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ANNOUNCER: Next is a class on
the Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, 1st
chapter, text number 26 and 27,
given by His Divine Grace A. C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupāda, recorded on July 21,
1973 in London, England.

Pradyumna:

Translation: “There Arjuna could
see, within the midst of the
armies of both parties, his
fathers, grandfathers, teachers,
maternal uncles, brothers, sons,
grandsons, friends, and also his
father-in-law and well-wishers—
all present there. When the son
of Kuntī, Arjuna, saw all these
different grades of friends and
relatives, he became
overwhelmed with compassion
and spoke thus.”

PRABHUPĀDA: This is the
problem. Now Arjuna is facing
the problem. What is this
problem? Suppose you bring all
my friends, my relatives, my sons,
grandsons, my father-in-law,
brother-in-law, friends, my
animals… Because there were
soldiers, senayor ubhayor api,
there were animals also. Horses,
elephants. They are also within
the membership. According to
Vedic conception, the animals,
they are also members of your
family. Because they are giving
service. Not that one section of
the members of my family I give
protection, and the other section,
I take everything from them and
then cut throat. This is not
civilization. You keep your sons,
wife, daughters, cows, dogs, they
are animals, asses, domestic
animals, horses, elephants. If you
are rich, you can keep elephants
also. It does not mean… Either
family-wise or state-wise, it does
not mean that you give
protection to some members and
cut throat of the others. Oh, how
horrible it is. So all of them were
present now. And the problem is
that he has to kill them, Arjuna. It
is fight, it is a family fight.

So some of the family members
on the other side, and some of
the family members this side. So
other side also, what are they?
Tatrāpaśyat sthitān pārthaḥ pitṝn
atha pitāmahān. Pitṝn, teachers,
and pitṝn also. Pitṝn means those
who are on the status of father.
And Bhīṣmadeva was a
grandfather, a real grandfather,
pitāmahā. He is on the other side.
Droṇācārya, he is on the other
side, teacher. They had to be
respected. Actually Arjuna did so.
Before fighting with Droṇācārya,
he first of all throw one arrow on
his lotus feet, obeisances. This is
the etiquette. “My dear sir, you
have taught me this fighting
science, now it is being used
against you, duty. So I offer my
obeisances.” And Droṇācārya
also, threw another arrow,
touching his head: “My dear boy,
become blessed.” This is duty.
How blessed? “By killing me. I
know you will kill me, so I give
you blessings that you kill me.”
This is duty. The disciple is
fighting, touching the feet of
Droṇācārya: “My dear sir, it is
duty. Now we are face to face to
fight. So give me your blessing.”
This is one side. The other side,
blessing, “Yes, you have my all
blessings.”

So this is the problem. This
material world is problematic,
especially when we have got
these family relationships.
“Society, friendship, and love,
divinely bestowed upon man.”
They say. (laughs) It is not
divinely bestowed. It is not. It is
entanglement. It is entanglement.
Dehāpatya. There is verse in the
Second Canto of Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam. Dehāpatya. What is
that verse? Dehāpatya-kalatrādi.
Deha, first affection is with our
body. “I am this Mr. Such and
such. This is I am, this body.” I
have got attraction for this body.
Then the offsprings, the by-
products of this body. Apatya.
Apatya means children. And how
this by-product is made? Kalatra,
through wife. Strī. Strī means
which expands. Vistara, expands.
I am alone. I accept wife, strī, and
with her cooperation I expand. So
one who helps me to expand,
that is called strī. Every Sanskrit
word has got meaning. Why
woman is called strī? Because she
helps, expanding myself. How
expanding? Dehāpatya-
kalatrādiṣu. I get my children.
First of all I was affectionate to
my body. Then, as soon as I get a
wife, I become affectionate to
her. Then, as soon as I get
children, I become affectionate to
children. In this way I expand my
affection for this material world.
This material world, attachment.
It is not required. It is a foreign
thing. This material body is
foreign. I am spiritual. I am
spiritual, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. But
because I wanted to lord it over
the material nature, Kṛṣṇa has
given me this body. Daiva-
netreṇa. He is giving you body.
He is giving the body of Brahmā,
He is giving you the body of ant.
As you desire. As you desire. If
you want the body of a tiger,
Kṛṣṇa will give you. If you want
the body of a hog, He will give
you. If you want the body of
Brahmā, He will give you. If you
want the body of a demigod, He
will give you. If you want the
body of American, He will give
you. Englishman, He will give
you. Indian, He will give you. That
is Kṛṣṇa. He is so kind. Ye yathā
māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva
bhajāmy aham [Bg. 4.11]. Kṛṣṇa is
very kind. Just like a son
disobedient to the father, but he
wants to enjoy something. Still,
father giving him, “All right, you
take money, and enjoy.” Father is
so kind. “You become free.
Whatever you like, you can do.
You take some money.” This is
our concession.

