These rascals, they do not know that his real self-interest is how to approach Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, Viṣṇu, therefore comes personally just to show His causeless mercy upon them, to exhibit Himself, how He can be friend to everyone. Suhṛdaḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ jñātvā māṁ śāntiṁ ṛcchati. If you want śānti, then you must accept Kṛṣṇa, suhṛdaḥ. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaraṁ, suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 5.29). He is friend of everyone; therefore He comes. He is not only friend of Arjuna. Arjuna is symbolic friend. He is instructing Arjuna Bhagavad-gītā, His friend, but He is friend of everyone. Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām.
So we must take advantage of the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā. It is not meant for . . . Arjuna is already liberated, but he is placing himself as one of us just to take the lessons of Kṛṣṇa for the benefit of the whole world. Arjuna, who is living with Kṛṣṇa as friend not only in one life . . . Bahūni me janmāni vyatītāni tava cārjuna (BG 4.5). So Arjuna is always with Kṛṣṇa. He cannot be in ignorance. Kṛṣṇa-sūrya-sama, māyā andhakāra, yāhāṅ kṛṣṇa tāhāṅ nāhi māyāra adhikāra (CC Madhya 22.31). Who is constantly living with Kṛṣṇa, he has no ignorance, but he's putting himself as ignorant. Just like Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He is asking question from Rāmānanda Rāya. Does it mean that Caitanya Mahāprabhu did not know; Rāmānanda Rāya . . . No. Just to make a scene that how we can get knowledge from hearing from the authorities. Similarly, Arjuna placed himself—it is a theatrical stage—that ignorant. But actually he is liberated. When Arjuna was advised to practice haṭha-yoga, he said, "Kṛṣṇa, it is not possible for me."
- cañcalaṁ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa
- pramāthi balavad dṛḍhaṁ
- tasyāhaṁ nigrahaṁ manye
- vāyor iva suduṣkaram
- (BG 6.34)
"I cannot do this." He was frank enough. Or on behalf of us he said frankly that "It is impossible," at least in the Kali-yuga, "to control the mind." Yoga indriya saṁyamaḥ. It is not possible. Cañcalaṁ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa pramāthi balavad dṛḍham (BG 6.34). Five thousand years, Arjuna is denying to accept this yogic process. "It is not possible to give that. I am a politician. I am a military man. I have to fight. I have to see so many things. How can I control my mind? It is not possible."
So that is fact. This controlling the mind by the yogic process, by meditation, is impossible. It was possible in the Satya-yuga: kīrte(?)-yajñāya . . . (break) . . . read so many śāstras, the essence of the śāstra. That is the duty of the ācārya. The essence of the śāstra should be presented to the fools and rascals so that, just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He presented Himself before His guru that guru more mūrkha dekhi' karila śāsana (CC Adi 7.71): "My guru found Me a great rascal." Caitanya Mahāprabhu was not a rascal, but He presented Himself as a rascal because we are rascals. These people of this age, they are all rascals. Therefore He presented Himself, guru more mūrkha dekhi' karila śāsana: "My guru saw Me a great rascal; therefore he has asked Me, chastised Me, that 'You rascal, You cannot understand Vedānta. You cannot read even.' " Mūrkha tumi nāhi tomāra vedānta adhikāra: "You cannot read Vedānta." That means the rascals of this age, what they will understand with Vedānta? They will simply misrepresent. They will simply mislead the persons. You see so many big, big politicians, scholars, simply misleading people from Bhagavad-gītā. Bhagavad-gītā is spoken on the battlefield, and they want to prove that it is nonviolence. In this way people are being misled.
Therefore avoid this rascal process, to read something and interpret in a different way. Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted to do that. Guru more mūrkha dekhi karila śāsana. So we should not try to become very learned scholar by misreading the Vedic literature. Take the instruction of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Not Caitanya Mahāprabhu—the śāstra, the Bṛhad-nāradīya Purāṇa. Sādhu śāstra guru vākya (Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura). Sādhu will not speak anything which is not in the śāstra.