"Signs Of Ignorance Of Self"

72/12/07 Ahmedabad, Bhagavad-gita 2.1



Prabhupada:

sanjaya uvaca
tam tatha krpayavistam
asru-purnakuleksanam
visidantam idam vakyam
uvaca madhusudanah
[Bg. 2.1]

Madhusudana. Krsna is described here as Madhusudana, the killer of the demon Madhu. Madhu-kaitabha-ari. So Arjuna was attacked by a demon of forgetting his duty, being too much afflicted by bodily relationship. This is our position. In this material world, we are so much attached to this bodily relationship that it is to be considered just like we are ghostly haunted. In a poetry, Prema-vivarta, it is said that pisaci paile yena mati-cchanna haya, maya-grasta jivera haya se bhava udaya. Maya-grasta jiva. Maya-grasta. Maya means illusion, hallucination. So we are, in this material world, we are all illusioned. Illusioned means accepting something as fact which is not. Something... Just like in dream we see sometimes I am attacked with a tiger; my head is being cut off. So many things. So actually there is no tiger, my head is not being cut off, but still, I am crying: "Oh, here is a tiger, here is a tiger!" So our attachment for this world is like that. It is illusion. I am thinking that "Without me, everything will be spoiled. My presence is required." And so on, so on. Just like sometimes our political leaders. Each and every one of them thinks that without him, the whole situation will be spoiled. Even Mahatma Gandhi, he was so attached that he would not retire from political life -- unless he was killed. The attachment was so strong. But after passing away of Mahatma Gandhi or Jawaharlal Nehru or so many big, big leaders, the world is going on. There is a Bengali proverb that "When the king dies, it does not mean the kingdom stops." The kingdom goes on. But when, so long, the leader or the person in charge remains there, he thinks that "Without me, everything will be spoiled." This is called maya. This is called illusion.

According to Vedic system, therefore, there is forced renunciation. Nobody wants to retire from family life, but the Vedic injunction is that after one has passed fifty years, he must leave his family life. Pancasordhvam vanam vrajet. In the beginning, as a student life, he's trained up, brahmacari, undergoing severe austerities, penances, and taking instruction from the spiritual master about the temporary existence of this material world. In this way, he's trained up very nicely. And even after training, if he appears to be attached to this material world, he's allowed to go home and marry. And some of the brahmacaris are allowed to remain naisthika-brahmacari, without going home and accepting a wife. But one who cannot, he's allowed to accept wife and become a householder and remain there for twenty-five years. Because generally, the brahmacari was going home at the age of twenty-four years, twenty-five years. So after marriage, he may get a child. So living there for twenty-five years, means the child is grown up. Then the husband and wife takes leave, not leaving for good, but vanaprastha, traveling in pilgrimages like Vrndavana, Prayaga. That was the system. And after two months, again he comes back and remains home for another two months. Again goes out. In this way, the whole process is how to give up attachment from this family life, from this world. And when he's trained up fully, he takes sannyasa. That is our Vedic system.

So the attachment of this material world is very strong. That is stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam by Rsabhadeva: Pumsah striya mithuni-bhavam etam. This whole material world is an attachment of male and female. Pumsah striya mithuni-bhavam, sex impulse, attachment. Tayor mitho hrdaya-granthim ahuh. And when they are married, when they are united, then it becomes a hard knot in the heart. Ato grha-ksetra-sutapta-vittair janasya moho 'yam aham mameti [SB 5.5.8]. Then gradually, after being united, one becomes attached to grha, home, apartment, ksetra,... Formerly there was no industry. So everyone must have some land to produce food. Grha-ksetra, suta, then children; apta, friends; vitta, then money, because without money, nothing can be maintained. Atah grha-ksetra-sutapta-vittair janasya mohah. He becomes more and more illusioned. And aham mameti: [SB 5.5.8] "Oh, this is my country. This is my family. This is my house. This is my children." So on, so on. Mama. "Mine." And "I am this person. I am this body." This is illusion.

So Arjuna appeared to be illusioned that "How I shall fight with my brothers and grandfather on the other side?" He became so much illusioned... Tam tatha krpayavistam [Bg. 2.1]. He became illusioned not unnecessarily. He was very much compassionate, compassionate with his family members. Krpayavistam, asru-purnakuleksanam [Bg. 2.1]. And he was crying. There was tears in his eyes. Visidantam idam vakyam. And he was lamenting in this way: "How shall I fight?" So Krsna then began to speak. Krsna saw that "My friend, Arjuna, has become too much illusioned." So He wanted to kill the demon of illusion. Therefore He's mentioned herein as Madhusudana. Krsna comes. He has got two business: paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam [Bg. 4.8]. Side by side, giving protection to His devotees, sadhu... Sadhu means devotee. Devotee of Krsna is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita as sadhu. Api cet su-duracaro bhajate mam ananya-bhak, sadhur eva sa mantavyah [Bg. 9.30]. One who is strictly a pure devotee of Krsna, he is mentioned as sadhu. Sadhur eva sa mantavyah samyag vyavasito hi sah [Bg. 9.30]. He is first-class sadhu. Even if he's a grhastha, it doesn't matter. Generally, we understand sadhu means with saffron cloth. No. Sadhu's qualification is that he must be a pure devotee of Krsna. Sadhavah sadhu-bhusanah. Sadhavah sadhu-bhusanah. So now Krsna speaks, sri bhagavan uvaca. Bhagavan. This Bhagavan means one who is full with six kinds of opulences. He's called Bhagavan.

