining from such a duty is demoniac. Therefore, there was no cause for Arjuna to lament. Anyone who performs the regulated principles of the different orders of life is transcendentally situated."

Prabhupāda: Discuss on this point.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: They may say that we have arbitrarily given some specific duties to different people.

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: They may say that we have arbitrarily given, that the kṣatriyas are supposed to kill, like this. But actually everyone should be a good man.

Prabhupāda: Not arbitrarily. It is given by Kṛṣṇa. It is not arbitrary. By the supreme order. How they can say it is arbitrary? Then what is the use of referring to Bhagavad-gītā? Things may not be arbitrary, whimsical; therefore we have to take reference from Bhagavad-gītā. Lawbook. When a judge gives his judgment, he does not give it arbitrarily. There is lawbooks. So there is no question of arbitrary. The reference is there. How you can say it is arbitrary? That is not a fact. Śāstra-vidhi. Rather, if you don't care for śāstra-vidhi, then you'll never be successful. Yaḥ śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya, in this chapter you'll find.

Dhṛṣṭadyumna:

yaḥ śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya

vartate kāma-kārataḥ

na sa siddhim avāpnoti

na sukhaṁ na parāṁ gatim

(BG 16.23)

"But he who discards scriptural injunctions and acts according to his own whims attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the supreme destination."

Prabhupāda: We do not give anything arbitrary.

Dhṛṣṭadyumna: Actually this is a fact, because we see that by following their authorities, they are becoming more and more unhappy, and by following our authorities, we are becoming more and more happy.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Dhṛṣṭadyumna: So the result is there even in this life we can see, what to speak beyond this life.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: But they can say not everyone is made happy by a war.

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: They can say that, for example, the wives of Duryodhana and all of these people who were killed, they were not made happy.

Dhṛṣṭadyumna: No, dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre . . . (BG 1.1).

Prabhupāda: They were happy. Otherwise they could not fight. They are not Vietnam soldiers—when they are attacked they are going away. They are not like that. They are determined that "I'll either lay down life or gain victory." That is their . . . They were not afraid of fighting. Do you think they were afraid of fighting? That is real kṣatriya. Yuddhe cāpy apalāyanam (BG 18.43). That is real kṣatriya training.