Pradyumna:
Translation: “O son of Pṛthā, do
not yield to this degrading
impotence. It does not become
you. Give up such petty weakness
of heart and arise, O chastiser of
the enemy.”
PRABHUPĀDA: So Bhagavān,
Kṛṣṇa, is encouraging, kśūdraṁ
hṛdaya-daurbalyam. “For a
kṣatriya to speak like that, ‘No no,
I cannot kill my kinsmen. I am
giving my weapons,’ this is
weakness, cowardice. Why you
are all this nonsense doing?”
Kśūdraṁ hṛdaya-daurbalyam.
“This kind of compassion, giving
up your duty as a kṣatriya, it is
simply weakness of the heart. It
has no meaning.” Klaibyaṁ ma
sma gamaḥ pārtha naitat tvayy
upapadyate. “Especially for you.
You are My friend. What people
will say? So give up this weakness
of the heart and uttiṣṭha, stand
up, take courage.” So just see
how Kṛṣṇa is inducing Arjuna to
fight. People are very much
ignorant and they sometimes
criticize that “Kṛṣṇa is exciting
Arjuna. He is very gentleman,
nonviolent, and Kṛṣṇa is exciting
him to fight.” This is called jaḍa-
darśana. Jaḍa-darśana. Jaḍa-
darśana means material vision.
Therefore śāstra says, ataḥ śrī-
kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved
grāhyam indriyaiḥ [BRS. 1.2.234].
Śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi. We become in
touch with Kṛṣṇa by chanting His
name, Hare Kṛṣṇa. That is the
beginning of our connection with
Kṛṣṇa. Nāmādi. So śāstra says,
ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi. Ādi means
beginning.
So we have no connection with
Kṛṣṇa. But if we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa
mahā-mantra, immediately our
first chance to contact Kṛṣṇa
begins. So it has to be practiced.
Not that immediately I realize
Kṛṣṇa. That is not… Of course, if
one is advanced, it is possible
immediately. So śrī-kṛṣṇa-
nāmādi. Nāma means name. So
Kṛṣṇa is not only name. Ādi, that
is the beginning, but form,
activities. Just like śravanaṁ
kīrtanam. So śravanaṁ kīrtanam,
glorifying or describing about
Kṛṣṇa… So He has got His form.
So nāma means name, and then,
rūpa means form. Nāma, rūpa…
Līlā means pastimes; guṇa means
quality; entourage, his associates;
all these… Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi
na bhaved [BRS. 1.2.234]. Na
bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ. By
ordinary senses we cannot
understand… Either Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s
name… We are hearing our,
through the aural reception,
Kṛṣṇa’s name, but if we keep our
ear without purification… Of
course, by hearing, it will be
purified. We have to help. Help
means to avoid the offenses, ten
kinds of offenses. So in this way
we shall help the purificatory
process. Just like if I want to
ignite fire, so I must help the
igniting process by drying the
wood. It will very soon get fire.
Similarly, simply chanting, that
will help us also. It will take time.
But if we avoid the offenses, then
it will be very quickly purified.
The action will be there.
So ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na
bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ [BRS.
1.2.234]. So this behavior of
Kṛṣṇa, how ordinary men can
understand? Because they have
got their ordinary senses,
therefore they mistake. Why
Kṛṣṇa? Even Kṛṣṇa’s devotee,
Vaiṣṇava. That is also stated.
Vaiṣṇavera kriyā mūdra vijñeha
nā bujhaya. Even a Vaiṣṇava
ācārya, what he is doing, even
the most expert intelligent man
cannot understand why he is
doing this. Therefore we should
not try to imitate the higher
authorities, but we have to follow
the order, injunction, given by
the higher authorities. It is not
possible. Kṛṣṇa is exciting Arjuna
to fight. That does not mean we
can also do that, excite, no. That
will be immoral. For Kṛṣṇa it is
not immoral. Whatever He is
doing… God is good, He is all-
good. We should accept it.
Whatever He is doing, that is all-
good. This is one side. And
whatever I am doing without
authority’s order, this is all bad.
