"Arjuna Playing the Role of a Rascal"

"Arjuna Playing the Role of a Rascal"

73/08/16 Los Angeles, Bhagavad-gita 2.10


Pradyumna (leads chanting, etc.):

tam uvaca hrsikesah
prahasann iva bharata
senayor ubhayor madhye
visidantam idam vacah
[Bg. 2.10]

Translation: "O descendant of Bharata, at that time Krsna, smiling, in the midst of both armies, spoke the following words to the grief-stricken Arjuna."

Prabhupada: So hrsikesah, prahasann iva. Krsna began to laugh, smiling, "What a nonsense this is, Arjuna." First of all he said, "Put me." Senayor ubhayor madhye ratham sthapaya me acyuta [Bg. 1.21]. "Krsna, just put my chariot between the two parties of soldiers." And now... (coughs, aside:) Bring me water. He was so enthusiastic in the beginning that "Put my chariot between the two armies." Now this rascal is saying no yotsya, "I will not fight." Just see the rascaldom. So even Arjuna, Krsna's direct friend, maya is so strong that he also becomes a rascal, what to speak of others. First of all very enthusiasm: "Yes, put my chariot between the two armies." And now in the..., na yotsya iti govindam [Bg. 2.9], "I am not going to fight." This is rascaldom. So he was smiling, that "He is My friend, direct friend, and such a big, and he is now saying that 'I will not fight.' "

So Krsna smiling, this smiling is very significant, prahasann. Tam uvaca hrsikesah prahasann iva bharata, senayor ubhayor visidantam, lamenting. First of all he came with great enthusiasm to fight; now he is lamenting. And Krsna is mentioned here as Hrsikesa. He is solid. He is Acyuta. He is solid. He is not changed. Another significance of this word Hrsikesa... Because in Narada-Pancaratra the bhakti means hrsikesa-sevanam. Therefore this very name is mentioned here, Hrsikesa. Hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate. Bhakti means to serve Hrsikesa, the master of the senses. And the master of senses, some rascals are describing that Krsna is immoral. He is master of senses and He is immoral. Just see how he has studied Bhagavad-gita. If Krsna is perfect brahmacari... Krsna is perfect brahmacari, for... It was declared by Bhismadeva. Bhismadeva is the first-grade brahmacari in the universe. He promised to Satyavati's father... You know the story. Satyavati's father... His, Bhismadeva's father was attracted by a fisherwoman, fishergirl. So he wanted to marry. And the father of the girl denied, "No, I cannot give my daughter to you." So "Why? I am king, I am asking your daughter." "No, you have got a son." Bhismadeva was the son of his first wife, mother Ganges. The mother Ganges was wife of Santanu Maharaja, and Bhismadeva was the only remaining son. The contract was between Santanu Maharaja and Ganges, Mother Ganges, that "I can marry you if you allow me that all the children born I shall throw in the water of the Ganges. And if you do not allow me, then immediately I shall leave your company." So Santanu Maharaja said, "All right, still, I shall marry you." So she was throwing all the children in the Ganges. So this Bhismadeva... So after all, father, so he became very much sorry, that "What is this? What kind of wife I have got? She is simply throwing all the children in the water." So at the time of Bhismadeva, Santanu Maharaja said, "No, I cannot allow it. I cannot allow it." Then mother Ganges said, "Then I am going." "Yes, you can go, I don't want you. I want this son." So he was wifeless. Again he wanted to marry the Satyavati. So the father said, "No, I cannot give my daughter to you because you have got a son, grown-up son. He will be king. So I cannot give my daughter to you to become your maidservant. Her... If I would have thought that her son would be the king, then I can offer you my daughter." So he said, "No, that is not possible." But Bhismadeva understood that "My father is attracted with this girl." So he approached. He said to the fisherman that "You can offer your daughter to my father, but you are thinking that I shall become king. So your daughter's son will be king. On this condition you can offer your daughter." So he replied, "No, I cannot." "Why?" "You may not be king, but your son may be king." Just see, this material calculation. Then at that time he said, "No, I shall not marry. That's all. I promise. I shall not marry." So he remained brahmacari. Therefore his name is Bhisma. Bhisma means very solid, firmly fixed. So he was a brahmacari. For the sake, for the satisfaction of his father's senses, he remained brahmacari.

