BG 02.11 asocyan anvasocas tvam... cited

Lecture on BG 2.1-11 -- Johannesburg, October 17, 1975:

Paṇḍita means one who knows that "I am not this body." That is paṇḍita. The body is a lump of matter, so what is the value of lump of matter? Either while it is moving or while it is not moving, it is a lump of matter. Suppose we are now moving with this body with nice coat, pant, hat. That's all right. But what it is? It is a lump of matter. Either coat, pant, or these bones and the skin and the blood and the stool and urine, whatever this body is composed of, it is all material. And when the living entity goes away from this body, the same lump of matter...

You have seen only the coats and pants and the body. That is your education. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, "Arjuna, you are thinking on terms of this coats and pants and bones and muscles and urine and stool. Therefore you are rascal number one." This is the first instruction, aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā... (BG 2.11). "Do any gentlemen lament for this torn-up cloth, bones and skins and urine and stool? Does any sane man lament?" This is the first instruction. So aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase: "You are talking just like a very learned man to argue with Me, but you are fool number one because"—gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ—"this is not the business of the paṇḍita."

So this is not the position of Arjuna only. The whole material civilization, the whole population of the whole world, they are like this aśocyān anvaśocas tvam (BG 2.11). When the body is living, when the body is moving, they are busy how to make the body comfort. And when the body is not moving they are lamenting.

Lecture on BG 2.1-11 -- Johannesburg, October 17, 1975:

Anyone who is leading his life on the bodily concept of life, he is no better than the dogs and hogs. So in order to stop this civilization of dogs and hogs, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is essential. Kṛṣṇa consciousness means to take instruction from Kṛṣṇa. This is the first instruction. Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). So gradually He will give instruction.

Lecture on BG 2.7-11 -- New York, March 2, 1966:

Now, bhagavān uvāca. And because He has been accepted as the spiritual master... Just like a teacher has the right to sometimes rebuke the student, so in the first instance He is rebuking Arjuna in the following words that

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ

prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca

nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

Lecture on BG 2.7-11 -- New York, March 2, 1966:

that "Arjuna, you are speaking just like a very great, learned man, but you are... You are... In other words, you are a fool. You do not know how things are going on because paṇḍitāḥ, those who are learned men, they would not have lamented just like you are doing." That means indirectly He says... Paṇḍitāḥ means learned. Learned man does not lament over a dead body or a living body. Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca. Asūn means life. One has lost his life. And one has got his life, a body, living body and a dead body, living body and a dead body.

So here He say that "You are lamenting over the bodies of your relatives because in the fight you are considering that 'My friends and my relatives will be killed,' so that means they are living bodies, and you are lamenting over the, over their killing. So this sort of lamentation is never done by a learned man. A learned man never does it." Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ (BG 2.11). "Those who are learned, one who is learned, he does not lament over the body, either a living body or dead body. There is no question of..." Now, because one who knows the distinction between the body and the soul, firmly con... Just like you have heard the name of Socrates. Soc..., a great philosopher, Greek philosopher. He believed in the immortality of soul. So he was punished in the court. Hemlock. Hemlock was offered to him, that "All right, if you believe the immortality of soul, then you drink this hemlock poison."

Lecture on BG 2.8-12 -- Los Angeles, November 27, 1968:

Devotee: Verse 11: "The Blessed Lord said: While speaking learned words you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor the dead (BG 2.11)." Purport: "The Lord at once took the position of a teacher and chastised his student, calling him indirectly a fool. The Lord said, 'You are talking like a learned man, but you do not know that one who is learned, one who knows what is body and what is soul, does not lament for any stage of the body, neither in the living nor in the dead condition.' As explained in the later chapters, it will be clear that knowledge means to know matter and spirit and the controller of both. Arjuna argued that religious principles should be given more importance than politics or sociology, but he did not know that knowledge of matter, soul and the Supreme is more important than religious formularies. And because he was lacking in that knowledge, he should not have posed himself as a very learned man. As he did not happen to be a very learned man, he was consequently lamenting for something which was unworthy of lamentation. The body is born and is destined to be vanquished today or tomorrow. Therefore the body is not as important as the soul. One who knows this is actually learned. For him there is no cause for lamentation in any stage of the material body."

Prabhupāda: He says, Kṛṣṇa says, that "This body, either dead or alive, has nothing to be lamented." Dead body, suppose when the body is dead, it has no value. What is the use of lamenting? You can lament for many thousands of years, it will not come to life. So there is no cause of lamenting on dead body. And so far spirit soul is concerned, that is eternal. Even it appears to be dead, or with the death of this body, he does not die.

So here Kṛṣṇa said, when He saw Arjuna that he was not willing to fight, then Kṛṣṇa said,

śrī bhagavān uvāca

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ

prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca

nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

He immediate... Because Kṛṣṇa was accepted as the spiritual master of Arjuna, He said in a very gentle way, "My dear Arjuna," aśocyān anvaśocas tvam, "You are lamenting for something which is not the subject matter of lamentation." Because Arjuna was hesitating to fight in bodily relationship. He was thinking that he is this body, his other side, the relatives, brothers or nephews or grandfather, the other side, they are also the bodies. Because bodily concept of life, we hesitate. Because every one of us in bodily concept. That is animal life.

Everything is "mine," but where is the "I?" That should be the inquiry, that "Everything, I am speaking 'mine.' Where is that 'I'?" As soon as we come to this point, "Where is that 'I'?" then our human sense is developed. Otherwise we are in the animal sense of life. So Kṛṣṇa is, I mean to say, instructing Arjuna that aśocyān anvaśocas tvam: (BG 2.11) "My dear Arjuna, you are lamenting on the subject matter which is not the subject matter of lamentation." Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase. Prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase. "You are talking like a very intelligent, learned scholar." Because in the previous chapter he was arguing with Kṛṣṇa, giving evidences from śāstra on the bodily concept of life. But he does not know the śāstras say, "One who is in the bodily concept of life, he is no better than an ass or cow." That he did not know.

So every one of us, we... There are so many big, big scholars. I shall give you one instance. I was talking one big professor who is in Russia, Moscow, Professor Kotovsky. He said, "Swamiji, after death, everything is finished." That bodily concept of life. Even big, big educationist, big, big doctors, philosophers, scientists, they have got this bodily concept of life. So Kṛṣṇa is first of all trying to remove this bodily concept of life. He said therefore, aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). "My dear Arjuna, you are talking like a very intelligent man, but you are lamenting on the subject matter which is not at all lamentable." What is that? Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. Paṇḍitāḥ means one who is learned. This body, either in living condition of dead condition, it is not the subject matter of lamentation. This is the first education of spiritual life, that this body is actually dead body already. So long the soul is there, it is moving.

So it is a lump of matter at the present moment, then, after death or after leaving, after the soul has gone from the body, it is the same lump of matter. So lump of matter, where is the cause of lamentation or jubilation? It is a lump of matter. This understanding is first required.

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ

prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca

nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

Lecture on BG 2.10 -- London, August 16, 1973:

He said that paṇḍitāḥ, those one who is learned, he does not lament on this lump of matter. Actually, if you soberly analyze this body, what is this body? Actually, it is lump of matter. It is a combination of bone and blood, flesh, urine, stool, nails and hairs.

So Kṛṣṇa, seeing Arjuna, viṣīdantam very much affected, lamenting, that he is not prepared to do his duty. Therefore in the next verse He begins that aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajña-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase: (BG 2.11) "My dear Arjuna, you are My friend. Never mind, māyā is very strong. Despite your being My friend, personal, you are so much overwhelmed with false compassion. So just hear Me." Therefore He said, aśocyān: "You are lamenting on a subject matter which is not at all good." Aśocya. Śocya means lamentation, and aśocya means one should not lament. Aśocya. So aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajña-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase. "But you are talking like very learned scholar." Because he has talked. But those things are right. What Arjuna has said, that varṇa-saṅkara, when the women become polluted, the population is varṇa-saṅkara, that is fact. Whatever Arjuna has said to Kṛṣṇa in order to avoid the fighting, so those things are correct. But from the spiritual platform, those things may be correct or incorrect, but from spiritual platform, they are not to be considered very serious. Therefore aśocyān anvaśocas tvam. Because his lamentation was on the bodily concept of life. That bodily concept of life, in the very beginning of Kṛṣṇa's instructions, it is condemned. Aśocyān anvaśocas tvam: (BG 2.11) "You are lamenting on the bodily concept of life." Because anyone who is in the bodily concept of life, he is no better than animal. So our all morality, all social status, all politics, all philosophy, everything is on this bodily concept of life. We want to enjoy senses. Senses means different parts of the body. So one who is interested with the body—that means one who is interested with the senses—their only business is how to... (end)

Lecture on BG 2.11 -- New York, March 4, 1966:

Now, here, aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). Now, the whole living existence is a very subtle thing. Now, this body, this body made of earth, water, fire, air, sky, this gross body; and behind this, there is another subtle body. That is mind, intelligence and ego. So when we give up this gross body, that subtle body carries me to another gross body. So when this, this body is lifeless, that body, subtle body, is not lifeless. Just like at night, when this gross body is asleep, the subtle body works. Therefore we dream.