This material life is a concession
to us, given by God, for gratifying
our senses. This is material life.
Kṛṣṇa does not want that you
become entangled in this
material world. That He doesn’t
want. Why He should want?
Kṛṣṇa… Just like you produce
your sons, children. Why? To
remain in household life, enjoy in
the company of wife, children,
friends. This is… One can
understand. Why I take so much
responsibility of family? I was
alone. Why I get married? Why I
beget children? Why I make
friends? Because I want to enjoy.
So Kṛṣṇa is also a person. Nityo
nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām. He
has produced so many children,
these living entities. Why? To
enjoy along with them. Just try to
understand the psychology. Yato
vā imāni bhūtāni jayante,
janmādy asya yataḥ [Bhāg. 1.1.1].
Where this idea came from, that
“I shall be happy within society,
friendship and love, children?”
Wherefrom this idea came?
Where is the origin? The origin is
there in Kṛṣṇa. Janmādy asya
yataḥ [Bhāg. 1.1.1]. Janmādy asya
yataḥ. The origin of love. Just like
Kṛṣṇa is loving Rādhārāṇī. So the
loving idea came from Kṛṣṇa.
Anything that is within our
experience, that is in Kṛṣṇa. So
Kṛṣṇa cannot be impersonal. That
is nonsense. Kṛṣṇa is exactly a
person like me, you. But the
difference is that He’s very, very,
unlimitedly powerful. I am
limited. This is the difference. So
Kṛṣṇa also wants that to live with
His family. Our Kṛṣṇa
consciousness movement is just
to train ourselves again to enter
into the family of Kṛṣṇa. This is
our movement. With these
families, the so-called families,
we are suffering. We are
suffering. But this family idea is
there this. That is perfect in
Kṛṣṇa, with Kṛṣṇa. The family
idea, wherefrom family idea
comes without it is being situated
in Kṛṣṇa? Because nothing can be
visible without being in Kṛṣṇa. He
is the origin. Janmādy asya yataḥ
[Bhāg. 1.1.1]. Ahaṁ sarvasya
prabhavaḥ: “I am the origin of
everything.”

So whatever we are seeing in this
material world, the origin is in
Kṛṣṇa. But here it is perverted.
That is the only difference. Just
like a tree. The original tree is
standing erect. But when you see
the perverted reflection of the
tree, everything is topsy-turvied.
The upside has gone downside.
You have seen the reflection of
the tree. So the upside,
downside. When the upside of
the tree becomes downside, that
is called perverted reflection. So
this material world is perverted
reflection of the spiritual world. It
is false in this sense because it is
reflection. Otherwise, exactly the
same things are there in the
spiritual world. Ūrdhva-mūlam
adhah-śākham aśvatthaṁ prāhur
avyayam [Bg. 15.1]. There is. In
the Bhagavad-gītā you will find in
the Fifteenth Chapter. Ūrdhva-
mūlam. Here, this material world,
the origin—mūlam means root—
is upside, upside. Because it is
reflection. This tree is erect, and
this is reflection. So the root has
gone upside. So here is the
problem. Because we are
attached to our this so-called
family, society, friendship and
love… When Arjuna was faced,
then he became kṛpayā
parayāviṣṭo viṣīdann idam
abravīt. “How it is possible, Kṛṣṇa,
that I have to kill the other side,
my fathers, my father-in-law, my
grandfather, my sons, my
grandsons, my brother, my so
many friends?” So it is natural.
Kṛpayā parayā āviṣṭaḥ. He
becomes overwhelmed with
compassion. Kṛpayā parayāviṣṭo
viṣīdan. Very morosely. “Oh,
Kṛṣṇa, I will have to fight with
them. I will have to kill them.”
Why this consciousness came?
The other side also, Duryodhana,
why he did not think in that way?
Why Arjuna is thinking? Because
he is devotee. That is the
difference. A devotee thinks like
that. A devotee does not like to
kill anyone, even an ant. Why he
should be encouraged to kill his
friends? A devotee is like that.
Yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty
akiñcanā sarvair guṇais tatra
samāsate surāḥ. This is the result
of devotional life. Arjuna was
insulted. Arjuna was taken away
all his belongings. Arjuna was
banished for thirteen years. His
wife was insulted. So many
atrocities was done to him. Still,
when the question of killing
came, he was not very happy:
“No.” This is Vaiṣṇava. This is
Vaiṣṇava. He is ready to excuse
even the greatest enemy. But
Kṛṣṇa does not want. If you insult
His devotee, the devotee may
excuse, but Kṛṣṇa will not excuse.
This is Kṛṣṇa’s position. Therefore
be careful to insult a devotee. A
devotee may excuse you. But
Kṛṣṇa will not excuse you. Kṛṣṇa
is so strict. He cannot tolerate
any insult to His devotee.
Therefore this arrangement of
fighting. Arjuna wanted, “No, let
them be excused.” Kṛṣṇa wanted,
“No, you must fight. You must kill
them.” This is the position. So he
is within the dilemma. Kṛṣṇa is
insisting that “You must fight and
kill them,” but he is thinking,
“How shall I kill my kinsmen?”
This is the problem. Therefore,
tān samīkṣya sa kaunteyaḥ sarvān
bandhūn avasthitān. All friends
are there. Kṛpayā parayāviṣṭo
viṣīdann idam abravīt. So this is
one side, that if you want to
please Kṛṣṇa, then you have to be
prepared for killing your so-
called relatives. If you want Kṛṣṇa.
If you want to please Kṛṣṇa.

