Devotee:
yada mrdhe kaurava-srnjayanam
viresv atho vira-gatim gatesu
vrkodaraviddha-gadabhimarsa-
bhagnoru-dande dhrtarastra-putre
bhartuh priyam draunir iti sma pasyan
krsna-sutanam svapatam siramsi
upaharad vipriyam eva tasya
jugupsitam karma vigarhayanti
"When the respective warriors of both camps, namely the Kauravas and the Pandavas, were killed on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra, and the dead warriors obtained their deserved destinations, and when the son of Dhrtarastra fell down lamenting, his spine broken, being beaten by the club of Bhimasena, the son of Dronacarya (Asvatthama) beheaded the five sleeping sons of Draupadi and delivered them as a prize to his master, foolishly thinking that he would be pleased. Duryodhana, however, disapproved of the heinous act, and he was not pleased in the least."
Prabhupada:
yada mrdhe kaurava-srnjayanam
viresv atho vira-gatim gatesu
vrkodaraviddha-gadabhimarsa-
bhagnoru-dande dhrtarastra-putre
bhartuh priyam draunir iti sma pasyan
krsna-sutanam svapatam siramsi
upaharad vipriyam eva tasya
jugupsitam karma vigarhayanti
So Drauni, Dronacarya's son, a brahmana, but he took the profession of a ksatriya. That is degradation. When a brahmana takes the occupation of a ksatriya, it is degradation. So this Drauni, although he belonged to the brahmana family and he accepted the profession of a ksatriya, he degraded so much that he cut off the heads of five sons of Draupadi while they were sleeping. So much degradation. A ksatriya never slains anybody who is sleeping. Ksatriya's business is to challenge, and if the other party has no weapon, he supplies weapon. Then there is fight, then it is decided. One must die. That decision is there. When there is fight between two ksatriyas, the decision is that one must die. Unless one dies, the business, the fighting, will never stop. That is called vira-gatim. Vira-gatim. If a ksatriya dies in fight, he gets the promotion of vira-gatim, means he goes to the heavenly planet. This was advised by Krsna to Arjuna, that "You fight. If you are victorious, then you will enjoy this kingdom, and if you are killed, then you'll go to the heavenly planets. Then where is your loss? Both ways you shall gain. Why shall you not fight?" This advice was given by Krsna.
So here it is said yada mrdhe kaurava-srnjayanam. In the fight all the parties who died, they all obtained vira-gatim. And most of them they achieved svarupa. That is described in a different place. Svarupa means his original, spiritual form. All the soldiers or the kings who died, and at the time of death who were seeing Krsna -- Krsna was there in the battlefield -- all of them achieved their original, spiritual form. Svarupam. And those who did not see Krsna, they got promoted vira-gatim, in the heavenly planet. So fight is not always bad. If it is dharma-yuddha, according to the prescribed rules, not whimsical fight, dharma-yuddha, then there is gain. This science is lost. There is no such thing. Now fighting means hooliganism, vandalism, gunda-ism. That is not fight. Here is fight: vira-gatim gate. They are all promoted.
Then at last the fighting was between Dhrtarastra and Bhima. This vrkodara... Vrkodaraviddha-gadabhimarsa. Both of them, Duryodhana and Bhima, they were very expert in fighting with gada. So when they were fighting, Balarama... Balarama... Krsna was neutral, but He was taking the side of Arjuna. He was driving the chariot. That means He was on the side of the Pandavas. But actually He was not fighting. So Balarama also did not fight, and in order to avoid any parties, He went to holy places at that time. He was traveling all over India from different holy places, one place to another. So when He returned, He had some sympathy with Duryodhana. Because Duryodhana was His disciple to learn how to fight with this gada, club, naturally He was sympathetic, Balarama was sympathetic. So when He came, they were..., fighting was going on. So just to show Him respect, they stopped fighting and everyone was silent. Because the Pandavas knew that Balarama was sympathetic with Duryodhana, and if He takes the side of Duryodhana, then everything will be spoiled, because He is the Supreme Person. But He did not do so. He advised them, "My dear Duryodhana, I know you are a great fighter. You have got strength. You have learned, you know the art of fighting. But you are not so strong as Bhima." And He advised Bhima, "My dear Bhima, you have got the strength of ten thousand elephants. Naturally you are superiorally stronger. So he knows the art better than you, and you are bodily stronger than him. So there will be no decision. The fighting will go on. Can you not stop? Because there will not be decision. The fighting will go on. Unless one is dead, the fighting will go on. So what is the use? Nobody will be victorious. The fighting will go on. Better stop."