aisvaryasya samagrasya
viryasya yasasah sriyah
jnana-vairagyayas caiva
sannam bhaga itingana
(Visnu Purana 6.5.47)

Bhaga. Bhagavan and Krsna. Krsna means all-attractive. Bhagavan Sri Krsna. Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam [SB 1.3.28]. There are other great personalities. Lord Siva is also sometimes described as Bhagavan. Similarly, Lord Brahma, Narada, others are also sometimes described as Bhagavan. But real Bhagavan means Krsna. They are Bhagavan partially. All these things have been very much carefully analyzed by Srila Rupa Gosvami. He has analyzed in the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, which we have translated into English: Nectar of Devotion. He has analyzed that Krsna is cent percent Bhagavan. And Narayana is ninety-four percent Bhagavan. And Lord Siva is eighty-four percent Bhagavan. And all other living entities, all living entities, we are, we are minutely seventy-eight percent Bhagavan. That means when you come to the perfection of life, when you are actually in the spiritual stage, then you are..., you have got the qualities of Bhagavan in minute quantity, but not all the qualities -- eighty, seventy-eight percent. These have been very nicely analyzed in Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu. And the sastra says also: krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam there is a list of all the incarnations, that "Such and such incarnation appears for such and such particular activities." In that incarnation list there is name of Lord Ramacandra also, Lord Buddha also. Buddha's name is also there. But in the conclusive portion it is declared there: ete camsa-kalah pumsah krsnas tu bhagavan svayam [SB 1.3.28]. In that list, the name of Lord Krsna, Lord Balarama is there also. But the conclusion is given by Vyasadeva that "Except Krsna, all others, they are plenary expansion of Krsna, or part of plenary expansion of Krsna." Amsa-kalah. Amsa means direct expansion. And kalah means expansion of the..., secondary expansions. So it is concluded there that ete camsa-kalah pumsah. All these incarnations, they are either amsa or kalah. But Krsna, the name Krsna, krsnas tu bhagavan svayam: He's the original Personality of Godhead, Krsna.

The same thing, here Vyasadeva describes: sri bhagavan uvaca. He's not ordinary person. Bhagavan speaking. Bhagavan means... What is Bhagavan? Aisvarya. Aisvarya means riches. Nobody can be richer than Bhagavan. We have got our ideas of richness. I may be rich, but you are richer than me. Somebody is richer than you. Somebody is richer than another, another, another. You go, make proceed. When you find out the final richest person, that is Bhagavan. Aisvaryasya sama... Samagrasya. All riches. Not that partial. One may have one thousand, another man, one lakh, one man, one crore, but nobody can say that "I have got all the monies." No, that is not possible. But Bhagavan has all the monies. Aisvaryasya samagrasya viryasya. Similarly, strength, bodily strength or power. Aisvaryasya samagrasya viryasya yasasah. And similarly, reputation. We are also reputed. But nobody can be reputed than Krsna. Just like five thousand years ago He spoke this Bhagavad-gita, and He's so reputed that Krsna spoke Bhagavad-gita and still it is running on. Not only in India, but we are traveling all over the world. There are so many editions of Bhagavad-gita. So He's so reputed. So aisvaryasya samagrasya viryasya yasasah sriyah (Visnu Purana 6.5.47). And beautiful. The most beautiful. Krsna, most attractive. Yasasah sri..., jnana, knowledge, the book of knowledge which He has given, this Bhagavad-gita, there is no comparison. There is no second book in the whole world which contains so full of knowledge. So jnana. And vairagya also. In spite of all the property of Krsna, Krsna doesn't care for this material world. He is busy in the spiritual world. Radha-madhava kunja-bihari. He's busy in Vrndavana. He has many servants. Just big man has got many secretaries, servants, they look after, similarly, in this material world. His representatives -- Brahma, Visnu, Mahesvara -- they are managing the affairs of this whole universe. But He's enjoying in Vrndavana. Jaya radha-madhava kunja-bihari. He has no concern. He doesn't care what is happening here. But it, it does not mean that He doesn't care, but He has no anxiety how the things are being managed. When it is mismanaged, then sometimes Krsna comes in His Vasudeva form. Not the original Krsna. Original Krsna never leaves Vrndavana. Padam ekam na gacchati. He's always in His abode.

cintamani-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vrksa-
laksavrtesu surabhir abhipalayantam
laksmi-sahasra-sata-sambhrama-sevyamanam
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
[Bs. 5.29]

He is very much adhered to His cows. Surabhir abhipalayantam. And He's surrounded by hundreds and thousands of goddesses of fortune, these gopis. He is surrounded. Laksmi-sahasra-sata-sambhrama-sevyamanam [Bs. 5.29]. We are, we are praying goddess of fortune to have some favor, but in the spiritual world, Krsna is served by hundreds and thousands of goddess of fortune. This is Krsna's position.