So Bhismadeva, in Rajasuya-yajna, admitted that "Nobody is better brahmacari than Krsna. He was within the gopis, all young girls, but He remained a brahmacari. If I would have been within the gopis, I do not know what was, what would have been my condition." So therefore Krsna is the perfect brahmacari, Hrsikesa. And these rascals they are saying that Krsna is immoral. No. Krsna is perfect brahmacari. Dhira. Dhira means one who is not agitated even there is cause of being agitated. So Krsna is such a brahmacari. In spite of in His just on the verge of youthhood at the age of 15, 16, years, all the village girls were friends, they were very much attracted with Krsna's beauty. They used to come to Krsna for dancing in the village. But He was brahmacari. You will never hear that Krsna had some illicit sex. No. There was no such thing description. The dancing is description, but no contraceptive pill. No. That is no described here. Therefore He is Hrsikesa. Hrsikesa means perfect brahmacari. Vikara-hetu, even there is cause of being agitated, He is not agitated. That is Krsna. He has got thousands and thousands of devotees, and some of the devotees, if they want Krsna as lover, Krsna accepts that, but He does not require anyone else. He does not require. He is self-sufficient. He does not require anyone's help for His sense gratification. Therefore Krsna is Hrsikesa, the master of the senses.

So at least Krsna's devotees... There are many instances of Krsna's devotees. They are also... Why many? Almost all devotees, they are master of the senses, gosvami. Just like Haridasa Thakura, you know. Haridasa Thakura was young man, and the village zamindar, he was Mohammedan. So everyone was eulogizing Haridasa Thakura, such a great devotee. So the zamindar, the village zamindar, he became very much envious. So he employed one prostitute to pollute Haridasa Thakura. And she came at dead of night, nicely dressed, attractive. She was also young, very beautiful. So she proposed that "I have come, being attracted by your beauty." Haridasa Thakura said, "Yes, that's all right. Come on, sit down. Let me finish my chanting. Then we shall enjoy." So she sat down. But Haridasa Thakura chanting, he was chanting... We, we cannot chant even sixteen rounds, and he was chanting three times sixty-four rounds. How many it is?

Revatinandana: 196.

Prabhupada: 196 rounds. That was his only business. Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna... So sometimes somebody wants to imitate Haridasa Thakura. It is not possible. So Haridasa Thakura, when it became morning, the prostitute, "Sir, now it is morning." "Yes, next night I shall... Come next night. Today I could not finish my chanting." That was a plea. In this way three days passed. Then the prostitute became converted, fell down on his..., "Sir, I came to pollute you. Now save me, I am so fallen." So Haridasa Thakura said "Yes, I know that. I could have leaved this place immediately when you came, but I wanted that you have come to me, you may be converted to this Vaisnavism." So the prostitute became a great devotee by the mercy of... Haridasa Thakura said that "You sit down in this place. You chant Hare Krsna before this tulasi plant. Now I am leaving this place."

So Krsna-bhakti is like that. Full control over the senses. As Krsna has got full control over the senses, similarly, those who are actually Krsna devotees, they have got full control over the senses. Hrsikesa. Just like Yamunacarya. He is praying, he is speaking, yad-avadhi mama cittah krsna-padaravinde nava-nava-dhamany udyatam rantum asit: "Since I have begun to feel transcendental bliss being taken shelter of the lotus feet of Krsna," yad-avadhi mama cittah krsna-padaravinde, krsna-padaravinde, the lotus feet of Krsna. "Since my citta, my heart, has been attracted by the lotus feet of Krsna," tad-avadhi bata nari-sangame, "since then, as soon as I think of sex life," bhavati mukha-vikarah, "I hate, I spit on it." This is Krsna-bhakti. Krsna-bhakti is like that. Bhakti-paresanubhava-viraktir anyatra syat. This most attractive feature in this material world is sex. That is the foundation of material life. All these people are working so hard day and night only for that sex enjoyment. Yan maithunadi-grha... They are taking so much risk. They are working, karmis, they are working so hard. What is their pleasure of life? The pleasure of life is sex. Yan maitunadi-grhamedhi-sukham hi tuccham. Very abominable activities, but that is their pleasure. This is material life. So Krsna is not like that. But the rascals, they paint picture, and that pictures are very much appreciated, that Krsna is embracing gopis. Somebody was telling me that... Last... Who came? That Krsna's picture. So when Krsna is killing Putana, that picture they will not paint, or killing Kamsa, or... Krsna has got so many pictures. These pictures they will not, artists. They will simply paint the picture, His confidential dealings with the gopis. One who cannot understand Krsna, what is Krsna, which Vyasadeva has described what is Krsna in nine cantos, to understand Krsna, and then in the Tenth Canto he begins the birth advent of Krsna... But these rascals, they jump over immediately to the rasa-lila. First of all understand Krsna. Just like if you become a friend of some very big man, so first of all try to understand him. Then you'll try to understand his family affairs or confidential things. But these people jump over to the rasa-lila. And misunderstand. And therefore they sometimes say, "Krsna is immoral." How Krsna can be immoral? By accepting, by chanting Krsna's name, the immoral persons are becoming moral, and Krsna is immoral. Just see the foolishness. Simply by chanting Krsna's name, all immoral persons are becoming moral. And Krsna is immoral. And it is spoken by a rascal professor.

