Pradyumna (leads chanting, etc.):
- yadi mām apratikāram
- aśastraṁ śastra-pāṇayaḥ
- dhārtarāṣṭrā raṇe hanyus
- tan me kṣemataraṁ bhavet
- (BG 1.45)
- sañjaya uvāca
- evam uktvārjunaḥ saṅkhye
- rathopastha upāviśat
- visṛjya sa-śaraṁ cāpaṁ
- śoka-saṁvigna-mānasaḥ
- (BG 1.46)
Translation: "I would consider it better for the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra to kill me unarmed and unresisting, rather than fight with them.
"Sañjaya said: Arjuna, having thus spoken on the battlefield, cast aside his bow and arrows and sat down on the chariot, his mind overwhelmed with grief."
Prabhupāda: Yadi māṁ apratikāram aśastram śastra-pāṇayaḥ. It is the custom between the kṣatriyas that in the fighting, if the other party hasn't got weapon to fight, this party will supply him weapon, not that the other party without weapon and this party will take opportunity to kill him. This is not the rules and regulation of fighting. There are many rules and regulation of the fighting. Not that "Because he is my enemy, I shall kill him any way." No. There are rules and regulations. If the enemy has broken his chariot, he is fallen down on the ground, the other party also will immediately get down from the chariot. Suppose he is feeling... If one is on the foot and another on the chariot, so he will be in superior position. So therefore the opposite party must also get down from the chariot and walk with him. That means the defeated enemy should be given all opportunities so he may not think that unnecessarily, in weak position, he has been killed. No. So Arjuna says... Arjuna, of course, did later on. When he killed Karṇa. Karṇa was without weapon, and he fell down from the chariot. Karṇa, after falling down from the chariot, and he was trying to raise the wheel of the chariot from the mud, so Kṛṣṇa asked Arjuna "That this is the opportunity to kill him. You kill him immediately." So at that time he had no weapons and he fell down from the chariot, and in that position he was killed by Arjuna by the order of Kṛṣṇa. This is violating the laws.
So you can violate the laws on the order of Kṛṣṇa. You cannot do. This is surrender. When Kṛṣṇa says that "You do this," although it is wrong, you have to do it. There is no consideration. Just like in fight, the commander says to the soldiers, "Do this." His duty is to do that. He should not think at that time what is right or wrong. Just like Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, he was advised by Kṛṣṇa that "Yudhiṣṭhira, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, you go to Droṇācārya and inform him that 'Your son is dead.' " It was a false information. Because Droṇācārya would not die if he is not affected with some lamentation. So Kṛṣṇa asked Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira that "You go because you are recognized truthful, Dharmarāja. So when you will say, this is also false, he will believe." But Yudhiṣṭhira hesitated, "How can I tell lie?" He disobeyed the order of Kṛṣṇa, and he wanted to become very truthful. For this reason he had to see hell. So in the mundane consideration there are so many things, right and wrong. So long you are on the mundane platform, you have to obey all these right and wrong. But in the spiritual platform, when it is ordered by Kṛṣṇa... He is above all this duality. He is Absolute. So even if He says to do something wrong... Because He cannot say anything which is wrong. God is all-good. If you discriminate God's order from the mundane platform, then you will be misguided. Anyone who has got firm and fixed up faith that whatever God does, whatever God orders, even from mundane calculation it may be wrong, that is right... That is absolute understanding. So those who are in the spiritual platform, for them, there is no such consideration, which is right and which is wrong. Their only consideration is whether Kṛṣṇa is pleased. That's all. If Kṛṣṇa is pleased by inducing me to do something wrong, I will not hesitate to do it. I will do it because it is Kṛṣṇa's order. Tasmin tuṣṭe jagat tuṣṭam. My principle should be, "If Kṛṣṇa is satisfied, then everything is all right." But while we are in the mundane platform, we should not concoct the idea that "Kṛṣṇa is pleased; let me do that." No. That you, cannot do. You have to follow the rules and regulations. But if you think that it is... You cannot think; neither you can manufacture. So either you should hear from Kṛṣṇa directly or... That is not possible because we are not in touch with Kṛṣṇa at the present moment. We are trying to see Kṛṣṇa through the transparent medium of spiritual master. So we cannot manufacture that "This is Kṛṣṇa's desire." No. You have to get it confirmed from the transparent medium, spiritual master. These are the principles.