So this whole Vedic civilization is
made just to train how you can
be detached from this so-called
family affection. This is Vedic
training. First of all brahmacārī.
Brahmacārī means to lead the life
of austerity. A brahmacārī is
supposed to live to serve the
spiritual master at his home, and
he has to work just like a menial.
He may be a king’s son or a very
great brāhmaṇa’s son, but as
soon as he agrees to live with the
spiritual master, he has to live
just like a menial servant.
Whatever the spiritual master will
order, he has to do it. This is
brahmacārī. And they will gladly
do, because they are children.
Brahmacārī life begins from five
years. So you ask any child do
anything, he will do. They are
learned. They are given
education, “Go from door to
door, house to house, and bring
some alms.” So brahmacārī
means the neighborhood, their
sons. So when the brahmacārī
goes for begging, “Mother, give
me something, alms,” so
immediately, some rice, some
dāhl, some atta, is given, or some
vegetables, sometimes some
money. So they bring everything
to the spiritual master and it
becomes the property of the
spiritual master. Because he has
begged, it is not his property.
Sarvasvaṁ guru-veditam(?).
Everything is guru’s property. So
much so that after cooking
everything, the spiritual master
will call, “My dear boys, come on.
Take prasādam.” But if he forgets
to call somebody, he will not
touch. He will not touch. This is
brahmacārī. “Oh, spiritual master
has not called me; so I will fast.”
(laughter) He begged the rice
and vegetables and atta and
dāhl. It is cooked. But when it is
cooked, that is also spiritual
master’s property. If the spiritual
master does not ask him to take,
he cannot take. He cannot touch.
This is brahmacārī life. So
therefore the first training is
given, to become austere,
tolerate, how to tolerate, how to
call other women as “mother.” He
is learning from the beginning, a
small child. He is trained up to
call any woman, even of his own
age, not “sister,”—“mother.” This
is the training. Mātṛvat para-
dāreṣu. This is education. Mātṛvat
para-dāreṣu. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita,
the great politician, has given the
definition of a learned scholar.
Who is learned scholar? He has
given the definition. What is this?
Mātṛvat para-dāreṣu. To see
every woman except his wife as
mother. This is education. This is
education, perfection of
education, when you can see all
women except your wife as
mother. This is education.
Mātṛvat para-dāreṣu para-
dravyeṣu loṣṭravat. And others’
property? Just like garbage in the
street. Nobody is interested in
the garbage. You throw. That is
education. And ātmavat sarva-
bhūteṣu. And thinking all living
entities as your own self. If you
feel pains and pleasure by
something, you could not afflict
the pains to others. If your throat
is cut, if your head is cut, you feel
so much pain, how you can cut
the head of another animal? This
is education. Samaḥ sarveṣu-
bhūteṣu. This is education, three
things. This is the test of
education.

mātṛvat para-dāreṣu para-
dravyeṣu loṣṭravat ātmavat sarva-
bhūteṣu yaḥ paśyati sa paṇḍitaḥ

Where is? Where is that paṇḍita?
There is no such thing now.

