Bhagavad-gītā 1.13–14

Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [devotees repeat] [leads chanting of verse]

tataḥ śaṅkhāś ca bheryaś ca paṅavānaka-gomukhāḥ sahasaivābhyahanyanta sa śabdas tumulo 'bhavat [Bg 1.13]

[After that, the conchshells, bugles, trumpets, drums and horns were all suddenly sounded, and the combined sound was tumultuous.]

Bg 1.14, 1972[break] [leads chanting of synonyms]

tataḥ—thereafter; śaṅkhāḥ—conchshells; ca—also; bheryaḥ—bugles; ca—and; paṅava-ānaka—trumpets and drums; go-mukhāḥ—horns; sahasā—all of a sudden; eva—certainly; abhyahanyanta—being simultaneously sounded; saḥ—that; śabdaḥ—combined sound; tumulaḥ—tumultuous; abhavat—became.

[02:24]

Translation: "After that, the conchshells, bugles, trumpets, drums and horns were all of a sudden sounded, and the combined sound was tumultuous."

Prabhupāda: Hm. So there are mention of various types of musical instruments. Those instruments are no longer in use. But different types of bugles, drums, kettledrums, as they use in modern days. So the same principle. By musical instruments, the soldiers are kept alive so they can fight nicely. Sa śabdas tumulo 'bhavat: "When simultaneously all the instruments were sounded, it become tumultuous."

Next verse. Tataḥ śvetair hayair yukte mahati syandane sthitau. Read it.

Pradyumna: [leads chanting of verse]

tataḥ śvetair hayair yukte mahati syandane sthitau mādhavaḥ pāṅḍavaś caiva divyau śaṅkhau pradadhmatuḥ [Bg 1.14]

[On the other side, both Lord Kṛṣṅa and Arjuna, stationed on a great chariot drawn by white horses, sounded their transcendental conchshells.]

[break] [leads chanting of synonyms]

tataḥ—thereafter; śvetaiḥ—by white; hayaiḥ—horses; yukte—being yoked with; mahati—in the great; syandane—chariot; sthitau—so situated; mādhavaḥ—Kṛṣṅa (the husband of the goddess of fortune); pāṅḍavaḥ—Arjuna (the son of Pāṅḍu); ca—also; eva—certainly; divyau—transcendental; śaṅkhau—conchshells; pradadhmatuḥ—sounded.

[06:04]

Translation: "On the other side, both Lord Kṛṣṅa and Arjuna, stationed on a great chariot drawn by white horses, sounded their transcendental conchshells." [break]

Prabhupāda: So you have seen the picture. Kṛṣṅa is driving four white horses.

[reads from purport:]

"In contrast with the conchshell blown by Bhīṣmadeva, the conchshells in the hands of Kṛṣṅa and Arjuna are described as transcendental." Kṛṣṅa is transcendental. Nārāyaṅaḥ paro 'vyaktāt. Kṛṣṅa is not of this material world. Kṛṣṅa's body, Kṛṣṅa's activities—everything of Kṛṣṅa—they are transcendental. They are not of this material world. Divyam. In the catuḥ-śloki Bhāgavatam it is said, when Kṛṣṅa was instructing Brahmā, aham evāsam evāgre [SB 2.9.33/34/35/36]: "Before this material creation, I was existing." In the Vedas also it is said, eko nārāyaṅa āsīt: "Before creation, only Nārāyaṅa was there."

So Kṛṣṅa's position is always transcendental. He is not any creation of this material world. But because He comes just like a human being and acts also just like human being, those who are less intelligent, avajānanti, they think of Kṛṣṅa as ordinary human being. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ [Bg 9.11].

[Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature and My supreme dominion over all that be.]

Mūḍhāḥ. Mūḍhāḥ means asses, or less intelligent class of men. They cannot understand Kṛṣṅa's position.