So I do not know why foolish people, they do not understand what is God. Everything is there. And He comes also, personally. Not only the God's name, address, activities, and everything is there, but He comes personally also. He proves Krsna. He proved that He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When Krsna was present, He proved all these things. Aisvaryasya samagrasya viryasya yasasah sriyah (Visnu Purana 6.5.47). He proved. He had sixteen thousand wives, and each wife, a big palatial building of marble, bedecked with jewels and gardens with parijata flowers. These are description. Nobody can maintain sixteen thousand wives in sixteen thousand palaces. Not only that, not that if He enters in one palace, He lives with one wife, the other wives are vacant. No. He expanded Himself into sixteen thousand forms. And with each wife He was living comfortably. Each wife had ten children. And those children also had each ten children, grandsons. In this way, Krsna's family was more than one crore, Yadu-vamsa. So if you study from material point of view, when Krsna was present, He proved that He's Bhagavan. And Bhagavan means not a big beard and meditation. Krsna never became Bhagavan by meditation. He was not a manufactured God. He's God always. He's not manufactured. When He was on the lap of His mother Yasoda, He was God. The Putana came to kill Him, but Krsna killed him. In this way, if we read the life of Krsna, He's proved -- Bhagavan. And not only He proved Himself, but all others, great authorities, accepted Him Bhagavan. There are four Vaisnava acaryas in the recent years and one Mayavada acarya, Sankaracarya. Sankaracarya also, although he is inclined to the impersonal feature of the Lord, but he accepted Krsna: sa bhagavan svayam krsnah. He accepted: "Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana." Narayanah avyaktat. So other Vaisnava acaryas, Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, Visnusvami, Nimbarka, lately Lord Caitanya, all of them accepted Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And Arjuna, he also, when he heard from Him Bhagavad-gita, he accepted Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan, purusam sasvatam [Bg. 10.12].

So Krsna is accepted universally the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Why people are making research, "Where is God?" I do not know. Why they are uselessly taking so much hard labor to search out God? Here is God, Krsna. Bhagavan uvaca. So there is no reason, there is no, I mean to say, chance of not accepting Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Krsna personally says that mattah parataram nanyat kincid asti dhananjaya: [Bg. 7.7] "There is no more superior element above Me." Aham sarvasya prabhavah [Bg. 10.8]. "I am the origin of everything." Aham adir hi devanam [Bg 10.2]. Then... There are so many statements, "Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead." So anyone who is actually serious about understanding about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there is no difficulty. But because we are obstinate, because we are sinful, because we are lowest of the mankind, because our knowledge has been taken away by maya, and because we are atheists, we do not accept Krsna as the Supreme Personality. Otherwise, there is no reason. Krsna therefore describes: na mam duskrtino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah [Bg. 7.15]. Unless one is duskrtina, always miscreants, full of sinful life, he cannot deny Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

So our, this Krsna consciousness movement is preaching all over the world that "You are all advanced in civilization, and advanced in scientific knowledge, and advanced in everything, but you are missing one thing -- God, Krsna. So here is God. Here is Krsna. You try to understand Krsna and be Krsna conscious and make your life successful." That is our propaganda. Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. [break]

Indian: May I ask you one question?

Prabhupada: Yes.

Indian: When there is bhajana singing...

Prabhupada: Yes.

Indian: ...which I can understand the words...

Prabhupada: Hare Krsna?

Indian: Or any bhajana of God. Then, you see, understand language and everything. You see, if it is just like Mirabhai and crying, tear comes from my face, and laughing, very instant laughing, laugh...

Prabhupada: Yes.

Indian: And there is no other progress.

Prabhupada: No, that is asta-sattvika-vikara.

Indian: Sattvika-vikara.

Prabhupada: Yes, that is called vikara, transformation of spiritual platform. Yes.

Indian: But still there is something more, something more.

Prabhupada: No, that is the... When one cries, transformed, that means he's realizing Krsna.

Indian: Yes, yes...

Prabhupada: He's realizing like that. That is realization. Caitanya Mahaprabhu also used to do that. That is highest stage, maha-bhava.

Indian: Maha-bhava, yes...

Prabhupada: Yes.

Indian: So then I go in bhajana, wash out everything; I feel myself that there is only soul, no body. And then you see a man who sings or who are present, you see, they are also not their body. Simply soul.

