Madhudviṣa: "Arjuna is recognized by the Lord as a devotee. Therefore one who follows the line of Arjuna in understanding the Gītā will derive benefit from it. Otherwise one will simply waste his valuable time in reading commentaries. Arjuna accepts Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and any commentary of the Gītā following in the footsteps of Arjuna is real devotional service to the cause of this great science. But the demons do not accept Lord Kṛṣṇa as He is. The demons concoct something out of their imagination about Kṛṣṇa's instructions. Here is a warning regarding such misleading paths. One should try to follow the disciplic succession from Arjuna and thus be benefited by this great science of the Śrīmad-Bhagavad-gītā."
Prabhupāda: Yes. If we want to study Bhagavad-gītā, then we follow the principles. Just like we have explained this in the introduction, that when you take a bottle of medicine, there is some direction that "Two tablets, twice in a day after meals." So you have to follow the instruction. Then you get benefit. You cannot take any instruction about taking that medicine from a friend or from an expert educationist. No. You have to take direction only from the physician. He is the expert in that line.
Similarly, here is the direction, the bottle of Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa says, "It should be understood by the devotee, or you have to understand Bhagavad-gītā from a devotee." This is the direction of this medicinal bottle. How you can go otherwise? Then you will get the benefit. That is explained.
Madhudviṣa: "Arjuna said: The sun-god Vivasvān is senior by birth to You. How am I to understand that in the beginning You instructed this science to him? The Blessed Lord said..."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Now, here Arjuna... Kṛṣṇa said that "Long, long ago I spoke this science, transcendental knowledge, to the sun-god." Now, generally, if I say that "The other day I was speaking this Bhagavad-gītā in the sun planet," oh, you will immediately understand that "Swamiji is an insane man." You see? "You were speaking to the sun-god." Yes. That is natural. Now, Kṛṣṇa says that "I spoke to sun-god." So others will say, "Oh, this Kṛṣṇa is also another insane person." That is natural. So in order to clear this idea, Arjuna is asking, "How it is that You spoke this science to sun-god? Because I know that You took Your birth just about, say, seventy or eighty years ago." When Kṛṣṇa was speaking this Bhagavad-gītā, He was not less than ninety years old. He remained on this earth for 125 years. So Arjuna was His contemporary friend and cousin-brother.
Therefore he is surprised: "Kṛṣṇa, how You are saying that You spoke this science to sun-god?" That is a question of millions and millions of years ago because if we take, accept this statement, that means Bhagavad-gītā was spoken not less than forty millions of years ago. Vivasvān manave prāha. Because "The sun-god said to his son, Manu," and if you simply calculate the age of this present Manu, Vaivasvata Manu, it comes to four hundred millions of years or more than that. So he is surprised. So he is clearing the matter: "How You spoke it?" Go on.
Madhudviṣa: "The Blessed Lord said: Many, many births both you and I have passed. I can remember all of them but you cannot, O subduer of the enemy."
Prabhupāda: Yes. The difference is that Arjuna, being constant companion of Kṛṣṇa, he was also present when Kṛṣṇa said to sun-god, but he has forgotten. But Kṛṣṇa, being the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he has not forgotten. Just like a, my child. I say, "My dear child, twenty-five years ago you fell down and you were hurt in this way." Although the child has forgotten, but the incident is fact. The father knows. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa, the supreme father, He knows everything, and Arjuna might have forgotten. Because one has forgotten, one cannot give details. Just like we had many, many births before this form of body, but we have forgotten that. That does not mean that it did not take place. We had to pass through millions and millions of births. The other day I was explaining. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. Simply we had to live in the water to pass through 900,000 species of life. Two millions species of life, plant and trees. In this way we have passed through. So we might have forgotten, but that does not mean it did not take place. Go on.
Madhudviṣa: Purport: "In the Brahma-saṁhitā we have information of many, many incarnations of the Lord. It is stated there, 'I worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda, Kṛṣṇa, who is the original person, absolute, infallible, without beginning, although expanded into unlimited forms, still the same original, the oldest, and the person always appearing as a fresh youth. Such eternal, blissful, all-knowing forms of the Lord are usually understood by the best Vedic scholars, but they are always manifest to pure, unalloyed devotees.'
It is also stated in the same scripture, 'I worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda, Kṛṣṇa, who is always situated in various incarnations, such as Rāma, Nṛsiṁha, and many subincarnations as well, but who is the original Personality of Godhead known as Kṛṣṇa, and who incarnates personally also.'
In the Vedas too it is said that the Lord, although He is one without a second nevertheless manifests Himself in innumerable forms. He is like the vaidurya stone, which changes colors variously yet still is one, although His multiforms are understood..."
Prabhupāda: There is a valuable jewel stone. If you turn, you will find many colorful manifestations, although that stone is one. Similarly, although God is one, He can manifest Himself in many forms. That is the prerogative of God. Goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37). He can expand Himself in millions and trillions of forms; still, He is one. The same example: that vaidurya stone, jewel, although one, but you will find it in many colors at the same time. So this example is very nice. Go on.