Kṛṣṅa's position is always transcendental. When Arjuna inquired from Him about His instruction to sun-god, Kṛṣṅa said, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam [Bg 4.1].

[The Blessed Lord said: I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvān, and Vivasvān instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Ikṣvāku.]

This bhakti-yogam of..., as mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā... Bhagavad-gītā is bhakti-yogam: to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So this literature is also transcendental. Bhakti is also transcendental. Bhakti is not any activities of this material world. Janma karma me divyam [Bg 4.9].

[One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.]

So bhakti is activity in relationship with Kṛṣṅa. Therefore it is not material. Sa guṅān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate, māṁ ca 'vyabhicāreṅa bhakti-yogena yaḥ sevate [Bg 14.26]. Bhakti-yoga is transcendental. And because Kṛṣṅa is transcendental, you cannot understand Kṛṣṅa by any material method. Therefore Kṛṣṅa says, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti [Bg 18.55].

[One who engages in full devotional service, who does not fall down in any circumstance, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman.]

The method also is transcendental, not of this material world.

So if we can understand simply these facts, that Kṛṣṅa is transcendental, Kṛṣṅa's name is transcendental, Kṛṣṅa's form is transcendental, sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ... Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṅaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ [Bs 5.1].

[Kṛṣṅa who is known as Govinda is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes.]

Kṛṣṅa's body is sac-cid-ānanda, not body like this. This body is asat, acit and nirānanda—just the opposite. This material body is asat. Asat means temporary. It will not exist. But Kṛṣṅa's body is not like that. Kṛṣṅa's body is eternal. That is cit. Sat-cit. Full of knowledge.

So less intelligent class of men, they cannot understand Kṛṣṅa. Therefore śāstra says, ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṅa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ [Cc Madhya 17.136].

[Therefore material senses cannot appreciate Kṛṣṅa’s holy name, form, qualities and pastimes. When a conditioned soul is awakened to Kṛṣṅa consciousness and renders service by using his tongue to chant the Lord’s holy name and taste the remnants of the Lord’s food, the tongue is purified, and one gradually comes to understand who Kṛṣṅa really is.]

These indriya, these material senses, cannot speculate to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is not possible. Śrama eva hi kevalam [SB 1.2.8].

[The occupational activities a man performs according to his own position are only so much useless labor if they do not provoke attraction for the message of the Personality of Godhead.]

That is simply laboring, wasting time. Kṛṣṅa should be understood as Kṛṣṅa says. He can explain Himself. Nobody can explain. Because our senses are imperfect. We are deficient by four kinds of faults: we commit mistake; we are illusioned; with imperfect senses we try to speak transcendental knowledge; therefore cheating. With imper... They will say, "Probably," "Maybe." This is the so-called scientists' language. That means imperfect knowledge. Still they want to teach. This is cheating. Knowledge must be perfect. Then you can teach others.

So our process is to receive the perfect knowledge from the perfect source and distribute it. We don't manufacture knowledge. Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is. As it is. The Bhagavad-gītā is already perfect. Why shall I interpret with my imperfect senses? This is cheating. But people want to be cheated. Vañcita-vañcaka-sampradāya. The whole world is full of cheaters and cheated. Because they want to be cheated, there are so many cheaters. They don't want real thing. Here is the real thing: Bhagavad-gītā, the Supreme Personality of Godhead speaking personally about Himself.

Why should we interpret? Does it mean that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the supreme authority, left something unexplained to be interpreted later on by some rascals? No. But the rascals dare; they interpret. That is cheating. That is another fault. There are 640, -45 editions of Bhagavad-gītā. Simply cheating. Amongst them, there are big, big scholars. Not scholars; all rascals. But they cheat. They pose themselves as scholars, and people want to be cheated, so they take their words. So they cannot understand Kṛṣṅa. Cheated. They take the shelter of the cheaters; therefore they are cheated.

