View source for What is the difficulty? Dharma-ksetra kuru-ksetra, is that a very difficult Sanskrit? Now, there is no question. Even in... If you do not understand Sanskrit, what is the difficulty to understand dharma-ksetra?

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{{terms|"''Dharma-kṣetra kuru-kṣetra'', is that is a very difficult Sanskrit"}}
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{{compiler|MadhuGopaldas}}
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[[Category:What is the Difficulty]]
[[Category:Dharma-ksetra]]
[[Category:Kuruksetra]]
[[Category:Is That]]
[[Category:Very Difficult]]
[[Category:Sanskrit]]
[[Category:There Is No Question]]
[[Category:Even In]]
[[Category:If You Do Not]]
[[Category:Do Not Understand]]
[[Category:Questions Posed by Srila Prabhupada]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - Lectures, 1966 - 1977]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - Lectures, 1970]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - Lectures, Srimad-Bhagavatam]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - in India, Indore]]
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<div id="Lectures" class="section" sec_index="4" parent="compilation" text="Lectures"><h2>Lectures</h2>
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<div id="Srimad-Bhagavatam_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="1" parent="Lectures" text="Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures"><h3>Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures</h3>
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<div id="LectureonSB6122IndoreDecember131970_0" class="quote" parent="Srimad-Bhagavatam_Lectures" book="Lec" index="631" link="Lecture on SB 6.1.22 -- Indore, December 13, 1970" link_text="Lecture on SB 6.1.22 -- Indore, December 13, 1970">
<div class="heading">What is the difficulty? Dharma-kṣetra kuru-kṣetra, is that a very difficult Sanskrit? Now, there is no question. Even in... If you do not understand Sanskrit, what is the difficulty to understand dharma-kṣetra? Is it not a Hindi word? Kurukṣetra is a name of place. So what is the difficulty? Why do you interpret that Kurukṣetra means this body? This rascaldom has killed the whole spiritual atmosphere of India. They are responsible, these rascal politicians, the rascal scholars, so-called. Actually if we want good of the people, these rascals should be disclosed and people should come back. We should... Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is. Why we should interpret?
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on SB 6.1.22 -- Indore, December 13, 1970|Lecture on SB 6.1.22 -- Indore, December 13, 1970]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">
Woman devotee: Is it true when you said that the hill, there is cracks?

Prabhupāda: Why not true?

Woman devotee: You said it cracked in the hill.

Indian guest: . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: So therefore Arjuna said, ''sarvam etam ṛtaṁ manye yad vadasi mām'' ([[Vanisource:BG 10.14 (1972)|BG 10.14]]). This is devotee, that "I accept everything, whatever You say." This is devotee, not that "I make some amendment and then I accept." And this is nonsense. You cannot . . . this is called ''ardha-kukkuṭī-nyāya''. (Cc. ''Ādi-līlā'' 5.176)

''Ardha-kukkuṭī-nyāya'' means one man was keeping a hen, and it was delivering every day a golden egg. So the man thought, "It is very profitable, but it is expensive to feed this hen. Better cut the head so I shall save the expenditure of feeding her, and I'll get the eggs without any charge."

So these rascals, they take . . . accept ''śāstras'' like that: "Oh, this is not . . . this is very expensive. Cut this portion." And when Kṛṣṇa says that "Anyone who sees Me in everyone," "Oh, that is very palatable. That is very palatable." And when Kṛṣṇa says, "You give up everything. You surrender . . ." "Oh, that is not palatable."

And this is ''ardha-kukkuṭī-nyāya'': I accept things which are very favorable to my understanding, and other things I reject. This is called ''ardha-kukkuṭī-nyāya''. So people accept ''śāstras'' in that way, the Māyāvādīs.

Guest (3): But one who is self-realized, he interprets them out, the ''ślokas'' . . .

Prabhupāda: There is no interpretation. Kṛṣṇa says. In the ''Bhāgavata'' it is said that He lifted the mountain just like a child snatch one flower or the . . . what is called?

Devotee: Mushroom.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Mushroom. Yes. So easily. They do not believe.

Guest (3): (indistinct) . . . No, but in the language of ''Srimad Bhāgavatam'' there are many ''ślokas'' interpreted by many teachers and . . . those who believe in ''Bhāgavata'' . . .

Prabhupāda: Those who believe in ''Bhāgavata'', they do not interpret. Those who do not believe in ''Bhāgavata'', they interpret.

