"Immediate vs Ultimate Good"

73/07/24 London, Bhagavad-gita 1.31


Pradyumna (leads chanting, etc.):

na ca sreyo 'nupasyami
hatva svajanam ahave
na kankse vijayam krsna
na ca rajyam sukhani ca
[Bg. 1.31]

Translation: "I do not see how any good can come from killing my own kinsmen in this battle, nor can I, my dear Krsna, desire any subsequent victory, kingdom, or happiness."

Prabhupada: So there are two things, sreyas and preyas. Here Arjuna is speaking of sreyas. Sreyas means ultimate good, and preyas means immediately palatable. That is called preyas. So everyone should be interested for sreyas, not for preyas. Just like a child, he likes to play all day and night. Naturally. Playful child. So that is called preyas. He likes immediate pleasure. But his father says, "My dear child, just go to school or read book." So father is asking for sreyas, ultimate good. If he is not educated at the, at childhood, then how he will prosper in his future life? So considering the future prospect, ultimate good, that is called sreyas. And preyas means immediate. Just like we eat something which I may not digest, or it may have some bad effect later on. But people are interested -- the immediate benefit, without calculation of future benefit.

So Arjuna is considering with reference to his future, that "If I kill my kinsmen, what benefit there will be? I want victory, I want kingdom, to become happy, but if my all kinsmen are killed, then what is the value of my victory? With whom I shall enjoy?" He is thinking like that. Society... The same thing: society, friendship and love. Everyone wants to enjoy life with society, friends. Nobody wants to enjoy life alone. That is not possible. This is not natural. So wherefrom we got this idea, that I cannot enjoy alone? Just like generally a person is alone, but he gets a wife with a hope for enjoying family life, children, wife, friends. Grha-ksetra, atah grha-ksetra-sutapta-vittaih. Grha means apartment, and ksetra means land. Grha-ksetra-suta. Suta means children. Atah grha-ksetra-suta apta. Apta means friends, society. Atah grha-ksetra-sutapta-vittaih. Apta means friends, society, and to support all these things -- Grha, ksetra, suta, apta, -- there is required money, vitta. Vitta means money. Atah grha-ksetra-sutapta-vittair janasya moho 'yam aham mameti [SB 5.5.8]. This is material life. Grha, ksetra. "I must have Grha." Grha means with wife. Na grham grham ity ahur grhini grham ucyate. Grha. Grha means house.

So we are also living in house, very nice house. But still, we are not grhastha. A Grha, to live in a house, does not mean a grhastha. Na grham grham ity ahuh. Grhastha means grha. Grhe tisthati iti grhastha. Every Sanskrit word has got elaborate meaning. Grhastha means one who stays in grha, in house. He is called grhastha. So we can be called grhastha also. We are living in house. No. Sastra says, na grham grham ity ahuh: "Simply a house is not grha." There must be the housewife. That means wife. Grhini grham ucyate. In Hindi this word is used, garbhali means if there is no wife, that is not grha. Canakya Pandita says, putra-hinam grham sunyam. "You have got wife, but if you have no children, that grha is also void." So grhastha means to live with wife and children, and cultivating spiritual life. That is called grhastha. It doesn't matter, you live with your wife and children, or you live with brahmacari, sannyasi. Anything. It doesn't matter. Therefore there are so many divisions of life. Whichever status of life is suitable for you, you can accept. Brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha, sannyasa asrama. Asrama, when the word is added, asrama, that means it has got reference with cultivation of spiritual life. So grhastha-asrama. One can live at home with wife and children, but the business should be Krsna consciousness. We don't accept the Mayavadi sannyasi because there is no Krsna consciousness. Simply by becoming sannyasi... Brahma satyam jagan mithya: "This world is false. Brahman is truth. So I give up this world." That kind of sannyasi we do not accept. Either you become grhastha or sannyasi or brahmacari, there must be Krsna. Then it will be called asrama. Grhastha-asrama, sannyasa-asrama, brahmacari-asrama. Therefore this word is added, asrama.