So the māyā is very strong. Māyā always dictates so that we may be cheated: "Why you are taking Kṛṣṅa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead? Don't take. He is ordinary man. You can be also equal with Kṛṣṅa. You also become God. You become also incarnation." This is going on. And people flock there because they want to be cheated. What Kṛṣṅa says, they will not accept. Kṛṣṅa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅam [Bg 18.66]:

[Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.]

"Only take to Kṛṣṅa consciousness." Sarva-dharmān. Because any dharma which is not approved by the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṅa, that is not dharma. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṅītam [SB 6.3.19].

[Real religious principles are enacted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although fully situated in the mode of goodness, even the great ṛṣis who occupy the topmost planets cannot ascertain the real religious principles, nor can the demigods or the leaders of Siddhaloka, to say nothing of the asuras, ordinary human beings, Vidyādharas and Cāraṅas.]

A human being or a demigod or very exalted person cannot manufacture dharma. That is not possible. Real dharma is given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṅa, and that real dharma is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja [Bg 18.66]: "Just surrender unto me." This is real dharma. Surrender to Kṛṣṅa and follow His instruction; your life will be perfect.

Because you follow the perfect instruction, therefore you are also perfect. Simple process. To become perfect, we have to follow the perfect instruction. So in the Bhagavad-gītā there is perfect instruction. And if we take it as it is and follow it, then we become perfect. To become perfect is not very difficult job. But because we don't want to become perfect, because we want to be cheated, we do not become perfect. This is the difficulty.

So we should know from the very beginning that Kṛṣṅa is transcendental. And all His activities, they are all transcendental. Although Kṛṣṅa appears just like ordinary human being... He does not appear like ordinary human being, because Kṛṣṅa, when He was three months old only, He killed the Pūtanā rākṣasī. A three months old child cannot kill such giant demon. It is not possible. Kṛṣṅa, when He was six or seven years old, He lifted the Govardhana Hill.

So what is the difficulty for Kṛṣṅa? If Kṛṣṅa can float big, big, gigantic planets in the air just like cotton swab floating, so is it very difficult for Kṛṣṅa to lift a mountain with His hand, with His finger? That is not difficult for Kṛṣṅa. But those who want to be cheated, when Kṛṣṅa showed His transcendental strength, they don't believe it—another cheating. They, they'll admit, "Oh, these are..." What is called?

Devotee: Mythology.

Prabhupāda: Mythology. As if Vyāsadeva wrote this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to put before these rascals some mythology, some imaginary things. Just see how they want to be cheated. Such an exalted personality like Vyāsadeva, who has given us the Vedic literature, he presented something which is imaginary. What business he has got? Therefore sometimes these cheated people, they deny to accept that Bhāgavata is written by Śrī Vyāsadeva. But those who are actually ācāryas, those who can guide us, like Śaṅkarācārya, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, big, big..., Caitanya Mahāprabhu, they do not say like this, that "It is mythology. It is imaginary." They accept as it is.

So we have to follow these mahājana. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ dharmasya tattvaṁ nihito guhāyām [Cc Madhya 17.186].

[Dry arguments are inconclusive. A great personality whose opinion does not differ from others is not considered a great sage. Simply by studying the Vedas, which are variegated, one cannot come to the right path by which religious principles are understood. The solid truth of religious principles is hidden in the heart of an unadulterated self-realized person. Consequently, as the śāstras confirm, one should accept whatever progressive path the mahājanas advocate.]

We have to follow great personalities, ācāryas. Ācāryavān puruṣo veda [Chāndogya Upaniṣad 6.14.2].

[One who follows the disciplic succession of ācāryas knows things as they are.]

One who has got..., one who has taken shelter of ācārya, bona fide spiritual master, he knows. Ācāryavān puruṣo veda. Because he is receiving the right knowledge from the right source, ācārya... Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ [Bg 4.2].

[This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way. But in course of time the succession was broken, and therefore the science as it is appears to be lost.]

Ācārya means by disciplic succession.