So this problem, attachment for
this material world, gradually we
have to cut it. That is the Vedic
civilization. If you want to go
back to home, back to Godhead,
then at the same time, if you
remain attached to this material
world, so-called society,
friendship and love, then it is not
possible. So long you will have a
pinch of attraction with this
material world, there is no
possibility of being transferred to
the spiritual world. This is the
position. Therefore by training,
by education, we have to become
detached. Detached, this society,
friendship and love. We have to
understand the falsity of this so-
called society, friendship and
love. Because we are being
carried away by the waves of
māyā. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has
sung, māyār bośe, jāccho bhese,
Khāccho hābuḍubu bhāi. Just like
we see sometimes in rainy
season, so many plants and
creepers and vegetables and so
many other things are floating in
the river, going. Similarly, we
also, all floating in the waves of
māyā. Māyār bośe, jāccho bhese,
khāccho hābuḍubu. Sometimes
drowned, sometimes on the
surface, sometimes on the other
shore, sometimes on this shore.
This is going on. So long we are
in this material world, we are
being tossed by different
currents, and sometimes I am
here as the master of some
kingdom, and sometimes I am
dog of somebody else. This is my
position. The same thing. Very
good example, that we are being
carried away by the waves of
māyā. Sometimes we are
gathering together. So many
straws and vegetables, they
gather together. And sometimes
the same vegetables and straws
are thrown asunder. One is there,
one is here. So here also, we
assemble here as society,
friendship and love exactly like
that. In the waves of māyā. Then
nobody is your father, nobody is
your mother, nobody is your
sister, nobody. It is simply māyic,
illusory combination. Illusory
combination, temporary
combination. And we are so
much attached to this
combination that we are refusing
to go back to home, back to
Godhead. This is our position.

Therefore we have to meet them
in the battlefield of Kurukṣetra,
and if required, we have to kill
them and execute the order of
Kṛṣṇa. This is our position. If we
are thinking that “In this material
existence I shall be safe, assisted
by my society, friendship, love,
country, and politics and
sociology,” “No, no, sir, it is not
possible.” It is not possible. You
have to take care of yourself.
Your so-called society, friendship,
love, country, nation, and this,
never will be able to help you.
Because you are under the
clutches of māyā. Daivī hy eṣā
guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā
[Bg. 7.14].

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ
karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ ahaṅkāra-
vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti
manyate [Bg. 3.27]

You are under the clutches of
māyā. you have no
independence. Neither anyone
has got any independence to
save you. That is not possible.
The same example as I gave
sometimes, that you learn how to
drive aeroplane. So you go high
in the sky. But if you are in
danger, no other aeroplane can
help you. You are finished.
Therefore you must be a very
careful pilot to take care of
yourself. Similarly, in this material
world everyone individually has
to take care of himself. How he
can be saved from the clutches of
māyā. That is Kṛṣṇa
consciousness movement. A
teacher can give you hints. The
ācārya can give you hints that
“You can be saved in this way.”
But the execution of the duties,
that is in your hand. If you
perform the spiritual duties
rightly, then you are saved.
Otherwise, even ācārya gives you
instruction, if you don’t follow, so
how he can save you? He can
save you by instruction, by his
mercy, as much as possible. But
you have to take it in your hands
seriously.

So this problem is… Arjuna is
facing now this problem. That is
general problem. Dehāpatya-
kalatrādiṣu. Dehāpatya. Deha
means this body. Apatya means
children. Kalatra means wife.
Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣv ātma-
sainyeṣv asatsv api. We are
thinking that “We shall be
protected by my these soldiers. I
have got my sons, grandsons, my
grandfather, my father-in-law,
my brother-in-law, my so many
society, friendship and love.”
Everyone is thinking like that.
“My nation, my community, my
philosophy, my politics. No.
Nothing can save you.
Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣu asatsu api.
They are all temporary. They
come and go. Asatsu api.
Pramatto tasya nidhanaṁ
paśyann api na paśyati. One who
is too much attached to this
society, friendship and love, he is
pramatta. Pramatta means crazy,
madman. Paśyann api na, tasya
nidhanam. He does not see.
Although he is seeing that “My
father has died. When I was a
child, my father was giving me
protection. Now my father has
gone away. Who is giving me
protection? Is my father alive to
give me protection? Who is
giving me protection? My mother
was giving me protection. Now
who is giving me protection? I
was in family, my sons, my
daughters, my wife, but I left
them. Now who is giving me
protection?” And actually Kṛṣṇa
gives you protection always. Not
your society, friendship and love.
They will be finished.

Thank you very much. Hare
Kṛṣṇa.