He does not require any order
from anyone else. Īśvaraḥ
paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ [Bs. 5.1]. He is
the supreme controller. He does
not require anyone’s instruction.
Whatever He does, it is perfect.
This is Kṛṣṇa understanding. And
not that I have to study Kṛṣṇa in
my own way. Kṛṣṇa is not
subjected to your examination or
your test. He is above all. He is
transcendent. Therefore those
who have not the transcendental
vision, they misunderstand Kṛṣṇa.
Here He is directly enticing,
klaibyaṁ ma sma gamaḥ pārtha
naitat tvayy upapadyate kśūdraṁ
hṛdaya-daurbalyaṁ taktvottiṣṭha
parantapa
Parantapa is, this word, very
word, is used that “You are a
kṣatriya, you are king. Your
business is to chastise the
mischief mongers. That is your
business. You cannot excuse the
mischief monger.” Formerly the
kings were so… The king himself
used to judge. A criminal was
brought before the king, and if
the king thought it wise, he
would take his own sword,
immediately cut his head. That
was the duty of king. Even not
many, about hundred years ago
in Kashmir, the king, as soon as a
thief was caught, he would be
brought before the king, and if
he is proved that he was a thief,
he has stolen, immediately the
king will cut off his hands
personally, chopped off. Even
hundred years ago. So all other
thieves warned, “This is your
punishment.” So there was no
thiefing. There was no stealing,
no burglary in Kashmir. Even
somebody lost something on the
road, it will lie down. Nobody will
touch it. The order was, king’s
order was, “If something is lying
down on the street uncared for,
you cannot touch it. The man
who has left it, he would come;
he will collect. You cannot take.”
Even hundred years ago. So this
capital punishment is required.
Nowadays the capital
punishment is excused.
Murderers are not hanged. This is
all mistake, all rascaldom. A
murderer must be killed. No
mercy. Why a human killer? Even
an animal killer should be
immediately hanged? That is
kingdom. The king should be so
strict.
So this sympathy is like Arjuna’s
sympathy. The sympathy… Now
the state is sympathizing with the
murderer not to be killed. This is
Arjuna. That is hṛdaya-
daurbalyam. That is not duty.
One has to discharge the duty
ordered by the superior authority
very strictly, without any
consideration. So these are
weakness of the heart, this kind
of sympathy. But ordinary person
will not understand. Therefore to
understand Kṛṣṇa, one requires
special senses, special senses, not
ordinary senses. Special senses
means you have to pluck your
eyes and you have to put another
eyes? No. You have to purify. Tat-
paratvena nirmalam. Just like if
you have got some disease in the
eyes, you apply medicine, and
when it is clear, you can see
clearly everything; similarly, with
these blunt senses, we cannot
understand what is Kṛṣṇa.
Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam
eva sphuraty adaḥ. As śrī-
kṛṣṇasya nāmādau, Kṛṣṇa’s name,
form, quality, etc., is not
understand by these blunt
senses, so how it is to be done?
Now, sevonmukhe hi jihvādau.
Again jihvādau, beginning from
the tongue, controlling the
tongue. Just see it is something
peculiar, that you have to
understand Kṛṣṇa by controlling
the tongue? This is something
wonderful. How is that? I have to
control my tongue to understand
Kṛṣṇa? But it is, the śāstra
injunction is there: sevonmukhe
hi jihvādau. Jihvā means tongue.
So in order to see Kṛṣṇa, in order
to understand Kṛṣṇa, the first
business is to control your
tongue. Therefore we say, don’t
take meat, don’t take liquor.
Because it is controlling the
tongue. The tongue is the most
strong enemy as sense, as
perverted sense. And these
rascals they say, “No, you can eat
whatever you like. It has nothing
to do with religion.” But Vedic
śāstra says, “You rascal, first of all
control your tongue. Then you
can understand what is God.”
