66/03/04 New York, Bhagavad-gita 2.11
Prabhupada: So Krsna is, in this sen..., He's identified, that bhagavan. Bhagavan means that nobody can surpass His knowledge. Because I have already given the definition of bhagavan, that a personality who is in full, all the opulences -- wealth, strength, fame and knowledge, beauty and renunciation -- He is God. You see? So... Now, in this, at the present moment, when people are godless, I think, this definition is convincing. If you find out a personality that, one who has got in full all these opulences, He is God. Then it will be very difficult to present an ordinary man as God. You see? You'll find that in the Bhagavad-gita, when Arjuna was convinced that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead... But because in future others will have doubt about Krsna, he requested Krsna that "Will You show me Your universal form?" And Krsna agreed and showed him the universal form. That means in future any intelligent man, accepting a so-called God, may also ask him, "Just show something, that you are God." Without showing something, simply by false advertisement, one cannot be God. So whole mistake is that we do not know what is God. We consider God may be just like one of us. No. The God who is controlling such a huge affairs of universal administration, He cannot be, He is superconscious. That is superconsciousness.
Now, here, asocyan anvasocas tvam prajna-vadams ca bhasase [Bg. 2.11]. Now, the whole living existence is a very subtle thing. Now, this body, this body made of earth, water, fire, air, sky, this gross body; and behind this, there is another subtle body. That is mind, intelligence and ego. So when we give up this gross body, that subtle body carries me to another gross body. So when this, this body is lifeless, that body, subtle body, is not lifeless. Just like at night, when this gross body is asleep, the subtle body works. Therefore we dream. So subtle body carries to next life. And I have given in the introduction that how one man changes his body. Yam yam vapi smaran bhavam tyajaty ante kalevaram [Bg. 8.6]. Now, the subtle body, I mean to say, mind, intelligence and ego, when these three things, psychic life, is absorbed in a certain kind of thought, the dying man gets a similar body in the next life. The, that we shall come when we make progress in the study of Bhagavad-gita. Just like the air passing over the rose tree carries the flavor of the rose, and the air passing over a filthy place carries the flavor of that filthy place -- the air is pure, but because it is passing over certain conditions, it carries the flavor -- similarly, the mind, intelligence and ego carries the flavor of our present activities to the next life. That is the subtle mystery of transmigration of the soul from one body to another. Now, if this, this life we purify just like rose, then next life we shall get a body which is full of flavor. If, if, if in this life, if we practice devotion of God, then next life is to become the associate of God. That cintamani-prakara-sadmasu... We are transferred to that planet. You see? These are simple things. The whole thing is in my hand. If I want to be degraded, I can prepare myself in this life for such degradation in the next life. And if we want to elevate ourself to the highest perfection of life, as to become one of the associates of God, we can prepare ourself like that. You'll find in the, in the advanced chapters, that yanti deva-vrata devan pitrn yanti pitr-vratah [Bg. 9.25]. Now, we are trying to go to the moon planet. Now, here, in this life, if cultivate ourself for the same thought, the moon planet... That means the moon planet, about moon planet, we have to hear, and we have to think that "I shall go in such and such place." Unless you hear, you cannot abide here. Just like our friend, Mr. Cohen, he has left for California. Now, so far I am concerned, I have no idea of California. Now, he has told me that after reaching there, he'll write about the description of the place. Now, suppose if, reading that description of the place, I think of going there, so I prepare myself, "Oh, I must go there." So just like I, I was describing that cintamani-dhama [Bs. 5.29], what sort of trees are there. And you were very much pleased that "I must go there." So we have to hear. Unless we hear what sort of God He is, what sort of God's place is, what is the mode of life there, we cannot be attracted. We cannot be attracted.
So here they say that gatasun agatasums ca. There are two, two sort of bodies in which we are now entered. Now, suppose this gross body appears to be now dead and gone, stopped, but one must know that subtle body has carried him to another body. So subtle body is not lost life. The life is there. So here Krsna says that either of the gross body or of... Subtle body has to be also left. When you get liberation, when you get liberation, that subtle body, that egoistic life, has also to be left. Now, at any condition, the body has to be left. So why one should cry for this body? Therefore Krsna says that "A learned man does not lament over this body." The whole question, that a soul is different from this body, the whole question is solved in one verse. You see? Gatasun agatasums ca nanusocanti panditah [Bg. 2.11]. "One who is actually learned, he does not, he has no concern of this body. He's concerned with the activities of the soul. So you are speaking of so many things that 'If these, my friends, die, the, I mean to say, their wives will become widow.' These are all... According to the bodily relation, you are speaking. And you are posing yourself just like a very learned man, but you are a fool number one because your whole conception is on the body. Your whole conception of argument with Me was on the body, but you are, you are posing himself just as if you are very learned man." So anyone who has got conception, the identification of this body, he's not a learned man. He's a fool. He may be, in the calculation of academic education, he may be B.A., M.A., Ph.D., DAC, or something like, doctors and..., but if he has got his identification with this body, he's not a learned man according to Bhagavad-gita. Not only according, according to whole Vedic literature. This is the first instruction. This is the... If we want to make progress towards spiritual advancement of knowledge, this preliminary knowledge we must have, that "I am not this body. I am not this body." This is the preliminary standing of spiritual knowledge. This is not advancement. This is simply A-B-C-D, ABCD of spiritual life. In the Bhagavata there is a very nice verse in this connection in which it is stated, yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke sva-dhih kalatradisu bhauma-ijya-dhih [SB 10.84.13]. Yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke. Kunape means this bag, this bag made of three elements. Now, according to Ayurvedic medical system, this body is made of three elements: kapha, pitta, vayu.
Woman: Three elements?
Prabhupada: Yes. Kapha. Kapha means cold, coldness.
Woman: Common.
Prabhupada: Cough, cough, what do you call cough? Coughing. Yes. Kapha, pitta, vayu: "coldness, heat and air." Yes. Only these three things constitute this body. Therefore it is called a bag made of three elements: coldness, air and fire, heat. Heat, coldness and air -- this body's made.
Woman: What, what does coldness stand for?
Prabhupada: Coldness, you can take it for water, or secretion.
Woman: Water.
Prabhupada: Yes.
Woman: Yes. Water, fire and air.
Prabhupada: Water, fire and air.
Woman: That's better.
Prabhupada: Now, the Bhagavata says that yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke: [SB 10.84.13] "If anyone, he's identified with this body made of water, air and fire..." And yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke. This is a body made of three things. Now... And sva-dhih kalatradisu: "And if one thinks the issues, the by-products of this body as his own kinsmen..." Just like my children, my wife, my relatives, my father, my mother, my brother, my nation, my society -- everything is due to this bodily relation. And there are thousands of women loitering in the street of New York, and suppose I have got some ma..., bodily connection with you, I call you my wife. And because I have got bodily relation with you, all the children produced by you, they are my children. You see? So whole thing is... The basic principle is wrong, that "I am this body." Now, from the expansion of the body, the whole thing, the whole thing is false. Because I am not this body, so my expansion of body is also not I am. But whole world is going on on this false impression. The whole world is going on. The fight, the fighting between one nation and another nation -- because due to this body. So yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke [SB 10.84.13]. "One who is identified with this body, which is made of water, fire and, water, fire and air, and the issues from this body as kinsmen and own men..." Yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dha.., sva-dhih kalatradisu: "And," I mean to say, "attachment, attachment for such issues..." And bhauma-ijya-dhih: "And the land from which this body has grown up, that is worshipable." Now everybody is fighting for the land. "Oh, we are Indian." "We are Pakistani." "We are Vietnamese." "We are Americans." "We are German." The fighting, so much fighting is going on. The land, for the land. So land, land has become worshipable, so worshipable that one is sacrificed his valuable life for that land. You see? But the land is so dear, why? This body has become grown up from this land. So that is also there, the bodily connection.
So yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke sva-dhih kalatradisu bhauma-ijya-dhih [SB 10.84.13]. In the land... They have no meaning for God. Now, the Russian philosophy, they have no meaning for God, but they have every meaning for their land, for the land. So land has been identified as worshipable, and they're prepared to sacrifice anything for the land. So yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke: "One who is identified with this body and one who thinks the bodily offshoots as his own men, and the land from which the body has grown as worshipable," yat-tirtha-buddhih salile.
Yat-tirtha-buddhih salile. Now, in Christian world also, that the water of the Jordan River is sacred is considered. Similarly, Hindus also, when they go to some pilgrimage, they take bath on the sacred river. But one should know that going to the sacred place does not mean simply to take bath in that water. Real meaning of going to a sacred place -- to find out some intelligent scholar in spiritual knowledge. They are living there. To make association with them, to take knowledge from them -- that is the purpose of going to pilgrimage. Because in pilgrimage, holy places... Just like I, my residence is at Vrndavana. So at Vrndavana there are many great scholars and saintly persons living. So one should go to such holy places not simply to take bath in the water, but he must be intelligent enough to find out some spiritually advanced man living there and take instruction from him and (be) benefited by that. But he does not go. He takes simply bath and purchases some goods and advertises, "Oh, I have been to such and such pilgrimage." Well... yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke [SB 10.84.13] and yat-tirtha-buddhih salile na karhicij janesv abhijnesu: "He has the attachment for pilgrimage, for taking bath only, but he has no attraction for the learned people there." You see?
So such kind of man is considered as ass. Sa eva go-kharah [SB 10.84.13]. Go-khara. Go-khara. Go means cow or..., and khara means ass. So practically the whole world is moving as the civilization of cow and asses because the whole thing is identification with this... The center is this body, and expansion of the body, the attraction, whole attraction is there. Yes? You want to...?
Woman: Yes. In the Indian places known as sacred places...
Prabhupada: Sac... Yes.
Woman: ...isn't ...sacred places...
Prabhupada: Yes.
Woman: ...isn't it also a fact that there is more magnetism there because of the meeting of...
Prabhupada: Oh, yes. Certainly.
Woman: ...saints and more people...?(?)
Prabhupada: Certainly. Certainly. Certainly. Therefore the place itself has got some magnetism. You see?
Woman: Yes. And when...
Prabhupada: Just like at Vrndavana, at Vrndavana... That is practical. Now here I am sitting, New York, a very great, the world's greatest city, so magnificent city, but my heart is always hankering after that Vrndavana.
Woman: Yes.
Prabhupada: Yes. I am not happy here.
Woman: Yes, I know.
Prabhupada: I shall be very happy to return to my Vrndavana, that sacred place. "But then why you are...?" Now, because it is my duty. I have brought some message for you people. Because I am ordered by superior, my spiritual master, that "Whatever you have learned, you should go to the Western countries, and you must distribute this knowledge." So in spite of all my difficulties, all my inconveniences, I am here because I am in duty. I, I... That is my personal convenience, if I go and sit down at Vrndavana, I shall be very comfortable there. And I'll be, I'll have no anxiety, nothing of the sort. You see? But I have taken all the risk in the old age because I am in duty-bound. I am in duty-bound. So I have to execute my duty in spite of all my inconveniences. That is the idea.
So this is the whole thing, the whole basic principle of spiritual advancement of knowledge. One should first be convinced that he is not this body. He is not this body. Then other spiritual knowledge will begin. This is the basic principle. You'll find it. You'll find it in the Bhagavad-gita that this situation of spiritual life is called brahma-bhutah. Brahman. So
brahma-bhutah prasannatma
na socati na kanksati
samah sarvesu bhutesu
mad-bhaktim labhate param
[Bg. 18.54]
So the, unless one understands himself, he also cannot understand God also. In his, in his misunderstanding position... Now, what Dr. Mishra is teaching is very nice because he is teaching that "Just first of all you know 'What I am, what I...' " That's very good. But that "what I am" can be known from the Bhagavad-gita also, that "I am not this body. I am not this body." That knowledge, at least theoretically, one must accept, that "I am not this body." Now Krsna is describing that what is the position. I am not this body. That's all right. Now, actually, what we are? What we are? I'm not body. That's all right. Then what we are? Now, the next, next version is Krsna... We must always know that Krsna... Here it is said, bhagavan uvaca. Bhagavan uvaca. Bhagavan uvaca means that He has got so extensive knowledge that there cannot be any mistake. He's authority. He's authority. So whatever He says is right. Is right. That is the conception of bhagavan. Here it is not said, Krsnah uvaca. Because somebody may doubt Krsna, that "Krsna was a historical personality. Why you should be so much concerned with Krsna?" as is general view. But here it is said, bhagavan uvaca. And I have given you the definition of Bhagavan, that He is all knowledge. So whatever He will speak, Bhagavan, there cannot be any mistake. For ordinary persons, there are four, I mean to say, difficulties, four imperfectness. Just like we are ordinary man. We have got four imperfectness. What is that imperfectness? That we must commit mistake. We must commit mistake. Our constitutional position at the present moment is such that we are sure to commit mistake. Even greatest politician like Gandhi, he committed mistake, and so many great men, they committed mistake. "To err is human," therefore, it is called, that any, any man, however he may be great in the estimation of this world, he is sure to commit mistake. And another imperfection is that he is illusioned.
Woman: Illusioned.
Prabhupada: Illusioned. Now, illusioned you can see. Illusioned means taking one thing for another. That is called illusion. Just like in the desert, accepting the sand as water. That is called illusion. Similarly, every one of us who are identified with this body, he's under illusion. That is a false thing, but he has no knowledge. Even President Johnson, he's under illusion. Even the greatest scientist, he's under this illusion. So that, one is sure to commit mistake, and one is under illusion, and bhrama, pramada and vipralambhana... Vipralambhana means the tendency for cheating.
Woman: That is the fourth?
Prabhupada: That is the third. First is that one is sure to commit mistake, one is sure to be in illusion, and one is adapted to cheat others. Now, he is imperfect, but he wants to give knowledge to others. That is cheating. Everyone is imperfect, but he wants to give knowledge to others. Then you can ask that "You are also giving us knowledge?" No, I am not giving you knowledge. I am speaking Bhagavad-gita. I am giving you knowledge as given by Lord Krsna. It is not my knowledge.
Woman: But this is own interpretation.
Prabhupada: Eh? Not interpretation. It is reading.
Woman: One can cheat.
Prabhupada: I give you... Cheat. No, that is also in the definition of a conditioned soul. These four principles are there. It is not my manufactured thing. The, these are information from authoritative scripture, that a conditioned soul has four imperfectness. One imperfectness is that he's sure to commit mistake. He's illusioned, and he has got a tendency to cheat, and, above all, his senses are imperfect. So anyone who is above all these four imperfectness -- who never commits mistake, who is never illusioned, who never cheats others, and who has got perfect senses -- He is God. That is also another definition of God. He may not be... God is Supreme, God, but anyone who comes to this stage of life, he's liberated. He's lib..., as good as God. Yes?
Student: Do you say, eh..? (incomplete) (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 2.11 -- New York, March 4, 1966
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
"Associate With Faithful"
"Associate With Faithful"
75/02/11 Mexico, Bhagavad-gita 2.11
Prabhupada:
sri bhagavan uvaca
asocyan anvasocas tvam
prajna-vadams ca bhasase
gatasun agatasums ca
nanusocanti panditah
[Bg. 2.11]
Sri bhagavan uvaca. Bhagavan means the Supreme Being. In the English dictionary when you consult the word God, it is stated there, "the Supreme Being." What is that Supreme Being? We are all living being, but amongst ourself there is comparative, superlative positions. I am here; you are here; he is there. So you may be better than me, he may be better than you, and somebody else may be better than him. In this way you go on searching after one better than the other. When you ultimately come to a point that nobody is better then him, that is Bhagavan.
Bhaga means opulence. So there are six kinds of opulences. One opulence is to become very rich, another opulence is to become very powerful, another opulence is to become very strong, another opulence is to become very famous, another opulence is to become very wise, and another opulence is to become very much renounced. So these six kinds of opulences, when present in the superlative degree, that is Bhagavan. This means, as it is stated in the Vedic literature, na tasya samah adhikas ca drsyate: "Nobody is found equal to Him or greater than Him." In this material world any person you take, next moment you'll find somebody equal to him and somebody greater than him. But the Vedic information is: God means who has no equal and who has no greater person than Him. Actually Bhagavad-gita was spoken by Krsna, and here it is said, bhagavan uvaca. So Bhagavan, the Supreme God, means Krsna. That is the statement in all Vedic literature.
isvarah paramah krsnah
sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah
anadir adir govindah
sarva-karana-karanam
[Bs. 5.1]
Means that isvara, controller, the supreme controller is Krsna. We are also controller. I control a few people, you control a few men, another control more men, another, more men, or... You can go on. But the supreme controller, who controls everyone, all big controllers, that is Krsna. Therefore, when it is said, bhagavan uvaca, that means the version which is presented herewith was spoken by the supreme controller.