So Arjuna is in grhastha-asrama. He wants to serve Krsna. He's Krsna's friend. He is a devotee. Krsna has already recommended. In the Fourth Chapter He will declare, bhakto 'si priyo 'si me. "You are My dear friend. You are My devotee." So he is qualified, grhastha-asrami. He is devotee of Krsna, but he is also family man. He has his wife, children. So here the problem is what is sreyas? What is ultimate good? That is mistaken here. Therefore Bhagavad-gita is required. He is thinking that "Krsna is not so important. My family is important. My family." Although he is devotee. Therefore kanistha-adhikari, in the lower stage of devotee, in the lower stage of devotion, one may be interested in Krsna consciousness, but his real interest is how to improve this material life. Just like: "O God, give us our daily bread." So he has gone to God not to serve God, but to take bread. Artah artharthi. That is also good. But he... Because he has gone to God to ask for bread, he is better than the rascals who do not care for God. He has gone to God. That is recommended in the Bhagavad-gita. Arto jijnasur artharthi jnani ca bharatarsabha. Catur-vidha bhajante mam janah sukrtino 'rjuna. "Arjuna, four kinds of people, they become devotee." Who are they? Arta. Arta means distressed. Artharthi, one who is poor, wants some money; jijnasu, inquisitive; and jnani, and a man of knowledge. So artah artharthi, this is meant, this is referred to the grhastha. The grhasthas, they become sometimes distressed. The grhastha-asrama means unless there is Krsna or full consciousness of Krsna, it is simply miserable, simply miserable. Duhkhalayam asasvatam [Bg. 8.15]. Simply working hard day and night, then there is, child is sick, then wife is not satisfied, the servant is not satisfied... So many things, problem. But if there is Krsna in the center, the all problems will be solved. But people do not know this. They think that "I shall be happy with wife, children, servants, house, and this and that." No. That is not possible. Therefore one should be in grhastha-asrama. Not only in family life. Family, the dogs have got family life. He has got wife, children. The cats and the hogs, a big family. Because a hog begets, at a time, one dozen children. What you beget? You are afraid of begetting one child even. This contraceptive method. But they are not afraid. They beget one dozen children at a time, twice in a year. So to live with family, wife, children... Then the hog accepts family life. No. That is not family life. You live with wife, children, peacefully, if you like, but bring in Krsna in the center. That is grhastha-asrama.

So Arjuna is talking of the ultimate good. But he is talking ultimate good with the point of view from material conception. He does not know... He knows, but he is playing the part of a person who does not know that ultimate sreyas, ultimate good, is Krsna. Ultimate good is not that "We live with family -- that is good." No. When you live with family because you cannot renounce, so that is allowed. But you live with family with Krsna. So Krsna is there, but he is thinking in terms of material role, that "If my kinsmen are dead, I kill them, then where is my good? It is no good. What shall I do with the victory and happiness? Where is happiness? I cannot live without them." This is the conception. Atah grha... Atah grha-ksetra-sutapta-vittair janasya moho 'yam. This is illusion. Everyone is trying to become happy with society, friendship and love, children, wife, friends, money and house and land. This is the conception of material.... So Arjuna is thinking in material concept of life. He is not thinking that "My ultimate good is to satisfy Krsna." This is the Bhagavad-gita's purport. That is Krsna consciousness. One has to change to satisfy Krsna, not to satisfy himself or the family or the society or the nation, no. Whether Krsna is satisfied, that is the criterion. That is ultimate good. Kasmin tuste jagat tustam. If Krsna is satisfied, then other things will be automatically satisfied. But they do not know. They are thinking that "I can bring Krsna in the midst of my family provided Krsna helps me to enjoy this material life." They are thinking like that. That is arta. But that is also good. Just like Dhruva Maharaja, he was arta. Arta, means he wanted something material, benefit. His stepmother insulted him, that "You cannot sit down on the lap of your father because you were not born in my womb." He was ksatriya; he took it insult. So his father had two wives. So he was born the eldest queen. The father was not very much attached to the eldest queen. The father was attached to the junior queen. And the junior queen was very proud that "The king is in my hand." So she insulted. The father was not happy. The... Although Dhruva Maharaja was born of the eldest queen... And it is sometimes liking. So that does not mean he did not like his son. So he wanted to sit down on the lap of his father and the stepmother insulted. So he took it very seriously. And he wanted to have the kingdom. This is artharthi. He wanted something. And his mother advised that "You take shelter of Krsna. He can fulfill your desire." So therefore artah artharthi. He was distressed; at the same time, he wanted a kingdom by the grace of Krsna. That was his purpose. So because he went to worship Krsna for some material benefit, he is to be taken as pious.