So this is called Vedic
injunction—perfect. If you control
your tongue, then you control
your belly, then you control your
genital. Rūpa Gosvāmī gives
instruction,
vāco-vegaṁ manaso krodha-
vegam jihvāvegam udaropastha-
vegam etān vegān yo viṣaheta
dhīraḥ sarvām apīmāṁ sa
pṛthiviṁ sa śiṣyāt.
This is instruction, that anyone
who has become competent to
control the tongue, to control the
mind, to control the anger, to
control the belly and control the
genital…, if six kind of control is
there, he is fit for becoming
spiritual master; he can make
disciples all over the world. And if
you cannot control your tongue,
if you cannot control your anger,
control your mental concoction,
then how you can become even a
spiritual master? That is not
possible. Pṛthiviṁ sa śiṣyāt. One
who did… That is called gosvāmī,
gosvāmī or svāmī, master of the
senses. Master of controlling
these six kinds.
So beginning is the jihvā.
Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam
eva sphuraty adaḥ. Sevā. The
tongue can be engaged in the
service of the Lord. How? You
chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, always glorify.
Vācāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-
guṇānuvarṇane. Vācāṁsi, means
talking. Talking is the business of
tongue, and tasting is the
business of tongue. So you
engage the tongue in the service
of the Lord by glorifying.
Whenever… You take a vow that
“Whenever I shall speak, I shall
simply speak, glorifying Kṛṣṇa,
nothing more.” That is tongue
control. If you don’t allow your
tongue to speak anything
nonsense, grāmya-kathā… We
sometimes sit together. We talk
so many nonsense. That should
be controlled. “Now I have
engaged my tongue for the
service of the Lord, so we shall
not talk anything of sense
gratification.” This is controlling
the tongue. “I cannot eat
anything which is not offered to
Kṛṣṇa.” This is controlling the
tongue. So these are small
techniques, but it has got great,
great value so that Kṛṣṇa will be
pleased, the austerity, and He will
reveal. You cannot understand.
You cannot see Kṛṣṇa. You
cannot order Kṛṣṇa, “Kṛṣṇa,
please come, dancing with flute. I
shall see You.” This is order. Kṛṣṇa
is not subjected to your order.
Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu
gives us instruction, aśliṣya vā
pāda-ratāṁ pinastu māṁ
marma-hatāṁ karotu vā
adarśanam. Adarśanam. Everyone
wants to see Kṛṣṇa, a devotee,
but a pure devotee says that “No,
if you don’t like to see me, that’s
all right. You can break my heart.
I may always pray to see You. But
You do not come and break my
heart, that is also accepted. Still, I
shall worship You.” This is pure
devotion. Not that “I have asked
Kṛṣṇa to come before me
dancing. He did not come. So I
give up this nonsense. The Kṛṣṇa
consciousness movement is no
value.” Not like that. This is
Rādhārāṇī’s attitude. So Kṛṣṇa left
Vṛndāvana. All the gopīs, they
passed their days simply crying
for Kṛṣṇa, but never condemned
Kṛṣṇa. Whenever somebody
came… Kṛṣṇa also was thinking of
them because gopīs are the
greatest devotees, topmost
devotees. There is no comparison
with the devotion of the gopīs.
Therefore Kṛṣṇa was always
obliged to them. Kṛṣṇa said to
the gopīs that “You have to be
satisfied with your own business.
I cannot return you anything for
your love.” Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme,
the all-powerful, He was unable
to repay the debts for the gopīs.
Caitanya Mahāprabhu said,
ramyā kācid upāsanā vraja-
vadhu-vargeṇa yā kalpitā. There
is no more better worship than
what was conceived by the gopīs.
So gopīs are the topmost
devotees. And amongst the
gopīs, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is the
topmost. Therefore Śrīmatī
Rādhārāṇī is greater than Kṛṣṇa.
So this is Gauḍīya-Vaiṣṇava
philosophy. It requires time. So
the activities of Kṛṣṇa, the rascals,
if they simply see that “Kṛṣṇa is
enticing Arjuna to fight; therefore
Kṛṣṇa is immoral,” that is, means
wrong vision. You have to see
Kṛṣṇa with separate eyes.