So our process of receiving knowledge is from the supreme controller because, according to the definition already given -- wise, the most wise -- Krsna, or Bhagavan, is the most wise. Therefore, if we receive knowledge from the most wise, then there is no flaw. That is our principle, that we are receiving from Krsna, the supreme controller, directly. Just like when there is some misunderstanding, we take help from the law books because in the law book or in the law court, the decision is obligatory to both the parties. So to give knowledge there are many, many parties, but when we receive knowledge from the Supreme, that is all-inclusive. So here Krsna says, asocyan anvasocas tvam prajna-vadams ca bhasase [Bg. 2.11]. Arjuna has accepted the guidance of Krsna. He has said previously that "The position is very perplexing. Therefore I accept You as my spiritual master, and You kindly give me enlightenment." This is the process. We should approach the Supreme or the representative of the Supreme, just like the same example: when there is any controversy, we refer to the law book or to the lawyer, or we take the decision of the law court, and that is final.
So here Krsna says to Arjuna that... Because he has accepted the leadership of Krsna, therefore Krsna is chastising him in this way. He is chastising in this way, that Arjuna was talking with Krsna as friends. So friends means equal status, but he gave up that status. He took the status of a disciple. A disciple means who voluntarily agrees to be disciplined by the spiritual master. When one becomes disciple, he cannot disobey the order of the spiritual master. Sisya. Sisya, this word, comes from the root sas-dhatu, means "I accept your ruling." So previously Arjuna has accepted, sisyas te 'ham sadhi mam prapannam: [Bg. 2.7] "I am now surrendered to You, and I agree voluntarily to accept Your ruling." This is the relationship between the spiritual master and the disciple. So we have got ten kinds of offenses in chanting the Hare Krsna mantra. So the first offense is guror avajna, means to disobey the orders of guru, spiritual master. One cannot disobey the orders of guru. Caitanya Mahaprabhu, although He is Krsna Himself, he also says, guru more murkha dekhi' karila sasana: [Cc. Adi 7.71] "My guru, My spiritual master, saw Me a fool, and therefore he has chastised Me." So therefore Krsna... Because Arjuna has accepted Krsna as guru, therefore He is chastising him that "You are lamenting on a subject matter which is not done by any learned man." That means "You are not a learned man. You are fool." "The learned man does not do like this" -- that means "You are not learned man because you are doing this." So Krsna said that "You... Practically you are not in the knowledge of things. Still, you are lamenting on the bodily concept of life." Anyone who accepts this body as self, he is not only unlearned, but he is compared with the animal. That is the
statement in the Vedic literature,
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]
Go means cow, and khara means ass. So anyone who accepts this body as self, he is animal, he is not human being. That is the beginning of knowledge. People are accepting knowledge from a school, college, university, but at the present moment at least, how many people know that he is not body? Unless we understand this first principle of knowledge, there is no question of spiritual advancement of life. So the beginning of Bhagavad-gita is to give lesson that we are not this body. It will be later on explained that the spirit soul, or the real person, is within this body. Just like we are here. We are within this shirt and coat, but we are not the shirt and coat. So if the shirt and coat is stolen and if somebody becomes mad after it and lamenting, that is not very good sense. Therefore He is saying that asocyan anvasocas tvam: [Bg. 2.11] "You are lamenting on the subject matter which is never done by any learned man." So we shall go further on? Yes? Read, you, purport in Spanish. [break]
Hrdayananda: (translating question from Spanish) ...one does not follow the instructions of guru.
Prabhupada: Then he's misguided. A ship without rudder, or without captain. A ship without captain.
Hrdayananda: (translating) He wants to know why Lord Caitanya is not mentioned in the Bhagavatam with the other incarnations.
Prabhupada: He has not mentioned, but Bhagavata has mentioned. No, you don't bring any other question. You talk about this, which we have lectured. In this way, if you bring other question, that is not... We are discussing one verse. You can put question on this, not irrelevant question. Of course, that is not irrelevant, but not in connection with these verses. So question means in connection with this verse.
Hrdayananda: (translating) How can we understand the guru?
Prabhupada: How do you understand? When you go for treatment to a physician, how do you understand that here is a physician? How do you understand? Tell me?
Hrdayananda: He says by the title and reputation.
Prabhupada: Yes. Some way or other, you know that he is a physician. So similarly, you have to find out guru. Guru... First of all, who requires a guru? That is the question. Because guru is not a fashion... The... It is said in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, tasmad gurum prapadyeta: [SB 11.3.21] "On account of this, you should go to a guru." What is that account? Tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuh sreya uttamam: "One who is very much inquisitive to know about spiritual affair, he requires a guru." Spiritual affair means that... We are in this material world. We are suffering. When the question will come in one's mind, "Why I am suffering?" that is spiritual. Just like an animal is being taken to the slaughterhouse. He cannot inquire, "Why I am being taken to the slaughterhouse?" But if a man is being taken forcibly, he'll protest; he will cry; he'll call crowd. Therefore human being can inquire about spiritual affair. So when there is spiritual inquiry, then one requires a guru. And by going to guru, as it is stated, tad viddhi pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya [Bg. 4.34]. One has to learn by surrendering, pranipata. So first of all there must be a strong impulse to inquire about the transcendental subject matter. Then one requires a guru. Not that, to follow a fashion, that one has guru. Acaryavan puruso veda. Unless one becomes under the control of acarya, he has no perfect knowledge. Therefore the Vedas says, tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet: [MU 1.2.12] "For understanding that transcendental science, one must approach a guru." And what is the symptom of guru? Samit-panih srotriyam brahma-nistham: Guru means one who has complete knowledge of Vedic version, and not only that, he is a staunch or fixed-up devotee of the Supreme Lord. These are the qualification. The guru strictly follows the Vedic injunction and teaches the same thing to his disciple. That is guru. So first thing is: one must be inquisitive to understand about the spiritual subject matter. Just like you have come here in this temple. You know that here nothing like political meeting is going on. Here something spiritual matter is being discussed. Therefore you have come. This inclination is the beginning of spiritual life. This is called sraddha. Sraddha means faith.
So this sraddha has to be developed further, and to develop this sraddha, or faith, one has to associate with persons who are keeping with this faith. Therefore it is said, adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sangah: [Cc. Madhya 23.14-15] "First of all faith, then to associate with persons who are devotees and faithful..." In this way, when further development is done, then atha bhajana-kriya, means the learning the process of devotional service. [break] ...gambling, no meat-eating. These are not wanted. In the beginning of life nobody smokes or nobody becomes intoxicated. It is learned by bad association. Similarly, it can be given up by good association. They are called anarthas. Anartha means unwanted bad habits. So when we are children, innocent, we have no bad habits, but as we grow and associate with bad company, we also acquire all these bad habits. So to give up all these bad habits means we have to associate with sadhus or devotees, saintly persons. Then we can give it up. This is called anartha-nivrtti, means giving up all unwanted bad habits. These things are not wanted. Nobody dies if he does not smoke or drink. Nobody dies. So artificially we learn it, so by good association we can give it up. So when we are purified out of all the bad habits, then we become fixed up in spiritual knowledge. So in this way we make advance in spiritual life, and at the last stage we become lover of God. This is the process, and one who teaches this process, he is guru. This is the definition of guru.
Hrdayananda: (translating)
Prabhupada: I do not know what you said. What he said?
Devotee: Devotee is compassionate to the sufferings of others.
Prabhupada: What is that? I cannot follow.
Paramahamsa: There's a tendency for someone who hears this verse to think that one should become callous to the sufferings of others.
Prabhupada: Where it is?
Paramahamsa: Well, there's a tendency to misunderstand it in that way.
Prabhupada: No, when we are teaching, it is because the people are suffering on account of ignorance. Therefore we are teaching. How we are callous? We are not callous; we are very much sympathetic to give them knowledge. How do you say? The devotees are not callous. Why they are touring all over the world, accepting so much trouble, opposition? Because they are very much sympathetic with the people who are suffering out of ignorance. They are the most sympathetic friend of the human society. So this is not true that they are callous. So any other question?
Hrdayananda: (translating) If we've already committed so many offenses to chanting, now, at this point, how can we purify ourselves?
Prabhupada: If you... You don't commit offense. Why do you voluntarily commit offense? You should not commit offense. Then it will be all right, purified.
Hrdayananda: (translating) He wants to know how we can increase our desire for sankirtana.
Prabhupada: By performing sankirtana. Just like if a man drinks and if he drinks, drinks, then you become a drunkard. (laughter) Drink more and you become drunkard. Similarly, chant more and you become perfect chanter.
Hrdayananda: (translating) He wants to know if the greatest offense is to disobey the guru.
Prabhupada: Yes, that is the first offense. Guror avajna, sruti-sastra-nindanam. Sruti-sastra-nindanam guror avajna. If you accept guru and again disobey him, then what is your position? You are not a gentleman. You promise before guru, before Krsna, before fire, that "I shall obey your order; I shall execute this," and again you do not do this. Then you are not even a gentleman, what to speak about devotee. This is common sense.
Hrdayananda: (Spanish)
Prabhupada: You cannot understand? What is that?
Hrdayananda: A devotee, how can he control his tongue?
Prabhupada: He can take prasadam. (laughter) Bhaktivinoda Thakura has said like that, ta'ra madhye jihwa ati, lobhamoy sudurmati, ta'ke jeta kathina samsare: "Out of all the senses, the tongue sense is very powerful. So it is very difficult to control it." So he says, ta'ra madhye jihwa ati, lobhamoy sudurmati: "The tongue is very greedy and very difficult to be controlled. Therefore Krsna has given us one weapon." What is that? Krsna baro doyamoy, koribare jihwa jay, swa-prasad-anna dilo bhai: "Krsna is very kind. Therefore He has given us His remnants of foodstuff." So if we make this promise, that "I shall not take anything which is not offered to Krsna," then your tongue will be controlled. And in the sastra it is said that you cannot understand Krsna... Atah sri-krsna-namadi. Not only Krsna, even His name you cannot understand with these imperfect senses.
atah sri-krsna-namadi
na bhaved grahyam indriyaih
sevonmukhe hi jihvadau
svayam eva sphuraty adah
[Brs. 1.2.234]
"But when you engage your tongue in the service of Krsna, then Krsna reveals Himself." So the tongue's business is twofold. One is with tongue we speak -- it vibrates sound -- and another business is with tongue we taste nice foodstuff. So if you engage this tongue in the matter of Krsna's service by vibrating Hare Krsna mantra, and if you don't allow your tongue to touch anything which is not offered to Krsna, then you become immediately Krsna-realized soul. So when the tongue is controlled, all other senses are automatically controlled. This is the process. Now again engage your tongue, chanting Hare Krsna. (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 2.11 (with Spanish translator) -- Mexico, February 11,
75/02/11 Mexico, Bhagavad-gita 2.11
Prabhupada:
sri bhagavan uvaca
asocyan anvasocas tvam
prajna-vadams ca bhasase
gatasun agatasums ca
nanusocanti panditah
[Bg. 2.11]
Sri bhagavan uvaca. Bhagavan means the Supreme Being. In the English dictionary when you consult the word God, it is stated there, "the Supreme Being." What is that Supreme Being? We are all living being, but amongst ourself there is comparative, superlative positions. I am here; you are here; he is there. So you may be better than me, he may be better than you, and somebody else may be better than him. In this way you go on searching after one better than the other. When you ultimately come to a point that nobody is better then him, that is Bhagavan.
Bhaga means opulence. So there are six kinds of opulences. One opulence is to become very rich, another opulence is to become very powerful, another opulence is to become very strong, another opulence is to become very famous, another opulence is to become very wise, and another opulence is to become very much renounced. So these six kinds of opulences, when present in the superlative degree, that is Bhagavan. This means, as it is stated in the Vedic literature, na tasya samah adhikas ca drsyate: "Nobody is found equal to Him or greater than Him." In this material world any person you take, next moment you'll find somebody equal to him and somebody greater than him. But the Vedic information is: God means who has no equal and who has no greater person than Him. Actually Bhagavad-gita was spoken by Krsna, and here it is said, bhagavan uvaca. So Bhagavan, the Supreme God, means Krsna. That is the statement in all Vedic literature.
isvarah paramah krsnah
sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah
anadir adir govindah
sarva-karana-karanam
[Bs. 5.1]
Means that isvara, controller, the supreme controller is Krsna. We are also controller. I control a few people, you control a few men, another control more men, another, more men, or... You can go on. But the supreme controller, who controls everyone, all big controllers, that is Krsna. Therefore, when it is said, bhagavan uvaca, that means the version which is presented herewith was spoken by the supreme controller.
So our process of receiving knowledge is from the supreme controller because, according to the definition already given -- wise, the most wise -- Krsna, or Bhagavan, is the most wise. Therefore, if we receive knowledge from the most wise, then there is no flaw. That is our principle, that we are receiving from Krsna, the supreme controller, directly. Just like when there is some misunderstanding, we take help from the law books because in the law book or in the law court, the decision is obligatory to both the parties. So to give knowledge there are many, many parties, but when we receive knowledge from the Supreme, that is all-inclusive. So here Krsna says, asocyan anvasocas tvam prajna-vadams ca bhasase [Bg. 2.11]. Arjuna has accepted the guidance of Krsna. He has said previously that "The position is very perplexing. Therefore I accept You as my spiritual master, and You kindly give me enlightenment." This is the process. We should approach the Supreme or the representative of the Supreme, just like the same example: when there is any controversy, we refer to the law book or to the lawyer, or we take the decision of the law court, and that is final.
So here Krsna says to Arjuna that... Because he has accepted the leadership of Krsna, therefore Krsna is chastising him in this way. He is chastising in this way, that Arjuna was talking with Krsna as friends. So friends means equal status, but he gave up that status. He took the status of a disciple. A disciple means who voluntarily agrees to be disciplined by the spiritual master. When one becomes disciple, he cannot disobey the order of the spiritual master. Sisya. Sisya, this word, comes from the root sas-dhatu, means "I accept your ruling." So previously Arjuna has accepted, sisyas te 'ham sadhi mam prapannam: [Bg. 2.7] "I am now surrendered to You, and I agree voluntarily to accept Your ruling." This is the relationship between the spiritual master and the disciple. So we have got ten kinds of offenses in chanting the Hare Krsna mantra. So the first offense is guror avajna, means to disobey the orders of guru, spiritual master. One cannot disobey the orders of guru. Caitanya Mahaprabhu, although He is Krsna Himself, he also says, guru more murkha dekhi' karila sasana: [Cc. Adi 7.71] "My guru, My spiritual master, saw Me a fool, and therefore he has chastised Me." So therefore Krsna... Because Arjuna has accepted Krsna as guru, therefore He is chastising him that "You are lamenting on a subject matter which is not done by any learned man." That means "You are not a learned man. You are fool." "The learned man does not do like this" -- that means "You are not learned man because you are doing this." So Krsna said that "You... Practically you are not in the knowledge of things. Still, you are lamenting on the bodily concept of life." Anyone who accepts this body as self, he is not only unlearned, but he is compared with the animal. That is the
statement in the Vedic literature,
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]
Go means cow, and khara means ass. So anyone who accepts this body as self, he is animal, he is not human being. That is the beginning of knowledge. People are accepting knowledge from a school, college, university, but at the present moment at least, how many people know that he is not body? Unless we understand this first principle of knowledge, there is no question of spiritual advancement of life. So the beginning of Bhagavad-gita is to give lesson that we are not this body. It will be later on explained that the spirit soul, or the real person, is within this body. Just like we are here. We are within this shirt and coat, but we are not the shirt and coat. So if the shirt and coat is stolen and if somebody becomes mad after it and lamenting, that is not very good sense. Therefore He is saying that asocyan anvasocas tvam: [Bg. 2.11] "You are lamenting on the subject matter which is never done by any learned man." So we shall go further on? Yes? Read, you, purport in Spanish. [break]
Hrdayananda: (translating question from Spanish) ...one does not follow the instructions of guru.
Prabhupada: Then he's misguided. A ship without rudder, or without captain. A ship without captain.
Hrdayananda: (translating) He wants to know why Lord Caitanya is not mentioned in the Bhagavatam with the other incarnations.
Prabhupada: He has not mentioned, but Bhagavata has mentioned. No, you don't bring any other question. You talk about this, which we have lectured. In this way, if you bring other question, that is not... We are discussing one verse. You can put question on this, not irrelevant question. Of course, that is not irrelevant, but not in connection with these verses. So question means in connection with this verse.
Hrdayananda: (translating) How can we understand the guru?
Prabhupada: How do you understand? When you go for treatment to a physician, how do you understand that here is a physician? How do you understand? Tell me?
Hrdayananda: He says by the title and reputation.