Guest (3): But its meaning has to be understood.

Prabhupāda: Meaning is clear. There is nothing to be understood. But the rascals, they draw their own meaning. Just like ''Bhagavad-gītā''. What is the difficulty to understand this:

:''dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre''
:''samavetā yuyutsava''
:''māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caiva''
:''kim akurvata sañjaya''
:([[Vanisource:BG 1.1 (1972)|BG 1.1]])

What is the difficulty to understand Kurukṣetra is a religious place, acknowledged by the ''Vedas'', and it is going on still? Why do they interpret, "Kurukṣetra means this body"? Is he not a rascal? Why there is interpretation when you understand a thing very clearly? Eh?

Guest (3): Because Kurukṣetra is to be taken as a particular place.

Prabhupāda: Not taken; it is still there. Why do you interpret that it is body? Is it not rascaldom? No devotee, no ''ācārya'' has done this, but these modern so-called scholars and leaders, they have done it. Are they not rascals? What do you think? Eh?

Guest (3): No, rascals. My representative orders that "The people listen to me . . ."

Prabhupāda: So, why they should say? Now, you are a lawyer.

Guest (3): We do not know our . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: And why do they . . .? What is the difficulty? ''Dharma-kṣetra kuru-kṣetra'', is that is a very difficult Sanskrit?

Guest (3): . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Now, there is no question. Even in . . . if you do not understand Sanskrit, what is the difficulty to understand ''dharma-kṣetra''? Is it not a Hindi word? Kurukṣetra is a name of place. So what is the difficulty? Why do you interpret that Kurukṣetra means this body? This rascaldom has killed the whole spiritual atmosphere of India. They are responsible, these rascal politicians, the rascal scholars, so-called. Actually if we want good of the people, these rascals should be disclosed and people should come back. We should . . .

Therefore we are presenting ''Bhagavad-gītā'' as it is. Why we should interpret? You know, you, as a lawyer, when there is legal point, if it is not clear, one lawyer is trying to extract some meaning and the other lawyer is extract . . . it is after all, the judges give the judgment. So this interpretation between the two lawyers are there when the subject matter is not very clear. Is it not?

Guest (3): (indistinct) . . . amongst the judges now they have passed . . .

Prabhupāda: But judges are not perfect, and the law is also not perfect. But I am simply speaking of the procedure. The law is not perfect because it is man-made, and judges, because he is human, he is also not perfect. So that imperfectness you must find. But I am speaking of the procedure. You have to speak of the law books. You cannot . . . in the law court you cannot speak beyond the law books. And the law books . . . suppose one section is not very clear. You fight, "This should be interpreted like this. This should be interpreted . . ." I am taking that procedure. But when it is clear, do you interpret?

Guest (3): It is not possible.

Prabhupāda: That's not possible. Similarly, ''Bhagavad-gītā'', it is clear: ''dharma-kṣetra kuru-kṣetra''. Why these rascals say that Kurukṣetra means body?

Guest (3): Even according to the rules of interpretation, in the books it is stated, "When the words are clear, you should . . ."

Prabhupāda: That is eternally fact.

Guest (3): . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes.

Guest (3): If the language is absolutely clear, the language should be interpreted (indistinct).

Prabhupāda: ''Aiye''. Yes. So when the language is clear, it is . . . just like anything you take, all these Vedic literatures, simply by interpretation they have played havoc. Now, this ''Vedānta-sūtra'', ''Vedānta'', is accepted as the supreme authority of all Vedic literature. ''Janmādy asya yataḥ'' ([[Vanisource:SB 1.1.1|SB 1.1.1]]), the ''sutra'', that ''janmādy asya yataḥ'': "The Absolute Truth must be the original source of everything." There is no question of interpretation.

This is the clear meaning. ''Janmādi''. ''Janma'' means birth, and . . . ''Janma'', ''sthiti'' and ''loya''. There are three words in this material world. The things come out, just like this body has come out from the womb of my mother. It stays for some time, it grows, it gives some by-products, then it becomes old and again vanishes. So therefore ''janmādy asya'': "Beginning from birth up to the annihilation, everything is emanation from the Absolute Truth."

So is not that very clear? Absolute Truth must be that which is the source of everything and reservoir of everything, and who is maintaining everything. That is the meaning of . . .