Lecture on BG 2.11 -- New York, March 4, 1966:

So here they say that gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca. There are two, two sort of bodies in which we are now entered. Now, suppose this gross body appears to be now dead and gone, stopped, but one must know that subtle body has carried him to another body. So subtle body is not lost life. The life is there. So here Kṛṣṇa says that either of the gross body or of... Subtle body has to be also left. When you get liberation, when you get liberation, that subtle body, that egoistic life, has also to be left. Now, at any condition, the body has to be left. So why one should cry for this body? Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that "A learned man does not lament over this body." The whole question, that a soul is different from this body, the whole question is solved in one verse. You see? Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ (BG 2.11). "One who is actually learned, he does not, he has no concern of this body. He's concerned with the activities of the soul. So you are speaking of so many things that 'If these, my friends, die, the, I mean to say, their wives will become widow.' These are all... According to the bodily relation, you are speaking. And you are posing yourself just like a very learned man, but you are a fool number one because your whole conception is on the body. Your whole conception of argument with Me was on the body, but you are, you are posing himself just as if you are very learned man."

Lecture on BG 2.11 -- Edinburgh, July 16, 1972:

Prabhupāda: Translation.

Pradyumna: Translation: "The Blessed Lord said: While speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor the dead (BG 2.11)."

Prabhupāda: "The Blessed Lord said: While speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living or the dead." This Kṛṣṇa philosophy, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, is to teach people to understand what is the constitutional position of the living entity. Here it is said that one who is learned, he does not lament either for the living or for the dead body.

Lecture on BG 2.11 -- London, August 17, 1973:

Pradyumna (leads chanting, etc.):

śrī bhagavān uvāca

aśocān anvaśocas tvaṁ

prajña-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca

nānuśocanti paṇḍitaḥ

Lecture on BG 2.11 -- London, August 17, 1973:

The Blessed Lord said: While speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor the dead."

Prabhupāda: So, what is that thing which is living and dead? The body. The body is living and dead. So Kṛṣṇa indirectly or directly chastised Arjuna that: "The behavior that you are showing, it is not like a learned man." Nānuśocanti paṇḍitaḥ. That means indirectly He said that, "You do not know things are there. Not learned. You are fool." In spite of Arjuna speaking so many things in support of his being nonviolent and not to kill his kinsmen, Kṛṣṇa chastised him that "You are not learned. You are fool." So this is the position. Those who are under the bodily concept of life, they can speak so many learned things, but after all they are fool.

So Kṛṣṇa says that "You are talking like learned man, but you do not know your identity. You are not this body."

This is the summary information. Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajña-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). So anyone who is not in perfect knowledge, he should not take the position of talking like a learned man. That is cheating and that is foolishness. First of all you know things as they are. Then talk. Otherwise, it is said that it is better not to talk than to talk foolish. It is better to stop talking.

Lecture on BG 2.11 (with Spanish translator) -- Mexico, February 11, 1975:

Prabhupāda:

śrī bhagavān uvāca

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ

prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca

nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

Lecture on BG 2.11 (with Spanish translator) -- Mexico, February 11, 1975:

Śrī bhagavān uvāca. Bhagavān means the Supreme Being. In the English dictionary when you consult the word God, it is stated there, "the Supreme Being." What is that Supreme Being? We are all living being, but amongst ourself there is comparative, superlative positions. I am here; you are here; he is there. So you may be better than me, he may be better than you, and somebody else may be better than him. In this way you go on searching after one better than the other. When you ultimately come to a point that nobody is better then him, that is Bhagavān.

So here Kṛṣṇa says, aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). Arjuna has accepted the guidance of Kṛṣṇa. He has said previously that "The position is very perplexing. Therefore I accept You as my spiritual master, and You kindly give me enlightenment." This is the process. We should approach the Supreme or the representative of the Supreme, just like the same example: when there is any controversy, we refer to the law book or to the lawyer, or we take the decision of the law court, and that is final.

Lecture on BG 2.11 (with Spanish translator) -- Mexico, February 11, 1975:

So the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā is to give lesson that we are not this body. It will be later on explained that the spirit soul, or the real person, is within this body. Just like we are here. We are within this shirt and coat, but we are not the shirt and coat. So if the shirt and coat is stolen and if somebody becomes mad after it and lamenting, that is not very good sense. Therefore He is saying that aśocyān anvaśocas tvam: (BG 2.11) "You are lamenting on the subject matter which is never done by any learned man." So we shall go further on? Yes? Read, you, purport in Spanish.

Prabhupāda:

śrī bhagavān uvāca

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ

prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca

nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

This is the version of Kṛṣṇa in the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā. So first of all it is said here, Vyāsadeva, the author..., not author, the compiler who recorded the talks between Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna and then put it systematically in a book form. So he says that bhagavān uvāca. Bhagavān means the Supreme Person. Just like in this meeting, amongst my students, I am the supreme person, similarly, in the state there is a supreme person, the president or the prime minister, so everywhere you will find out one supreme person.

Material father means we see the material body. We do not see the soul of the father, neither the father sees the soul of the son. Everyone under illusion we are simply seeing the body and accepting as kinsman. So this illusion was to be removed by Kṛṣṇa, and therefore He said, aśocyān anvaśocas tvam (BG 2.11). "You are lamenting over the body. Oh, it is very regrettable. You are lamenting." Aśocyān anvaśocaḥ. What is this body? It is simply lump of matter. As soon as the soul is out of this body, what is the value of this lump of matter? It will be thrown in the street, and somebody will kick on the face. Nobody will care. Nobody will care. But so long the soul is there, if you touch the hair even—"Why you are touching my hair?" But when the soul is not there, on the same face, if somebody kicks, nobody will care. This is the position of the body. Therefore it is said, aśocyān: "It is garbage. Why you are lamenting on this garbage?" Aśocyān anvaśocas tvam (BG 2.11). "You are talking, very learned man, that 'If I kill my brothers the, my brothers' wives will be widow, and there will be prostitution and then the whole family will go to ruin.'

And according to śāstra, so long we shall identify with this body, we are not better than the cats and dogs because they also identify with the body. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). "Why? I am wrong?" Yes. Because gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca. The body, whether with the soul or without the soul, it is material. So so long even the soul is there, we should not be very much interested with the bodily comforts. We should be interested how to make progress in spiritual consciousness. And general people, they are simply engaged to get bodily comforts. The whole world is going on. The material civilization means bodily comfort.

Lecture on BG 2.11 -- Rotary Club Address -- Hotel Imperial, Delhi, March 25, 1976:

You may think that you are living very happily, but you have to change this body, and that body may not be very happy. That they do not know. This is ignorance, moha. Mohitaṁ nābhijānāti. Being bewildered by the three modes of material nature, they do not know what is the actual fact. Therefore we have to learn from the perfect person, Kṛṣṇa, what is this position. Here it is said that aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānu... (BG 2.11). "This is not the subject matter of eulogizing or lamenting. The subject matter should be different. That is soul."

Prabhupāda:

śrī bhagavān uvāca

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ

prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca

nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

Lecture on BG 2.11 -- Rotary Club Address -- Hotel Imperial, Delhi, March 25, 1976:

Our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, it is not something new, imaginary movement. It is very old movement. At least five thousand years ago this Bhagavad-gītā was repeated by Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra.

So Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa, they were friends, but still, to take right instruction without any argument, he accepted He is guru. Then after the acceptance Kṛṣṇa's first warning is,

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ

prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca

nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

Lecture on BG 2.11 -- Rotary Club Address -- Hotel Imperial, Delhi, March 25, 1976:

"My dear Arjuna, you are talking like a very learned man, but the subject matter which you have touched is not at all taken seriously by the paṇḍita." Paṇḍita means learned man. That means, "You are talking like a fool. You are taking this body as self." So actually this is not the fact. The body is not the self. The self is different.

We manufacture, but that is useless. Ke āmi kene āmāya jāre... You cannot make any solution. Therefore the whole world is in chaotic condition. We speak of our own country, India. Not only India, everywhere the chaotic condition is because they have no real knowledge. They are simply claiming to be very learned man, which is chastised here by Kṛṣṇa. Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādān: (BG 2.11) "You are presenting yourself as very learned man, but the subject matter which you have taken, this body, this body is nothing but dead lump of matter." That is said here, that aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca. This body, when it is living condition... Living condition means so long the soul is there, it looks like very bright, beautiful, moving here and there.

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- London, August 18, 1973:

This is the first lesson to understand, what is spiritual life, what is spiritual knowledge. But all rascals, they do not know. Therefore Kṛṣṇa first of all slapped Arjuna: aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). "You do not know what is the fact, and talking like a very learned man. Just try to understand what is truth." Na tv evāhaṁ jātu nāsam. First thing is that nāsam, we have no nāsam. We never die, that will be explained later on more clearly, we do not die. Nāsam. At any time. It is not that sometimes we die and sometimes... No. Any time, jātu. At any time.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Hyderabad, November 19, 1972:

So here Kṛṣṇa is instructing. First of all, He chastised Arjuna: aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). "My dear Arjuna, you are talking like a very learned man, but I find that you do not know in which case you have to lament and in which case you have to joyful. That you do not know." Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. Indirectly, He said that "You are not paṇḍita; you are a fool.

Lecture on BG 2.25 -- London, August 28, 1973:

So Kṛṣṇa began this teaching to Arjuna first of all, aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). "You are talking like learned scholar, but you are lamenting on the body, which is not at all important." Nānuśocanti. Here also the same thing. Tasmād evaṁ viditvainam, this body, na anuśocitum arhasi. Do not be very much serious about this body. The soul is the subject matter to be considered. But the modern civilization, they are concerned with this body. Just the opposite.