Prabhupada: Yes. Some way or other, you know that he is a physician. So similarly, you have to find out guru. Guru... First of all, who requires a guru? That is the question. Because guru is not a fashion... The... It is said in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, tasmad gurum prapadyeta: [SB 11.3.21] "On account of this, you should go to a guru." What is that account? Tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuh sreya uttamam: "One who is very much inquisitive to know about spiritual affair, he requires a guru." Spiritual affair means that... We are in this material world. We are suffering. When the question will come in one's mind, "Why I am suffering?" that is spiritual. Just like an animal is being taken to the slaughterhouse. He cannot inquire, "Why I am being taken to the slaughterhouse?" But if a man is being taken forcibly, he'll protest; he will cry; he'll call crowd. Therefore human being can inquire about spiritual affair. So when there is spiritual inquiry, then one requires a guru. And by going to guru, as it is stated, tad viddhi pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya [Bg. 4.34]. One has to learn by surrendering, pranipata. So first of all there must be a strong impulse to inquire about the transcendental subject matter. Then one requires a guru. Not that, to follow a fashion, that one has guru. Acaryavan puruso veda. Unless one becomes under the control of acarya, he has no perfect knowledge. Therefore the Vedas says, tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet: [MU 1.2.12] "For understanding that transcendental science, one must approach a guru." And what is the symptom of guru? Samit-panih srotriyam brahma-nistham: Guru means one who has complete knowledge of Vedic version, and not only that, he is a staunch or fixed-up devotee of the Supreme Lord. These are the qualification. The guru strictly follows the Vedic injunction and teaches the same thing to his disciple. That is guru. So first thing is: one must be inquisitive to understand about the spiritual subject matter. Just like you have come here in this temple. You know that here nothing like political meeting is going on. Here something spiritual matter is being discussed. Therefore you have come. This inclination is the beginning of spiritual life. This is called sraddha. Sraddha means faith.
So this sraddha has to be developed further, and to develop this sraddha, or faith, one has to associate with persons who are keeping with this faith. Therefore it is said, adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sangah: [Cc. Madhya 23.14-15] "First of all faith, then to associate with persons who are devotees and faithful..." In this way, when further development is done, then atha bhajana-kriya, means the learning the process of devotional service. [break] ...gambling, no meat-eating. These are not wanted. In the beginning of life nobody smokes or nobody becomes intoxicated. It is learned by bad association. Similarly, it can be given up by good association. They are called anarthas. Anartha means unwanted bad habits. So when we are children, innocent, we have no bad habits, but as we grow and associate with bad company, we also acquire all these bad habits. So to give up all these bad habits means we have to associate with sadhus or devotees, saintly persons. Then we can give it up. This is called anartha-nivrtti, means giving up all unwanted bad habits. These things are not wanted. Nobody dies if he does not smoke or drink. Nobody dies. So artificially we learn it, so by good association we can give it up. So when we are purified out of all the bad habits, then we become fixed up in spiritual knowledge. So in this way we make advance in spiritual life, and at the last stage we become lover of God. This is the process, and one who teaches this process, he is guru. This is the definition of guru.
Hrdayananda: (translating)
Prabhupada: I do not know what you said. What he said?
Devotee: Devotee is compassionate to the sufferings of others.
Prabhupada: What is that? I cannot follow.
Paramahamsa: There's a tendency for someone who hears this verse to think that one should become callous to the sufferings of others.
Prabhupada: Where it is?
Paramahamsa: Well, there's a tendency to misunderstand it in that way.
Prabhupada: No, when we are teaching, it is because the people are suffering on account of ignorance. Therefore we are teaching. How we are callous? We are not callous; we are very much sympathetic to give them knowledge. How do you say? The devotees are not callous. Why they are touring all over the world, accepting so much trouble, opposition? Because they are very much sympathetic with the people who are suffering out of ignorance. They are the most sympathetic friend of the human society. So this is not true that they are callous. So any other question?
Hrdayananda: (translating) If we've already committed so many offenses to chanting, now, at this point, how can we purify ourselves?
Prabhupada: If you... You don't commit offense. Why do you voluntarily commit offense? You should not commit offense. Then it will be all right, purified.
Hrdayananda: (translating) He wants to know how we can increase our desire for sankirtana.
Prabhupada: By performing sankirtana. Just like if a man drinks and if he drinks, drinks, then you become a drunkard. (laughter) Drink more and you become drunkard. Similarly, chant more and you become perfect chanter.
Hrdayananda: (translating) He wants to know if the greatest offense is to disobey the guru.
Prabhupada: Yes, that is the first offense. Guror avajna, sruti-sastra-nindanam. Sruti-sastra-nindanam guror avajna. If you accept guru and again disobey him, then what is your position? You are not a gentleman. You promise before guru, before Krsna, before fire, that "I shall obey your order; I shall execute this," and again you do not do this. Then you are not even a gentleman, what to speak about devotee. This is common sense.
Hrdayananda: (Spanish)
Prabhupada: You cannot understand? What is that?
Hrdayananda: A devotee, how can he control his tongue?
Prabhupada: He can take prasadam. (laughter) Bhaktivinoda Thakura has said like that, ta'ra madhye jihwa ati, lobhamoy sudurmati, ta'ke jeta kathina samsare: "Out of all the senses, the tongue sense is very powerful. So it is very difficult to control it." So he says, ta'ra madhye jihwa ati, lobhamoy sudurmati: "The tongue is very greedy and very difficult to be controlled. Therefore Krsna has given us one weapon." What is that? Krsna baro doyamoy, koribare jihwa jay, swa-prasad-anna dilo bhai: "Krsna is very kind. Therefore He has given us His remnants of foodstuff." So if we make this promise, that "I shall not take anything which is not offered to Krsna," then your tongue will be controlled. And in the sastra it is said that you cannot understand Krsna... Atah sri-krsna-namadi. Not only Krsna, even His name you cannot understand with these imperfect senses.
atah sri-krsna-namadi
na bhaved grahyam indriyaih
sevonmukhe hi jihvadau
svayam eva sphuraty adah
[Brs. 1.2.234]
"But when you engage your tongue in the service of Krsna, then Krsna reveals Himself." So the tongue's business is twofold. One is with tongue we speak -- it vibrates sound -- and another business is with tongue we taste nice foodstuff. So if you engage this tongue in the matter of Krsna's service by vibrating Hare Krsna mantra, and if you don't allow your tongue to touch anything which is not offered to Krsna, then you become immediately Krsna-realized soul. So when the tongue is controlled, all other senses are automatically controlled. This is the process. Now again engage your tongue, chanting Hare Krsna. (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 2.11 (with Spanish translator) -- Mexico, February 11,
Monday, November 22, 2010
"Lament For A Lump?"
"Lament For A Lump?"
75/10/01 Mauritius, Bhagavad-gita 2.11
Prabhupada:
sri bhagavan uvaca
asocyan anvasocas tvam
prajna-vadams ca bhasase
gatasun agatasums ca
nanusocanti panditah
[Bg. 2.11]
This is the version of Krsna in the beginning of Bhagavad-gita. So first of all it is said here, Vyasadeva, the author..., not author, the compiler who recorded the talks between Krsna and Arjuna and then put it systematically in a book form. So he says that bhagavan uvaca. Bhagavan means the Supreme Person. Just like in this meeting, amongst my students, I am the supreme person, similarly, in the state there is a supreme person, the president or the prime minister, so everywhere you will find out one supreme person. Without a supreme person nothing can be managed, order-giving person. This is everlastingly existing, and you cannot avoid this. Even in Communist country they also have the supreme person, dictator. So taking the whole universal affair, the nature, how things are going on... The sun is rising early in the morning. It is setting exactly in due time. Then the moon is coming. Everyone in big, big planetary system, they are working very systematically. The astronomical calculation is so perfect that, they say, one ten-thousandth part of a second is also calculated. So accurately things are moving.
So in the Brahma-samhita it is said, yac caksur esa savita sakala-grahanam. The sun is the eye of all the planets. We have got eyes, but unless there is sunrise, what is the value of our eyes? We cannot see. We are very much proud of our eyes, we want to see everything. But we do not calculate the value of our eyes. Unless there is sunshine we cannot see. At night, unless there is electricity or moonlight or some lamp, we cannot see. And still, we are very much proud of seeing. This is called illusion. We have no power. We are put under certain condition; then we work. Otherwise we cannot work. Prakrteh kriyamanani. Prakrti, material nature, puts us under certain condition and we work accordingly, not independently. And the prakrti, material nature, also working under somebody. Just like when you go on the street you see red light and green light. As soon as you see red light you stop your car. So this red light and green light is being manipulated by the police, and the police is working under government. Similarly, this whole material nature is acting like red light or green light, but behind that red light and green light there is the supreme brain. That is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So as a layman or as child cannot understand how the red light and blue light, green light, is working... He sees simply, he thinks automatically it is being done. That is foolishness. It is not being automatically done. There is machine. There is manipulator behind this red light. So this is intelligence. Anyone who is concluding that "On the street the red light and green light is working automatically; there is no brain behind it," he's a rascal. Simi larly, the whole material cosmic manifestation is working... Even the big sun planet, it is also working under certain direction. Yac caksur esa savita sakala-grahanam. Without sunrise nobody can see, not only in this planet, in other planets also, sakala-grahanam. So this sun planet is so important... Day and night, year and millions of years -- everything is being calculated on the solar system. So this powerful planet is described as the eyes of everyone. Without sunshine nobody can see. Yac caksur esa savita sakala-grahanam raja. It is to be considered as the king of all planets, raja, sakala-grahanam. All the planets, they are moving, rotating on the heat of the sun, heat and light, and they are working on the light of the sun. Sun is so important. Everything is described in the Vedic literature. So that sun also -- working under somebody's direction. Yasyajnaya bhramati sambhrta-kala-cakrah. The sun is rotating in the orbit at the speed of sixteen thousand miles per second by the order of somebody. That is Govinda. Yasyajnaya bhramati sambhrta-kala-cakro govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami **.
So this is knowledge. This is knowledge. So the Supreme Person is Bhagavan. Bhaga means six kinds of opulences: the richest, the most powerful, the wisest, the most beautiful, and the most influential, and the most renounced at the same time. Just like this whole cosmic manifestation is created by the will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but you will not find him here. Disinterested. Many millions of universes are working by His will, but He is not interested. The example is just like a big capitalist. He has got many factories, and if you go to the factory -- there is a Tata factory, iron factory -- you will find huge factories going on, but Mr. Tata is not there. Things are going on. Similarly, all cosmic manifestation going on, it is under the will of Krsna. But He is not present here. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gita, mat-sthani sarva-bhutani: [Bg. 9.4] "Everything is resting on Me." Any factory, every worker knows that the whole factory function resting on that supreme person. He knows that. So actually fact is that mat-sthani sarva-bhutani naham tesu avasthitah: "But I am not there. I am not there." Similarly, Bhagavan means that. Under His will, under His power, everything is working so nicely, systematically, but if you want to see God, Krsna, you cannot see Him. He is not there. He is in Goloka Vrndavana, but His influence is so extensive that even without His personal presence, things are going on so nicely. This is called Bhagavan. Bhagavan means this.
So here in this Bhagavad-gita, that Bhagavan is giving you knowledge. So how much perfect it is, you have to consider. Vyasadeva could have said, "sri-vyasadeva uvaca." No. Bhagavan uvaca, so authoritative. So whatever He says, there cannot be any change. It is all perfect. Unfortunately, we rascals, we do not take Bhagavad-gita as it is. We want to change it according to our whims. This rascal havoc has ruined the whole world. Otherwise, if they would have preached Bhagavad-gita as it is, the world situation would have been different. Everything would have been in order, tranquility, peace, and everybody would have been prosperous. But the rascals will not do that. That is the defect. Therefore our tiny effort is how to present Bhagavad-gita as it is. This is our mission. If we take... Even now, in this distorted condition of the world, if we accept Bhagavad-gita as it is, then still, we will be benefited. There is no doubt about it. Therefore our appeal is that throughout the whole world people should come, try to understand Bhagavad-gita, and set up examples and do the needful. Then everything will be peaceful. This is the peace formula. Bhoktaram yajna-tapasam sarva-loka-mahesvaram, suhrdam sarva-bhutanam [Bg. 5.29]. Suhrdam sarva-bhutanam. Suhrt means well-wisher. Well-wisher. Here is the supreme well-wisher. He wants, Krsna wants that wherever you live, you live peacefully and happily; and therefore He is called suhrt. He is desiring everyone's happiness. Therefore He comes Himself to advise, to instruct how to live, how to follow His instruction, and He leaves these behind Him, such books as Bhagavad-gita, and He sends His representative occasionally to revive our consciousness. This business is going on, not only in the human society, even in the animal society. Anywhere, even in demigod society, things are going on like that. Therefore we should know, whatever Bhagavan says, there cannot be any mistake, any illusion, any cheating or any imperfectness. Then it will be very nice. And that is the fact. The word used, bhagavan uvaca, means this instruction is neither mistaken nor illusion nor cheating nor imperfect. Whatever we teach, we speak, we conditioned soul... As I said, that we are very much proud of our eyes, but we cannot see without sunrise... We cannot see without electricity. But that is our defect. We are possessing everything defective, still we are proud: "We are perfect." That is cheating. We are not perfect. But Krsna, Bhagavan, is not like that. If we think Krsna is also like us, avajananti mam mudha manusim... [Bg. 9.11]. Because He teaches exactly like a human being, He appears, therefore we think, "He may be little more intelligent than me. After all, He is like me." No. He is Bhagavan. We have to understand.
So the problem was that Arjuna was not willing to fight, considering his family members as not to be killed. Nobody, of course, should like to kill his family members, so that was natural. But this family relationship or national relationship, community relationship, this is due to this body. I accept somebody as my brother because he has got the body from the same father from whom I have got this body. But the body is by-product of the father's body. So this bodily relationship is material. Material means outward, external. It is not real relationship. The father is a soul, I am soul, my brother is a soul, so we are related on the spiritual platform in relationship with God because soul is not matter. Our material father is... Material father means we see the material body. We do not see the soul of the father, neither the father sees the soul of the son. Everyone under illusion we are simply seeing the body and accepting as kinsman. So this illusion was to be removed by Krsna, and therefore He said, asocyan anvasocas tvam [Bg. 2.11]. "You are lamenting over the body. Oh, it is very regrettable. You are lamenting." Asocyan anvasocah. What is this body? It is simply lump of matter. As soon as the soul is out of this body, what is the value of this lump of matter? It will be thrown in the street, and somebody will kick on the face. Nobody will care. Nobody will care. But so long the soul is there, if you touch the hair even -- "Why you are touching my hair?" But when the soul is not there, on the same face, if somebody kicks, nobody will care. This is the position of the body. Therefore it is said, asocyan: "It is garbage. Why you are lamenting on this garbage?" Asocyan anvasocas tvam [Bg. 2.11]. "You are talking, very learned man, that ‘If I kill my brothers the, my brothers' wives will be widow, and there will be prostitution and then the whole family will go to ruin.' These are all external condition." He...
This is real education, that "You are thinking on terms of the body; therefore it is not very important subject matter." Real subject matter -- what will happen to the soul -- that is real, important. But whole world, they do not know what is the important platform. All rascals, they are concerned with this body. That is not wonderful; that is natural. Even if we know, still, if there is some bodily pain we become very much disturbed. But we should know, always remember, that "I am not this body." The same example, that I have got a very nice car, Rolls Royce car, I have got attachment, that is all right, but we should know always that "I am not this Rolls Royce car. I am different from it." This is knowledge. "I may have some attachment for my car. That is natural. I have paid for it. I like it. But in spite of all these consideration I am not the Rolls Royce car. The Rolls Royce car is a lump of matter. I am using it." Similarly, we should always remember that "I am using this material body for my transaction, different transaction, but I am not this material body." But a devotee, he uses this material body, utilizes it properly. Just like we are also going by aeroplane, by motorcar, but we have no concern with the... I have come to you country by aeroplane not to see your country. I have come for Krsna's business: to see if I can induce you to Krsna consciousness. Otherwise we have no concern with this aeroplane or motorcar or anything. We take advantage. Similarly, when we take advantage of this body for advancing in Krsna consciousness, then it is very nice. Nirbandhah krsna-sambandhe. That is also renouncement. He has no attachment. He simply uses things. Then that thing becomes spiritual. Actually it is spiritual, and when it is not used for spiritual purpose or Krsna's purpose, it is material, the same thing. What is the difference between material and spiritual? That is, a picture is there. There are so many pictures. People may say that "Here is the same picture. Why these people are worshiping and offering arati and chanting?" But this picture is spiritual because it enhances or enthuses a spiritual consciousness. Therefore it is spiritual. Of course, it is not very easy to understand immediately, but on the ultimate issue, everything is created by Krsna, or God, so by seeing everything, if you remember Krsna, then that is spiritual. That is spiritual. So anyway, for ordinary man this does not happen.