But they remained silent. Silent means they did not like the idea. Because Bhima had many old grudges against Duryodhana, because when Draupadi was being insulted, they had to sit down silent, no protest. There were so many incidences -- rivalry, insult and counterinsult. So they took the opportunity of feeding the old grudge by fighting. Everyone was determined, "I must kill." Duryodhana was determined to kill Bhima, and Bhima was determined to kill. So when they did not listen to the instruction of Baladeva, then Baladeva left the place. He went to Dvaraka, back. Of course, Krsna was there, because Krsna was to give hint to Bhima how to kill Duryodhana. So Duryodhana, by the blessings of his mother, his whole body became iron-like solid. So by beating by the Bhima, it was not easy. So the story is that Gandhari, the mother of Duryodhana, she was great chaste woman. Because her husband was blind, she used to remain as blind woman covering the eyes. But she had some power. Chaste woman, anyone who sticks to the regulative principles, he gets a power, spiritual or material. He gets power. A brahmacari gets power if he follows brahmacarya. Everyone, if we follow the prescribed rules and regulations, automatically you become powerful.
So Gandhari had some power. So her eldest son, Duryodhana, was advised to see the mother naked. She advised, "My dear son, tomorrow morning when you come to offer your obeisances to me, you come naked. I shall see you and you will be solidified just like iron." So he was going naked and Krsna saw. So He asked him, "Where you are going?" "This is the... I am going to see my mother." "How is that? You are going naked? At least you have some langota(?). This is not good." So he took the instruction of Krsna and covered the private part with a langota. And when Gandhari saw, she saw that he was not fully naked, so she regretted, "O my dear son, I asked you to come before me naked. Why you have got this...?" "No, Krsna advised." Then she began to smile, that "My attempt is failure." So Krsna knew it, that part which was covered, that was not turned iron. The other parts turned into iron on account of seeing by Gandhari. So in this fight Krsna hinted Bhima that "You strike here. That part is not ironized." Although it is against the regulative principle to strike the opponent party below this waist, Krsna advised that "Unless you transgress this law, you cannot kill him." So he was stroken below the waist, and he was not killed, but his waist was broken. Therefore it is said vrkodaraviddha-gadabhimarsa. Then he died. This is mentioned here.
So bhagnoru-dande. Bhagna uru. Uru-danda was broken. Bhagnoru-dande dhrtarastra-putre. Dhrtarastra-putra, Duryodhana was dhrtarastra-putra. At that time, Drauni, his master was Duryodhana. A brahmana became a servant of ksatriya, that is degradation. A brahmana cannot become servant. Nobody can become servant. Only the sudras can become servant. Brahmana never becomes servant. They are instructed, satyam samo damas titiksa arjavam jnanam vijnanam astikyam brahma-karma svabhava-jam. This is brahmana's qualification. They will train the brahmacaris and the grhasthas how to become perfect, discipline. First discipline is truthfulness. A brahmana will never speak lies. That is the first qualification. So who is going to take training in that way? Nobody is interested. This is Kali-yuga. We are trying to train people "No illicit sex, no meat-eating, no gambling, no intoxication." Still, there are some failures. And if we teach in our institution, "Please do not speak lies," people will laugh: "What is this nonsense? Nowadays is it possible to remain in this society without speaking lies?" This is the position. This is called Kali-yuga. Nobody is interested to be trained up as a brahmana. Nobody is interested to be trained up as a ksatriya, neither as a vaisya. They are all sudras. Therefore it is said, kalau sudra-sambhavah. There is no training. It is very very difficult to train them to become purified by training. These statuses of life were different status of training so that ultimately one can become brahmana, and when he's fully trained up as a brahmana then he transcends the brahmana's position, and he becomes a Vaisnava.