Catur-vidha bhajante mam sukrtina. Sukrtina means pious. Krti means very expert in acting worldly activities. So one who are engaged in pious activities, they are called sukrti. There are two kinds of activities: impious activities, sinful activities; and pious activities. So one who goes to pray in the church or in the temple, "O God, give us our daily bread," or "God, give me some money," or "God, give me relief from this distress," they are also pious. They are not impious. The impious people, they will never surrender to God, Krsna. Na mam duskrtino mudhah, prapadyante naradhamah [Bg. 7.15]. These class of men, sinful men, rascal, lowest of the mankind, whose knowledge has been taken away by maya, and demon -- these classes of men will never surrender to God. Therefore they are duskrtina, impious. So Krsna is pious, but still he wants the family benefit. This is his defect. Er, Arjuna. Family prosperity. He wants to be happy with society, friendship and love. Therefore he says that na kankse vijayam... This is called vairagya. Smasana-vairagya. It is called smasana-vairagya. Smasana-vairagya means that in India, the Hindus, they burn the dead body. So relatives take the dead body for burning to the burning ghata, and when the body is burned, everyone present there, for the time being, they become little renounced: "Oh, this is the body. We are working for this body. Now it is finished. It is burnt into ashes. So what is the benefit?" This kind of vairagya, renouncement, is there. But as soon as he comes from the burning ghata, he again begins his activities. In the smasana, in the burning ghata, he becomes renounced. And as soon as comes home, again he is vigorous, vigorous, how to earn, how to get money, how to get money, how to get money. So this kind of vairagya is called smasana-vairagya, temporary. He cannot become vairagi. And he said, na kankse vijayam: "I don't want victory. I don't want this." This is temporary sentiment. Temporary sentiment. These people, they attach to family life. They may say like that, that "I don't want this happiness, don't want this very nice position, victory. I don't want." But he wants everything. He wants everything. Because he does not know what is the sreyas. Sreyas is Krsna. Actually, when one gets Krsna, or Krsna consciousness, then he can say that "I don't want this." They will not say that. Why they will say, "Don't want this"? Here what we have got? Suppose I have got a kingdom. So that is my kingdom? No. That is Krsna's kingdom. Because Krsna says bhoktaram yajna-tapasam sarva-loka-mahesvaram [Bg. 5.29]. He is the proprietor. I may be His representative. Krsna wants that everyone should be Krsna conscious.

So the king's duty is, as representative of Krsna, to make every citizen Krsna conscious. Then he is doing nice duty. And because the monarchs did not do so, therefore now monarchy is abolished everywhere. So again the monarchs, where there is monarchy, little, at least show of monarchy, just like here in England there is, actually if the monarch becomes Krsna conscious, actually becomes representative of Krsna, then the whole face of the kingdom will change. That is required. Our Krsna consciousness movement is for that purpose. We don't very much like this so-called democracy. What is the value of this democracy? All fools and rascals. They vote another fool and rascal, and he becomes prime minister, or this or that. Just like... In so many cases. That is not good for the people. We are not for this so-called democracy because they are not trained. If the king is trained... That was the system of monarchy. Just like Yudhisthira Maharaja or Arjuna or anyone. All the kings. Rajarsi. They were called rajarsi.

imam vivasvate yogam
proktavan aham avyayam
vivasvan manave praha
manur iksvakave 'bravit
[Bg. 4.1]

Evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo viduh [Bg. 4.2]. Rajarsayah. Raja, king means, he is not only king. He is a great rsi, saintly person, just like Maharaja Yudhisthira or Arjuna. They're saintly persons. They are not ordinary, this drunkard king, that "I have got so much money. Let me drink and let there be dancing of the prostitute." Not like that. They were rsi. Although they were king, they were rsis. That kind of king wanted, rajarsi. Then people will be happy. In Bengali there is a proverb, rajara pape raja nasta grhini dose grhastha bhrasta (?). In grhastha life, in household life, if the wife is not good, then nobody will be happy in that home, grhastha life, household life. Similarly, in a kingdom, if the king is impious, then everything, everyone will suffer. This is the problem.