Prabhupada: Yes, forget all material... Yes.

Indian: All these things. Then there is only soul.

Prabhupada: Yes, that is perfectional, liberated stage.

Indian: Liberated stage.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Indian: And have you explained anything about this in your Gita, in fifteen... You see? These three...?

Prabhupada: Gita is just to understand what is God. And then, when you are actually engaged in God's service, these things come. That is higher stage. Gita is the ABCD of understanding God.

Indian: So it will give you some more reflection... You see...

Prabhupada: Yes. But if we accept the ABCD, then we come to literature. Then we pass M.A. examination. Yes. So Gita is the preliminary step, first step of understanding God.

Indian: I am reading Gita from my childhood. I like it.

Prabhupada: Very good.

Indian: Yes. So I think your Gita will give me some more reflection.

Prabhupada: Yes. I am explaining as it is. I am not interpreting. So it is being accepted.

Indian: So I should read it.

Prabhupada: Thank you.

Indian: That's the inclination, that I should read the books.

Prabhupada: (laughing) Very good.

Indian: Very good.

Devotee: Hare Krsna!

Prabhupada: Jaya. (pause) Yes, let us discuss. [break]

Indian (2): ...the Pandavas. So if we do our work so perfect, we can't do it. Otherwise, we... So I am an imperfect devotee. But the question, you see, I was wondering ... all the worldly duties sincerely and honestly to our capacity pride is necessary or inevitable. "Oh, I'm a brahmana. I'm worshiping God." But pride is necessary that we must do in our own hand. I cannot.

Prabhupada: Yes. If your life is so made that in every step you are feeling presence of Krsna, then it is Krsna consciousness. That is the first-class yoga, as it is confirmed by Krsna:

yoginam api sarvesam
mad-gatenantar-atmana
sraddhavan bhajate yo mam
sa me yuktatamo matah
[Bg. 6.47]

Just like these boys, they are being trained up to think of Krsna twenty-four hours. Kirtaniyah sada harih [Cc. Adi 17.31]. Just like we have constructed this pandal. Our business is to preach Krsna. So the energy employed for constructing this temple, that is also Krsna, that energy. Somebody is doing... Anything... Nirbandhah krsna-sambandhe yuktam vairagyam ucyate. If our activities are always dovetailed for Krsna's satisfaction, that is called vairagya. Vairagya. A man is engaged in business. That's all right. But if the fruit of that business is made, is meant for Krsna, then sva-karmana tam abhyarcya. That is sva-karmana. Generally, we work for our sense gratification. "I have got this money. I must use for my sense gratification or for my relative's sense gratification or for my country's sense gratification, for my society's sense gratification." So this is materialism. But when the same thing is turned for Krsna's sense gratification, that is spiritual. That is the difference between prema and kama. Kama. It has been very simplified by Kaviraja Krsnadasa Gosvami in his Caitanya-caritamrta: atmendriya-priti-vancha tare bali ‘kama'. Atmendriya-priti. If you want to satisfy your senses, that is called kama, lust. Krsnendriya-priti-iccha dhare ‘prema' nama. The same thing, when you try to satisfy the senses of Krsna, that is called prema.

So we have to divert the activities for Krsna. That is Krsna consciousness. Just like Arjuna. Arjuna, he, in the beginning, he denied to fight. That, our subject matter. He was crying. "No, no, I cannot fight." So apparently Arjuna was very nice gentleman that he is forgetting his claim over the kingdom, he's nonviolent, he's not willing to fight with his brothers, and he was crying so compassionate. So from materialistic point of view, he was very nice. But immediately, as we'll begin tomorrow, Krsna says that "Why you are thinking like anarya?" Anarya. Anarya-justam. "This kind of thinking is not for aryas, Aryans. It is for the non-Aryans." He did not... And the whole Bhagavad-gita was spoken to Arjuna to make him arya. And at the end, Krsna inquired from Arjuna that "What is your decision?" Yathecchasi tatha kuru. But Arjuna replied, karisye tad-vacanam. Karisye vacanam tava. [Bg. 18.73] "Now I shall fight." And Krsna gave him certificate: bhakto 'si priyo 'si me. "You are very dear friend, and My great devotee." Now, fighting is not very good business, killing. But sometimes, by killing, one can become a great devotee of Krsna. He was a warrior, fighter. His business was to fight, but he fought for Krsna. Then he became a devotee. That is sva-karmana tam abhyarcya. He... Arjuna, brahmana and ksatriya. Similarly, our..., means sva-karma, guna-karma-vibhagasah. Our, according to Vedic system, there are four divisions. Catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah [Bg. 4.13]. Not by birth, but by quality and actual activities. So there are brahmanas. There are ksatriyas. There are vaisyas. There are sudras. There are brahmacaris. There are grhasthas, vanaprasthas, sannyasa. So everyone should be engaged to satisfy Krsna. That is the whole philosophy. Sva-karmana tam abhyarcya. "You work as brahmana, you work as a ksatriya, you work as a vaisya or sudra. It doesn't matter." Even Krsna has advised that "If you, even if you think that I am working as a vaisya, it is not very good, because sometimes I have to speak lie for business's sake. And brahmana's business is very nice. No." Krsna has advised: sa-dosam api na tyajet: "Even in your profession there are so many faults, you should not give it up. You should go on." But the result must be given to Krsna. That is the secret. You may work as a brahmana, as a ksatriya, as a businessman, as an engineer, as a doctor, as a warrior, whatever you may be. It is, it is never condemned. No work is condemned. Every work is dignified provided it is meant for Krsna. That is Krsna consciousness. [break]