So to become Vaisnava is not so easy thing. One has to become brahmana, then when he surpasses the stages of becoming brahmana then he becomes a Vaisnava. Suddha-sattva. Sattvam visuddham vasudeva-sabditam. Then Krsna is born. When one comes to the Vaisnava stage, then he can understand what is Krsna. Just like Krsna was born of Vasudeva. Similarly, when one comes to the stage of Vasudeva... Vasudeva means perfect Vaisnava. Do you think Krsna accepts somebody as father, an ordinary man? No. He is perfect Vaisnava. Krsna accepts somebody as mother... Who is His mother, father? Nobody can be. He is the adi-purusa. He's original person. Who can become His father, mother? But He accepts, when He descends to exhibit His lila... Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata tadatmanam [Bg. 4.7] [break] ...janma karma ca me divyam [Bg. 4.9]. Don't take ordinarily: "Oh, Krsna is born of a father, Vasudeva, and of a mother, Devaki. That's all. We know He was born." No. One has to learn who is His father, who is His mother, how He accepts His devotee as father. That is called yo janati tattvatah. This is tattvatah.
manusyanam sahasresu
kascid yatati siddhaye
yatatam api siddhanam
kascin mam vetti tattvatah
[Bg. 7.3]
To understand Krsna tattvatah, in truth, that is not so easy. It is possible for a man out of many millions of men. Manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati.
So that tattvatah one can understand simply by pure devotional service. If you become a pure devotee, without any contamination -- unalloyed devotee -- then Krsna reveals: "This is I am. I am like this." You cannot speculate upon Krsna. That is not possible. Nayam atma pravacanena labhyo na bahuna srutena na medhaya. You cannot understand Krsna simply because you are a learned Sanskrit scholar. You are a rascal. Krsna is not so easy to be understood by scholarship or Sanskrit language. Don't commit this mistake. Krsna is understood by a person to whom Krsna reveals. That is understanding. Nayam atma. This is completely said: Nayam atma, nayam atma pravacanena labhyo na medhaya. Because you have got a fertile brain, therefore you'll be able to understand Krsna? No. Na bahuna srutena. Oh, because you are very good scholar, you have studied so much... No. If Krsna reveals to you, then you'll be able. That revelation is possible when you are a devotee. Otherwise, it is not possible. Nayam atma pravacanena labhyah.
So we have to wait for that opportunity when Krsna reveals. How that revelation is possible? Atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih [BRS. 1.2.234]. By sense perception or sense speculation you cannot. Namadi. Even the chanting of Hare Krsna mantra you cannot understand. Atah sri-krsna-namadi. Nama, rupa, lila, parikara, vaisistya..., everything. You cannot understand with these blunt senses. Then how? Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah. When you engage your senses, purified senses. Sevonmukhe. Purified senses means when the senses are engaged in the service of the Lord -- everything -- then you can understand Krsna. Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah. Krsna is not your servant: "Krsna, I want to see You." No. That you cannot see. Svayam eva sphuraty adah. When He's pleased, when He sees that "Here is a pure devotee," then He reveals.
So the Pandavas were pure devotees; therefore Krsna took his side and they became victorious in the fight. And Krsna is always ready to give protection to His devotees. Kaunteya pratijanihi na me bhaktah pranasyati. His sudarsana-cakra always protects His devotees. That is the position of devotee.
Thank you very much. (end)
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