Parantapa means one who gives trouble to the enemies. This is the material world. A kṣatriya cannot behave like a brahmin, to excuse. Brahmin business is to excuse. Kṣamā-rūpa-tapasvinaḥ. Those who are tapasvī, they can excuse, but those who are in the governmental power, to make justice there is no question of excuse. Life for life. "You have killed one man; you must be killed." This is justice. A brahmin, he may excuse, "All right, you have killed my man. Never mind. I excuse you." That is a brahmin's business. But a kṣatriya, the government, the ruling power, he cannot do so. It is his mercy. It is the government's mercy when a murderer is hanged. That is the injunction in the Manu-saṁhitā. So "Parantapa, you are kṣatriya. Your business is to punish the unjust." Kṣudraṁ hṛdaya-daurbalyam: "For a kṣatriya this kind of poor-heartedness, that 'I shall not fight,' give it up. Don't indulge in such thing." Then Arjuna said, Arjuna replied:
- kathaṁ bhīṣmam ahaṁ saṅkhye
- droṇaṁ ca madhusūdana
- iṣubhiḥ pratiyotsyāmi
- pūjārhāv arisūdana
- (BG 2.4)
He is addressing Kṛṣṇa as arisūdana, the killer of the enemies. He says: "But in my case, I have to fight with Bhīṣma, Droṇācārya. They are my well-wisher, and how can I kill them? It is my duty to offer my respect, touching their feet, and You are enticing me to pierce their body with arrow? So, of course, You have killed so many enemies, but You have killed enemies. Why You are inducing me to kill my grandfather and my teacher?" Of course, Arjuna, also intelligent. He replied that "You cannot accuse me as anārya. This is the consideration. Therefore I am hesitating to fight." Then he says:
- gurūn ahatvā hi mahānubhāvān
- śreyo bhoktuṁ bhaikṣyam apīha loke
- hatvārtha-kāmāṁs tu gurūn ihaiva
- bhuñjīya bhogān rudhira-pradigdhān
- (BG 2.5)
"They are not only my grandfather; they are guru. And mahānubhāvān, very great personality, Bhīṣmadeva, Droṇācārya. So if I kill them and if I live prosperously, taking the kingdom, do You think it is all right that I live on the blood of my guru and great personalities? Do You think it is all right?" Of course, he says:
- na caitad vidmaḥ kataran no garīyo
- yad vā jayema yadi vā no jayeyuḥ
- yān eva hatvā na jijīviṣāmas
- te 'vasthitāḥ pramukhe dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ
- (BG 2.6)
"Kṛṣṇa, actually I am puzzled. It is my duty to fight, but now I am puzzled whether I shall fight or not fight because, after all, the other side, they are my relatives, family members, dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ. Dhṛtarāṣṭra is my elder brother of my father, and his sons, they are my cousin-brothers. So I am puzzled whether I shall fight." He plainly explained his position that, "Not that I have become anārya. I have got sufficient strength. I can fight, but I am puzzled whether I shall fight in this case or not." Then he submits:
- kārpaṇya-doṣopahata-svabhāvaḥ
- pṛcchāmi tvāṁ dharma-sammūḍha-cetāḥ
- yac chreyaḥ syān niścitaṁ brūhi tan me
- śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam
- (BG 2.7)
Then Arjuna decided to accept Kṛṣṇa as his guru. He . . . ṣiṣyas te 'ham: "I become Your disciple." To become disciple means no more argument. When we talk friendly there is argument, counterargument. But when there is order from guru there is no more argument. Therefore Arjuna says that kārpaṇya-doṣopahata-svabhāvaḥ: "Actually my behavior should be exactly like a kṣatriya, to fight for the just cause, but in this case I am denying. Therefore I am kṛpaṇa." Kṛpaṇa means one who does not properly use his position. One man is very rich, but he does not use his money, simply sees the money, he is called kṛpaṇa. Similarly, Arjuna is powerful, he can fight, he is a kṣatriya, but he is denying his ability. Therefore he is thinking that "I have become kṛpaṇa, miser. Although I have got strength, I am denying to fight." "Although I have got money, I do not spend." These are called kṛpaṇa. So kārpaṇya-doṣopahata: "Now I am infected with kārpaṇya-doṣa." Kārpaṇya-doṣopahata-svabhāvaḥ.
So when we become puzzled with these material affairs, what to do—to do or not to do, this is the example—at that time we must approach a guru. That is the instruction here, we see. Pṛcchāmi tvāṁ dharma-sammūḍha-cetāḥ. When we are bewildered, we do not distinguish what is religious and what is not religious, do not use our position properly, that is kārpaṇya-doṣopahata-svabhāvaḥ (BG 2.7). At that time there is need of guru. That is the Vedic instruction. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham (MU 1.2.12). This is the duty. This is civilization, that we are meeting with so many problems of life. That is natural. In this material world the material world is problems of life. Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām (SB 10.14.58). Material world means in every step there is danger. That is material world. So therefore we should take guide from guru, from the teacher, from the spiritual master how to make progress, because this . . . that will be explained later on, that the goal of our life, at least in this human form of life, in the Āryan civilization, the goal of life is to understand our constitutional position, "What I am." What I am. If we do not understand "What I am," then I am equal to the cats and dogs. The dogs, cats, they do not know. They think that they are the body. That will be explained. So in such condition of life, when we are puzzled . . . actually we are puzzled every moment. Therefore it is necessary one should approach to a proper guru. Now Arjuna is approaching Kṛṣṇa, the first-class guru. First-class guru. Guru means the Supreme Lord. He is guru of everyone, parama-guru. So anyone who represents Kṛṣṇa, he is also guru. That will be explained in the Fourth Chapter: evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2).
So Kṛṣṇa is showing example where we should offer our surrender and accept guru. Here is Kṛṣṇa. So you have to accept Kṛṣṇa or His representative as guru. Then your problems will be solved. Otherwise it is not possible, because He can say what is good for you, what is bad for you. He is asking, yac chreyaḥ syān niścitaṁ brūhi tat (BG 2.7). Niścitam. If you want advice, instruction, niścitam, which is without any doubt, without any illusion, without any mistake, without any cheating, that is called niścitam. That you can get from Kṛṣṇa or His representative. You cannot get right information from the imperfect person or a cheater. That is not right instruction. Nowadays it has become a fashion, everyone is becoming guru and he is giving his own opinion, "I think," "In my opinion." That is not guru. Guru means he should give evidences from śāstra. Yaḥ śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya vartate kāma-kārataḥ (BG 16.23): "Anyone who does not give evidences, proof, from the śāstra, then" na siddhiṁ sa avāpnoti, "he does not get at any time success," na sukham, "neither any happiness in this material world," na parāṁ gatim, "and what to speak of elevation in the next life." These are the injunction.