Therefore Krsna says that "You are lamenting for the body. Oh, it is very astonishing. And you are talking like a very learned man." Everyone you will find talking, very learned man. He knows something, but ask him, "What you are?" "I am Indian." "I am American. I am Mr. Such and such. I am father of such and such." This is bodily... However great he may be, he is identified with the body. And according to sastra, so long we shall identify with this body, we are not better than the cats and dogs because they also identify with the body. Therefore Krsna says, asocyan anvasocas tvam prajna-vadams ca bhasase [Bg. 2.11]. "Why? I am wrong?" Yes. Because gatasun agatasums ca. The body, whether with the soul or without the soul, it is material. So so long even the soul is there, we should not be very much interested with the bodily comforts. We should be interested how to make progress in spiritual consciousness. And general people, they are simply engaged to get bodily comforts. The whole world is going on. The material civilization means bodily comfort. They are increasing their activities how to... They take it as civilization that to increase the bodily comforts of life. That is their idea. But they do not know that even if we are able to increase to the largest extent our bodily comfort, the body will not exist. It will die. But we do not see to that, that "Never mind. We shall die. So long we live..." Yavad jivet sukham jivet. "So long we live, let us live very happily." So it is a great science. They do not know that... You may think that you are living very happily, but you have to change this body, and that body may not be very happy. That they do not know. This is ignorance, moha. Mohitam nabhijanati. Being bewildered by the three modes of material nature, they do not know what is the actual fact. Therefore we have to learn from the perfect person, Krsna, what is this position. Here it is said that asocyan anvasocas tvam prajna-vadams ca bhasase gatasun agatasums ca nanu... [Bg. 2.11]. "This is not the subject matter of eulogizing or lamenting. The subject matter should be different. That is soul." Then He will explain, next verse.
Thank you very much.
Devotees: Haribol! (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 2.11 -- Mauritius, October 1, 1975
75/10/01 Mauritius, Bhagavad-gita 2.11
Prabhupada:
sri bhagavan uvaca
asocyan anvasocas tvam
prajna-vadams ca bhasase
gatasun agatasums ca
nanusocanti panditah
[Bg. 2.11]
This is the version of Krsna in the beginning of Bhagavad-gita. So first of all it is said here, Vyasadeva, the author..., not author, the compiler who recorded the talks between Krsna and Arjuna and then put it systematically in a book form. So he says that bhagavan uvaca. Bhagavan means the Supreme Person. Just like in this meeting, amongst my students, I am the supreme person, similarly, in the state there is a supreme person, the president or the prime minister, so everywhere you will find out one supreme person. Without a supreme person nothing can be managed, order-giving person. This is everlastingly existing, and you cannot avoid this. Even in Communist country they also have the supreme person, dictator. So taking the whole universal affair, the nature, how things are going on... The sun is rising early in the morning. It is setting exactly in due time. Then the moon is coming. Everyone in big, big planetary system, they are working very systematically. The astronomical calculation is so perfect that, they say, one ten-thousandth part of a second is also calculated. So accurately things are moving.
So in the Brahma-samhita it is said, yac caksur esa savita sakala-grahanam. The sun is the eye of all the planets. We have got eyes, but unless there is sunrise, what is the value of our eyes? We cannot see. We are very much proud of our eyes, we want to see everything. But we do not calculate the value of our eyes. Unless there is sunshine we cannot see. At night, unless there is electricity or moonlight or some lamp, we cannot see. And still, we are very much proud of seeing. This is called illusion. We have no power. We are put under certain condition; then we work. Otherwise we cannot work. Prakrteh kriyamanani. Prakrti, material nature, puts us under certain condition and we work accordingly, not independently. And the prakrti, material nature, also working under somebody. Just like when you go on the street you see red light and green light. As soon as you see red light you stop your car. So this red light and green light is being manipulated by the police, and the police is working under government. Similarly, this whole material nature is acting like red light or green light, but behind that red light and green light there is the supreme brain. That is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So as a layman or as child cannot understand how the red light and blue light, green light, is working... He sees simply, he thinks automatically it is being done. That is foolishness. It is not being automatically done. There is machine. There is manipulator behind this red light. So this is intelligence. Anyone who is concluding that "On the street the red light and green light is working automatically; there is no brain behind it," he's a rascal. Simi larly, the whole material cosmic manifestation is working... Even the big sun planet, it is also working under certain direction. Yac caksur esa savita sakala-grahanam. Without sunrise nobody can see, not only in this planet, in other planets also, sakala-grahanam. So this sun planet is so important... Day and night, year and millions of years -- everything is being calculated on the solar system. So this powerful planet is described as the eyes of everyone. Without sunshine nobody can see. Yac caksur esa savita sakala-grahanam raja. It is to be considered as the king of all planets, raja, sakala-grahanam. All the planets, they are moving, rotating on the heat of the sun, heat and light, and they are working on the light of the sun. Sun is so important. Everything is described in the Vedic literature. So that sun also -- working under somebody's direction. Yasyajnaya bhramati sambhrta-kala-cakrah. The sun is rotating in the orbit at the speed of sixteen thousand miles per second by the order of somebody. That is Govinda. Yasyajnaya bhramati sambhrta-kala-cakro govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami **.
So this is knowledge. This is knowledge. So the Supreme Person is Bhagavan. Bhaga means six kinds of opulences: the richest, the most powerful, the wisest, the most beautiful, and the most influential, and the most renounced at the same time. Just like this whole cosmic manifestation is created by the will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but you will not find him here. Disinterested. Many millions of universes are working by His will, but He is not interested. The example is just like a big capitalist. He has got many factories, and if you go to the factory -- there is a Tata factory, iron factory -- you will find huge factories going on, but Mr. Tata is not there. Things are going on. Similarly, all cosmic manifestation going on, it is under the will of Krsna. But He is not present here. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gita, mat-sthani sarva-bhutani: [Bg. 9.4] "Everything is resting on Me." Any factory, every worker knows that the whole factory function resting on that supreme person. He knows that. So actually fact is that mat-sthani sarva-bhutani naham tesu avasthitah: "But I am not there. I am not there." Similarly, Bhagavan means that. Under His will, under His power, everything is working so nicely, systematically, but if you want to see God, Krsna, you cannot see Him. He is not there. He is in Goloka Vrndavana, but His influence is so extensive that even without His personal presence, things are going on so nicely. This is called Bhagavan. Bhagavan means this.
So here in this Bhagavad-gita, that Bhagavan is giving you knowledge. So how much perfect it is, you have to consider. Vyasadeva could have said, "sri-vyasadeva uvaca." No. Bhagavan uvaca, so authoritative. So whatever He says, there cannot be any change. It is all perfect. Unfortunately, we rascals, we do not take Bhagavad-gita as it is. We want to change it according to our whims. This rascal havoc has ruined the whole world. Otherwise, if they would have preached Bhagavad-gita as it is, the world situation would have been different. Everything would have been in order, tranquility, peace, and everybody would have been prosperous. But the rascals will not do that. That is the defect. Therefore our tiny effort is how to present Bhagavad-gita as it is. This is our mission. If we take... Even now, in this distorted condition of the world, if we accept Bhagavad-gita as it is, then still, we will be benefited. There is no doubt about it. Therefore our appeal is that throughout the whole world people should come, try to understand Bhagavad-gita, and set up examples and do the needful. Then everything will be peaceful. This is the peace formula. Bhoktaram yajna-tapasam sarva-loka-mahesvaram, suhrdam sarva-bhutanam [Bg. 5.29]. Suhrdam sarva-bhutanam. Suhrt means well-wisher. Well-wisher. Here is the supreme well-wisher. He wants, Krsna wants that wherever you live, you live peacefully and happily; and therefore He is called suhrt. He is desiring everyone's happiness. Therefore He comes Himself to advise, to instruct how to live, how to follow His instruction, and He leaves these behind Him, such books as Bhagavad-gita, and He sends His representative occasionally to revive our consciousness. This business is going on, not only in the human society, even in the animal society. Anywhere, even in demigod society, things are going on like that. Therefore we should know, whatever Bhagavan says, there cannot be any mistake, any illusion, any cheating or any imperfectness. Then it will be very nice. And that is the fact. The word used, bhagavan uvaca, means this instruction is neither mistaken nor illusion nor cheating nor imperfect. Whatever we teach, we speak, we conditioned soul... As I said, that we are very much proud of our eyes, but we cannot see without sunrise... We cannot see without electricity. But that is our defect. We are possessing everything defective, still we are proud: "We are perfect." That is cheating. We are not perfect. But Krsna, Bhagavan, is not like that. If we think Krsna is also like us, avajananti mam mudha manusim... [Bg. 9.11]. Because He teaches exactly like a human being, He appears, therefore we think, "He may be little more intelligent than me. After all, He is like me." No. He is Bhagavan. We have to understand.
So the problem was that Arjuna was not willing to fight, considering his family members as not to be killed. Nobody, of course, should like to kill his family members, so that was natural. But this family relationship or national relationship, community relationship, this is due to this body. I accept somebody as my brother because he has got the body from the same father from whom I have got this body. But the body is by-product of the father's body. So this bodily relationship is material. Material means outward, external. It is not real relationship. The father is a soul, I am soul, my brother is a soul, so we are related on the spiritual platform in relationship with God because soul is not matter. Our material father is... Material father means we see the material body. We do not see the soul of the father, neither the father sees the soul of the son. Everyone under illusion we are simply seeing the body and accepting as kinsman. So this illusion was to be removed by Krsna, and therefore He said, asocyan anvasocas tvam [Bg. 2.11]. "You are lamenting over the body. Oh, it is very regrettable. You are lamenting." Asocyan anvasocah. What is this body? It is simply lump of matter. As soon as the soul is out of this body, what is the value of this lump of matter? It will be thrown in the street, and somebody will kick on the face. Nobody will care. Nobody will care. But so long the soul is there, if you touch the hair even -- "Why you are touching my hair?" But when the soul is not there, on the same face, if somebody kicks, nobody will care. This is the position of the body. Therefore it is said, asocyan: "It is garbage. Why you are lamenting on this garbage?" Asocyan anvasocas tvam [Bg. 2.11]. "You are talking, very learned man, that ‘If I kill my brothers the, my brothers' wives will be widow, and there will be prostitution and then the whole family will go to ruin.' These are all external condition." He...
This is real education, that "You are thinking on terms of the body; therefore it is not very important subject matter." Real subject matter -- what will happen to the soul -- that is real, important. But whole world, they do not know what is the important platform. All rascals, they are concerned with this body. That is not wonderful; that is natural. Even if we know, still, if there is some bodily pain we become very much disturbed. But we should know, always remember, that "I am not this body." The same example, that I have got a very nice car, Rolls Royce car, I have got attachment, that is all right, but we should know always that "I am not this Rolls Royce car. I am different from it." This is knowledge. "I may have some attachment for my car. That is natural. I have paid for it. I like it. But in spite of all these consideration I am not the Rolls Royce car. The Rolls Royce car is a lump of matter. I am using it." Similarly, we should always remember that "I am using this material body for my transaction, different transaction, but I am not this material body." But a devotee, he uses this material body, utilizes it properly. Just like we are also going by aeroplane, by motorcar, but we have no concern with the... I have come to you country by aeroplane not to see your country. I have come for Krsna's business: to see if I can induce you to Krsna consciousness. Otherwise we have no concern with this aeroplane or motorcar or anything. We take advantage. Similarly, when we take advantage of this body for advancing in Krsna consciousness, then it is very nice. Nirbandhah krsna-sambandhe. That is also renouncement. He has no attachment. He simply uses things. Then that thing becomes spiritual. Actually it is spiritual, and when it is not used for spiritual purpose or Krsna's purpose, it is material, the same thing. What is the difference between material and spiritual? That is, a picture is there. There are so many pictures. People may say that "Here is the same picture. Why these people are worshiping and offering arati and chanting?" But this picture is spiritual because it enhances or enthuses a spiritual consciousness. Therefore it is spiritual. Of course, it is not very easy to understand immediately, but on the ultimate issue, everything is created by Krsna, or God, so by seeing everything, if you remember Krsna, then that is spiritual. That is spiritual. So anyway, for ordinary man this does not happen.
Therefore Krsna says that "You are lamenting for the body. Oh, it is very astonishing. And you are talking like a very learned man." Everyone you will find talking, very learned man. He knows something, but ask him, "What you are?" "I am Indian." "I am American. I am Mr. Such and such. I am father of such and such." This is bodily... However great he may be, he is identified with the body. And according to sastra, so long we shall identify with this body, we are not better than the cats and dogs because they also identify with the body. Therefore Krsna says, asocyan anvasocas tvam prajna-vadams ca bhasase [Bg. 2.11]. "Why? I am wrong?" Yes. Because gatasun agatasums ca. The body, whether with the soul or without the soul, it is material. So so long even the soul is there, we should not be very much interested with the bodily comforts. We should be interested how to make progress in spiritual consciousness. And general people, they are simply engaged to get bodily comforts. The whole world is going on. The material civilization means bodily comfort. They are increasing their activities how to... They take it as civilization that to increase the bodily comforts of life. That is their idea. But they do not know that even if we are able to increase to the largest extent our bodily comfort, the body will not exist. It will die. But we do not see to that, that "Never mind. We shall die. So long we live..." Yavad jivet sukham jivet. "So long we live, let us live very happily." So it is a great science. They do not know that... You may think that you are living very happily, but you have to change this body, and that body may not be very happy. That they do not know. This is ignorance, moha. Mohitam nabhijanati. Being bewildered by the three modes of material nature, they do not know what is the actual fact. Therefore we have to learn from the perfect person, Krsna, what is this position. Here it is said that asocyan anvasocas tvam prajna-vadams ca bhasase gatasun agatasums ca nanu... [Bg. 2.11]. "This is not the subject matter of eulogizing or lamenting. The subject matter should be different. That is soul." Then He will explain, next verse.
Thank you very much.
Devotees: Haribol! (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 2.11 -- Mauritius, October 1, 1975
Sunday, November 21, 2010
"You Are Talking Like A Learned Man"
"You Are Talking Like A Learned Man"
73/08/17 London, Bhagavad-gita 2.11
Pradyumna (leads chanting, etc.):
sri bhagavan uvaca
asocan anvasocas tvam
prajna-vadams ca bhasase
gatasun agatasums ca
nanusocanti panditah
[Bg. 2.11]
The Blessed Lord said: While speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor the dead."
Prabhupada: So, what is that thing which is living and dead? The body. The body is living and dead. So Krsna indirectly or directly chastised Arjuna that: "The behavior that you are showing, it is not like a learned man." Nanusocanti panditah. That means indirectly He said that, "You do not know things are there. Not learned. You are fool." In spite of Arjuna speaking so many things in support of his being nonviolent and not to kill his kinsmen, Krsna chastised him that "You are not learned. You are fool." So this is the position. Those who are under the bodily concept of life, they can speak so many learned things, but after all they are fool.
yasyatma-buddhi-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]
In the Srimad-Bhagavatam, those who are under the bodily concept of life, they are described as follows: Yasya atma-buddhih. Atma means self. Atma-buddhih, in this body, what is this body? Kunape tri-dhatuke. It is a bag of three elements, kapha, pitta, vayu. Mucus, bile and air. So, or ordinarily you can understand, this is a combination, this material body is combination of flesh, bone, blood, mucus, stool, urine, and so many other things. That, we are not self, but the foolish persons, they are taking this lump of matter, bones and flesh, accepting that "I am this body." No learned man will take like that. The whole world is misled under this conception. They are accepting this lump of matter, blood and flesh and bones -- "I am this is I am." This is animal mentality. Animal thinks like that, not learned man. Learned man, one who knows, he will say aham brahmasmi, "I am spirit soul. I am servant of God." This is learned speaking. "I am not this body."
So Krsna is chastising Arjuna because he has accepted, he's becoming His disciple, so the spiritual master has the right to chastise the disciple for right direction like the teacher, like the father. Similarly, although Krsna and Arjuna are friends, but Arjuna has accepted Him as spiritual master. There should not be any compromising words as it is done between friend and friend. The right things must be said that "You are wrong. Don't talk nonsense. Talking like very learned man but you do not know anything." "Why I do not know?" "Because this body, while living, agatasun..." Asun means the living force. While the living force is there, and when the living force is gone, two conditions... This body is moving very nicely because the living force is there. And as soon as the living force is gone out, this nice body will no longer move. It will decompose. "Dust thou art, dust thou beist." "Again become..." It is called panca-bhuta. Mix with the earth. Earth, water, fire, air, sky -- these five gross elements are the ingredients of this body. So as soon as the soul is out of this body, this body again... Conservation of the energy. The earthly energy goes to the earth, the waterly energy goes to the water. It is a combination of earth. water, air, fire. So they become decomposed. And become distributed to different elements. And that is the scientific law, it is called conservation of energy. The energy is never lost. It comes back again to the original stock.