Lecture on BG 2.55-58 -- New York, April 15, 1966:

Oh, what a nice man he is." This is ordinary calculation. But what Kṛṣṇa says? "You are fool, damn fool number one." You see? And that we have already discussed. Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase: (BG 2.11) "My dear Arjuna, you are talking like very learned man, but you are number fool one." Yes. This is the, I mean to say, reward given. "You are, you are declining to fight? This is your nonsensical." Now, just see. The things which are estimated in the public eyes very nice, very good, that is condemned by God. Condemned by God.

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

And as soon as Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa as the spiritual master, so as master, He at once chastised him in these words,

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ

prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca

nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

Lecture on BG 6.16-24 -- Los Angeles, February 17, 1969:

"My dear Arjuna, you are posing yourself as a very great learned man, but I see that you are fool number one. You are fool number one." Why? "Now, because you are lamenting for things which are not to be lamented." This was the first answer of Kṛṣṇa. So a person like Arjuna, he was not an ordinary person; still, in the eyes of the perfect personality, he happened to be a fool. So this material knowledge, if anyone is very proud of his material knowledge...

Either American body, Indian body, dog's body, hog's body, so many—8,400,000 of body. That is called yoga. How to get out of this contamination of body. But the first instruction is to understand that I am not this body. That is the basic principle of Bhagavad-gītā teaching. Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). "My dear Arjuna, you are talking very nice nicely, just like a very advanced learned man. But you are talking on the bodily platform—all nonsense." "I am father of this, oh, they are my relatives, they are my this, they are my this, how can I kill, how can I do, I cannot." The whole atmosphere consciousness is body. Therefore Kṛṣṇa, just after Arjuna accepting him his spiritual master, he's immediately chastising him as a master chastises his disciple: "You nonsense, you are talking very wisely as if you know so many things. But your position is this body."

Lecture on BG 7.1-3 -- Stockholm, September 10, 1973:

Devotee: This is number eleven. "While speaking learned words..."

Prabhupāda: Eleven. Yes.

śrī bhagavān uvāca

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ

prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca

nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

Lecture on BG 13.2 -- Melbourne, April 4, 1972:

The translation reads, "The Blessed Lord said, While speaking learned words..." Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa as the spiritual master. First of all he was talking just like friends, but when he saw that by friendly talkings the problem which was present before him, that cannot be solved, therefore he accepted Kṛṣṇa as the spiritual master, and the spiritual master, Kṛṣṇa, first of all chastised him in this way, that aśocyān anvaśocas tvam: (BG 2.11) "You are lamenting on the subject matter which is not object of lamentation." Aśocyān. Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś... "But you are talking like a very learned scholar." So He mildly rebuked him that "This kind of lamentation is not done by paṇḍita, by learned scholar." That means "You are rascal number one. You are fool. You are talking like learned scholar, but you are a fool." Indirectly He says that gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. "Paṇḍitāḥ, those persons who know..." Just like this body. Paṇḍitaḥ, those who are learned scholar, they know that his body is the lump of matter.

Here it is said that "try to understand what you are. Are you this body, or you are something separate from the body?" We are separate from the very beginning of Bhagavad-gītā. The first lesson given to Arjuna was this:

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ

prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca

nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

Lecture on BG 13.4 -- Hyderabad, April 20, 1974:

Arjuna was hesitating to fight: "How can I kill my nephew, my brother, my grandfather," and so on so on. So Kṛṣṇa was instructing him that "It is your duty. As a kṣatriya, when there is battle, you should fight. You should not deviate from your duty." That was... The conversation was going on. But Arjuna was thinking only in terms of this body. "He is my grandfather. He is my brother. He is my countryman. He is my this." Why? Because they have got some bodily relation.

You are thinking one boy here, because he is Australian, you are thinking more intimate relationship with him, and because I am Indian, you may not think more, in such intimacy. Because the bodily connection is there. But Kṛṣṇa said that "This is not very intelligent knowledge." Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca. A person who does not lament for this body, he is actually learned. Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ (BG 2.11). Paṇḍita means learned scholar. So either this body is in living condition or it is in dead condition, a paṇḍita, a learned scholar, one who knows things as they are, he does not take care of this body. Not take care actually, he does not think very seriously about this body. That was the answer given by... Because this body is after all, a lump of matter. Actually, so long the soul is there, it is moving.

So as spiritual master, as teacher, immediately Kṛṣṇa chastised Arjuna, aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase: (BG 2.11) "You are talking like a very learned man, but you are lamenting on a subject matter on which no paṇḍita, learned man, laments." Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. He very mildly chastised. Indirectly He said that "You are not paṇḍita; you are a fool, those who are learned, they do not consider this body as very important." They are paṇḍita. But at the present moment everyone is thinking this body as the most important thing.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- Visakhapatnam, February 20, 1972, At Ladies Club:

In the beginning he was talking like friend, but when the questions were not solved, Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa as his spiritual master, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). At that time, when Kṛṣṇa was accepted by Arjuna as his spiritual master, He first of all chastised him. He said, aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). Because Kṛṣṇa..., Arjuna was talking as a family man, so therefore He first of all chastised him that "You are talking from a low-grade platform, but you are talking just like a learned man. You are not learned." Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. "You are not talking like a learned man." That means Kṛṣṇa indirectly said that "You are a fool. You do not know what is your identification."

Lecture on SB 1.2.7 -- Hyderabad, April 21, 1974:

You must have knowledge. This knowledge is imparted from the very beginning of Bhagavad-gītā. Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). People are talking very, very big, big talks, but all around this body, all around this body. Aśocyān. Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. About this body nobody is very serious if he is a paṇḍita. If he is a fool, rascal, then he is simply involved in the bodily problems. So that is called jñāna. But this jñāna can be achieved very easily. How? How it is easily?

Lecture on SB 1.2.25 -- Los Angeles, August 28, 1972:

So that talk, sort of talks will not solve your problem how to see God. That is not possible. Therefore, you must follow the principles done by Arjuna. He surrendered to Kṛṣṇa: "Kṛṣṇa, I know You are my friend, but unless I surrender unto You, I accept You my spiritual master, it is not possible to know." Therefore he surrendered: śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam. Kṛṣṇa also immediately took him as disciple and immediately chastised him, aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase: (BG 2.11) "You're talking like a very learned scholar, but you're fool number one. You do not know what is knowledge."

Lecture on SB 1.15.21 -- Los Angeles, December 1, 1973:

This is the first understanding of spiritual knowledge. You must know. This is the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā. When Bhagavad-gītā was taught to Arjuna, Arjuna was lamenting for this body. So Kṛṣṇa, when He was accepted Arjuna's spiritual master, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7), then He advised him that "You are talking like a very learned scholar." Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). "You are talking just like you know..." Just like our so-called scientists, they speak as if they know everything, but real thing they do not know. That is zero. What is spirit, they do not know. They are thinking this body.

Lecture on SB 1.16.17 -- Los Angeles, January 12, 1974:

Just like Kṛṣṇa, when He was talking with Arjuna, He directly did not say, "My dear Arjuna, you are rascal number one. You are rascal number one." Because friend. But He did not say that. But He said,

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ

prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca

nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

Lecture on SB 2.9.4 -- Japan, April 22, 1972:

"My dear Arjuna, you are simply lamenting on this body. So, this is not the subject matter of lamentation." Actually, that is the fact. He was thinking that "My grandfather, my brothers, they will be killed," and he was putting forward great philosophy, this, that. "Humbug. And after all, this body will be finished. Either your grandfather's body or your brother's body, we do not kill them, in due course of time everything will be finished. That's a fact. Therefore aśocyān, why you are anxious, pertaining to their body?" Aśocyān anvaśocas tvam (BG 2.11). "And at the same time, you are talking great philosophy." Prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase. Prajñā, philosophy means prajñā-vādān. So aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). But nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ: "One who is actually learned, he does not take very much care of these things." That means "You are a fool." That means "You are a fool." It is called parenthesis, or... That "A paṇḍita, a learned man, does not do like this." It is called... What is the English? I do not remember now. That if I speak that "Sometimes, from my home, this thing was stolen, and the man who stole, he looked like you." But not directly, "You are the man who had stolen my property," but you can say in a gentlemanly way, "He looked like you." You see?

In order to cleanse, we have to hear from Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is coming. Out His causeless mercy He is coming to reveal Himself, Kṛṣṇa: "It is like this. I am like this. You are like this." Both things. First, beginning, Kṛṣṇa said, "You are not this body." Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca... (BG 2.11). "Arjuna, you are talking like a very learned man, but you do not know what you are—not this body. You are not this body. Why you are lamenting for this body, your body and your brother's body, your grandfather's body, your children's body? But you are not body."

Lecture on SB 2.9.4 -- Japan, April 22, 1972:

So immediately, first of all, He chastised. Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase: (BG 2.11) "Arjuna, you are talking like a learned man, but you are a fool number one." Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. That means "If you had been actually paṇḍita, learned man, then you would not have lamented for this body." Gatāsūn. "The body is neither a subject matter for lamentation, either living condition or dead condition. It has no value." This is the instruction, Kṛṣṇa's word. But the modern civilization, they are giving all value to this body, all their philanthropic work, hospitalization, and this, so many things.