So Krsna, Arjuna is thinking of the sreyas and preyas. Actual sreyas means to achieve Krsna consciousness. That is wanting in Arjuna. He is showing that feature of life, that he wants better the society, friendship and love. He does not want to kill them. Then everything will be finished. But actually the fact is that even after killing the so-called kinsmen, if he can satisfy Krsna, that is his sreyas. That is his sreyas. That he does not know. And because he does not know, therefore this Bhagavad-gita is there. He is playing the part that he does not know that Krsna is the ultimate goal of life, not this so-called society, friendship and love. He is playing that part, that he does not know. He is thinking that "Krsna is not important." Krsna has already asked him to fight, but he is considering that "Krsna, You are asking me to fight, and I have to kill my own kinsmen. Then where is my victory?" So therefore he said... Here in the previous verse, he has said, pasyami viparitani kesava: "You are asking me to fight, for my victory, for my happiness, but I see it will be just the opposite." Pasyami viparitani. This is his problem. And to solve this problem, Arjuna became the disciple of Krsna, and Krsna advised him this Bhagavad-gita, and that is the prelude. Unless Arjuna plays like that, ordinary man...

Anyone, everyone wants to be happy with this Grha-ksetra-sutapta-vittaih, household life, and having some land. In those days there was no industry. Therefore industry is not meant. Land. If you get land, then you can produce your food. But actually that is our life. Here in this village we find so much land lying vacant, but they are not producing their food. They make their food the cows, poor cows, to kill them and eat them. This is not Grha-ksetra. You become grhastha, but you produce your food from the land, Grha-ksetra. And when you produce food, then beget children, Grha-ksetra-suta-apta-vitta. In India in village, there is, still the system is amongst the poor men, the cultivators, that if the cultivator cannot provide to keep a cow, he will not marry. Jaru and garu. Jaru means wife, and garu means cow. So one should keep a wife if he is able to keep a cow also. Jaru and garu. Because if you keep a wife, immediately there will be children. But if you cannot give them cows' milk, the children will be rickety, not very healthy. They must drink sufficient milk. So cow is therefore considered mother. Because one mother has given birth to the child, the another mother is supplying milk. So everyone should be obliged to mother cow, because she is supplying milk. So according to our sastra there are seven mothers. Adau mata, real mother, from whose body I have taken my birth. Adau mata, she is mother. Guru-patni, the wife of teacher. She is also mother. Adau mata guru-patni, brahmani. The wife of a brahmana, she is also mother. Adau mata guru-patni brahmani raja-patnika, the queen is mother. So how many? Adau mata guru-patni brahmani raja-patnika, then dhenu. Dhenu means cow. She is also mother. And dhatri. Dhatri means nurse. Dhenu dhatri tatha prthvi, also the earth. Earth is also mother. The people are taking care of mother land, where he is born. That is good. But by the by they should take care of mother cow also. But they are not taking care of mother. Therefore they are sinful. They must suffer. They must have, there must be war, pestilence, famine. As soon as people become sinful, immediately nature's punishment will come automatically. You cannot avoid it.

Therefore Krsna consciousness movement means solution of all problems. Teaching people not to become sinful. Because a sinful man cannot become Krsna conscious. To become Krsna conscious means that he has to give up his sinful activities. No illicit sex life, no meat-eating, no intoxication, no gambling. These are the four pillars of sinful life. So people are not ready to give up this. But we do not make any compromise, that you go on with your sinful life, at the same time I sanction that you have become Krsna conscious. No, that we cannot do. There is no compromise on this point. You must give up all this sinful life. Because there is no chance of becoming Krsna conscious. Why you shall make a show? There is no benefit by making a show. Just like Arjuna. Arjuna is trying to make a show of Krsna consciousness. He has good attachment for other things. And the whole Bhagavad-gita is taught to Arjuna to give up that attachment.