Therefore Kṛṣṇa says in the
Bhagavad-gītā, janma karma me
divyaṁ ca. Divyam. These
transcendental activities of Kṛṣṇa,
if anyone can understand, simply
if anyone can understand, then
he becomes liberated
immediately. Liberated. Not
liberated ordinary liberation, but
for going back to home, back to
Godhead. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar
janma naiti mām eti kaunteya
[Bg. 4.9]. The greatest liberation.
There are different types of
liberation also. Sāyujya sārūpya
sārṣṭi sālokya sāyujya…. Five kinds
of liberation. So sāyujya means to
merge into the existence,
Brahman, brahma-laya (merging
in the impersonal). That is also
liberation. The Māyāvādīs or the
jnani sampradāya, they want to
merge into the existence,
Brahman existence. That is also
mukti. That is called sāyujya-
mukti. But for a devotee, this
sāyujya-mukti is just like hell.
Kaivalyaṁ narakāyate. So for
Vaiṣṇava, kaivalyam, to, monism,
to merge into the existence of
the Supreme, is compared with
hell. Kaivalyaṁ narakāyate tri-
daśa-pūr ākāśa-puṣpāyate. And
the karmīs… Jñānīs are anxious to
merge into the existence of the
Brahman effulgence, and the
karmīs, their highest aim is how
to be elevated in the higher
planetary system, Svarga-loka,
where Lord Indra is there, or
Brahmā is there. That is karmī’s
ambition, to go to the heaven.
They all, except Vaiṣṇava
philosophy, in all other literature,
all other scripture, means
Christian and Mohammedan,
their aim is how to be elevated to
the heaven.
So heaven is described in the
Vedic literature as tri-daśa-pūr.
Tri-daśa-pūr. Tri-daśa-pūr means
there are 33,000,000’s of
demigods, and they have got
their separate planets. This is
called tri-daśa-pūr. Tri means
three, and daśa means ten. So
thirty-three or thirty. Anyway, tri-
daśa-pūr ākāśa-puṣpāyate.
Ākāśa-puṣpa means something
imaginary something imaginary.
A flower in the sky. A flower
should be in the garden, but if
somebody imagines the flower in
the sky, it is something
imaginary. So for a devotee, this
heavenly promotion to the
heavenly planet is just like a
flower in the sky. Tri-daśa-pūr
ākāśa-puṣpāyate. Kaivalyaṁ
narakāyate. Jñānī and karmī. And
durdāntendriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī
protkhāta-daṁstrāyate. Then
yogi. Yogis are trying. Yogi
means yoga indriya-samyama,
controlling the senses. That is
yogic practice. Our senses are
very strong. Just like we also,
Vaiṣṇavas, we first of all try to
control the tongue. So yogis also,
they try to control the senses, not
only tongue, but all other, ten
kinds of senses, by that yogis
mystic process. So why they are
trying to control? Because the
senses are just like serpents. A
serpent… Just like they touch
anywhere, immediately
something up to death. Injury
there must be up to death. This is
exemplified: just our sex impulse.
As soon as there is illicit sex,
there is so many difficulties. Of
course, nowadays it has all
become very easy. Formerly it
was very difficulty, especially in
India. Therefore a young girl was
always protected, because if she
mixes with the boys, somehow or
other, as soon as there is sex, she
becomes pregnant. And it will be
no more possible to get her
married. No. Touched by the
serpent. This is… Vedic civilization
is very strict. Because the whole
aim was how to go back to home,
back to Godhead, not sense
gratification, eat, drink, be merry,
enjoy. That is not the aim of
human life. So everything was
planned with that aim. Viṣṇur
aradhyate.
varṇāśramācāravatā puruṣeṇa
paraḥ pumān viṣṇur āradhyate
panthā nānyat tat-toṣa-kāraṇam
Varṇāśrama, these brāhmaṇa,
kṣatriya, vaiśya, everyone had to
strictly follow the rules and
regulation of the particular
division. A brāhmaṇa must act as
a brāhmaṇa. A kṣatriya must as…
Here is the… Just Kṛṣṇa says, “You
are kṣatriya; why you are talking
all this rascal? You must!” Naitat
tvayy upapadyate. “In two ways
you should not do this. As a
kṣatriya you should not do this,
and as My friend, you should not
do this. This is your weakness.”