Lecture on SB 3.25.28 -- Bombay, November 28, 1974:

Whatever guru says, one who accepts he becomes disciple. He, I don't care for my guru's order and still I am disciple, that is not accepting guru. Of course it has become a fashion like that, to have a guru but don't care for guru. That is not, that will not help. Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7), and immediately Kṛṣṇa as we, as soon as He accepted to become guru of Arjuna, He immediately chastised him,

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ

prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca

nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

Lecture on SB 3.25.28 -- Bombay, November 28, 1974:

"My dear Arjuna, you are not taking like a learned man. You are thinking that you are very learned man, that you are talking with Me, what will happen to this, to that if I fight. You have wasted so much time. But actually I find that you are a fool number one. You do not know anything. Aśocyān anvaśocas tvam, because you are lamenting for things for which one should not lament. What is that? This body. You are thinking of this body of your relative, and because they will be in the war, they will be killed. You are thinking like that. But actually this is not the subject matter pondering. The real subject matter is how to save the soul."

We see that this gross body is stopped, we say it is everything finished, because we have got gross intelligence, we have no sūkṣma, in Therefore we have to approach guru, just like Arjuna approached guru. And Arjuna, Kṛṣṇa teaching that you are thinking of this body like a rascal. Nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. He said in a very gentlemanly language, no learned man thinks like that, that means you are a fool. Nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ, that you are not a paṇḍita, you are a fool. Just try to understand, that real life is for the soul, therefore you should take care of the soul. The whole Vedic language, Vedic education means to take care of the soul. The soul is entangled, embodied, engaged in this material affair, and he is suffering, and to rescue him, to get him out of this material clutches, that is called education.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Bombay, December 25, 1976:

Arjuna was very much disturbed on the platform of this bodily conception of life, because he thought that he belonged to a particular family, and in that battle he was to fight with his family members. So he declined to fight. But Kṛṣṇa, to raise him from that platform, He chastised him, that aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase: "My dear Arjuna, you are lamenting for a subject matter and at the same time you are talking just like a very learned man."

aśocyān anvaśocas tvam

prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca

nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 13, 1975:

That means indirectly He accused Arjuna that "You are not paṇḍita. You're a fool because you are lamenting on the subject matter on which no paṇḍita laments." So what is that? This bodily conception, agatāsūṁś ca. Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca. This body, dead or alive, is not the subject matter of study by learned scholars—this is the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā—dead or alive.

But we are now busy with designation and fighting. That means we are not yet completely educated. Kṛṣṇa also chastised Arjuna in the beginning, (sic:) asatyam anvaśocas tvam prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase, "You are talking like a very learned scholar, but you are lamenting only the body, bodily concept of life." Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ (BG 2.11). "So far the body is concerned, either it is dead or alive, a learned man does not care for it." That is svarūpa. Now we are simply concerned with this body; therefore we are missing our svarūpa, therefore missing mukti. I have already explained, mukti means to be situated in his own original, spiritual life. That is called svarūpa.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Vrndavana, October 24, 1976:

So Kṛṣṇa in the very beginning of Bhagavad-gītā suggesting mukti. So, "Arjuna, you are lamenting for things which no paṇḍita, no learned man, laments." Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ (BG 2.11). "You are talking very high high words, ideas, that 'If my brothers are killed, my sister-in-laws will be widows and their character will be polluted, the varṇa-saṅkara...' These are all bodily conception of life. You come to the spiritual platform." And what is that spirit? That is dehi. Dehi means "one who has got this body, " not "this body." This is the first instruction.

Lecture on SB 6.1.1-4 -- Melbourne, May 20, 1975:

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is giving that enlightenment, that you are not this body. Not this movement; it is there... in the statement of Kṛṣṇa. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yau... (BG 2.13). Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). When Arjuna was declining to fight... Other side was his kinsmen, his brother, nephews, his teacher, all very affectionate. So Arjuna declined, "Kṛṣṇa, I am not going to fight. They have usurped our kingdom. That's all right. They are also our own men. Let them enjoy. But I am not going to kill them." This is Vaiṣṇava.

Lecture on SB 6.1.1-4 -- Melbourne, May 20, 1975:

So when he accepted Him as the spiritual master, so... Teacher... The teacher has the right to chastise the student. That is accepted. So He immediately chastised him, Arjuna. Arjuna was chastised. What is that? Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase: (BG 2.11) "My dear Arjuna, you are talking just like a very learned man, but you are lamenting on the subject matter on which no learned man laments. That means you are a fool." It is indirectly said. "No learned man laments on this subject." What was the subject? He was considering that "If I kill the other side, my brother or my nephew or my teacher, they will die." So that is the general impression in the whole world.

Lecture on SB 6.1.10 -- Honolulu, May 11, 1976:

So modern education there is no real knowledge. Real knowledge begins in the Bhagavad-gītā. Those who have read Bhagavad-gītā, the first understanding, Arjuna was given lesson. When he was perplexed and he became a disciple of Kṛṣṇa, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam: (BG 2.7) "Kṛṣṇa, let us stop this friendly talking. Let us stop this friendly talking. Now I agree to become Your disciple. Now You teach me." So the first teaching was chastisement. Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase: (BG 2.11) "You have no knowledge." Gātāsun agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ: "You are talking like a paṇḍita but you are not paṇḍita." He indirectly said, "You are a fool," because nānuśocanti, "This kind of thinking is not maintained by learned scholars."

Lecture on SB 6.1.27 -- Honolulu, May 27, 1976:

Devotee: Aśocyān anvaśocas tvam.

Prabhupāda: Ah.

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ

prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca

nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

Lecture on SB 6.1.27 -- Honolulu, May 27, 1976:

"My dear Arjuna, you are talking like very learned scholar, but you are so rascal that you are talking of this body."

So, so far this body's concerned, either it is dead or alive, it is not the subject matter of any talk. Nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. Those who are learned scholars don't talk about the body. They'll talk about the soul. That is paṇḍita. What is the... This is dead body. Suppose this is cloth. Uh? Now if you talk about this cloth, you can talk. You can write volumes of books: "This silk was purchased in that store and it was manufactured in such and such day, and the man manufactured, he's like this..." You can go on talking nonsense like that and can write books. So all these rascal philosophers, they are writing about this cloth. That's all. Yasyātmā-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). But this is not the subject matter for the learned scholars. Nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. What is this body? A combination of matter. It is already dead. Because the living soul is there, it is moving, and as soon as the living bo..., soul is out of the body, it is useless, dead matter. So what is there important talking about this dead body?

The body has become earth. And Hindus, they burn it, so the body becomes ash. And the Parsees, they throw the body to be eaten by the vultures. It becomes stool. That is the last, how would you say, transformation of this body. And we are so much busy about this ash, stool, and earth. Just see how foolish we are.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa said to Arjuna, gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca. Just like motorcar, with driver or no driver, what is it? It is dead matter. That's all. Why one should be busy about this motorcar? One should be busy about the driver, whether he's (indistinct) nicely, whether he's eating nicely, he'll drive. If you don't take care of the driver, simply you wash the car, what is the use? The car will not be moving without driver. Similarly, the whole civilization should be on the basis of understanding the soul. That is civilization.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Montreal, June 10, 1968:

There are so many university departments, but there is no department for understanding what is the soul or what is God. No department. This Bhagavad-gītā teaches this department of knowledge. Beginning. From the very beginning. The Bhagavad-gītā is begun from the understanding that Arjuna was spoken by Kṛṣṇa, aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāmś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). "My dear Arjuna, you are talking like a very learned man but," gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ, "but actually one who is learned man, he does not bother about this body either dead or alive." This is not the subject matter, to supply the necessities of body. This is not the subject matter of study for a learned man. In other words, the whole world is absorbed in the study of this body only. So there is no learned man according to Bhagavad-gītā. Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāmś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). That you are talking Actually, so many learned men, M.A., Ph.D., with university qualification, they are talking so much, but as soon as they are asked, "Do you know what is the soul?" They stop.

Lecture on SB 7th Canto -- Calcutta, March 7, 1972:

When Kṛṣṇa saw that Arjuna was talking on the platform of bodily concept of life, He was not talking seriously. Arjuna could understand that, that Kṛṣṇa was just talking as friend, not very seriously. Therefore, he submitted himself as a student. Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). So... And He chastised him, that "You have no spiritual knowledge, still you are talking just like a great scholar." Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). "You are talking just like a very learned man." That means one who...

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 11, 1973:

Devotee: Weakness.

Prabhupāda: "...weakness, weakness of your heart. Give it up." So then when he became His śiṣya, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7), at that time, as his śiṣya, He immediately chastised him: aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase. "My dear Arjuna, you are talking just like a very learned man, but you do not know what is learning. You do not know."

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ

prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca

nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.3 -- Mayapur, March 27, 1975:

"This is not talk of the paṇḍita. Just learn what is paṇḍitaḥ, how..." Then, then when He began to teach him how to become paṇḍita, the first instruction was,

dehino 'smin yathā dehe

kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā

tathā dehāntaraṁ-prāptir

dhīras tatra na muhyati

(BG 2.13)

Asmin dehe, within this body, there is the soul. This is the beginning of spiritual understanding. How many people know? They do not know it. They think that "I am this body." "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am..."

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

According to śāstra, anyone who is identifying himself, this body... That is the first instruction of the Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa brought Arjuna to fight with the Kurus, and he identified himself as this body, and therefore he thought, "Killing of my cousin-brothers, it will not be good because I have got bodily relation." So to dissipate this conception of life—that is the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā—Kṛṣṇa chastised him, Arjuna, aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). We are talking very, very big, big talks and plans, but actually we are nothing better than cats and dogs. This is our position because we are identifying with this body.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.3 -- Mayapur, March 27, 1975:

So Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu along with His associates, Nityānanda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu, Gadādhara Prabhu and Śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda, they are trying to dissipate the darkness of this false identification. Kṛṣṇa simply instructed Arjuna about his darkness of identity, and He punished him, aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase: (BG 2.11) "You are talking very big, big words, but you are lamenting on a subject matter on which no learned person laments." Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. That means "You are fool number one." Paṇḍitāḥ. "No paṇḍita makes like that. Now try to understand what is the position."