As Kṛṣṅa says, disciplic succession, all the ācāryas will say the same thing. They will not change; they will not interpret. They can explain, but the original fact is not distorted. That is ācārya. Ācārya will never say that "Kṛṣṅa is material. Kṛṣṅa... There was no such thing as Kṛṣṅa. There was no such battle, Battle of Kurukṣetra. These are all imaginary." So if we don't want to be cheated, then we should take Kṛṣṅa as He is presenting Himself and as it is confirmed by the ācāryas. Then our knowledge is perfect.

So here it is said,

tataḥ śvetair hayair yukte mahati syandane sthitau mādhavaḥ pāṅḍavaś caiva divyau śaṅkhau pradadhmatuḥ [Bg 1.14]

Kṛṣṅa and His devotee Arjuna, they are on the same platform. Therefore Mādhava and Pāṅḍava. They blew their transcendental conchshell. This is not ordinary.

[reads from purport:]

"The sounding of the transcendental conchshells indicated that there was no hope of victory for the other side." This is the sounding. Divyau. They are also sounding their conchshell, even Bhīṣma, but that cannot be compared with the conchshells of Mādhava and Pāṅḍava. Arjuna, associates, they are also equally powerful. Nobody can be associates of Kṛṣṅa without being very, very much advanced. Just like fire can mix with fire, similarly water can mix with water; similarly, unless one is transcendentally advanced, he cannot be associate of Kṛṣṅa. The Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura sings,

gaurāṅgera saṅgi-gaṅe, nitya-siddha bhuli māne, se jāy brajendranandana-pāś [Gaurāṅgera Duṭi Pada, 3]

Gaurāṅgera saṅgi-gaṅe. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Kṛṣṅa, and His associates,

śrī-kṛṣṅa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

All the devotees. So Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, "So all these associates of Caitanya Mahāprabhu should be known they are also of the same category." Gaurāṅgera saṅgi-gaṅe, nitya-siddha boli māne.

This word nitya-siddha is significant. Nitya-siddha and nitya-baddha. There are two kinds of living entities. Nitya-baddha means ever-conditioned. Ever-conditioned means those who are in this material world, they do not know when they came in touch with this material world, neither they do know when they will be liberated. They are called nitya-baddha, ever-conditioned. And similarly, there are nitya-siddhas. Nitya-siddhas means they never come in contact with this material world, and even they come here for some business, they do not forget their position. That is nitya-siddha.

Try to understand. There are two kinds of living entities: nitya-siddha, nitya-baddha. Nitya-baddhas are within this material world. Beginning from Brahmā down to a small ant, insignificant ant, they are all nitya-baddhas. Anyone who is in this material world—nitya-baddha. And nitya-siddhas, they belong to the spiritual world. They never come in contact with this material world, and even they come for some business under the order of the Supreme Lord, they do not touch these material qualities. They remain always transcendental. As Kṛṣṅa remains always transcendental, even though He is in this material world, similarly, Kṛṣṅa's nitya-siddha associates, they are also transcendental. They never touch this material world.

So try to understand the position of Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa is nārāyaṅaḥ para, transcendental, paraḥ avyaktāt. That is puruṣottama-yoga in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṅa has said, "Anyone who has understood Me," ajam avyayam, ajam, "I never take birth in this material world, neither I am deteriorated by material contact—he knows Me perfectly." That is called puruṣottama. Puruṣa uttama. Uttama. Uttama means "not of this material world." Ut. Ut means above, and tama means this darkness. So ut-tama means "above this darkness." So uttama puruṣa. Puruṣa uttama.

Puruṣa, we are also... Puruṣa means enjoyer. Prakṛti means enjoyed. So actually, we are not puruṣa; we are prakṛti. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām, jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat [Bg 7.5].

[Besides this inferior nature, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is a superior energy of Mine, which are all living entities who are struggling with material nature and are sustaining the universe.]