So it is very difficult. Nobody can understand Krsna without becoming a pure devotee of Krsna. Because Krsna says, bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah [Bg. 18.55]. Tattvatah, in truth. Tattvatah means truth. If one wants to understand Krsna as He is, then he has to take this process of devotional service, bhakta, bhakti. Hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. When one is employed as the servitor of Hrsikesa, the master of senses. Master, and hrsikena, when your senses are also engaged in the service of the master of the senses, then you also become master of the senses. You also. Because your senses are engaged in the service of the Hrsikesa, the senses have no other opportunity to be engaged. Locked up. Sa vai manah krsna-padaravindayoh [SB 9.4.18]. So this is the process of devotional service. If you want to become master of the senses, gosvami, svami, then you should always keep your senses engaged in the service of Hrsikesa. That is the only way. Otherwise it is not possible. As soon as you become a little slack to engage your senses in the service of the master of the senses, immediately maya is there, "Come on, please." This is the process. Krsna bhuliya jiva bhoga vancha kare, pasate maya tare japatiya dhare. As soon as you forget Krsna, even for a moment, immediately maya is there: "Please, my dear friend, come here." Therefore we have to become very cautious. We cannot forget Krsna even for a moment. Therefore the chanting program, Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama... Always remember Krsna. Then maya will not be able to touch you. Mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etan taranti. Maya cannot touch. Just like Haridasa Thakura. He was engaged in the service of Hrsikesa. Maya came in full-fledged strength. Still, she was defeated; Haridasa Thakura was not defeated.

So try to understand Krsna as Hrsikesa. So Hrsikesa, Krsna, began to laugh that "He is My friend, constant associate, and such weakness. He first of all was enthusiastic to ask Me to take his chariot, senayor ubhayor madhye. Now visidantan, now he is lamenting." So... We are all fools like that. Arjuna is not fool. Arjuna has been been described as Gudakesa. How he can be fool? But he is playing the part of fool. If he does not play the part of a fool, how this Bhagavad-gita will come from the mouth of Sri Krsna? And because he is devotee, he is perfectly playing in such a way that Krsna is giving instruction. So perfect teacher and the perfect disciple, Arjuna. We have to learn from their de... Our position... Arjuna is representing just like ordinary man like us, and Krsna is Hrsikesa, giving His advice, perfect advice. If we take, if we read Bhagavad-gita in the spirit of understanding like Arjuna, the perfect disciple, and if we accept the advice and the instruction of Krsna, the perfect teacher, then we should know that we have understood Bhagavad-gita. By my mental speculation, by rascal interpretation, by showing one's scholarship, you cannot understand Bhagavad-gita. That is not possible. Submissive. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gita it is said, tad viddhi pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya [Bg. 4.34]. So we have to surrender as Arjuna, he surrendered. Sisyas te 'ham sadhi mam prapannam: [Bg. 2.7] "I surrender unto You. I become Your disciple." To become disciple means to surrender, voluntarily accepting the instruction, the advice, the order of the spiritual master. So Arjuna has already accepted that. Although he is speaking that na yotsye, "Krsna, I shall not fight." But master, when He explains everything, he will fight. Master's order. Not to fight, that is his own sense gratification. And to fight in spite of he had no desire to fight, that is the satisfaction of the master. This is the sum and substance of Bhagavad-gita.

So Krsna, seeing Arjuna, visidantam very much affected, lamenting, that he is not prepared to do his duty. Therefore in the next verse He begins that asocyan anvasocas tvam prajna-vadams ca bhasase: [Bg. 2.11] "My dear Arjuna, you are My friend. Never mind, maya is very strong. Despite your being My friend, personal, you are so much overwhelmed with false compassion. So just hear Me." Therefore He said, asocyan: "You are lamenting on a subject matter which is not at all good." Asocya. Socya means lamentation, and asocya means one should not lament. Asocya. So asocyan anvasocas tvam prajna-vadams ca bhasase. "But you are talking like very learned scholar." Because he has talked. But those things are right. What Arjuna has said, that varna-sankara, when the women become polluted, the population is varna-sankara, that is fact. Whatever Arjuna has said to Krsna in order to avoid the fighting, so those things are correct. But from the spiritual platform, those things may be correct or incorrect, but from spiritual platform, they are not to be considered very serious. Therefore asocyan anvasocas tvam. Because his lamentation was on the bodily concept of life. That bodily concept of life, in the very beginning of Krsna's instructions, it is condemned. Asocyan anvasocas tvam: [Bg. 2.11] "You are lamenting on the bodily concept of life." Because anyone who is in the bodily concept of life, he is no better than animal. So our all morality, all social status, all politics, all philosophy, everything is on this bodily concept of life. We want to enjoy senses. Senses means different parts of the body. So one who is interested with the body -- that means one who is interested with the senses -- their only business is how to... (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 2.10 -- London, August 16, 1973