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.98-102 -- April 27, 1976, Auckland, New Zealand:

So teaching should not begin unless one accepts the teacher as the ultimate guru. So Kṛṣṇa is teaching the same thing as Caitanya Mahāprabhu will teach Sanātana Gosvāmī. The same process: tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). So the teacher, Kṛṣṇa, first of all chastised Arjuna. Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhasase: (BG 2.11) "My dear Arjuna, you are talking like a very learned scholar, but you are engaged in such a thing which is not at all lamentable."

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ

prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca

nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.100-108 -- New York, November 22, 1966:

"One who is learned, paṇḍita, he has no business to consider about this body." Now see, the whole world is concerned with this body, but this is condemned. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke. Anyone who is accepting this body, which is nothing but combination of tri-dhātu... Or you take the material elements: earth, water, air, fire. Or more explicitly: the skin, blood, bone, urine, stool. You'll find these things. But do you think such intelligent person is created, manufactured, by bone and blood and skin and urine and stool? It's common sense. It is something else, spirit soul. That they do not understand.

Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā Arjuna did not know what he was; therefore Kṛṣṇa first of all taught him that "You are not this body. You are not this body." That was the first instruction. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yau... (BG 2.13). "You are so much absorbed in bodily conception of life, and you are thinking that you are a learned man. That is your foolishness." In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find the first instruction of Lord Kṛṣṇa is there, aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase: (BG 2.11) "You are thinking, you are talking with Me just like a very learned man. You are arguing with me. But from your behavior I can understand you are a fool number one." Because such kind of talk is never, I mean to say, placed by a learned man.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.104 -- New York, July 10, 1976:

Even the car is broken into pieces, you are not affected. But because I have got affection for the car, therefore I am... So this affection can be withdrawn by cultivation of knowledge. That I am not this car, it is a fact, but on account of my ignorance and attachment I am thinking, "Now I am finished because my car is broken." It is simple truth. Similarly those who are too much absorbed in the thought that "I am this body," their sufferings are more on account of this misconception that "I am this body."

Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā the first lesson is, Kṛṣṇa began the lessons of Bhagavad-gītā that aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase: (BG 2.11) "My dear Arjuna, you are talking like a very learned man, but you are lamenting on a subject matter which has nothing to do with you." Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase. Here in this material world we are advanced in so-called civilization, but we are very much attached to this body. This is misconception. This is called illusion. This is, the dog is also thinking like that: "I am this body." So where is the difference? If the dog thinks, "I am this body," "I am Indian..." I think, "I am Indian"; Americans thinks he is... So where is the difference between the dog and me? There is no difference.

Festival Lectures

Varaha-dvadasi, Lord Varaha's Appearance Day Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, January 31, 1977:

By māyā we are thinking that this body is living. It is not living. It is dead. From the very beginning it is dead. And when the soul will go away, it will appear its real identity-dead. Otherwise it is dead. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that "You are lamenting on this body? Oh, you are such a rascal." Nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. Those who are learned, they do not care for this body, either dead or alive. It is dead matter. So why should you lament for the dead matter?

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ

prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca

nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Appearance Day, Lecture -- Mayapur, February 21, 1976:

This is spiritual life. When we are not at all concerned with this body, material body, that is the beginning of spiritual life. And so long we are interested with the dead lump of matter without any information of the spirit soul within it, that is material life. This is the difference between material life and spiritual life.

So the spiritual education begins from the understanding that "I am not this body." This is spiritual education. In the Bhagavad-gītā the first instruction given by Kṛṣṇa to Arjuna is this, that we are not this body. Because Arjuna was speaking from the bodily platform, so Kṛṣṇa chastised him that aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase: (BG 2.11) "Arjuna, you are talking like a very learned man, but you are lamenting on the subject matter on which no learned man laments." Aśocyān anvaśocas tvam.

General Lectures

Lecture -- Montreal, June 26, 1968:

Just like Arjuna was identifying himself with this body in the beginning, and he was thinking that "He is my grandfather, he is my son, he is my nephew, he is my...,." so on, so on. Kṛṣṇa replied him. When Arjuna was unable to make a solution of his problems, he surrendered to Kṛṣṇa and said, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam: (BG 2.7) "I surrender unto You as Your disciple. Please save me from this (sic:) perpetry." Then Kṛṣṇa in the first instance replied, aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase: (BG 2.11) "My dear Arjuna..." Because he accepted Kṛṣṇa as spiritual master, so spiritual master has the right to chide his disciple. So He immediately chided him, that aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase. "My dear Arjuna, you are talking just like a very learned man, but you are fool number one." That was His first words. Of course, He did not say directly "fool number one," but He said indirectly that "No learned man speaks like this, as you are speaking." That means, "You are not learned man. You are fool." He indirectly said, nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. Paṇḍita means learned. "No learned man speaks like that. But because you are speaking like that, that means you are not learned man. Or in one word, you are fool." Because before Kṛṣṇa, he was speaking that "If I kill my family members, then such and such thing will happen.

Lecture -- Montreal, June 26, 1968:

Then the women will become polluted and there will be unwanted children, varṇa-saṅkara. And as soon as there is varṇa-saṅkara, full of unwanted children, this world will be hell." These are facts. These are facts. The world has become hell due to unwanted children. That is the fact. So Kṛṣṇa was speaking... Arjuna was speaking just like ordinary gentleman on the material field, but Kṛṣṇa, when He took up his charge, He said that "You are hovering over the material plane. That is not your learning. The learning is when you understand from the spiritual platform."

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ

prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca

nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

Lecture on Teachings of Lord Caitanya -- Seattle, September 25, 1968:

"The paṇḍitāḥ, the learned man, he does not lament over the body, either living or dead." Because bodily platform is not the subject matter for understanding of philosophical research. Bodily platform is not very important. The spiritual platform is important, but nobody is discussing about spiritual platform. Everyone is, all the education centers, the universities, they are, I mean to say, busy studying chemistry, physics, and biology, mathematics. At most, little philosophy. That is also on mental speculation, theory. Somebody is giving some theory; somebody's giving (another) theory. But nobody discussing about the eternal spirit soul. That is the defect of this modern civilization.

The Bhagavad-gītā, the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā is that when Arjuna surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, He immediately said that "My dear Arjuna, you are posing yourself as very learned man but you are fool number one." Why? "Because you are identifying yourself with this body." Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). "My dear Arjuna, you are talking just like very learned man, but you are lamenting on the subject matter of your body." Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. Actually one who is learned, he has no necessity for lamenting on the subject, on the body, either living or dead. So the whole process of education in the materialistic way of civilization is on the body, how to keep the body fit, how to avoid death, how to avoid disease. Simply concentration on the body. So this bodily concept of life is immediately discouraged in the Bhagavad-gītā.

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ

prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca

nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

Town Hall Lecture -- Auckland, April 14, 1972:

Paṇḍitāḥ means those who are learned, they are not affected by this body, either dead or alive. So that means one should be inquisitive to learn about the soul which is sitting in the body. That is real knowledge.

The lines, as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, they are as perfect as anything. But if I cannot understand it, that is my lack of knowledge, my poor fund of knowledge. Therefore Kṛṣṇa has suggested or ordered in this Bhagavad-gītā,

tad viddhi praṇipātena

paripraśnena sevayā

upadekṣyanti tad jñānaṁ

jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ

(BG 4.34)

Because there may be some difficulty. Just like here Kṛṣṇa says that gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ (BG 2.11). He is ordering completely that the subject matter of this body is not very important thing. The most important thing is to understand about the spirit soul which is within the body. But at the present moment the whole world is giving simply stress on the body. Just like last night there was question, that to serve the humanity.

Town Hall Lecture -- Auckland, April 14, 1972:

Why we shall be in want? That is not possible. And actually we are not. So this is not very important subject matter. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, automatically, if you take care of the spiritual side of your existence, the material side of your existence will be automatically taken care, automatically. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ (BG 2.11). The so far the body is concerned, either it is dead... Dead, so far dead body is concerned, everyone knows that now it is useless. But even the living body's function, that is also useless. Because, after all, it is useless. It is useful so long the spirit soul is there. Therefore the spirit soul is important, not this body. So actual knowledge means to understand what is the spirit soul, what is its nature, what is its necessity, how it is living, what is the ultimate goal. So many things are there. But unfortunately, there is no educational institution. We are trying with little effort to give this education to the people. It is essential because Kṛṣṇa says, gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca. So far material part of our existence is concerned, there are so many institutions or so many government. They are taking... Just like take, for example, hospital. There are hundreds and thousands of hospital, but where is the hospital for treating the spirit soul? They have no knowledge. They have no knowledge even, what to speak of hospital. This is the hospital. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness temple is the hospital for the diseased spirit soul. And everyone is diseased. Come to this hospital. We shall take care of you and cure your material disease.

City Hall Lecture -- Durban, October 7, 1975:

So because Kṛṣṇa was accepted as the teacher, as the master, so He is chastising Arjuna.

