The rascals should not take example that "Krsna encouraged killing. Therefore everyone should kill. There is no sin," without understanding. This is the difficulty

Expressions researched:
"The rascals should not take example that: "Kṛṣṇa encouraged killing. Therefore everyone should kill. There is no sin." Without understanding. This is the difficulty"

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Kṛṣṇa is encouraging Arjuna because he is a kṣatriya. Sva-dharmam api cāvekṣya. It is his duty. The rascals should not take example that "Kṛṣṇa encouraged killing. Therefore everyone should kill. There is no sin," without understanding. This is the difficulty. The rascals, they do not understand what is Bhagavad-gītā. They interpret for their favorable condition. That's all. Here is Bhagavad-gītā. They do not read the whole thing from ācārya—misunderstand. Bhagavad-gītā is not encouraging violence. That is not the Bhagavad-gītās purpose. But a kṣatriya, when there is fight, dharma-yuddha, yuddha dharma . . . what is that, before we . . .? Sukhinaḥ kṣatriyāḥ pārtha labhante yuddham īdṛśam. A kṣatriya becomes very satisfied to get such fighting opportunity, yuddham īdṛśam, yadṛcchayā copapannaṁ svarga-dvāram apāvṛtam, labhante yuddham īdṛśam.

730904 - Lecture BG 02.36-37 - London

So Kṛṣṇa is encouraging, inducing Arjuna to observe the duty. You cannot deviate from duty. That was the point. When there is fight, you must fight regularly, and kill the enemies. That is your credit. When you are fighting with the enemies, if you become compassionate, "How shall I kill?" that is cowardice. Therefore Kṛṣṇa concludes here, hato vā prāpsyasi svargaṁ jitvā vā bhokṣyase mahīm. There are two alternatives. For a fighter, for a kṣatriya, to fight in the battle: either gain victory or die. No via media. Fight to the last point if you are able, then become victorious. Or die. No stoppage. All this fighting were meant like that. According to Vedic culture, the kṣatriyas . . . not the brāhmaṇas. The brāhmaṇas are not encouraged to fight or kill. No. They should remain always nonviolent. Even there is required violence, a brāhmaṇa will not kill personally. He will bring the matter to the kṣatriya, royal order.Just like Viśvāmitra. Viśvāmitra was being disturbed by some demons in the forest. They used to live in the forest. So Viśvāmitra was able to kill such demon, many demons, by his will. But he did not do so. He went to Mahārāja Daśaratha, father of Lord Rāmacandra, to request him that, "Give your sons, Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa. I will take them with me. They will kill that demon." The killing is there, but the brāhmaṇa is not going to kill personally. Or the vaiśya is not meant for killing, neither the śūdras. Only the kṣatriyas. The kṣatriyas should be so trained up.Just like in USA there is some trouble in recruiting soldiers, because . . . why the difficulty is? The difficulty is the training is like śūdras. The young men are trained up like śūdras—how they can fight? Therefore they are afraid. They try to avoid fighting. Because there is no division. Everyone, in this age, everyone is śūdra. How you can expect a śūdra will be encouraged to fight? That is not possible. Therefore real social structure should be four divisions: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. Brāhmaṇa, fully engaged for enlightenment of the people, knowledge, spiritual knowledge. They are meant for that. They will cultivate that knowledge personally, paṭhana pāṭhana, and make students, brahminical class. Similarly kṣatriya. They should be trained up in politics, in fighting, not to flee away from fighting. These are the training of the kṣatriyas. Similarly, vaiśyas, they should be trained up how to cultivate, grow food grains, how to give protection to the cows. And śūdras are meant for simply serving these higher class, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. That is the program.So Kṛṣṇa is encouraging Arjuna because he is a kṣatriya. Sva-dharmam api cāvekṣya. It is his duty. The rascals should not take example that "Kṛṣṇa encouraged killing. Therefore everyone should kill. There is no sin," without understanding. This is the difficulty. The rascals, they do not understand what is Bhagavad-gītā. They interpret for their favorable condition. That's all. Here is Bhagavad-gītā. They do not read the whole thing from ācārya—misunderstand. Bhagavad-gītā is not encouraging violence. That is not the Bhagavad-gītās purpose. But a kṣatriya, when there is fight, dharma-yuddha, yuddha dharma . . . what is that, before we . . .? Sukhinaḥ kṣatriyāḥ pārtha labhante yuddham īdṛśam. A kṣatriya becomes very satisfied to get such fighting opportunity, yuddham īdṛśam, yadṛcchayā copapannaṁ svarga-dvāram apāvṛtam, labhante yuddham īdṛśam. And another place:sva-dharmam api cāvekṣyana vikampitum arhasidharmyād dhi yuddhāc chreyo 'nyatkṣatriyasya na vidyate(BG 2.31)Dharmyāddhi-yuddha. There are two kinds of fighting. dharma-yuddha . . . dharma-yuddha means right, righteous fighting, and adharma-yuddha means political. That is . . . one politician, he wants to keep his position; he engages the people in fighting, declares war. That is another thing. But when right thing, violence is required. So Arjuna . . . Kṛṣṇa is encouraging Arjuna in dharma-yuddha, not unnecessarily killing in the slaughterhouse. Do not misunderstand Kṛṣṇa. The rascals, they misunderstand. By killing, by his whims, he gives the evidence of . . . another rascal, although he is learned professor, he says that because this man has killed on the basis of Bhagavad-gītā, therefore Kṛṣṇa is immoral. Just see. This is going on. Without understanding Bhagavad-gītā, even a so-called learned scholar also talking of Kṛṣṇa as immoral: He has encouraged killing. Just see. Such envious persons. And he is teaching Bhagavad-gītā. This is going on.So this is not the fact. The fact is that there must be in the society four classes of men. Because sometimes violence is required. Just like why government is maintaining the police force, the military force? It is required for keeping law and order. So violence is bad, that's all right; but sometimes it is required. Just like poison. Poison is bad, but sometimes it is required for administering medicine. Even poison is administered. When one's heart is . . . according to Āyur-vedic system, when the man's heart is almost to fail, at that time, poison is given, so the heart becomes again agitated. In the medical science also. So poison is poison, but sometimes it requires as medicine administration. Similarly violence, killing, is bad. But there is circumstances where violence is righteous, religious. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, dharmyāddhi-yuddha.