Chant. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 2.1 -- Ahmedabad, December 7, 1972

"Krishna gave Bhagavad-gita To Get Us Out"

72/12/06 Ahmedabad, Bhagavad-gita 2.1


Prabhupada: (tape begins with mangalacarana prayers)

tam tatha krpayavistam
asru-purnakuleksanam
visidantam idam vakyam
uvaca madhusudanah
[Bg. 2.1]

So in the morning we shall discuss on the Bhagavad-gita, and the... My students, they have requested to speak in English because they cannot understand Hindi. So I think gentlemen gathered here, they'll also understand English. So kindly allow me to speak English. Now, in the first chapter of the Bhagavad-gita, the..., it is the set-up, Krsna and Arjuna. According to the order of Krsna, Arjuna, Krsna placed the chariot in between the two soldiers, two phalanxes of soldiers. Senayor ubhayor madhye ratham sthapaya me acyuta [Bg. 1.21]. Arjuna was respectful to Krsna. Krsna has accepted to be charioteer, inferior position than Krsna. Krsna is on the chariot, sitting on the throne, and, uh, Arjuna is sitting on the throne, and Krsna has taken the inferior position, driving the chariot. So this is very nice position for devotional service. Those who are not devotees, they aspire to become Krsna. Their aspiration is to merge into the existence of the Supreme, or to become one with Krsna. But in devotional service it is not the desire of the devotee to become one with Krsna, but sometimes to make Krsna as the order-carrier of the devotee. To become one with Krsna, it may be a very great position. But to become the, I mean to say, command, commander of Krsna, that is another thing. That position is greater than to become one with Krsna.

So there are five kinds of liberation. Sayujya, the first liberation is supposed to be sayujya, means, to become one with the Supreme. The Mayavada philosophers, monists, they aspire after sayujya-mukti. But the devotees, Vaisnavas, they do not aspire after sayujya-mukti. Their, for them, there are other, four kinds of mukti: sarupya, salokya, sarsti, samipya. And those who are still further advanced, they do not want any kind of mukti, neither of these five kinds of muktis. Just like Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He prays, na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagadisa kamaye [Cc. Antya 20.29, Siksastaka 4]. This is pure devotional prayer. The devotees does not approach the Supreme for any material gain. Pure devotion means without any aspiration of any kind of material gain. Or even spiritual gain.

anyabhilasita-sunyam
jnana-karmady-anavrtam
anukulyena krsnanu-
silanam bhaktir uttama
[Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.1.11]

Uttama-bhakti, first-class bhakti, what is that? Anyabhilasita-sunyam: without any kind of desire than to serve the Lord. And in the Srimad-Bhagavatam also, it is said, sa vai pumsam paro dharmah. Parah means transcendental, beyond this material conception. Krsna, or the Absolute, Narayana, that is para. Narayanah parah avyaktat. Narayana is not anything of this material world.

Narayana, Krsna, Visnu. The Absolute Personality of Godhead, He is not anything of this material world. When we use this word, nirakara, that means His form is not anything of this material world. But He has got His form. That is a transcendental form. Sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah [Bs. 5.1]. Nirakara means He, He has no such form, as we have got this material form. This material form is neither of the three transcendental bliss, sac-cid-ananda. This is asat, acit, and nirananda. This body, this material body is asat, acit, and nirananda. Therefore, when in the Vedic literature or in authorized statement we find "nirakara," that means His form does not belong to this asat, acit, or nirananda. But He has His form. Divyam. Janma karma me divyam. Divyam, transcendental. And Sripada Sankaracarya also, who especially preached impersonalism, he also admits that narayanah parah avyaktat: "Narayana, the form of Narayana, is beyond the range of this avyakta." Avyakta and...

This world is creation... Avyaktad anya-sambhavah. This world is creation of this avyakta. And beyond this avyakta, there is another nature. That is spiritual nature. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gita: paras tasmat tu bhavah anyah avyaktah avyaktat sanatanah [Bg. 8.20]. So this situation... Krsna is advising... No. I mean to say, Arjuna advising, ratham sthapaya me acyuta. Acyuta. Krsna is not cyuta. Krsna is acyuta. Cyuta means those who are fallen in the material world. They are cyuta. We are fallen in the material world. Therefore we have accepted this material body. Iccha-dvesa-samutthena sarge yanti parantapa. Iccha. Iccha means desire. And dvesa means envy, enviousness. Iccha-dvesa-samutthena. When we become envious of Krsna and we want to enjoy this material world, then we come to this material creation. Iccha-dvesa-samutthena sarge yanti parantapa.