śrī-bhagavān uvāca

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ

prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca

Address to Rotary Club -- Chandigarh, October 17, 1976:

nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

"My dear Arjuna, you talk very much just like a learned man." Prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase. Prajñā-vādāṁs means talking just like a learned man. "Unfortunately, you are not a learned man because you are lamenting on this body." He said, gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ: "Anyone who is learned, he does not lament over this body whether in living position or dead position. So you are talking like a learned man, but you are not a learned man." This is the first instruction. Because Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa, He chastised him with little hard words, that "You are not a paṇḍita." Now, you just consider what is the position of this world. Everyone is taking care of this body. But Kṛṣṇa said, gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. The paṇḍitāḥ, one who is learned, he knows that he is not this body. He is soul. So our first business is to take care of the soul. And this is the opportunity, this human form of body. In the human form of body we can understand Bhagavad-gītā, not in the dog's body.

So when Arjuna submitted, then Kṛṣṇa spoke. The first speaking was that,

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ

prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca

nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

Address to Rotary Club -- Chandigarh, October 17, 1976:

"Arjuna, you are talking with Me—of course, you are My friend—on equal level. You are talking just like a very learned man." You have read in the Bhagavad-gītā. He submitted his proposition, that "How can I kill my..., the other side? They are my brothers, and if the brothers are dead, my sister-in-laws will be widow and they will be polluted, and there will be varṇa-saṅkara. And so..." These things are facts, but Kṛṣṇa says that "You are simply taking calculation of the body. Body. You have no spiritual calculation. The life is meant for spiritual understanding, athāto brahma jijñāsā. But you have no such understanding. You have no such knowledge, and still you are speaking." Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase: (BG 2.11) "You are talking like a very learned man, but My dear friend, you are not learned." He said in a different way. Agatāsūn. Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. "Because this body... You are thinking in terms of bodily relationship, but a paṇḍita, a learned scholar... Actually he is learned scholar when he does not lament for this body, either alive or dead." This is the first instruction. This body is already dead. It is matter, dead matter. But you should try to understand the living spirit within this body.

This is knowledge, beginning of knowledge. Try to understand about the soul, the part of Para-brahman, the spark of Para-brahman, the spirit soul. That is within this body. So "You are lamenting on this body, but you have no information of the active principle within the body." So nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ: "So this is not the statement of a paṇḍita." In other way He... He is friend. Or as śiṣya..., that "This kind of things never happens in the case of a paṇḍita." That means, "My dear friend, you are apaṇḍita. You are not paṇḍita." One who does not know about the spirit soul, he is not a paṇḍita. Dhīras tatra na muhyati. This transmigration of the soul...

Address to Rotary Club -- Chandigarh, October 17, 1976:

Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). This is the instruction of Kṛṣṇa, that "Don't think that because the body is annihilated, therefore the person is annihilated. No." Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit: "That soul never takes birth, never dies." Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yam, na hanyate hanyamāne (BG 2.20). This is the first instruction of Bhagavad-gītā. There are so many students of Bhagavad-gītā, but because they are not actually paṇḍita, they do not take account of the simple thing, how the soul transmigrates from one body to another. This is the position. And therefore we should not continue to remain apaṇḍitāḥ, nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ, and lament. So long we are not paṇḍitāḥ, our business is to lament and to hanker. We lament what is lost, and we hanker what is not in our possession. This is material disease.

Conversations and Morning Walks

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Talk with Bob Cohen -- February 27-29, 1972, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: This science is unknown. Therefore when Arjuna was speaking from the bodily concept of life that "If I kill my brother, if I kill my grandfather, the other side..." So he was simply thinking on the basis of bodily concept of life. But when it was not solved he surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, accepted Him as spiritual master. And when Kṛṣṇa became his spiritual master He chastised him in the beginning. Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11), that "You are talking like learned man, but you are a fool number one because you are talking on the bodily concept of life." So this sex life increases the bodily concept of life. Therefore the whole process is to reduce it to nil.

Room Conversation and Interview with Ian Polsen -- July 31, 1972, London:

Prabhupāda: Materialism means personal sense gratification, and spiritual life means no personal sense gratification, all Kṛṣṇa's sense gratification. That's all. The same teaching by Bhagavad-gītā. Arjuna was thinking in terms of personal sense gratification: "I shall not fight. It is not good to kill my kinsmen, my brother." That was personal sense gratification. From ordinary point of view people will say, "How Kṛṣṇa is..., Arjuna is nice, that he's giving up his claim, and nonviolent." But this philosophy Kṛṣṇa immediately kicked out. Kutas tvā kaśmalam idaṁ viṣame samupasthitam. "Oh, why you are talking nonsense like this?" That was His answer. (laughs) Next He says, aśocyān anvaśocas tvam prajñā-vādāṁś ca (BG 2.11), "You are talking just like a very learned man, but this kind of lamentation is not done by any learned. That means you are fool number one." (laughter)

Conversation with Bajaj and Bhusan -- September 11, 1972, Arlington, Texas, At Their Home:

Prabhupāda: That was his contemplation. Therefore he was taught Bhagavad-gītā. And after understanding Bhagavad-gītā he agreed to Kṛṣṇa's proposal. Kariṣye vacanaṁ tava naṣṭo mohaḥ smṛtir labdhā: (BG 18.73) "Now my illusion is gone. I have got my real consciousness, so I shall fight." So the fighting was Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And when he was trying to become nonviolent, very benevolent to the family, he was chastised by Kṛṣṇa. Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādām: (BG 2.11) "You are talking like a very learned man but you are fool." So this is our position. We may talk very learned, scholarly, but if we have no Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then we are subjected to the chastisement. Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). So this is the position. So nothing is bad if it is engaged for the service of Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise, however good it may be in the estimation of material conception, it is the cause of bondage, good or bad. It doesn't matter. So you have to learn the art, how to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. That art you have to learn. Then your life is perfect.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- September 18, 1973, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Go-kharaḥ. Go means cow, and kharaḥ means ass. Those who are living life, the bodily concept of life, they're simply go-kharaḥ, just like cows and asses. So, at the present moment, it is a civilization of go-kharaḥ. They may be proud, advanced, civilized man, but the śāstra says that "You are all asses and cows." And we speak on the basis of śāstra. Don't be angry upon... We see all the cows and asses. (break)

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ

prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca

nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

Room Conversation -- February 6, 1974, Vrndavana:

"You are talking like a very nice, learned scholar, but no learned man talks like this." That means "You are a fool." (laughter) He's friend, so He's talking very mildly that "You are, you are trying to talk like a learned scholar, but actually no learned scholar speaks like this." That means, "You are a fool."

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Prabhupāda: So in this way he decided, or he made a plan, not to kill. From superficial, material point of view, he was very nice gentleman. But Kṛṣṇa actually chastised, kutas tvā kaśmalam idaṁ viṣame samupasthitam, aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś... (BG 2.11). "You are talking like a very learned man, but you are fool number one." This is the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā. And then at last He said that "The most confidential part of knowledge I am telling you," sarva-dharmān parityajya mām e... (BG 18.66). "What I say, you do. That means I am asking you to kill, to do that." So he said, kariṣye vacanam, "Yes." That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. "I do not like to do it, but Kṛṣṇa wants me to do, all right." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Morning Walk -- March 23, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: One who is interested with the Absolute Truth. That requires, he requires a guru. And guru means, śābde pare ca niṣṇātam. Śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam (SB 11.3.21). This is the qualification. Śābde, he's, in the Vedic knowledge, he's perfect. Śābde pare ca. Niṣṇātam. He has immersed himself in that ocean. And the result is brahmaṇy upaśama..., he has no more material interests, simply Brahman. That's all. How simple it is, the qualification of celā and qualification of guru. As soon as Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa as his guru, He immediately gave him a slap: aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). "You are talking like very learned man. You are fool number one."

Dr. Patel: So you told me the same thing. Very good. I must be proud that I am going to be lion(?). That is what you mean to say.

Prabhupāda: No, no. This is the guru's... Guru's business is, when he talks much, he says, "All right, it is all right," but when he accepts guru slaps.

Dr. Patel: Choke him up. (laughs)

Prabhupāda: Yes. How mildly He says: Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś... (BG 2.11). "You do not know what is what..."

Dr. Patel: "You are a fool."

Prabhupāda: "You are a fool number one." Nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. He says, "A paṇḍita does not like this." That means, "You are a mūrkha." Indirectly, He said, "A paṇḍita does not do this. Now you learn." Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāram... (BG 2.13). He began to speak Bhagavad-gītā.

Dr. Patel: Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti...

Prabhupāda: Nānuśocanti. The body, either dead or living, the paṇḍita has nothing to care about. But the whole world is taking care of the body.

Dr. Patel: Because the world is body conscious.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Therefore they are all... None of them are paṇḍitas. Anyone who is in the bodily concept of life, he is described as ass and cow.

Room Conversation with Professor Durckheim German Spiritual Writer -- June 19, 1974, Germany:

Prabhupāda: When it is working, responding, at that time also it is iron. And when it is out of order, does not work, it is also iron. Similarly, this body is working on account of the living force within. When the living force is out, it is called dead. But actually it is dead always. The living force is the important thing. That is making him alive. Actually alive or dead, it is dead matter. But the living force is the active principle. That is distinguishing this body as dead or alive. But factually it is dead always. That is the beginning of instruction, Bhagavad-gītā: "Arjuna, you are lamenting for this body, but the body is dead." Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). So unless we know that... (aside:) Don't make "cut-cut." The dead body is not the subject matter of study either it is in working order or it is in dead order. The subject matter of study is the active principle which makes the dead body moving. That is the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā. Read that portion.