So ultimately it is said that, Sanjaya said, yatra yogesvarah krsnah. Yatra yogesvarah krsno yatra partho dhanur-dharah/ tatra srir vijayo bhutir, bhuva, dhruva nitir matir mama. This is the conclusion of Bhagavad-gita. Sanjaya uvaca. And at last Sanjaya said to his master, Dhrtarastra, "My dear master, you are expecting victory between the fight, fight between your sons and..., but don't expect it. It is," matir mama, "in my opinion, yatra krsnah yogesvara, the party where Krsna the Yogesvara...," Yogesvara. Yoga, yoga there are powerful mystic power. Yoga means mystic power. Not this yoga, this playing some gymnastics. That is not yoga. Yoga means when one becomes perfect in yoga, he gets many siddhis. They are called asta-siddhi, eight kinds of siddhi. Anima, laghima, prapti-siddhi, like that, so many. Isitva, vasitva. So a yogi, anima, he can become the smaller than the smallest. We are already smaller than the smallest, because our real dimension, spiritual dimension, is one ten-thousandth part of the tip of the hair. This is our dimension. This is only outward covering, this body. Kesagra-sata-bhagasya satadha kalpitasya ca [Cc. Madhya 19.140]. So a yogi can give up this body and come to his original, spiritual body, and it is so small that you cannot keep yogi in prison. Because there is some hole, he'll get out. This is yogi. This is mystic power. What do they know about mystic power? Simply press the nose, that's all. This kind of yoga..., of course these are preliminary processes, dhyana, dharana, pranayama. This pranayama requires to get the breathing from the opposite side... have got experience. The two holes of the nostrils, one is blocked, one is open. So pranayama means to try to open the blocked side. That is called. So there are so many. But ultimate yoga means to get this power. That is yoga. So all these powers, they are simply fragmental. The yogis, they can attain. Although they can become, they are already smaller than the smallest. So Krsna is the supreme master of all mystic power. Therefore He is called Yogesvara. He is called Yogesvara. So if Krsna is on your side, then you do not require to practice yoga. If you are a devotee of Krsna, because how much power shall get. You may gain some power by this mystic process, but you cannot be equal with Krsna's power. Just like anima, laghima. To make everything very light, or become very light, the yogi can fly in the air without an aeroplane. He can go even in the sun planet, moon planet, without any sputnik. Simply [break]

...his wife. But he was a yogi and she was devoted, so became lean and thin, because she could not eat very nicely. A yogi cannot supply nice food. Simply starvation, starvation. (laugh) That is yogi. So he thought that this poor girl came to me, his father is king. She is not accustomed to so much trouble, so she asked her, "What you want?" "No, because I have come to you, I want some children, and a little comfortable life." "All right." So he made an aeroplane by yogic power, a big town. Not this 747. The 747 is the biggest plane, but not like this. A big town with lake, with palatial building, maid-servants, servants, and that big plane went all round the universe. He showed all the planets to his wife. This is yogic power. This is yogic power. So where is that yogi? So here, Yogesvara. All these mystic powers can be attained by ordinary man if he wants, there is process. But Krsna is the master of all yogic power, Yogesvara. So who can get victory? Krsna can do anything. Just like we sing every day. Jaya radha-madhava kunja-bihari gopi-jana-vallabha giri-vara-dhari. Giri-vara. People may take it that Krsna is fond of some gopis, but they do not take care of the Krsna's other business. As soon as the gopis are in danger, he can lift the Govardhana Hill. That is Krsna. The rascals they do not know they think that Krsna is after the gopis, therefore He is immoral. But the rascal has no eyes to see that Krsna may be immoral in his eye, but here is Yogesvara. At the same time, Yogesvara.

So without becoming a disciple in bhakti-yoga, nobody can study Krsna. It is not possible. Bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah [Bg. 18.55]. So the whole thing, Bhagavad-gita is there, how to understand Krsna. As soon as you understand Krsna, tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti kaunteya [Bg. 4.9]. There is no more again birth in this material world. You go back to home, back to Godhead.

Thank you very much. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 1.31 -- London, July 24, 1973