So any one of us, we, who is in this material world, having a material body, beginning from Brahma down to the ant, a small ant, anyone of them... In the Brahma-samhita it is said that yas tv indra-gopam athavendra-maho sva-karma-bandhanurupa-phala-bhajanam atanoti [Bs. 5.54]. Indra-gopa. There is a, there is a insect which is called in Sanskrit language as indra-gopa. It is a microbe. You cannot see with these naked eyes. So this microbe is called indra, and there is another Indra, the King of Heaven. So the Brahma-samhita says, yas tu indra-gopa. And Mahendra, the King of Heaven... Beginning from this indra-gopa, up to the King of Heaven, everyone is subjected to enjoy or suffer the resultant action of his karma. By karma, by the resultant action of karma, one has become the King of Heaven, and by karma, resultant action of karma, one has become the microbic insect. This is the material world. There are 8,400,000 types or forms of this material body, and we are wandering, sarva-gata, in different planets, in different forms. This is material world. And in the material world, whatever form we may have, we have got attachment for this body. Not only attachment, we are under the impression that "I am this body." Everyone. That is material conception of life.

So that thing happened to Arjuna. In the battlefield, he identified himself as the body. He thought himself that he belongs to the Kuru family, and his family relatives, his, other side, his brother, nephews, or his grandfather... So he refused to fight. "My dear Krsna..." After placing the chariot between the two parties, senayor ubhayor madhye ratham sthapaya me acyuta [Bg. 1.21]. And then he become very much disturbed that "I have to kill the other side, my brother and my nephews, my grandfather. No, no. Krsna, I cannot. No. This is not possible. I shall not fight." This is the stage of Bhagavad-gita. Krsna became very much dissatisfied. Of course, Arjuna played the part of a conditioned soul. A conditioned soul is under the impression that he's the body. That is animal life. In the sastra it is said, "Anyone who is identifying himself with this material body, he is animal." Go-kharah. Sa eva go-kharah [SB 10.84.13]. Go means cows, and khara means ass.

yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke
sva-dhih kalatradisu bhauma ijya-dhih
yat-tirtha-buddhih salile na karhicij
janesv abhijnesu sa eva go-kharah
[SB 10.84.13]

Yasya. Anyone who is identifying this, himself, with this body, which is made of tri-dhatu... According to Ayur Vedic medical system, this body is production of kapha, pitta, vayu. Or in our modern medical science, anatomy, physiology, this body is a combination of bones, muscles, skin, blood, urine, stool. That's all. So sastra says, "If anyone thinks that he is this lump of bones, flesh, blood, urine and stool," yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke [SB 10.84.13], and sva-dhih kalatradisu, "and the production of these bones and flesh, kalatradisu..." Because we have got relationship here in this material world with wife. Kalatra means wife. Kalatra, kalatradisu: "Beginning from wife." Wife produces so many children, and therefore adi, the beginning is wife. So sva-dhih kalatradisu. "The wife and my children, they are my kith and kin." Sva-dhih kalatra, sva-dhih. "They are my own." Everyone is working... Even a great economist, Mr. Marshall, he says that economic development begins from family affection. Family affection. So unless one thinks that he has to maintain his wife, children, family, there is no question of economic development. Impetus. So yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke sva-dhih kalatradisu and bhauma ijya-dhih [SB 10.84.13]. Bhauma, this earth, as worshipable. Bhauma ijya-dhih yat-tirtha-buddhih salile: "And for pilgrimage, one who thinks that the water is tirtha..." Tirtha means where one can get transcendental knowledge. Sva-dhih kalatradisu bhauma ijya-dhih, yat-tirtha-buddhih salile na karhicij janesv abhijnesu. "...but has no interest to associate with persons who is expert in transcendental knowledge. Such, these persons, they are called go-khara." Go-khara means cows and asses. So Arjuna played the part of a go-khara. In the battlefield of Kuruksetra, he played the part of an ordinary person, go-khara, who is identifying this body as self. Therefore he required instruction. Not only... He became so much overwhelmed that he gave up his arrows and bows and sat down, tightly: "My dear Krsna, I am not, I cannot fight." And he was crying. Not only he gave up his duty, he was ksatriya, and he was crying: "Oh, I'll have to kill my kinsmen. No, no, no. I cannot do it."