So Krsna says this body, either in living force or without living force... Without living force it is called dead. With living force it is called living. In both the condition, a learned man..., learned man means one who knows brahma-bhutah. One who knows Brahman, one who has realized Brahman. Brahma-bhutah prasannatma [Bg. 18.54]. As soon as one is on the stage of brahma-bhutah stage, he can understand that "I am not this body. I am separate from this body." This knowledge was very common knowledge. At least we can see five thousand years ago. The ksatriyas were fighting severely one another, but still they are not in bodily concept of life. So Arjuna being ksatriya, is so much embarrassed with the bodily concept of life; therefore Krsna chastised him, that "You are not a very learned man. You are talking just like a learned man, but you are not learned man." So this conclusion is to be taken by us. That anyone within this world, if he has got bodily concept of life, he's not a learned man. He's a fool. So this world at the present moment at least, it is a fool's paradise. Nobody is learned. Because everyone is working under the bodily concept of life. This is chastise. This is the first chastisement. Just like before giving lesson, if the student is writing or reading wrongly, then the teacher immediately says, "You fool, it is not like this. It should be like this."
So the first step Krsna took in educating Arjuna... The Bhagavad-gita is now being actually being spoken, bhagavan uvaca. The first basic principle is explained to Arjuna that "You do not know anything. Don't talk just like a learned man." Actually, that is our own... Every one of us in the same position. Just like yesterday, two boys came. No philosophy, talking like nonsense, starvation, as if he has taken, what is called? Contract for stopping starvation. He's starving, everyone is starving, this law, the nature will go on. Somebody, because there are three qualities of the nature -- sattva-guna, rajo-guna, tamo-guna. So the natural laws will go on under the three laws. Therefore always we shall find three classes or three status of living condition. That will be explained in Bhagavad-gita. Even, everywhere there are different species of life. Everywhere these three qualities are working. Just like there are some good trees. Good trees means which are producing nice fruits and flowers. They are good trees. And there are trees, no fruit, no flower, very long standing. No use. No useful purpose. I've seen in Los Angeles, big, big palm trees, very long, but there is no fruit. In India there are palm trees like that, they bear fruit, very nice fruit, tal. Very sweet fruit. So any tree which does not give us nice fruit or nice flower, that is sinful. Amongst the trees also there are pious trees, there are sinful trees, amongst the animals also there are pious animals, sinful animals. Just like dog and the cow. Cow is pious animal and the dog is sinful animal. So natures, amongst the birds, this crow is sinful bird. And the ducks, white swan, they are pious bird. The peacocks. So similarly in the human society also, there are pious men and sinful men. Those who are pious they have got different position. Janmaisvarya-sruta-sri.... [SB 1.8.26] Pious man means born in very good family, rich family. Janma, aisvarya, aisvarya means riches, opulence. Janma, first-class aristocratic family, brahmana family. Janmaisvarya-sruta, educated, highly educated; sri, beautiful. These are the signs of pious life. And similarly just the opposite, ugly, no education, born in poor family or low grade family, poor. These are the things.
So either you take human life or animal life or birds' life, beasts' life, trees' life, anywhere you go, these three laws are working. Goodness, passion and ignorance. Therefore, always there must be three classes. Middle class, high class and lower class. There must be. So you cannot make one classless. That is not possible. So long the bodily concept of life is there, there must be these three classes. High class, middle class and lower class. So those who are condemned, they must suffer. Everyone is condemned in this material world. But first-class condemned, second-class condemned, third-class condemned. So you'll find this first class, second class, third, you cannot stop it. Just like in Bombay sometimes I showed to my disciples, say in 1935. 1935 means about fifty years ago. Fifty years ago when I was in Bombay, that time I was doing some business. So a class of men, they were living on footpath. Their home (is) on the footpath. They have got a box or a bag and lying on the footpath and eating on the footpath, their, everything on the footpath. Now the same class of men are still there. Now economically, fifty years ago, the value of money was greater. At that time, fifty years ago we were purchasing, say ghee, at most one rupee per kilo. So now you cannot get first class ghee unless you pay twenty-five rupees per kilo. So the value of money has decreased. So that means, in other words people are getting more money. Formerly, one servant was engaged, ten rupees or twelve rupees per month. Now you cannot get a servant unless you pay one hundred rupees. So in that comparison, everyone is getting more money, but still the condition is the same. Condition is the same. This will go on. Even if you get more money, the other circumstances will force you to remain in the same condition as you were fifty years ago. Because you are destined. This is called destiny. You cannot change your destiny. That is not possible.
Therefore Bhagavata says that do not try to change your destiny. Everyone is trying to change the destiny. I am poor man, I must be very rich man. But you cannot change your destiny. Tasyaiva hetoh prayateta kovido na labhate yad bhramatam upary adhah [SB 1.5.18]. In this world we are, every one of us are bound up by the laws of karma, destiny. We have got our destiny. So much happiness, so much distress we must have. Because this is a mixture of happiness and distress. Here you cannot have unadulterated happiness. That is not possible in this... Unadulterated happiness, real happiness can be achieved in the spiritual world. Not in the material world. So certain amount of happiness and certain amount of distress we have to enjoy and suffer. You cannot change it. This is the law of nature in this material world.
Therefore Bhagavata says, tasyaiva hetoh prayeteta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatam upary adhah. People are wandering within this material world, living entity, in different forms of life under different conditions of life. But they are not getting the information of Krsna. That is their misfortune. So one who is fortunate during this period of continuous wandering in different species of life on different planets, he contacts another devotee. Guru-Krsna. Or one who is actually anxious to unite with the Supreme Lord, how one gets this consciousness -- by associating with devotees. Just like we are holding this class. Even those who are not devotee, outsider, if they come they can also understand, then he becomes, one becomes very seriously anxious how to understand God, how to go back to home, back to Godhead. Then Krsna immediately helps. This is the process. Krsna is there within your heart. As soon as you become little serious, immediately, Krsna is ready. Krsna is ready, He is sitting with you as a friend. Simply looking for the opportunity when you'll come back to Him. That is Krsna. He's always sitting with you. But we are not willing to go back to home, back to Godhead. We want to become God in this material world. This is our position. Instead of going back to home, back to Godhead, live with God, we want to become God here. That is our position. Therefore, we are suffering. Here, you can... Nowhere you cannot be God. God is one. Nobody can be equal or above Him. Everyone must be subordinate to God. Therefore those who are not learned -- foolish people -- they are trying to be happy in this material world by adjustment and becoming himself God. This is atheism and this is demoniac tendency. But those who are advanced in knowledge, they know that "We are eternally servant of God; we cannot become God. Better to remain servant of God; that is our happiness."
So those who are in the bodily concept of life, they cannot advance in this real knowledge, that we are eternally servant of God. Our constitutional position is like that. If we do not serve God, we do not agree... We are servant of God, but if we deny that "No, I am not servant," so that means I become servant of maya. Servant I'll have to remain. That is my constitutional position. So one must first of all understand what is his identity. So this is the beginning of a lesson given by Krsna, that "You are lamenting for this body. This is not your identity. This is not your identity. You are wrongly thinking." Just like if your coat is some way or other destroyed, that does not mean that you are destroyed. If your car by accident is broken, that does not mean that you are finished. Sometimes we get accident, that is another thing. But I am not the car. I am not this body, I am not this coat. This is real knowledge. Although sometimes we become little sorry, but the identity is different. So Krsna says that "You are talking like learned man, but you do not know your identity. You are not this body."
This is the summary information. Asocyan anvasocas tvam prajna-vadams ca bhasase [Bg. 2.11]. So anyone who is not in perfect knowledge, he should not take the position of talking like a learned man. That is cheating and that is foolishness. First of all you know things as they are. Then talk. Otherwise, it is said that it is better not to talk than to talk foolish. It is better to stop talking. Therefore, sometimes in spiritual advancement there is a process, maunam. Maunam means not to talk. Those who are too much foolish, the spiritual master orders him, "Don't talk. Please remain silent." That's all. Because if you talk, you'll talk simply nonsense. Why should you spoil your energy by such nonsense talking? Better stop. The meditation is also like that also. Instead of talking or doing nonsense, if one is remaining silent for some time, it is little good for him. But this meditation and maunam, silence, is not meant for the devotees. They are meant for the lesser intelligent class of men. Devotees' business is always to talk about Krsna. Why they should stop talking? Maunam? No. Kirtaniyah sada harih [Cc. Adi 17.31]. Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that one has to chant and talk of Krsna twenty-four hours. Where is the question of maunam, silence? There is no question of silence. Silence is for those who are nonsense. "Be silent, don't talk." For them. At least they practice silence means at least they stop talking nonsense. But those who are actually advanced, for them there is no such restriction. Vacamsi vaikuntha-gunanuvarnane. We should use our talking power for describing the glories of the Lord. Vaikuntha-gunanuvarnane. That is kirtana. That is chanting. Abhavad naiyasaki-kirtane. Just like for seven days when Pariksit Maharaja was going to die... He had only seven days left. So twenty-four hours without any eating or without any drinking a drop of water, he went on hearing from Sukadeva Gosvami. And similarly, Sukadeva Gosvami also went on speaking, speaking Srimad-Bhagavatam. Sri-visnu-sravane pariksit. They got, both of them got salvation back to home, back to Godhead. How? One was hearing, and one was chanting. These two processes. Pariksit Maharaja was hearing and Sukadeva Gosvami was chanting. And what was the subject matter? Krsna. That's all.
So Krsna subject matter is so nice that simply you do not do anything. Simply hear, that's all. You have got God-given ear. You can hear. Sit down. Stane sthitah srutigatam tanuvan manobhih. Srutigatam, sruti means this ear. Srota-pantah. This is called srota-pantah. Getting knowledge by hearing. Satam prasangan mama virya-samvido bhavanty hrtkarna-rasayana-kathah, satam prasangat [SB 3.25.25]. When there is actually sat-sanga. Sat-sanga means this talking of Krsna, hearing about Krsna. When there is, there is no business. Not like a rented reciter or a paid reciter who is earning money by reciting. No, no. Not to hear from him. Actually, he's self-realized, who is working for the Lord, from satam. Satam means devotees. Satam prasanga. Therefore is called satsanga. Satsanga means the association of the devotees. Sat means devotee. Sat means God. Om tat sat. Or everything is asat. Asat means temporary. This material world is temporary. And sat means spiritual. So sat-sanga means spiritual association. Sat-sangan mukta-duh-sangah. The more you associate with sat, with devotees, then you become, more you become liberated. Sat-sangan mukta-duh-sangah. Duh-sanga. We are in the material world, we are simply in association, bad association, duh-sanga. So if we want to get rid of this bad association, we must associate with the devotees. Sat-sangat mukta duhsanga. And satam prasangat mama virya-samvido, if we hear in really devotee's association, then the... [break]
So Arjuna has got the best opportunity. He's hearing from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He has got the... He's so fortunate. He's talking with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, face to face, directly. So our business should be we should follow the footsteps of Arjuna. How to follow the footsteps of Arjuna? As Arjuna understood Bhagavad-gita, you try to understand in that way. Arjuna accepted Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan [Bg. 10.12]. "Krsna, You are the Supreme Person, Param Brahman, pavitra, the most pure." So if we, similarly, if we, even if we do not understand Bhagavad-gita, if we follow that: "Arjuna has understood like this, that Krsna is the Supreme Brahman, Supreme Personality of Godhead," then you understand everything. This is called parampara. You don't require to, I mean, to tax your brain, what is Krsna. Because now we have got poor intelligence. We cannot do that. But you simply accept what Arjuna says. Then you are perfect. Even I make a, I may become a fool number one, but if I accept... Mahajano yena gatah sa pantha. Mahajana. Those who are authorities, if you follow the authorities, then you understand. Dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhayam. It is very difficult to understand what is religion, what is the process of religion. People are very much puzzled. But if we follow the great personalities... They are also mentioned in the sastras. Svayambhu, Sambhu, Manu, Kumara, Kapila, Manu. So if we follow their footsteps... Just like Arjuna. That, that is, really we understand. "If Arjuna has understood like this, so let me understand like that." That's all. Simple thing. Then we understand Bhagavad-gita. But, if we want to speak very learned scholarly, but do not understand what is Krsna, this is simply waste of time. As the so-called scholars and philosophers are doing. They do not understand Krsna, but talking all nonsense, and such things are very much appreciated by others. That is described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam: sva-vid-varaha-ustra-kharaih samstutah purusah pasuh. These rascals, so-called scholars, so-called incarnation, are accepted by similar class of animals. Sva-vid-varaha. And actually Vedic understanding is to follow the footsteps of the predecessor acaryas who understand things. Then our life will be successful. We'll understand.
Thank you very much. (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 2.11 -- London, August 17, 1973
73/08/17 London, Bhagavad-gita 2.11
Pradyumna (leads chanting, etc.):
sri bhagavan uvaca
asocan anvasocas tvam
prajna-vadams ca bhasase
gatasun agatasums ca
nanusocanti panditah
[Bg. 2.11]
The Blessed Lord said: While speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor the dead."
Prabhupada: So, what is that thing which is living and dead? The body. The body is living and dead. So Krsna indirectly or directly chastised Arjuna that: "The behavior that you are showing, it is not like a learned man." Nanusocanti panditah. That means indirectly He said that, "You do not know things are there. Not learned. You are fool." In spite of Arjuna speaking so many things in support of his being nonviolent and not to kill his kinsmen, Krsna chastised him that "You are not learned. You are fool." So this is the position. Those who are under the bodily concept of life, they can speak so many learned things, but after all they are fool.
yasyatma-buddhi-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]
In the Srimad-Bhagavatam, those who are under the bodily concept of life, they are described as follows: Yasya atma-buddhih. Atma means self. Atma-buddhih, in this body, what is this body? Kunape tri-dhatuke. It is a bag of three elements, kapha, pitta, vayu. Mucus, bile and air. So, or ordinarily you can understand, this is a combination, this material body is combination of flesh, bone, blood, mucus, stool, urine, and so many other things. That, we are not self, but the foolish persons, they are taking this lump of matter, bones and flesh, accepting that "I am this body." No learned man will take like that. The whole world is misled under this conception. They are accepting this lump of matter, blood and flesh and bones -- "I am this is I am." This is animal mentality. Animal thinks like that, not learned man. Learned man, one who knows, he will say aham brahmasmi, "I am spirit soul. I am servant of God." This is learned speaking. "I am not this body."
So Krsna is chastising Arjuna because he has accepted, he's becoming His disciple, so the spiritual master has the right to chastise the disciple for right direction like the teacher, like the father. Similarly, although Krsna and Arjuna are friends, but Arjuna has accepted Him as spiritual master. There should not be any compromising words as it is done between friend and friend. The right things must be said that "You are wrong. Don't talk nonsense. Talking like very learned man but you do not know anything." "Why I do not know?" "Because this body, while living, agatasun..." Asun means the living force. While the living force is there, and when the living force is gone, two conditions... This body is moving very nicely because the living force is there. And as soon as the living force is gone out, this nice body will no longer move. It will decompose. "Dust thou art, dust thou beist." "Again become..." It is called panca-bhuta. Mix with the earth. Earth, water, fire, air, sky -- these five gross elements are the ingredients of this body. So as soon as the soul is out of this body, this body again... Conservation of the energy. The earthly energy goes to the earth, the waterly energy goes to the water. It is a combination of earth. water, air, fire. So they become decomposed. And become distributed to different elements. And that is the scientific law, it is called conservation of energy. The energy is never lost. It comes back again to the original stock.
So Krsna says this body, either in living force or without living force... Without living force it is called dead. With living force it is called living. In both the condition, a learned man..., learned man means one who knows brahma-bhutah. One who knows Brahman, one who has realized Brahman. Brahma-bhutah prasannatma [Bg. 18.54]. As soon as one is on the stage of brahma-bhutah stage, he can understand that "I am not this body. I am separate from this body." This knowledge was very common knowledge. At least we can see five thousand years ago. The ksatriyas were fighting severely one another, but still they are not in bodily concept of life. So Arjuna being ksatriya, is so much embarrassed with the bodily concept of life; therefore Krsna chastised him, that "You are not a very learned man. You are talking just like a learned man, but you are not learned man." So this conclusion is to be taken by us. That anyone within this world, if he has got bodily concept of life, he's not a learned man. He's a fool. So this world at the present moment at least, it is a fool's paradise. Nobody is learned. Because everyone is working under the bodily concept of life. This is chastise. This is the first chastisement. Just like before giving lesson, if the student is writing or reading wrongly, then the teacher immediately says, "You fool, it is not like this. It should be like this."