Apareyam, these material elements, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ [Bg 7.4],

[Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego—altogether these eight comprise My separated material energies.]

earth, water, fire, air, sky, mind, intelligence, bhinnā me prakṛtir aṣṭadhā, these are separated energies, material energies of Kṛṣṅa. They are also prakṛti. As this material world is prakṛti, similarly, there is another prakṛti, Kṛṣṅa gives information. Apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām. But that is parā-prakṛti. So we are not puruṣa; we are prakṛtis. Although by materially dressed we appear to be puruṣa, actually, we are not puruṣa. Just like if you dress one woman like a man, that does not mean she has become man. She is woman.

Similarly, we are puruṣa in the sense that we are trying to imitate the supreme puruṣa, Puruṣottama. Kṛṣṅa is the supreme enjoyer. We are trying to become imitation Kṛṣṅa. Just like so many rascals, they declare that "God. I am God." That is the last snare, Māyāvāda. First of all we try to become enjoyer, like the head of the family man or a minister or this and that, so many. Everyone is trying to become head, enjoyer. And at last, being baffled in every respect, he wants to become God. This is the last snare of māyā. Nobody can become God. He is Puruṣottama and we are prakṛtis. Artificially, how we can become enjoyer? Prakṛti means enjoyed. Enjoyer and... Predominator and the predominated.

So jīva-bhūta, we jīvas, we are all prakṛti. Puruṣa is only Kṛṣṅa. All living entities... Viṣṅu-tattva is puruṣa-tattva, and we are śakti-tattva, śakti, energy, marginal energy of Kṛṣṅa. So energy is prakṛti. So prakṛti is not puruṣa. So Māyāvāda philosophy is wrong. They pose them as so 'ham. So 'ham, "I am the same." How you can be same? In the śāstra it is said that "You living entity, you are prakṛti." How you can become same, you puruṣa? This is mistake.

How prakṛti, how a woman can become man? Artificially one can become. Here also, so-called woman, they are also puruṣa. They are thinking puruṣa. Puruṣa means enjoyer. Here woman is also thinking to enjoy, and the so-called man is also thinking to enjoy. Everyone. Nobody wants to serve. Everyone wants to be served. Puruṣa attitude. Everyone wants to be served. Nobody wants to serve. This is the material conception of life.

So when we agree to serve, not to be served, that is liberated person. When we agree to serve only, not to be served. Not to accept service from others, but to serve others—that is real liberation. But here the material disease is that everyone is making plan, "How others will serve me." This is called māyā. This is called māyā. Māyā means that artificially we want to be served. That is not possible. When we agree to serve... As Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given us the path of liberation, jīvera svarūpa hoy nitya-kṛṣṅa-dāsa, this is our position. We are eternal servant of Kṛṣṅa.

So when we engage ourself in the service of Kṛṣṅa... The whole Bhagavad-gītā is spoken on this basis. Arjuna was artificially declining to serve Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa wanted him to fight, and Arjuna was putting so many reason, how he could fight and kill the other side, who are his kinsmen, who are nephews, who are brothers, grandfather? This argument were being put. So that means he refused to serve Kṛṣṅa. That is material condition.

He was thinking in his own terms. He wanted to enjoy the family members, the so-called nephews, brothers, that "If they are killed, then what is the use of my this kingdom?" Everyone... [break] ...but people thinks that "I get kingdom. I enjoy myself." That is condition. But a liberated soul will take the kingdom, but it will be used for Kṛṣṅa's service. That is liberated.

In this way we should try to understand Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa's name, Kṛṣṅa's fame, Kṛṣṅa's associates, Kṛṣṅa's activities—all divyam, transcendental. They are not material. Therefore it is mentioned here, divyau śaṅkhau pradadhmatuḥ [Bg 1.14]. Divyau śaṅkhau. The śaṅkha used by Kṛṣṅa and Arjuna, they are not ordinary śaṅkha.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṅa.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. [end]