this is the set-up in the first chapter of the Bhagavad-gita. This is the summary. Now sanjaya uvaca. The Sanjaya is speaking to Dhrtarastra. Sanjaya is seeing the battlefield within his heart. That is another television. And by the grace of Vyasadeva, he learned the art, that he advanced... He was so much advanced that the... Just like we see television, relay from the battlefield, and he, Duryodhana, Dhrtarastra was blind. And his secretary, Sanjaya, he was speaking. He was seeing the activities in the battlefield. Dhrtarastra inquired from him:

dharma-ksetre kuru-ksetre
samaveta yuyutsavah
mamakah pandavas caiva
kim akurvata sanjaya
[Bg. 1.1]

He was asking Sanjaya: "What did they do?" Kim akurvata sanjaya. That was the question. And first of all, Sanjaya described the arrangement in the battlefield, and then he's speaking. Now, sometimes Bhagavad-gita is misinterpreted that this battle, I mean to say, dharma-ksetra kuru-ksetra means "this body." We do not misinterpret in that way. There is no question of misinterpretation. We are presenting Bhagavad-gita as it is. We do not change by our whimsical imagination, concoction. We do not interpret the words of the Bhagavad-gita according to our own desire. No. Actually, from literary point of view, interpretation is required when things are not understood very clearly. The interpretation required. In the law court, when the lawyers try to interpret before the judge, when the terms are not very clear... That is the same way, in, in, amongst the associates and society of learned scholars. Interpretation is not required when the things are very clear. Just like the sun, sunshine, sunlight. There is no need of a lamp to show the sun. The sun is self-effulgent. It is already there. Light is there. Why one should take a lamp to show the sun? This misinterpretation has killed the spirit, the real essence, of Bhagavad-gita.

So there was so many editions and so many misinterpretation. Our, this Krsna consciousness movement, our proposition is that we are, I mean to say, presenting Bhagavad-gita as it is. We do not misinterpret. So dharma-ksetra kuru-ksetra. Kuruksetra is dharma-ksetra, the place where religious ritualistic performances are done. Kuru-ksetre dharmam acaret. That is the Vedic version. So Kuruksetra is always... Still people go for pilgrimage in Kuruksetra, and the station is there, Kuruksetra, and the place is there. People go there. Kuruksetra. Why one should interpret that kuru-ksetra means this body and Pandavas means these panca-indriyas, so many things? There is no question of interpretation. And this Mahabharata... Mahabharata means "The History of Greater India." That is Mahabharata. History, it is history. It is not a fiction. It is history. Mahabharata. This planet was formerly known as Bharata-varsa. This planet. The whole planet. Not that the piece of land, as we are calling now, Bharata-varsa. No. Before that, this planet was known as Ilavrta-varsa. And after the reign of Maharaja Bharata, the son of Rsabhadeva, this planet became Bharata-varsa. So Bharata-varsa means the whole planet. But we have lost... Just like we have lost portion of the present Bharata-varsa as Pakistan. Everyone knows, twenty years before there was no such thing as Pakistan. But circumstantially we have lost. So..., so the whole Bharata-varsa has been partitioned as this portion is called America, this portion is called Europe, this portion is called Asia. These are modern names. Actually, the whole planet was Bharata-varsa. And the whole planet was being controlled by Vedic culture. So as we have lost our Vedic culture, as we could not control the others, other people in other part of the world, by our culture, by our political maneuver, we have lost. Even up to the day of Battlefield of Kuruksetra... Why Kuruksetra? Up to the time of Maharaja Pariksit, the whole world was being controlled by one king in New Delhi, Hastinapura. There was no other kingdom. And when the battlefield was..., the battle was there, all people from all parts of body, all parts of the world, they joined, either this party or that party. That was the battlefield.

So this is the picture of the Battlefield of Kuruksetra, and Krsna is ordered by Arjuna to place the chariot in between the two soldiers. Now, after seeing the soldiers and the kings and other party, Arjuna is aggrieved, so much so that he did not like to fight, and he was crying. Now, Dhrtarastra asked Sanjaya: "Then what happened next?" Dhrtarastra was very much anxious. He said: dharma-ksetre kuru-ksetre samaveta yuyutsavah [Bg. 1.1]. "Now these two parties, yuyutsavah, they, they, they were, both of them were desirous of fighting, yuyutsavah. So one party is mamakah, my sons, and the other party is Pandavas, the sons of my brother, Pandu." Mamakah pandavas caiva [Bg. 1.1]. Now, the word is used: yuyutsavah. "They assembled for fighting." Then what is the use of asking: kim akurvata, "Then what did they do?" It is natural to conclude that when they assemble for fighting, there must be fighting. But why he was asking: kim akurvata? The suspect was that because the parties assembled in the dharma-ksetra, so they might have changed their ideas. Still, in India, if there is two fighting parties, they go to a temple and ask that "You say the right thing." So in the temple, still, in the villages, they do not dare to speak lies. Yes. The fighting and the misunderstanding becomes settled up. So Dhrtarastra was thinking whether the two parties, they have settled up. He did not like that. He wanted that "These Pandavas should be killed, and my sons," I mean to say "the Kauravas, they should come out victorious so that there will be no enemy." He was very much anxious to place his sons on the throne. Because he was blind, he could not acquire the throne. His younger brother was situated on the throne. Now, after the death of his younger brother, he thought that "I missed the opportunity of sitting on the throne. Why not my sons? They have got actual right." That is the background of this Kuruksetra battle. He was always devising some means, how the sons of Pandu, his nephews, could be separated and his sons would sit on the throne. That was his idea. Therefore he inquired, kim akurvata. Otherwise, there was no question of inquiring kim akurvata. They went there to fight. They'll fight. But he was suspecting, "If they have made any compromise?" That he did not like. That he did not like. He wanted that "There must be fighting. And they are five brothers. My sons are one hundred in number. So they would be killed, and my sons will be without any rivalry."