Satsvarūpa:

śrī bhagavān uvāca

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ

prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca

nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

Room Conversation with Professor Durckheim German Spiritual Writer -- June 19, 1974, Germany:

"Translation: The Blessed Lord said, While speaking learned words you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor the dead."

Prabhupāda: What is your opinion about this?

Professor Durckheim: May I ask a question? How do you teach your disciples to become aware of this force which is no matter that makes matter alive?

Prabhupāda: That active principle, life, or living soul.

Prabhupāda: So he was thinking in terms of designations, that "I am... I belong to the same family. The other side, they are my cousin-brothers. They belong to the same family. So why shall I fight? Let them enjoy." From material point of view it is very good man. But Kṛṣṇa condemned him. Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādān: (BG 2.11) "You are talking very high words, but you are fool number one." That is the first, because he was talking on the platform of this bodily concept of life. But after hearing Bhagavad-gītā, when he understood that "I am not this body; I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. My duty is to obey the orders of Kṛṣṇa," then he fought. Superficially, he remained the same soldier. But in the beginning he was a soldier for his designation of this body, and later on, he became a soldier to carry out the order of the Supreme. That is the difference. So when we act to carry out the orders of the Supreme, that is self-realization, not for this body.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Psychiatrist -- February 22, 1975, Caracas:

Prabhupāda: So the modern civilization defect is that he is not this body, but he does not know it. Therefore, in the Vedic literature it is said, yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke: (SB 10.84.13) "Anyone is identifying himself with this body which is made of material element," yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu, "and in bodily relationship he is thinking his family is protector, his nation is protector, in this way, one who lives, he is no better than the animal." Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā... You find out this verse, aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase.

Hṛdayānanda:

śrī bhagavān uvāca

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ

prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca

nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

Morning Walk -- May 18, 1975, Perth:

(reads translation in Spanish)

Prabhupāda: So this verse says that "You are speaking like a learned man, Arjuna," He addressed Arjuna, "but you are not very learned man because you are considering of the body." Just like the proprietor of the car, the driver. While the car is going on nicely or car is stopped, no more working, he is disinterested that he knows very well that "I am not this car." Therefore it is said, gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. "Anyone who is actually learned, he does not consider very seriously about the body, either it is dead or alive." So basically we are, all, every one of us, we are spirit soul. The body is just like a machine. We have got it. But we are taking of the machine very much, not for ourself. Whole world is taking care of the body but not of the driver of the body, the spirit soul. Everyone is thinking, "I am this body, and because this body is born in America, I am American, and because the body is white, therefore I am white, or black." In this way everyone is identifying with the body. Nobody is identifying with the spirit soul. That is the basic disease of the human society.

Prabhupāda: You can write one essay, I'll give you some hints. Bring your notebook and Bhagavad-gītā also. The defect of human society is that..., present human society is that there is no high-class men. The Bhagavad-gītā says, aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11).

Amogha: Aśocam?

Prabhupāda: Aśocyān

Amogha: Aśocyān. Is that Chapter Sixteen?

Prabhupāda: No, second.

Amogha: A-s-a-o? A-s-a-u?

Prabhupāda: A-ś-o.

Amogha: Aśocyān anvaśocas tvam (BG 2.11). Hm. Two, eleven.

Prabhupāda: What is it?

Amogha: (reads Sanskrit and translation to Bg. 2.11)

Prabhupāda: So, these classes of men are now predominant.

Amogha: They are what?

Śrutakīrti: Predominant.

Amogha: Predominant.

Prabhupāda: Yes. They are taking care only of this body which is—dead or alive—it is not subject matter of seriousness. I shall tell you later on.

Morning Walk -- October 18, 1975, Johannesburg:

Prabhupāda: Hm? What do you think? Do you agree?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: They are mūḍhas.

Prabhupāda: (laughs) Our verdict is final: "All rascals and fools." Therefore, when I ask these rascals, "Any question?" Stopped. (laughter) "Come on, any question?" What they will question? I challenge them, "Any question?" They know that "We have been proved as rascals." Yesterday, last night, I told that the aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś: (BG 2.11) "This is the position of everyone. Everyone is fool, rascal. He does not know what is the real problem of life." Nobody said that "Why you are calling everyone rascals?" In Montreal some Bengali gentleman said, "Swamiji, you are using very strong word, 'fools and rascals.' Can it be explained otherwise?" And "No, this is the only word, that you are all rascals and fools. This is the only word to be used." (laughter)

Morning Walk -- November 29, 1975, Delhi:

Harikeśa: That chemical is very complicated. They haven't found...

Prabhupāda: Then you do not know. First of all admit you are talking nonsense. The chemical you do not know. Still you are talking nonsense. Therefore you are rascal. Why do you talk nonsense if you do not know? What is the answer? If you do not know, why do you talk just like wise man? Then you are a nonsense. Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś... (BG 2.11). You are talking like a very learned scientist, but you are a rascal, fool. Challenge them like that.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- April 9, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: He proved that "You are a rascal. One who puts this argument, he's a rascal."

Akṣayānanda: That was just an excuse to avoid fighting.

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa clearly chastised him that "You are talking like a fool." Eh? Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādān: (BG 2.11) "Talking like a very learned man, but you are a fool. No learned man speaks like that." Why they have kept this nice road within this forest? What is the idea?

Room Conversation -- May 1, 1976, Fiji:

Guru-kṛpā: Arjuna asks also many questions.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Kārpaṇya-doṣopahata. Kārpaṇya-doṣa (BG 2.7). "It was my duty to understand myself, and I am thinking of my these nonsense relatives—my grandfather, my son. What is this? I know that. What I can do by thinking about them? It may be they have come to war. But suppose they would have died naturally—what could I do? So why I am perplexed with these things? I know the defect. I cannot cause their death or birth or existence. It is beyond my jurisdiction. And still, I am anxious: If I kill them, then what would happen? What would happen?" You kill or not kill, they'll be killed, today or tomorrow. Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ (BG 2.11). A learned man knows that the body will be finished, the bodily action, today or tomorrow. So what is to lament after this body? Lamentation is that the person within the body, whether he's going to hell or heaven. Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti or tamo gacchanti. That is real concern. Body will be finished, today or tomorrow or after a hundred years. Who can protect it? But one should be interested with the owner of the body, where he is going, what is his next position. And that is clearly stated: adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ, ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ (BG 14.18). So you are interested to go up or down or remain in the same status. There are three status: up, down, and the same.

Garden Conversation -- June 8, 1976, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: The body is always defective. Either child's body or your body or my body, it is always defective without the soul and it is effective with the soul. This is the conclusion. Therefore Arjuna was chastised by Kṛṣṇa that "You are giving stress on the body. This kind of conception is for the fools." Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase: (BG 2.11) "You are talking like a very learned man, but a learned man knows always that this body is defective, either living or dead." The same body. Dead means the soul is not there, and living means the soul is there. The two conditions, effective and defective, is depending on the soul. The soul is important. You have to understand what is that soul. That is knowledge. Tattva-jñānārtha-darśanam. To understand the truth, what is the truth there, that without something this body is dead, no more value, and with that something the body is so valuable. So one who is intelligent, he'll try to find out what is that truth.

Morning Walk -- July 5, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Vipina: Many people have horses in the neighborhood. They have horse shows, Śrīla Prabhupāda. They spend lots of money on fancy horses, and in this way, one becomes greater than another by showing his horses. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...slam the door. The door is secure or not? (break) ...trying to find out that happiness from this body, that is mistake. That happiness is there in the spirit soul, not this body. Happiness is our right. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). By nature, we want happiness. Mistaking, where is the happiness. The living being, he is to enjoy happiness. But they are trying to give happiness to the body, which is dead. Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ (BG 2.11). The body is dead from the very beginning, but they are trying to draw happiness from the dead matter.

Evening Darsana -- August 12, 1976, Tehran:

Prabhupāda: Anyone who is thinking that "I am this body composed of kapha-pitta-vāyu," sa eva go-kharaḥ, "he's animal." Now analyze everyone. Everyone is thinking that "I am this body." "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am this," "I am that," all in the bodily concept of life. So if you continue this bodily concept of life, then you remain animal. And if you take Kṛṣṇa's instruction, Kṛṣṇa's first instruction is... Find out this verse:

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ

prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca

nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

This is paṇḍita. Who does not think seriously about this body, he is paṇḍita. And everyone is thinking seriously about this body, then who is paṇḍita? All sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13), all cows and asses. If you keep yourselves as cows and asses, then where is civilization? What is that called? Hm? Find out this verse.

Harikeśa:

śrī bhagavān uvāca

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ

prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca

nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

Evening Darsana -- August 12, 1976, Tehran:

"The Blessed Lord said: While speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor the dead."

Prabhupāda: Purport.

Harikeśa: "The Lord at once took the position of the teacher and chastised the student, calling him, indirectly, a fool. The Lord said, 'You are talking like a learned man, but you do not know that one who is learned—one who knows what is body and what is soul—does not lament for any stage of the body, neither in the living nor in the dead condition.' As it will be explained in later chapters, it will be clear that knowledge means to know matter and spirit and the controller of both. Arjuna argued that religious principles should be given more importance than politics or sociology, but he did not know that knowledge of matter, soul and the Supreme is even more important than religious formularies. And, because he was lacking in that knowledge, he should not have posed himself as a very learned man."