So the first step Krsna took in educating Arjuna... The Bhagavad-gita is now being actually being spoken, bhagavan uvaca. The first basic principle is explained to Arjuna that "You do not know anything. Don't talk just like a learned man." Actually, that is our own... Every one of us in the same position. Just like yesterday, two boys came. No philosophy, talking like nonsense, starvation, as if he has taken, what is called? Contract for stopping starvation. He's starving, everyone is starving, this law, the nature will go on. Somebody, because there are three qualities of the nature -- sattva-guna, rajo-guna, tamo-guna. So the natural laws will go on under the three laws. Therefore always we shall find three classes or three status of living condition. That will be explained in Bhagavad-gita. Even, everywhere there are different species of life. Everywhere these three qualities are working. Just like there are some good trees. Good trees means which are producing nice fruits and flowers. They are good trees. And there are trees, no fruit, no flower, very long standing. No use. No useful purpose. I've seen in Los Angeles, big, big palm trees, very long, but there is no fruit. In India there are palm trees like that, they bear fruit, very nice fruit, tal. Very sweet fruit. So any tree which does not give us nice fruit or nice flower, that is sinful. Amongst the trees also there are pious trees, there are sinful trees, amongst the animals also there are pious animals, sinful animals. Just like dog and the cow. Cow is pious animal and the dog is sinful animal. So natures, amongst the birds, this crow is sinful bird. And the ducks, white swan, they are pious bird. The peacocks. So similarly in the human society also, there are pious men and sinful men. Those who are pious they have got different position. Janmaisvarya-sruta-sri.... [SB 1.8.26] Pious man means born in very good family, rich family. Janma, aisvarya, aisvarya means riches, opulence. Janma, first-class aristocratic family, brahmana family. Janmaisvarya-sruta, educated, highly educated; sri, beautiful. These are the signs of pious life. And similarly just the opposite, ugly, no education, born in poor family or low grade family, poor. These are the things.
So either you take human life or animal life or birds' life, beasts' life, trees' life, anywhere you go, these three laws are working. Goodness, passion and ignorance. Therefore, always there must be three classes. Middle class, high class and lower class. There must be. So you cannot make one classless. That is not possible. So long the bodily concept of life is there, there must be these three classes. High class, middle class and lower class. So those who are condemned, they must suffer. Everyone is condemned in this material world. But first-class condemned, second-class condemned, third-class condemned. So you'll find this first class, second class, third, you cannot stop it. Just like in Bombay sometimes I showed to my disciples, say in 1935. 1935 means about fifty years ago. Fifty years ago when I was in Bombay, that time I was doing some business. So a class of men, they were living on footpath. Their home (is) on the footpath. They have got a box or a bag and lying on the footpath and eating on the footpath, their, everything on the footpath. Now the same class of men are still there. Now economically, fifty years ago, the value of money was greater. At that time, fifty years ago we were purchasing, say ghee, at most one rupee per kilo. So now you cannot get first class ghee unless you pay twenty-five rupees per kilo. So the value of money has decreased. So that means, in other words people are getting more money. Formerly, one servant was engaged, ten rupees or twelve rupees per month. Now you cannot get a servant unless you pay one hundred rupees. So in that comparison, everyone is getting more money, but still the condition is the same. Condition is the same. This will go on. Even if you get more money, the other circumstances will force you to remain in the same condition as you were fifty years ago. Because you are destined. This is called destiny. You cannot change your destiny. That is not possible.
Therefore Bhagavata says that do not try to change your destiny. Everyone is trying to change the destiny. I am poor man, I must be very rich man. But you cannot change your destiny. Tasyaiva hetoh prayateta kovido na labhate yad bhramatam upary adhah [SB 1.5.18]. In this world we are, every one of us are bound up by the laws of karma, destiny. We have got our destiny. So much happiness, so much distress we must have. Because this is a mixture of happiness and distress. Here you cannot have unadulterated happiness. That is not possible in this... Unadulterated happiness, real happiness can be achieved in the spiritual world. Not in the material world. So certain amount of happiness and certain amount of distress we have to enjoy and suffer. You cannot change it. This is the law of nature in this material world.
Therefore Bhagavata says, tasyaiva hetoh prayeteta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatam upary adhah. People are wandering within this material world, living entity, in different forms of life under different conditions of life. But they are not getting the information of Krsna. That is their misfortune. So one who is fortunate during this period of continuous wandering in different species of life on different planets, he contacts another devotee. Guru-Krsna. Or one who is actually anxious to unite with the Supreme Lord, how one gets this consciousness -- by associating with devotees. Just like we are holding this class. Even those who are not devotee, outsider, if they come they can also understand, then he becomes, one becomes very seriously anxious how to understand God, how to go back to home, back to Godhead. Then Krsna immediately helps. This is the process. Krsna is there within your heart. As soon as you become little serious, immediately, Krsna is ready. Krsna is ready, He is sitting with you as a friend. Simply looking for the opportunity when you'll come back to Him. That is Krsna. He's always sitting with you. But we are not willing to go back to home, back to Godhead. We want to become God in this material world. This is our position. Instead of going back to home, back to Godhead, live with God, we want to become God here. That is our position. Therefore, we are suffering. Here, you can... Nowhere you cannot be God. God is one. Nobody can be equal or above Him. Everyone must be subordinate to God. Therefore those who are not learned -- foolish people -- they are trying to be happy in this material world by adjustment and becoming himself God. This is atheism and this is demoniac tendency. But those who are advanced in knowledge, they know that "We are eternally servant of God; we cannot become God. Better to remain servant of God; that is our happiness."
So those who are in the bodily concept of life, they cannot advance in this real knowledge, that we are eternally servant of God. Our constitutional position is like that. If we do not serve God, we do not agree... We are servant of God, but if we deny that "No, I am not servant," so that means I become servant of maya. Servant I'll have to remain. That is my constitutional position. So one must first of all understand what is his identity. So this is the beginning of a lesson given by Krsna, that "You are lamenting for this body. This is not your identity. This is not your identity. You are wrongly thinking." Just like if your coat is some way or other destroyed, that does not mean that you are destroyed. If your car by accident is broken, that does not mean that you are finished. Sometimes we get accident, that is another thing. But I am not the car. I am not this body, I am not this coat. This is real knowledge. Although sometimes we become little sorry, but the identity is different. So Krsna says that "You are talking like learned man, but you do not know your identity. You are not this body."
This is the summary information. Asocyan anvasocas tvam prajna-vadams ca bhasase [Bg. 2.11]. So anyone who is not in perfect knowledge, he should not take the position of talking like a learned man. That is cheating and that is foolishness. First of all you know things as they are. Then talk. Otherwise, it is said that it is better not to talk than to talk foolish. It is better to stop talking. Therefore, sometimes in spiritual advancement there is a process, maunam. Maunam means not to talk. Those who are too much foolish, the spiritual master orders him, "Don't talk. Please remain silent." That's all. Because if you talk, you'll talk simply nonsense. Why should you spoil your energy by such nonsense talking? Better stop. The meditation is also like that also. Instead of talking or doing nonsense, if one is remaining silent for some time, it is little good for him. But this meditation and maunam, silence, is not meant for the devotees. They are meant for the lesser intelligent class of men. Devotees' business is always to talk about Krsna. Why they should stop talking? Maunam? No. Kirtaniyah sada harih [Cc. Adi 17.31]. Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that one has to chant and talk of Krsna twenty-four hours. Where is the question of maunam, silence? There is no question of silence. Silence is for those who are nonsense. "Be silent, don't talk." For them. At least they practice silence means at least they stop talking nonsense. But those who are actually advanced, for them there is no such restriction. Vacamsi vaikuntha-gunanuvarnane. We should use our talking power for describing the glories of the Lord. Vaikuntha-gunanuvarnane. That is kirtana. That is chanting. Abhavad naiyasaki-kirtane. Just like for seven days when Pariksit Maharaja was going to die... He had only seven days left. So twenty-four hours without any eating or without any drinking a drop of water, he went on hearing from Sukadeva Gosvami. And similarly, Sukadeva Gosvami also went on speaking, speaking Srimad-Bhagavatam. Sri-visnu-sravane pariksit. They got, both of them got salvation back to home, back to Godhead. How? One was hearing, and one was chanting. These two processes. Pariksit Maharaja was hearing and Sukadeva Gosvami was chanting. And what was the subject matter? Krsna. That's all.
So Krsna subject matter is so nice that simply you do not do anything. Simply hear, that's all. You have got God-given ear. You can hear. Sit down. Stane sthitah srutigatam tanuvan manobhih. Srutigatam, sruti means this ear. Srota-pantah. This is called srota-pantah. Getting knowledge by hearing. Satam prasangan mama virya-samvido bhavanty hrtkarna-rasayana-kathah, satam prasangat [SB 3.25.25]. When there is actually sat-sanga. Sat-sanga means this talking of Krsna, hearing about Krsna. When there is, there is no business. Not like a rented reciter or a paid reciter who is earning money by reciting. No, no. Not to hear from him. Actually, he's self-realized, who is working for the Lord, from satam. Satam means devotees. Satam prasanga. Therefore is called satsanga. Satsanga means the association of the devotees. Sat means devotee. Sat means God. Om tat sat. Or everything is asat. Asat means temporary. This material world is temporary. And sat means spiritual. So sat-sanga means spiritual association. Sat-sangan mukta-duh-sangah. The more you associate with sat, with devotees, then you become, more you become liberated. Sat-sangan mukta-duh-sangah. Duh-sanga. We are in the material world, we are simply in association, bad association, duh-sanga. So if we want to get rid of this bad association, we must associate with the devotees. Sat-sangat mukta duhsanga. And satam prasangat mama virya-samvido, if we hear in really devotee's association, then the... [break]
So Arjuna has got the best opportunity. He's hearing from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He has got the... He's so fortunate. He's talking with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, face to face, directly. So our business should be we should follow the footsteps of Arjuna. How to follow the footsteps of Arjuna? As Arjuna understood Bhagavad-gita, you try to understand in that way. Arjuna accepted Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan [Bg. 10.12]. "Krsna, You are the Supreme Person, Param Brahman, pavitra, the most pure." So if we, similarly, if we, even if we do not understand Bhagavad-gita, if we follow that: "Arjuna has understood like this, that Krsna is the Supreme Brahman, Supreme Personality of Godhead," then you understand everything. This is called parampara. You don't require to, I mean, to tax your brain, what is Krsna. Because now we have got poor intelligence. We cannot do that. But you simply accept what Arjuna says. Then you are perfect. Even I make a, I may become a fool number one, but if I accept... Mahajano yena gatah sa pantha. Mahajana. Those who are authorities, if you follow the authorities, then you understand. Dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhayam. It is very difficult to understand what is religion, what is the process of religion. People are very much puzzled. But if we follow the great personalities... They are also mentioned in the sastras. Svayambhu, Sambhu, Manu, Kumara, Kapila, Manu. So if we follow their footsteps... Just like Arjuna. That, that is, really we understand. "If Arjuna has understood like this, so let me understand like that." That's all. Simple thing. Then we understand Bhagavad-gita. But, if we want to speak very learned scholarly, but do not understand what is Krsna, this is simply waste of time. As the so-called scholars and philosophers are doing. They do not understand Krsna, but talking all nonsense, and such things are very much appreciated by others. That is described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam: sva-vid-varaha-ustra-kharaih samstutah purusah pasuh. These rascals, so-called scholars, so-called incarnation, are accepted by similar class of animals. Sva-vid-varaha. And actually Vedic understanding is to follow the footsteps of the predecessor acaryas who understand things. Then our life will be successful. We'll understand.
Thank you very much. (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 2.11 -- London, August 17, 1973
Saturday, November 20, 2010
"Evolution -- Darwinian or Divine"
"Evolution -- Darwinian or Divine"
76/03/25 Hotel Imperial, Delhi, Bhagavad-gita 2.11
Prabhupada: (prema-dhvani) Thank you very much.
Sri bhagavan uvaca
asocyan anvasocas tvam
prajna-vadams ca bhasase
gatasun agatasums ca
nanusocanti panditah
[Bg. 2.11]
Our this Krsna consciousness movement, it is not something new, imaginary movement. It is very old movement. At least five thousand years ago this Bhagavad-gita was repeated by Lord Krsna in the Battlefield of Kuruksetra. Before that, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, Fourth Chapter,
imam vivasvate yogam
proktavan aham avyayam
vivasvan manave praha
manur iksvakave 'bravit
[Bg. 4.1]
Krsna said to Arjuna that "This science of understanding God, long, long ago I spoke to the sun-god Vivasvan." In the Vedic scripture we understand that every planet is inhabited by living entities. The sun is also one of the planets, and there are living entities. Otherwise how Krsna could go there and speak the predominating person, Vivasvan? The name of the person is also given, imam vivasvate yogam proktavan aham avyayam [Bg. 4.1]. And vivasvan manave praha. Vivasvan, the sun-god... Because in the higher planetary system the sun planet, moon planet, and many, many other planets, they are called the heavenly planets. The inhabitants of those planets are very opulent. The material happiness available in those planets are hundreds and thousand times better than in this planet. So it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita that sun planet is also inhabited by living beings. But their body is made of fire. That is the difference. Just like here our body is made of earth. Earth, air... Earth, water, air, fire, ether -- these are the five material elements. In some planet the earth is prominent; in some planet the water is prominent; in other planet the fire is prominent. So this is the creation of God, different varieties. That is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita:
athava bahunaitena
kim jnatena tavarjuna
vistabhyaham idam krtsnam
ekamsena sthito jagat
[Bg. 10.42]
This material world, composed of many millions of universes, that is one-fourth creation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Ekamsena sthito jagat.
So Bhagavad-gita means to understand what is God, the science of God. And God Himself is speaking about Himself. Otherwise it is not possible to understand what is God. So if we carefully understand the slokas and the passages mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita, we can understand what is God. And the human form of life is meant for understanding God. He has no other business. In the lower bodies, less than human form of body... According to Darwin's theory, the human form of body comes from monkey. But the evolution is accepted in the Vedic literature but not like Darwin's. The evolution, again according to Vedic scripture, is that the living entity is different from the body, and the living entity is passing through many forms of body. We shall read that. So the bodies are according to my desire. I am desiring something. Just like here we are sitting, so many ladies and gentlemen, but not one of them is similar to anyone else. They have got different bodies. That body is created according to one's desire. The mind, the subtle mind, is the creator of the next body. Yam yam vapi smaran bhavam tyajaty ante kalevaram [Bg. 8.6]. At the time of death whatever I am thinking, a similar body will be offered to me by the laws of nature. Subtle body. The mind, intelligence and ego, they are subtle body, and the gross body is made of earth, water, air, fire, ether. So when we give up this gross body, the subtle body carries me to another gross body. This is the way of transmigration of the soul. The prakrti, nature, nature's law, is very strict and stringent. The nature will immediately offer you a similar body according to the thinking at the time of your death. Tatha dehantara-praptih [Bg. 2.13].
Therefore this human form of body is meant for going back to home, back to Godhead. Yad gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramam mama [Bg. 15.6]. We are eternal. As God is eternal, we are also eternal because we are part and parcel of God. As God is always blissful, jolly, similarly our nature is always blissful and jolly. Sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah [Bs. 5.1]. Sat, cit, ananda. Sat means eternal, and cit means blissful, cit means full of knowledge; and ananda. Ananda means blissfulness. That is our nature. Therefore we want to live. We do not wish to die. We do not wish... Nobody wishes to die, but we are forced to die. That is our punishment. Nityah sasvato 'yam na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. This instruction you will get in the Bhagavad-gita, that "The living entity is eternal," sasvata, "very, very old." Nityah sasvato 'yam na hanyate hanyamane sarire: [Bg. 2.20] "When the body is destroyed, is annihilated, the soul exists. It goes to another body." The example is just like every one of us... In the first day of intercourse of the father-mother, the secretion mix together, emulsified, and if the living entity is allowed to enter into that, it grows. That is the beginning of our body. But if the living entity is not allowed into the, that emulsified, small pealike form, then there is no pregnancy. So attempt is made to pollute that emulsification. Therefore the living entity cannot enter into it and there is no pregnancy. Otherwise there must be pregnancy. Then that pealike body grows, and in seven months it grows the hands and legs and head and everything, and consciousness comes back. When we die our consciousness becomes almost stopped, and we then lie down within the womb of the mother according to species of body, a status -- take it for granted our human form of body -- seven months. At that time body is grown up. In this way, in tenth month the body is fully grown. Then by nature's way the body comes out and another life begins. This is called transmigration of the soul.