This is the background of Kuruksetra. But another thing is the dharma-ksetra, effect of dharma-ksetra was visible in Arjuna. Dharma-ksetra. He, because he's devotee of Krsna... Yasyasti bhaktir bhagavaty akincana sarvair gunais tatra samasate surah. Because he's devotee of Krsna, therefore he felt: "What is this? Why shall I kill these, my brothers?" Because he was devotee. This sentiment came into the mind of Arjuna, not on the other side, Duryodhana. He never thought. Although they were placed, both of them placed at dharma-ksetra. The effect of dharma-ksetra was manifest in the body of Arjuna, not Duryodhana. This is the... If one is pure, then the effects of dharma becomes manifest very quickly. Na mam duskrtino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah... [Bg. 7.15]. Krsna says in... that those who are too much sinful, sinful, simply their life is sinful, duskrtinah. Duskrtinah. Krti. Krti means one who has got good brain. But duskrtinah, but the brain is applied for mischievous activities. For mischievous activities, it also requires good brain. And similarly, for pious activities, that also requires brain. But those who are applying their brain for mischievous activities, they are called duskrtinah. So duskrtinah... Na mam duskrtino mudhah. Why they do so? Because they are mudhah, rascals. If one has got good brain, he should apply it for good work, but sometimes they are utilized... Just like a thief, he has got good brain. A rogue, he has got good brain, but he's applying for mischievous activities, for making people unhappy. That is not the right use. Jnana-khala. They are called jnana-khala. One who has got nice knowledge, it should be utilized for better purpose.

So the effect of Kuruksetra, dharma-ksetra, was visible in the person of Arjuna, not in the person of Duryodhana. That is the difference. Therefore he was crying: "So I am put in such a position that I have to fight and I have to kill my brothers, my nephews, my grandfather." He was too much affected. Although it is weakness, but it is not actually weakness. It is compassion. Arjuna was not a coward, neither he was less heroic than the other side. But out of compassion, because he was devotee... Devotees, they are para-duhkha-duhkhi. The, the symptom of a devotee is they are unhappy by seeing others unhappy. That is the symptom of devotee. Generally, a person, if he sees somebody happy, he becomes happy. Matsarata. That is the world situation. If I see my brother is very happy, he has improved in his material condition, then I become unhappy: "He has advanced so much, and I could not do so." This is material civilization. Envious, grhamedhi. Everyone is envious. Either you take person to person or neighbor to neighbor, their sympathy is lip sympathy. Actually, everyone is envious. Businessman to businessman, nation to nation. This is material world. Therefore spiritual advancement means for person who is not envious. Not envious. Paramo nirmatsaranam satam vastavya-vastu vedyam. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said that if you want to know the real truth, vastavya-vastu, the one must become paramo nirmatsaram. Nirmatsara. Matsara, matsara means envious, and nirmatsara, not envious. And parama, first-class nirmatsara. Therefore Vyasadeva says that: dharmah projjhita-kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmatsaranam [SB 1.1.2]. In the introduction of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Vyasadeva says who are the candidates to understand this science of God, Srimad-Bhagavatam? It is not for the persons who are entangled in cheating religious system. Cheating, dharmah kaitavah. Kaitava means cheating. So cheating type of religious system are kicked out from this book, Srimad-Bhagavatam, but it is meant for persons who are not envious, paramo nirmatsaranam satam. Vastavya-vastu. One who wants to learn reality, not false reality. This, here, in this material world, everything is false reality. Just like we are trying to find out water in the desert. That is the example, mirage, false... There is no water. But the animal, he sees that there is water, vast water, and he runs after it and dies. So here in this material world also, every one of us, running after the false mirage, that "There is happiness, there is happiness, there is happiness." This is called material condition, and we are envious. This is the position, and therefore Krsna begins the Bhagavad-gita to get out of this ignorance and enviousness, and this is the basic principle of Bhagavad-gita.

So we shall discuss tomorrow again. Thank you very much. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 2.1 -- Ahmedabad, December 6, 1972