Bhagavad-gītā 1.23
Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [devotees repeat] [leads chanting of verse]
yotsyamanan avekse 'ham ya ete 'tra samagatah dhartarastrasya durbuddher yuddhe priya-cikirsavah [Bg 1.23]
[Let me see those who have come here to fight, wishing to please the evil-minded son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.]
[leads chanting of synonyms]
yotsyamānān—those who will be fighting; avekṣe—let me see; aham—I; ye—who; ete—those; atra—here; samāgatāḥ—assembled; dhārtarāṣṭrasya—the son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra; durbuddheḥ—evil-minded; yuddhe—in the fight; priya—well; cikīrṣavaḥ—wishing.
[03:16]
Translation: "Let me see those who have come here to fight, wishing to please the evil-minded son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra."
Prabhupāda: Dhārtarāṣṭrasya durbuddher [Bg 1.23]. Durbuddhi. To usurp others' property is durbuddhi, mischievous. Why one should encroach upon others' property? That is not good. Tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam [Īśo mantra 1].
[Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong.]
This is the Vedic instruction, that "You accept only what is given to you. Don't encroach upon others' property." This is peaceful. Everything belongs to Kṛṣṅa, so whatever Kṛṣṅa gives you as prasādam, as His favor, you accept it and be satisfied. This is the basic principle of peace in the world. But because people are not educated in that way, everyone is wanting more and more and more and more. There is no satisfaction. So that is durbuddhi.
The Vedic culture is that "You be satisfied with your position." There is no question of starving in any position of life. People are trying to make economic development, but according to śāstra, it is not possible to develop your economic position simply by endeavor. You are destined to have some portion mixed up with happiness and distress. That is the nature. Dharmārtha-kāma-mokṣa [SB 4.8.41].
[Any person who desires the fruits of the four principles religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and, at the end, liberation, should engage himself in the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for worship of His lotus feet yields the fulfillment of all of these.]
These are four principles of human activities. First beginning is dharma. Dharma means to abide by the orders of the Supreme. That is dharma.
So people do not know who is the Supreme and what is His order. So what kind of religion? They take dharma as religion, faith, a superfluous faith only. But that is not dharma, religion. Dharma means to abide by the orders of the Supreme. 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.]
That is the meaning of dharma: obedience to God. There is no conception of God, and what to speak of obedience. But this is the simple meaning of religion: obedience to God. That's all, three words. God is the supreme proprietor, God is the maintainer: bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram [Bg 5.29].
[The sages, knowing Me as the ultimate purpose of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attain peace from the pangs of material miseries.]
Therefore we are maintained, we are predominated, we are servant, we should remain obedient to God. This is religion. Where is the difficulty? Unfortunately, they do not know what is God, what is His command, what is religion. They do not know. They manufacture. And because they do not know the simple process, they are called durbuddhi: not very nicely intelligent. A rascal, in other words.
In the Bhagavad-gītā it is plainly said mūḍha. Mūḍha means asses, rascal. He does not know his own interest. He is called mūḍha, ass. Just like ass, ass is whole day working with tons of cloth on his back, but he does not... Not a piece of cloth belongs to him. This is ass. And he is working so hard only for a morsel of grass, which is available everywhere. But he is thinking that "This gentleman, washerman, is giving me food." This is ass.
Such food can be available anywhere and everywhere, but he is thinking like that and working so hard. So karmīs are like that. He will eat two cāpāṭi or four cāpāṭis, but he is working day and night. If you want to see him, he will say, "Oh, I have no time." He does not think at any time that "I am interested to eat four cāpāṭis, which can be very easily available. So why I am so working so hard?"
But that sense does not come. He is working, working, working, "More money, more money, more money, more money, more money." The Bhāgavata says, "No, no. This is not your business." The four cāpāṭis is already destined to you; you will get, any circumstances. You don't waste your time simply under some false impression of economic development. Don't waste your time. You cannot get more, you cannot get less. That is already there. So you utilize your time for understanding Kṛṣṅa. That is your business. People will not accept it. "Oh, this is waste of time. Attending the class of Bhagavad-gītā, this is waste of time. By this time I could have earned hundreds of dollars." That is their business. That is called durbuddhi, durbuddhi, not very intelligent. All mūḍha, asses.
Real intelligent person is he who is satisfied what Kṛṣṅa has given him: "If Kṛṣṅa wants, He will give me more. Let me become Kṛṣṅa conscious. Let me study about Kṛṣṅa. Let me chant about Kṛṣṅa. Let me hear about Kṛṣṅa. Let me see with my eyes Kṛṣṅa, the Deity Kṛṣṅa. Let me engage my hands in worshiping Kṛṣṅa, in cleansing the temple, my hands. Let my legs be engaged in going to the temple." In this way all our senses should be engaged in the service of Kṛṣṅa. That is our real business. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ [SB 1.5.18]. Tasyaiva hetoḥ: "For that purpose only." Which purpose? Which we could not achieve after wandering the whole universe, up and down.
The living entity is wandering, by transmigration from one body to another, up and down. Sometimes he is becoming Brahmā even. Brahmā, Indra, Candra, he can become. One can become. By pious activities, you can be raised to the position of Brahmā, Indra, Candra, demigods, big, big demigods. And by impious activities you can go down to become the worm of a stool. This is going on. This is called bhramatām upary adhaḥ. Upari adhaḥ. Adhaḥ means down, and upari means up. So ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ [Bg 14.18].