So this is Vedic civilization. Fight
for the kṣatriya. A brāhmaṇa is
not going to fight. Brāhmaṇa is
satyaḥ śamo damaḥ, he is
practicing how to become
peaceful, how to become clean,
how to control the senses, how to
control the mind, how to become
simple, how to become full
cognizant of the Vedic literature,
how to apply practically in life,
how to become firmly fixed up in
conviction. These are brāhmaṇas’.
Similarly, kṣatriya’s—fighting.
That is necessary. Vaiśya—kṛṣi-
go-rakṣya-vāṇījyam [Bg. 18.44].
So all these strictly to be
followed. Just yesterday we were
reading when Manu, Vaivasvatu
Manu, came to Kardama Muni,
he is receiving, “Sir, I know that
your touring means you are
just…,” what is called, what is
called, examining?
DEVOTEE: INSPECTING.
PRABHUPĀDA: Inspecting, yes.
Inspecting. “Your touring means
inspection whether the
varṇāśrama, whether the
brāhmaṇa is doing actually as
brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya is doing
actually as kṣatriya.” That is king’s
touring. King’s touring not a
pleasure touring at the expense
of the state go somewhere and
come back. No. He was…
Sometimes in disguise the king
used to see whether this
varṇāśrama-dharma is being
maintained, properly being
observed, whether somebody is
simply wasting time like hippies.
No, that cannot be done. That
cannot be done. Now in your
government there is some
inspection that nobody is
employed, but unemployed. But
so many things are not practically
inspected. But it is the duty of the
government to see everything.
Varnāśramācaravatā, everything
is practicing as brāhmaṇa. Simply
by falsely becoming brāhmaṇa,
falsely becoming kṣatriya—no.
You must. So this was the king’s
duty, government’s duty. Now
everything is topsy-turvied.
Everything is no more practical
value. Therefore Caitanya
Mahāprabhu said, kalau…,
harer nāma harer nāma harer
nāmaiva kevalam kalau nāsty eva
nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā
[Adi 17.21]
It is very difficult to take us back
to the original process of
civilization.
So for a Vaiṣṇava, as I was
explaining, the tri-daśa-pūr
ākāśa-puṣpāyate
durdāntendriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī.
So controlling the sense, that is
durdānta. Durdānta means
formidable. It is very, very difficult
to control the senses. Therefore
the yoga process, mystic yoga
process—just to practice how to
control the senses. But for a
devotee… They… Just like the
tongue, if it is engaged only in
the business of chanting Hare
Kṛṣṇa mantra and eating only
Kṛṣṇa prasādam, the whole thing
is done, perfect yogi. Perfect
yogi. So for a bhakta, there is no
trouble with the senses because a
bhakta knows how to engage
each and every sense in the
service of the Lord. Hṛṣīkeṇa
hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam [Cc. Madhya
19.170] That is bhakti. Hṛṣīka
means the senses. When the
senses are engaged only for the
service of Kṛṣṇa, Hṛṣīkeśa, then
there is no need of practicing
yoga. Automatically they are
locked up in the service of Kṛṣṇa.
They have no other engagement.
That is the highest. Therefore
Kṛṣṇa says,
yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-
gatenāntarātmanā śraddhāvān
bhajate yo māṁ sa me
yuktatamo mataḥ [Bg. 6.47]
”A first-class yogi is he who is
always thinking of Me.” Therefore
this chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa
mantra, if we simply chant and
hear, the first-class yogi. So these
are the process. So Kṛṣṇa wants
to Arjuna that “Why you are
indulging in this weakness of
mind? You are under My
protection. I am ordering you to
fight. Why you are denying?” This
is the purport.
Thank you very much.