So actually we are eternal. In the Vedic language it is said, nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam eko yo bahunam vidadhati kaman (Katha Upanisad 2.2.13). Nitya. Nitya means eternal. And nityanam. Nityanam means plural number of nityas. So there are many nityas, means many living entities, but there is one nitya Supreme. That is God. He is also a living entity like us. Then where is the difference? The difference is, we learn from the Vedic line, eko bahunam vidadhati kaman: "That singular number nitya, eternal, maintains the plural number nityas." We are within the plural number, nityanam. So conclusion is that God is the Supreme Being and we are living being. So our relation is very intimate. Qualitatively we are one because we are part and parcel. So God is eternal, full of knowledge, and blissful; therefore our position is also the same but in minute quantity. His knowledge is great. Therefore God is great. Our knowledge is limited. And because we have got limited potencies, therefore we are called living entities. And God has got unlimited potencies, therefore God is great and we are small. This is conclusion of the Bhagavad-gita. And we are in this material world being contaminated by the material nature. We are suffering because anything material, it has got limited period of existence. Anything you take, it is asat. Asat means "which will not exist," and sat means "which will exist." The Vedic injunction is asato ma sad gama: "You are sat. You revive your eternal life. Don't be entangled in this asat."
So we are transmigrating from one body to another. There is evolution.
jalaja nava-laksani
sthavara laksa-vimsati
krmayo rudra-sankhyakah
paksinam dasa-laksanam
Because in the beginning the whole planet was covered in water. The water is drying up and gradually land is coming out. So therefore in the beginning the aquatics, jalaja nava-laksani. So the aquatic animals, they are 900,000 species. Jalaja nava..., sthavara laksa-vimsati. Then trees and plants and herbs and grasses and so many, they are 2,000,000 forms. Then krmayo rudra-sankhyakah. Then insect life, reptile life, 1,100,000. Then paksinam dasa-laksanam, then birds, varieties of birds, 1,000,000. Then pasu, four-legged animals, 3,000,000 types. Then manusah catur-laksani. Then human form of life, uncivilized and civilized, that human form of life 400,000. So in comparison to the lower species of life, we are very small quantity. Together there are 8,400,000 species of life, living entities. The evolution process is from one body to another, another, another. In this way, when you come to the human form of life, it should be utilized for full knowledge about our eternal life. That is the opportunity. And if we don't take this opportunity, if we live like other animals -- eating, sleeping, sex, and fearfulness, ahara-nidra-bhayam -- but we do not care to understand what we are, what is God, what is our relationship with God, then we are missing the point.
That lesson, instruction, is given in the Bhagavad-gita. And it is very easy to understand. The perplexity which Arjuna met at the Battle, in the Battlefield of Kuruksetra... The fight was between two sector of family members. They're cousin-brothers, one family, but there was some trouble, who would occupy the throne. From Mahabharata we understand that the Pandavas, at least up to Maharaja Pariksit, he ruled over the whole world. Bharatavarsa means the whole world, and the capital was here, Hastinapura. This information we get, Mahabharata. Maha means greater, and bharata means India. Mahabharata. So there was trouble, who will occupy the throne. So there was fight. So when fight was arranged, then Arjuna... He was a devotee of Krsna. (aside to someone talking:) Please stop. He declined fight. He said to Krsna, "My dear Krsna" -- Krsna was his friend -- "I don't like this fight because they are my cousin-brothers. Although they have usurped my kingdom, let them enjoy it. I don't wish to fight with them." But Krsna declined. Krsna said, "No, you have to fight. Your duty is to fight." Then Arjuna placed before Him so many ideas that "If I kill my brother, then my brothers' wives will be widow and they may be polluted, then unwanted children, varna-sankara, will come out, and when the varna-sankara population is filling, then the whole world becomes a hell." So many arguments. So Krsna, when He saw that Arjuna is very much afflicted with the material ideas, so He wanted to teach him this Bhagavad-gita. So first punishment... Not punishment, chastisement. Because Arjuna accepted that "The perplexities which I am facing is not possible to be solved except Yourself." He knew that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So he surrendered himself to Krsna, sisyas te 'ham sadhi mam prapannam, karpanya-dosopahata svabhavah: [Bg. 2.7] "I am a ksatriya. It is my duty to fight in right cases, and I am declining. This is my weakness. So kindly instruct me how I can give up this weakness. I am accepting You as my guru." Sisyas te 'ham. Sisya means who voluntarily accepts to be ruled by a person who is guru. He is called sisya.
So Arjuna and Krsna, they were friends, but still, to take right instruction without any argument, he accepted He is guru. Then after the acceptance Krsna's first warning is,
asocyan anvasocas tvam
prajna-vadams ca bhasase
gatasun agatasums ca
nanusocanti panditah
[Bg. 2.11]
"My dear Arjuna, you are talking like a very learned man, but the subject matter which you have touched is not at all taken seriously by the pandita." Pandita means learned man. That means, "You are talking like a fool. You are taking this body as self." So actually this is not the fact. The body is not the self. The self is different. If you analyze this body, what you will find? Suppose we are breathing. What is this breathing? It is air only. Now, when the breathing is stopped, a man is dead. Now, you are so much advanced in science. Why don't you replace this breathing? It is nothing but air. So you can manufacture some machine working in electric battery and put some air and fix up, and that same air will come: "Woosh, woosh, woosh, woosh. "Will that give you life? No. Even if you artificially bring breathing, just like nowadays they, with oxygen gas, as if oxygen gas is life... That is not the fact. So if you analyze every part of the body, then you will find that there is no life. This is called education. This is called scientific knowledge. Simply abruptly taking something without any proper understanding, that is not knowledge. Therefore Krsna chastised him that "You are talking like very scientific, learned scholar, but you are a fool number one because you are accepting this material body as the self." This is ignorance. This is confirmed in another place, yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke [SB 10.84.13]. This kunape, this bag of three elements, kapha pitta vayu, or, take it, the skin, muscle, veins, bones, urine, stool, blood -- what you will find if you dissect this body? They are all material things. What is blood? It is also water, red water. The urine, this is also water. And this bone, bone is nothing but earth hardened. If you take plaster of Paris... They sometimes show artificial bone also in the medical college. But that is not. That is bone. That is earth. So do you think this combination of this earth, water, air, fire, is life? Can you produce life? You take... You can get enough earth, water, air, pus, stool, urine, blood. You manufacture one life. That you cannot do. This is called analysis. And those who are engaged in understanding the self as the combination of these earth, water, air, fire -- sa eva go-kharah [SB 10.84.13]. Such persons are defined in the sastra as no more intelligent than the cows and the asses. So from here spiritual knowledge begins. You analyze the body, but you won't find the real soul or real life, although it is within you. But why you cannot find? It is very, very small. Kesagra-sata-bhagasya satadha kalpitasya ca [Cc. Madhya 19.140]. The formation of the soul, measurement of the soul, is very, very... It is smaller than the atom. Kesagra-sata-bhagasya [Cc. Madhya 19.140]. The tip of the hair you divide into hundred part, and take one part. Again divide it into hundred parts. That one part is the measurement of the soul. That means one ten thousandth part of the top of the hair. So how you can see? But that small particle is giving you living force. This knowledge we get from Bhagavad-gita, and that is the fact. You cannot get life by analyzing this material body. That is not possible. You have to find out what is that small particle. You have to hear. Therefore you cannot get knowledge by your material activities. You have to hear it from the authorities; otherwise there is no possibility. Just like you cannot understand who is your father. You have to take the knowledge from your mother. If mother certifies, "This gentleman is your father," that is correct. But if you go on researching who is your father you will never be able to know who is your father. Similarly, what is life, what is soul, what is our, this body, what is the ultimate goal of life, why you are suffering -- all this knowledge you have to take from the higher authorities. That is called Vedic process, not to endeavor by research. What you can research? Our fund of knowledge is very, very poor, limited. You cannot have perfect knowledge unless you hear from the authority. So Krsna is the authority. Our Krsna consciousness movement means you take knowledge from the best authority. Don't manufacture knowledge. That will not help you. That is Krsna consciousness movement.
So here Krsna says that "My dear Arjuna, you are talking like a very learned man." That is our disease. Everyone will talk as if... We manufacture, but that is useless. Ke ami kene amaya jare... You cannot make any solution. Therefore the whole world is in chaotic condition. We speak of our own country, India. Not only India, everywhere the chaotic condition is because they have no real knowledge. They are simply claiming to be very learned man, which is chastised here by Krsna. Asocyan anvasocas tvam prajna-vadan: [Bg. 2.11] "You are presenting yourself as very learned man, but the subject matter which you have taken, this body, this body is nothing but dead lump of matter." That is said here, that asocyan anvasocas tvam gatasun agatasums ca. This body, when it is living condition... Living condition means so long the soul is there, it looks like very bright, beautiful, moving here and there. And when the soul leaves this body, then what it is? It has no value, a lump of matter. Just like a motorcar. So long it is moving, it is worth one lakh, and so long it does not move, it is simply lump of iron and copper and something. Who cares for it? It is thrown away. Same thing. The body has no value. It has value so long the soul is there. Otherwise suppose a big man... They are lamenting such, "A great man has passed away." But what is that such great man? He is lying on the floor, on the bed, the same man. So why you are seeing that he has gone? Then who has gone? You have never seen him who has gone. This is knowledge. So our human life is meant for understanding what has gone from the body which makes the body a lump of matter... [break]
Dvapare paricaryayam kalau tad dhari-kirtanat. In the Satya-yuga, when the duration of life was very, very great, meditation was possible. And next yuga? Krte yad dhyayato visnum tretayam yajato makhaih. By performing the ritualistic ceremonies recommended in the Vedas, yajna... And the next yuga, by paricarya, by Deity worship. And next yuga, this Kali-yuga, hari-kirtanat, simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord. Otherwise... And meditation means krte yad dhyayato visnum. Meditation means to think of Visnu, Lord Visnu. That is the recommendation. Dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa pasyanti yam yoginah [SB 12.13.1]. The yogis, they think of the Supreme Person, dhyanavasthita manasa, mind absorbed, surcharged with thinking of Visnu. That is called meditation. Dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa pasyanti yam yoginah [SB 12.13.1]. And in the Bhagavad-gita this dhyana is recommended in the sixth chapter:
yoginam api sarvesam
mad-gatenantar-atmana
sraddhavan bhajate yo mam
sa me yuktatamo matah
[Bg. 6.47]
Any yogi... There are different varieties of yogis. So of all the yogis, the bhakti-yogi who is thinking of Krsna within the mind, he is the first-class yogi. So in our movement we are creating first-class yogis because they are chanting Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. So this is directly to create first-class yogis. Yoginam api sarvesam.
Indian: Swamiji, in our ancient books Krsna has also been projected as a person who has lived for a certain period of history, and who was associated with number of...
Prabhupada: Friends and relatives.
Indian: ...relatives for temporary time. Our books of literature also projected the Supreme Being as the perfect one. How do you reconcile the two things? How do we accept that... Your teachings are based on the assumption that that person who lived for that period of time is the perfect person. But how do you fundamentally assure that what He has said is correct? How do you reconcile the two points?
Prabhupada: That I have already explained, that one has to understand Krsna. Janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah. Before your asking, I have already explained that if that person, Krsna, whom you think that He lived for a certain period with friends and relatives just like ordinary man, if you simply study what is this person, then you'll be comforted (competent?). Janma karma ca me divyam yo janati tattvatah [Bg. 4.9]. To understand Him in fact, it is not so easily. That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gita:
manusyanam sahasresu
kascid yatati siddhaye
yatatam api siddhanam
kascin mam vetti tattvatah
[Bg. 7.3]
Out of many millions of persons, one becomes siddha, perfect. So that perfection is not complete perfection. That perfection means aham brahmasmi: "I am not this material body; I am spirit soul." So one who understands this position of oneself is calculated as perfect, but yatatam api siddhanam [Bg. 7.3], in that perfect stage if one endeavors to understand Krsna, yatatam api siddhanam kascid, out of many such millions of persons who trying to understand Krsna in perfection, one may understand. So it is not so easy. Janma karma ca me divyam yo jana... [Bg. 4.9], again tattvatah. That factual understanding is possible. How it is possible? Bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah [Bg. 18.55]. Only through devotion you can understand. So these problems will be solved when you become a devotee. Then Krsna will reveal. Atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih [Brs. 1.2.234]. If you try to understand that Supreme Person Krsna, who comes before you as ordinary person, you can understand Him if you become His devotee. Otherwise it is not possible. Atah sri-krsna-namadi. You cannot understand Krsna or His name, His form, His pastimes, His activities -- na bhaved grahyam indriyaih -- by your imperfect senses. But sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphurati. When you are engaged in His service, then He reveals Himself: "Here I am." So this is the process. If you want to understand that person, Krsna, who is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then you have to take shelter of bhakti-yoga and associate with bhaktas. Then it is possible. Otherwise not.
Indian (2): Pranamas, Swamiji.
Prabhupada: Hare Krsna.
Indian (2): Shri Gandhiji was also great admirer of the Gita and a great scholar and a great..., made commentary also. But he at the time of the great war asked the great powers to let Hitler come in and not fight him at all. But where have you... He said that Hitler change of heart that would be effective and not that punishment. That means punishment is a fault, and I would like your enlightenment on this paradox.
Prabhupada: The punishment... Krsna does not personally punish. He has got many agents. Just like in the government, the president does not punish directly, but there are many departments. Similarly, parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]. His potencies are manyfold. One of the potency is this material nature. It is called maya. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gita. Daivi hy esa gunamayi mama maya duratyaya [Bg. 7.14]. It is very difficult to surpass the jurisdiction of maya, duratyaya. But punishment will not be excused. Ignorance of law is no excuse. Similarly, this maya, this material nature, is very, very strong. If you eat little more... Your nature is to eat, say, two ounce. If you eat three ounce immediately you'll be punished. There will be indigestion. The nature is so strong. Therefore it is called daivi hy esa gunamayi mama maya duratyaya. So in this way you cannot surpass the stringent laws of maya, but if you want to avoid punishment, then you take shelter of Krsna. Mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te [Bg. 7.14]. Therefore Krsna consciousness is essential. If we become Krsna conscious, if we follow the instruction of Krsna, then there is no question of being harassed by the stringent laws of maya. This is the version.
Indian (3): President Jagadish, it is customary... (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 2.11 -- Hotel Imperial, Delhi, March 25, 1976
76/03/25 Hotel Imperial, Delhi, Bhagavad-gita 2.11
Prabhupada: (prema-dhvani) Thank you very much.
Sri bhagavan uvaca
asocyan anvasocas tvam
prajna-vadams ca bhasase
gatasun agatasums ca
nanusocanti panditah
[Bg. 2.11]
Our this Krsna consciousness movement, it is not something new, imaginary movement. It is very old movement. At least five thousand years ago this Bhagavad-gita was repeated by Lord Krsna in the Battlefield of Kuruksetra. Before that, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, Fourth Chapter,
imam vivasvate yogam
proktavan aham avyayam
vivasvan manave praha
manur iksvakave 'bravit
[Bg. 4.1]
Krsna said to Arjuna that "This science of understanding God, long, long ago I spoke to the sun-god Vivasvan." In the Vedic scripture we understand that every planet is inhabited by living entities. The sun is also one of the planets, and there are living entities. Otherwise how Krsna could go there and speak the predominating person, Vivasvan? The name of the person is also given, imam vivasvate yogam proktavan aham avyayam [Bg. 4.1]. And vivasvan manave praha. Vivasvan, the sun-god... Because in the higher planetary system the sun planet, moon planet, and many, many other planets, they are called the heavenly planets. The inhabitants of those planets are very opulent. The material happiness available in those planets are hundreds and thousand times better than in this planet. So it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita that sun planet is also inhabited by living beings. But their body is made of fire. That is the difference. Just like here our body is made of earth. Earth, air... Earth, water, air, fire, ether -- these are the five material elements. In some planet the earth is prominent; in some planet the water is prominent; in other planet the fire is prominent. So this is the creation of God, different varieties. That is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita:
athava bahunaitena
kim jnatena tavarjuna
vistabhyaham idam krtsnam
ekamsena sthito jagat
[Bg. 10.42]
This material world, composed of many millions of universes, that is one-fourth creation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Ekamsena sthito jagat.