Prabhupāda: Yes. He was posing himself as the body. So he should not consider himself as a learned man. Nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. Then?

Harikeśa: "As he did not happen to be a very learned man, he was consequently lamenting for something which was unworthy of lamentation. This body is born and is destined to be vanquished today or tomorrow; therefore the body is not as important as the soul. One who knows this is actually learned, and for him there is no cause for lamentation, regardless of the condition of the material body."

Prabhupāda: The people are not aware of these things, neither they are interested to know that the soul is more important than the body. This is the beginning of the Bhagavad-gītā. Still, they are placing themselves as learned scholars in Bhagavad-gītā. But sticking to the body. And one who is sticking to the bodily concept of life, he's no better than sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13). The whole civilization is going on this understanding of body.

Prabhupāda: Suppose I have got to... It is fact, we have to change this body. But what body I am going to change, who is considering? He's thinking of this body only, but he has to change. The science is there, but nobody is caring to know it. And still, they are proud of their education. And Kṛṣṇa condemns: nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. So they are keeping themselves on the bodily concept of life and posing themselves as pandit. A person identifying himself with the body, he's go-kharaḥ, and he's posing himself as paṇḍita. This is the position.

Evening Darsana -- August 14, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Nobody is interested to retire from family life. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). The difficulty is they do not know their own self-interest. Svārtha-gatim. Everyone says "My self-interest first." But he does not know what is his self-interest. Na te viduḥ. Actually that is the..., because he does not know self. (Hindi) Beginning of education in Bhagavad-gītā, self-interest. Kṛṣṇa giving first lesson: aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādān (BG 2.11). "You are talking like a very learned man, but your action is not like learned." Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. The subject matter, he was lamenting that "If I kill my brothers, my sister-in-laws will become widows and will become prostitute, and varṇa-saṅkara." "You are talking just like learned man, but on the basis of bodily relationship." So this is not the business of paṇḍita. Nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. So this is the position. People are unaware of self-interest. Simply on bodily concept of life they are working day and..., whole day and night. He does not know dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13).

Press Interview at Muthilal Rao's House -- August 17, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: In the Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa says, the first beginning of the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā you have to take. (aside:) No children. Otherwise it will be disturbed. When Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa as the spiritual master, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). First of all, he was talking like friends. When he saw "The friendly talking will not help us," so Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa as his spiritual master. Then as spiritual master He said, aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase: (BG 2.11) "My dear Arjuna, you are lamenting on the subject matter which is not the subject matter of lamentation, and you are talking like a very learned man." Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. This body, either alive or dead, it is not a serious subject matter of study, neither a learned man laments over it. This is the subject matter of Bhagavad-gītā, or spiritual knowledge. Those who are not human being, according to Vedic śāstra anyone who has no self-realization, he's animal. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13).

Room Conversation -- August 17, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: What is the use of decorating the dead body?

Guest: Correct. Yes. We must decorate real...

Prabhupāda: And this body is... Either dead or alive, Bhagavad-gītā condemns, gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ (BG 2.11). So these rascals are interested with this body, and they're proud of their advancement of education. Bhagavad-gītā says nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. So they are passing as great scientists, philosophers, politicians, philanthropists, but all apaṇḍitāḥ. Nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. That means apaṇḍita. (Bengali) The first thing of Bhagavad-gītā lesson is that aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādān (BG 2.11). "Talking like a learned man, but you are rascal." Apaṇḍitaḥ. One who is not educated, he's a rascal. So He's indirectly saying, "This kind of lamentation is not for the paṇḍita. It is for the rascal." So whole world is interested with this body, and Bhagavad-gītā's teaching begins condemning the concept of body. Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). Nobody knows this. And they are very learned scholars in Bhagavad-gītā. All these rascals, they're claiming to be learned scholar of Bhagavad-gītā.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with C.I.D. Chief -- January 3, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: So you expand it. A dog is thinking, "I am this body. I am bulldog," "I am greyhound." And man is also thinking, "I am American," "I am Indian." But they do not know their real identity, and they are fighting like dogs. And this is going on in the name of civilization. And when we put forward Bhagavad-gītā, the first lesson is that aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase: (BG 2.11) "Arjuna, you are talking like a very learned man, but you are lamenting about the body. But actually..." Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ: "So far the body is con..., this is lump of matter. So whether it is dead or alive, nobody seriously think of it, no learned, paṇḍita." Of course, those who are fools, rascal, they can take it. But those who are actually learned, they do not talk about this body. So upon this statement just see the world situation. Everyone is busy on the concept of body.

Room Conversation -- February 17, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithuna. But they have no brain. They cannot understand what is the difference between dead man and living man. That is the distinction between man and animal. But if you cannot understand, then where is your brain? On this point. Actually he has no brain. Sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13). That was the point Arjuna was chastised, that "You rascal, you have no brain. You are lamenting on this body and talking like very learned man." Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca... (BG 2.11). The whole world is going on like that. They're talking like very big scientist, big philosopher, very big, big, big, but real thing they do not know. "So where is your brain?" Challenge them like that. "You cannot answer. You are big, big scientist, putting forward, 'by combination of chemical...' So why don't you combine the chemical and give the dead man to become alive? Where is your brain?

Interview with Mr. Koshi (Asst. Editor of The Current Weekly) -- April 5, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: This culture is based on Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it is named Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In India practically every home, every person, every leader, they read Bhagavad-gītā. But unfortunately they do not understand the human life. Because in the beginning of the Bhagavad-gītā we find Kṛṣṇa says,

dehino 'smin yathā dehe

kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā

tathā dehāntara-prāptir

dhīras tatra na muhyati

(BG 2.13)

Take Bhagavad-gītā.

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ

prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca

nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

Interview with Mr. Koshi (Asst. Editor of The Current Weekly) -- April 5, 1977, Bombay:

This is beginning. When Kṛṣṇa began to instruct, began instructing Arjuna about Bhagavad-gītā, the first chastisement was given to Arjuna that "You are talking like a paṇḍita, but you are a rascal."

Mr. Koshi: Because you are a...?

Prabhupāda: "Because you are a rascal. Because you are giving stress on the body." Aśocyān anvaśocas tvam (BG 2.11). The body is a lump of matter. It is not the subject matter for discussing or lamenting. It is a lump of matter. Now this, what is called...

Mr. Koshi: Machine. Tape recorder.

Prabhupāda: This machine, so long it is working, it is valuable. If it does not work, what is the value? Throw it out. Similarly, the machine is not important, but so long it is working, it is important. So we must know what is that working principle. That is knowledge. So generally, people, they are embarrassed with the machine, this body. But they do not know what the power in the machine. Am I right or wrong?

Mr. Koshi: How is your health now?

Prabhupāda: Not good. Health or not health, it is the outward machine. That doesn't matter. But if it is a good machine then it helps, that's all. Otherwise, machine good or bad, it doesn't matter to machine driver.

Mr. Koshi: What happens when the machine stops?

Prabhupāda: It changes. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13).

Mr. Koshi: What is the meaning of that?

Prabhupāda: If your machine is stopped, you take another machine. That's all. You go on hearing. Not that your work will stop. You give up this machine. Take another machine. Actually you do that. Why shall I be overwhelmed, "Oh, machine is gone, machine is..."? Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, aśocyān anvaśocas tvam: (BG 2.11) "You are lamenting for the machine, nonsense. This is not paṇḍita's business." Nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. Machine is gone, take another one, that's all. Go on.

Room Conversation with Ram Jethmalani (Parliament Member) -- April 16, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Go means cow, khara means ass. So so long we shall continue this bodily concept of life—"I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am Pakistani," "I am...," so on, so on, that is animal concept of life. So one has to raise himself from this impure designated position to the transcendental position. Then he can realize. And that is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. And Bhagavad-gītā teaches from the very beginning, "Don't identify with this body." Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). "You are talking like a very learned man, but you are identifying with this body." Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. "This body is a lump of matter, and you are considering upon this and talking like a paṇḍita." This is the beginning. So who understands Bhagavad-gītā? Where Bhagavad-gītā begins? Tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). They do not understand even the first line of Bhagavad-gītā, what to speak of this statement. Bhagavad-gītā is purely meant for the dehī, the owner of the body, not of the body. That is the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā teaching. Who understands it? Nobody understands it. And they are scholars, and they are so on, so on.

Room Conversation -- May 8, 1977, Hrishikesh:

Prabhupāda: (Hindi) Why one? Let him come. (Hindi) I think I speak in English. Otherwise they will not understand. The first thing is that "I am not this body." This is the first instruction of Bhagavad-gītā. And if you do not understand the first instruction, then where is the use of going ahead? This is the defect. Bhagavān said,

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ

prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca

nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

Evening Darsana -- May 9, 1977, Hrishikesh:

"My dear Arjuna, you are lamenting for your family and bodily relationships. But this is not the subject matter for learned persons. And you are talking just like a learned man, 'What will happen if these, my brothers' wives become widows and this and that?' " That means in a gentlemanly way He said that "You are talking like a nonsense because you have no real subject matter." Agatāsūṁś ca. So far this body is concerned, either living or dead, it is a not a subject matter for learned talk. It is a lump of matter. And what is life?

Prabhupāda: (Hindi) (laughter) And we want to be happy. Tri-tāpa-yantana,(?) three types of miseries, are always there. So Kṛṣṇa, when took charge of teaching him, the first lesson was that "Arjuna, you have talked like a very learned man, but you are not learned."

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ

prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca

nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