So Bhagavad-gita means to understand what is God, the science of God. And God Himself is speaking about Himself. Otherwise it is not possible to understand what is God. So if we carefully understand the slokas and the passages mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita, we can understand what is God. And the human form of life is meant for understanding God. He has no other business. In the lower bodies, less than human form of body... According to Darwin's theory, the human form of body comes from monkey. But the evolution is accepted in the Vedic literature but not like Darwin's. The evolution, again according to Vedic scripture, is that the living entity is different from the body, and the living entity is passing through many forms of body. We shall read that. So the bodies are according to my desire. I am desiring something. Just like here we are sitting, so many ladies and gentlemen, but not one of them is similar to anyone else. They have got different bodies. That body is created according to one's desire. The mind, the subtle mind, is the creator of the next body. Yam yam vapi smaran bhavam tyajaty ante kalevaram [Bg. 8.6]. At the time of death whatever I am thinking, a similar body will be offered to me by the laws of nature. Subtle body. The mind, intelligence and ego, they are subtle body, and the gross body is made of earth, water, air, fire, ether. So when we give up this gross body, the subtle body carries me to another gross body. This is the way of transmigration of the soul. The prakrti, nature, nature's law, is very strict and stringent. The nature will immediately offer you a similar body according to the thinking at the time of your death. Tatha dehantara-praptih [Bg. 2.13].
Therefore this human form of body is meant for going back to home, back to Godhead. Yad gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramam mama [Bg. 15.6]. We are eternal. As God is eternal, we are also eternal because we are part and parcel of God. As God is always blissful, jolly, similarly our nature is always blissful and jolly. Sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah [Bs. 5.1]. Sat, cit, ananda. Sat means eternal, and cit means blissful, cit means full of knowledge; and ananda. Ananda means blissfulness. That is our nature. Therefore we want to live. We do not wish to die. We do not wish... Nobody wishes to die, but we are forced to die. That is our punishment. Nityah sasvato 'yam na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. This instruction you will get in the Bhagavad-gita, that "The living entity is eternal," sasvata, "very, very old." Nityah sasvato 'yam na hanyate hanyamane sarire: [Bg. 2.20] "When the body is destroyed, is annihilated, the soul exists. It goes to another body." The example is just like every one of us... In the first day of intercourse of the father-mother, the secretion mix together, emulsified, and if the living entity is allowed to enter into that, it grows. That is the beginning of our body. But if the living entity is not allowed into the, that emulsified, small pealike form, then there is no pregnancy. So attempt is made to pollute that emulsification. Therefore the living entity cannot enter into it and there is no pregnancy. Otherwise there must be pregnancy. Then that pealike body grows, and in seven months it grows the hands and legs and head and everything, and consciousness comes back. When we die our consciousness becomes almost stopped, and we then lie down within the womb of the mother according to species of body, a status -- take it for granted our human form of body -- seven months. At that time body is grown up. In this way, in tenth month the body is fully grown. Then by nature's way the body comes out and another life begins. This is called transmigration of the soul.
So actually we are eternal. In the Vedic language it is said, nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam eko yo bahunam vidadhati kaman (Katha Upanisad 2.2.13). Nitya. Nitya means eternal. And nityanam. Nityanam means plural number of nityas. So there are many nityas, means many living entities, but there is one nitya Supreme. That is God. He is also a living entity like us. Then where is the difference? The difference is, we learn from the Vedic line, eko bahunam vidadhati kaman: "That singular number nitya, eternal, maintains the plural number nityas." We are within the plural number, nityanam. So conclusion is that God is the Supreme Being and we are living being. So our relation is very intimate. Qualitatively we are one because we are part and parcel. So God is eternal, full of knowledge, and blissful; therefore our position is also the same but in minute quantity. His knowledge is great. Therefore God is great. Our knowledge is limited. And because we have got limited potencies, therefore we are called living entities. And God has got unlimited potencies, therefore God is great and we are small. This is conclusion of the Bhagavad-gita. And we are in this material world being contaminated by the material nature. We are suffering because anything material, it has got limited period of existence. Anything you take, it is asat. Asat means "which will not exist," and sat means "which will exist." The Vedic injunction is asato ma sad gama: "You are sat. You revive your eternal life. Don't be entangled in this asat."
So we are transmigrating from one body to another. There is evolution.
jalaja nava-laksani
sthavara laksa-vimsati
krmayo rudra-sankhyakah
paksinam dasa-laksanam
Because in the beginning the whole planet was covered in water. The water is drying up and gradually land is coming out. So therefore in the beginning the aquatics, jalaja nava-laksani. So the aquatic animals, they are 900,000 species. Jalaja nava..., sthavara laksa-vimsati. Then trees and plants and herbs and grasses and so many, they are 2,000,000 forms. Then krmayo rudra-sankhyakah. Then insect life, reptile life, 1,100,000. Then paksinam dasa-laksanam, then birds, varieties of birds, 1,000,000. Then pasu, four-legged animals, 3,000,000 types. Then manusah catur-laksani. Then human form of life, uncivilized and civilized, that human form of life 400,000. So in comparison to the lower species of life, we are very small quantity. Together there are 8,400,000 species of life, living entities. The evolution process is from one body to another, another, another. In this way, when you come to the human form of life, it should be utilized for full knowledge about our eternal life. That is the opportunity. And if we don't take this opportunity, if we live like other animals -- eating, sleeping, sex, and fearfulness, ahara-nidra-bhayam -- but we do not care to understand what we are, what is God, what is our relationship with God, then we are missing the point.
That lesson, instruction, is given in the Bhagavad-gita. And it is very easy to understand. The perplexity which Arjuna met at the Battle, in the Battlefield of Kuruksetra... The fight was between two sector of family members. They're cousin-brothers, one family, but there was some trouble, who would occupy the throne. From Mahabharata we understand that the Pandavas, at least up to Maharaja Pariksit, he ruled over the whole world. Bharatavarsa means the whole world, and the capital was here, Hastinapura. This information we get, Mahabharata. Maha means greater, and bharata means India. Mahabharata. So there was trouble, who will occupy the throne. So there was fight. So when fight was arranged, then Arjuna... He was a devotee of Krsna. (aside to someone talking:) Please stop. He declined fight. He said to Krsna, "My dear Krsna" -- Krsna was his friend -- "I don't like this fight because they are my cousin-brothers. Although they have usurped my kingdom, let them enjoy it. I don't wish to fight with them." But Krsna declined. Krsna said, "No, you have to fight. Your duty is to fight." Then Arjuna placed before Him so many ideas that "If I kill my brother, then my brothers' wives will be widow and they may be polluted, then unwanted children, varna-sankara, will come out, and when the varna-sankara population is filling, then the whole world becomes a hell." So many arguments. So Krsna, when He saw that Arjuna is very much afflicted with the material ideas, so He wanted to teach him this Bhagavad-gita. So first punishment... Not punishment, chastisement. Because Arjuna accepted that "The perplexities which I am facing is not possible to be solved except Yourself." He knew that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So he surrendered himself to Krsna, sisyas te 'ham sadhi mam prapannam, karpanya-dosopahata svabhavah: [Bg. 2.7] "I am a ksatriya. It is my duty to fight in right cases, and I am declining. This is my weakness. So kindly instruct me how I can give up this weakness. I am accepting You as my guru." Sisyas te 'ham. Sisya means who voluntarily accepts to be ruled by a person who is guru. He is called sisya.
So Arjuna and Krsna, they were friends, but still, to take right instruction without any argument, he accepted He is guru. Then after the acceptance Krsna's first warning is,
asocyan anvasocas tvam
prajna-vadams ca bhasase
gatasun agatasums ca
nanusocanti panditah
[Bg. 2.11]
"My dear Arjuna, you are talking like a very learned man, but the subject matter which you have touched is not at all taken seriously by the pandita." Pandita means learned man. That means, "You are talking like a fool. You are taking this body as self." So actually this is not the fact. The body is not the self. The self is different. If you analyze this body, what you will find? Suppose we are breathing. What is this breathing? It is air only. Now, when the breathing is stopped, a man is dead. Now, you are so much advanced in science. Why don't you replace this breathing? It is nothing but air. So you can manufacture some machine working in electric battery and put some air and fix up, and that same air will come: "Woosh, woosh, woosh, woosh. "Will that give you life? No. Even if you artificially bring breathing, just like nowadays they, with oxygen gas, as if oxygen gas is life... That is not the fact. So if you analyze every part of the body, then you will find that there is no life. This is called education. This is called scientific knowledge. Simply abruptly taking something without any proper understanding, that is not knowledge. Therefore Krsna chastised him that "You are talking like very scientific, learned scholar, but you are a fool number one because you are accepting this material body as the self." This is ignorance. This is confirmed in another place, yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke [SB 10.84.13]. This kunape, this bag of three elements, kapha pitta vayu, or, take it, the skin, muscle, veins, bones, urine, stool, blood -- what you will find if you dissect this body? They are all material things. What is blood? It is also water, red water. The urine, this is also water. And this bone, bone is nothing but earth hardened. If you take plaster of Paris... They sometimes show artificial bone also in the medical college. But that is not. That is bone. That is earth. So do you think this combination of this earth, water, air, fire, is life? Can you produce life? You take... You can get enough earth, water, air, pus, stool, urine, blood. You manufacture one life. That you cannot do. This is called analysis. And those who are engaged in understanding the self as the combination of these earth, water, air, fire -- sa eva go-kharah [SB 10.84.13]. Such persons are defined in the sastra as no more intelligent than the cows and the asses. So from here spiritual knowledge begins. You analyze the body, but you won't find the real soul or real life, although it is within you. But why you cannot find? It is very, very small. Kesagra-sata-bhagasya satadha kalpitasya ca [Cc. Madhya 19.140]. The formation of the soul, measurement of the soul, is very, very... It is smaller than the atom. Kesagra-sata-bhagasya [Cc. Madhya 19.140]. The tip of the hair you divide into hundred part, and take one part. Again divide it into hundred parts. That one part is the measurement of the soul. That means one ten thousandth part of the top of the hair. So how you can see? But that small particle is giving you living force. This knowledge we get from Bhagavad-gita, and that is the fact. You cannot get life by analyzing this material body. That is not possible. You have to find out what is that small particle. You have to hear. Therefore you cannot get knowledge by your material activities. You have to hear it from the authorities; otherwise there is no possibility. Just like you cannot understand who is your father. You have to take the knowledge from your mother. If mother certifies, "This gentleman is your father," that is correct. But if you go on researching who is your father you will never be able to know who is your father. Similarly, what is life, what is soul, what is our, this body, what is the ultimate goal of life, why you are suffering -- all this knowledge you have to take from the higher authorities. That is called Vedic process, not to endeavor by research. What you can research? Our fund of knowledge is very, very poor, limited. You cannot have perfect knowledge unless you hear from the authority. So Krsna is the authority. Our Krsna consciousness movement means you take knowledge from the best authority. Don't manufacture knowledge. That will not help you. That is Krsna consciousness movement.
So here Krsna says that "My dear Arjuna, you are talking like a very learned man." That is our disease. Everyone will talk as if... We manufacture, but that is useless. Ke ami kene amaya jare... You cannot make any solution. Therefore the whole world is in chaotic condition. We speak of our own country, India. Not only India, everywhere the chaotic condition is because they have no real knowledge. They are simply claiming to be very learned man, which is chastised here by Krsna. Asocyan anvasocas tvam prajna-vadan: [Bg. 2.11] "You are presenting yourself as very learned man, but the subject matter which you have taken, this body, this body is nothing but dead lump of matter." That is said here, that asocyan anvasocas tvam gatasun agatasums ca. This body, when it is living condition... Living condition means so long the soul is there, it looks like very bright, beautiful, moving here and there. And when the soul leaves this body, then what it is? It has no value, a lump of matter. Just like a motorcar. So long it is moving, it is worth one lakh, and so long it does not move, it is simply lump of iron and copper and something. Who cares for it? It is thrown away. Same thing. The body has no value. It has value so long the soul is there. Otherwise suppose a big man... They are lamenting such, "A great man has passed away." But what is that such great man? He is lying on the floor, on the bed, the same man. So why you are seeing that he has gone? Then who has gone? You have never seen him who has gone. This is knowledge. So our human life is meant for understanding what has gone from the body which makes the body a lump of matter... [break]
Dvapare paricaryayam kalau tad dhari-kirtanat. In the Satya-yuga, when the duration of life was very, very great, meditation was possible. And next yuga? Krte yad dhyayato visnum tretayam yajato makhaih. By performing the ritualistic ceremonies recommended in the Vedas, yajna... And the next yuga, by paricarya, by Deity worship. And next yuga, this Kali-yuga, hari-kirtanat, simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord. Otherwise... And meditation means krte yad dhyayato visnum. Meditation means to think of Visnu, Lord Visnu. That is the recommendation. Dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa pasyanti yam yoginah [SB 12.13.1]. The yogis, they think of the Supreme Person, dhyanavasthita manasa, mind absorbed, surcharged with thinking of Visnu. That is called meditation. Dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa pasyanti yam yoginah [SB 12.13.1]. And in the Bhagavad-gita this dhyana is recommended in the sixth chapter:
yoginam api sarvesam
mad-gatenantar-atmana
sraddhavan bhajate yo mam
sa me yuktatamo matah
[Bg. 6.47]
Any yogi... There are different varieties of yogis. So of all the yogis, the bhakti-yogi who is thinking of Krsna within the mind, he is the first-class yogi. So in our movement we are creating first-class yogis because they are chanting Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. So this is directly to create first-class yogis. Yoginam api sarvesam.
Indian: Swamiji, in our ancient books Krsna has also been projected as a person who has lived for a certain period of history, and who was associated with number of...
Prabhupada: Friends and relatives.
Indian: ...relatives for temporary time. Our books of literature also projected the Supreme Being as the perfect one. How do you reconcile the two things? How do we accept that... Your teachings are based on the assumption that that person who lived for that period of time is the perfect person. But how do you fundamentally assure that what He has said is correct? How do you reconcile the two points?
Prabhupada: That I have already explained, that one has to understand Krsna. Janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah. Before your asking, I have already explained that if that person, Krsna, whom you think that He lived for a certain period with friends and relatives just like ordinary man, if you simply study what is this person, then you'll be comforted (competent?). Janma karma ca me divyam yo janati tattvatah [Bg. 4.9]. To understand Him in fact, it is not so easily. That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gita:
manusyanam sahasresu
kascid yatati siddhaye
yatatam api siddhanam
kascin mam vetti tattvatah
[Bg. 7.3]
Out of many millions of persons, one becomes siddha, perfect. So that perfection is not complete perfection. That perfection means aham brahmasmi: "I am not this material body; I am spirit soul." So one who understands this position of oneself is calculated as perfect, but yatatam api siddhanam [Bg. 7.3], in that perfect stage if one endeavors to understand Krsna, yatatam api siddhanam kascid, out of many such millions of persons who trying to understand Krsna in perfection, one may understand. So it is not so easy. Janma karma ca me divyam yo jana... [Bg. 4.9], again tattvatah. That factual understanding is possible. How it is possible? Bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah [Bg. 18.55]. Only through devotion you can understand. So these problems will be solved when you become a devotee. Then Krsna will reveal. Atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih [Brs. 1.2.234]. If you try to understand that Supreme Person Krsna, who comes before you as ordinary person, you can understand Him if you become His devotee. Otherwise it is not possible. Atah sri-krsna-namadi. You cannot understand Krsna or His name, His form, His pastimes, His activities -- na bhaved grahyam indriyaih -- by your imperfect senses. But sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphurati. When you are engaged in His service, then He reveals Himself: "Here I am." So this is the process. If you want to understand that person, Krsna, who is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then you have to take shelter of bhakti-yoga and associate with bhaktas. Then it is possible. Otherwise not.
Indian (2): Pranamas, Swamiji.
Prabhupada: Hare Krsna.
Indian (2): Shri Gandhiji was also great admirer of the Gita and a great scholar and a great..., made commentary also. But he at the time of the great war asked the great powers to let Hitler come in and not fight him at all. But where have you... He said that Hitler change of heart that would be effective and not that punishment. That means punishment is a fault, and I would like your enlightenment on this paradox.
Prabhupada: The punishment... Krsna does not personally punish. He has got many agents. Just like in the government, the president does not punish directly, but there are many departments. Similarly, parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]. His potencies are manyfold. One of the potency is this material nature. It is called maya. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gita. Daivi hy esa gunamayi mama maya duratyaya [Bg. 7.14]. It is very difficult to surpass the jurisdiction of maya, duratyaya. But punishment will not be excused. Ignorance of law is no excuse. Similarly, this maya, this material nature, is very, very strong. If you eat little more... Your nature is to eat, say, two ounce. If you eat three ounce immediately you'll be punished. There will be indigestion. The nature is so strong. Therefore it is called daivi hy esa gunamayi mama maya duratyaya. So in this way you cannot surpass the stringent laws of maya, but if you want to avoid punishment, then you take shelter of Krsna. Mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te [Bg. 7.14]. Therefore Krsna consciousness is essential. If we become Krsna conscious, if we follow the instruction of Krsna, then there is no question of being harassed by the stringent laws of maya. This is the version.
Indian (3): President Jagadish, it is customary... (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 2.11 -- Hotel Imperial, Delhi, March 25, 1976
"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
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
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