[Those situated in the mode of goodness gradually go upward to the higher planets; those in the mode of passion live on the earthly planets; and those in the mode of ignorance go down to the hellish worlds.]
Who are going to up, upper planetary system? Sattva-sthāḥ: those who are qualified brāhmaṅas, strictly following the principles, satya śamo dama tittiska ārjava eva ca jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam [Bg 18.42].
[Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, wisdom, knowledge, and religiousness—these are the qualities by which the brāhmaṅas work.]
If you follow these principles: controlling the senses, truthful, clean, full of knowledge, believing in the śāstra and God, and vijñānam, practical application of knowledge in life, vijñānam... Simply to know is useless. You must practically apply in life. That is called vijñānam. Practical examination. Those who are science students, in B.Sc., they have to give..., pass theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge also. Simply theoretical knowledge, "So much hydrogen, oxygen makes water," that is theoretical. But when you mix up hydrogen, oxygen gas, and actually prepare water, that is called practical. So that is science. Science means simply theoretical knowledge is not sufficient. Observation and experiment, experimental knowledge. That is called vijñānam.
So by practical knowledge you should be well acquainted with God. That is brāhmaṅa's business. So sattva-sthāḥ, those who are strictly following the brahminical principles, they will be situated in upper planetary system. Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ [Bg 14.18]. But a Vaiṣṅava is above these. Mad-yājino yānti mām [Bg 9.25].
[Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods; those who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings; those who worship ancestors go to the ancestors; and those who worship Me will live with Me.]
Those who are following these principles with an aim for higher planetary system, they can go, elevated. Similarly, those who are trying to go back to home, back to Kṛṣṅa, they can also go. It is not very...
This process, our Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement, is to help people to go back to home, back to Kṛṣṅa. It is not very difficult. Why it is difficult? Kṛṣṅa says, janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ [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.]
Try to understand Kṛṣṅa in truth, not vaguely. Kṛṣṅa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We think of God. So why don't you accept Kṛṣṅa? He says and śāstra says, the ācārya says, Vyāsadeva says, Nārada says, your Guru Mahārāja says. Why not accept? Why rascaldom? Why you are searching after any other God? Here is God. Name, address, activities, everything is there, authorized statement of the Vedas. So is there any difficulty to understand Kṛṣṅa? But these rascal will not take it.
Persistent. "Oh, why Kṛṣṅa can be accepted? I have got a God, manufactured." This is misfortune. Durbhaga, durbuddhi, miscreant, rascal. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ [Bg 7.15].
[Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me.]
These are the qualification of persons who do not surrender to Kṛṣṅa: miscreants, mischievous, sinful, mūḍha, rascal, asses, narādhama, lowest of the mankind. These are the qualification. So they are all durbuddhi.
Human life is meant... This is an opportunity to understand Kṛṣṅa.
hari hari biphale janama goṅāinu manuṣya-janama pāiyā rādhā-kṛṣṅa nā bhajiyā jāniyā śuniyā biṣa khāinu
[O Lord Hari, I have wasted my life. Although I have taken this rare human birth, like a miser, I have not served Rādhā and Kṛṣṅa, and thus I have knowingly drunk poison.]
This is Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura's song. Anyone who is not trying to understand Kṛṣṅa... Not even trying, what to speak of worshiping Him, giving Him service. And Kṛṣṅa says simply by trying to know Him, one becomes liberated. Simply by trying; not perfectly. Even imperfectly. Because he is endeavoring to understand Kṛṣṅa, that very activity will make him liberated. That very activity. It is not possible to understand Kṛṣṅa. He is so great, unlimited. How we can understand Kṛṣṅa? Kṛṣṅa cannot understand Himself. Or Ananta cannot understand.
So... Actually, that is the fact. We cannot understand Kṛṣṅa. But still, whatever Kṛṣṅa says about Himself in the Bhagavad-gītā, if we accept so much, then we immediately become fit for going back to Godhead, back to home. Simply. Janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ [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.]
Tattvataḥ. Tattvataḥ means in truth. The tattvataḥ cannot understand. Even siddhas, those who are perfect...
manuṣyāṅāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye yatatām api siddhānāṁ kaścin vetti māṁ tattvataḥ [Bg 7.3]
[Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.]
Nobody can understand, even if he is siddha, perfect. Perfect means not spiritually perfect; means materially perfect. Or even spiritually, partially perfect. Brahma-jñānī, they are partially perfect. Paramātmā-jñānī, yogīs, they are also partially perfect. Not completely perfect. Completely perfect is the devotees. Only devotees, they are completely perfect. Others, the jñānīs and yogīs and karmīs...
Karmīs are..., they are rascals. Jñānīs, they are partially perfect because they can understand the eternity portion of the Supreme Lord, brahma-jñāna. That is eternity portion. And paramātmā-jñāna is the cid-aṁśa, knowledge, or personally seeing God as the four-handed Viṣṅu. So that is also perfect knowledge, er, imperfect knowledge. That when He comes to know Bhagavān, īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṅaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ [Bs 5.1], then there is perfect knowledge. Ānanda.
[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.]
Because when one comes to the understanding of personal God, there is ānanda. In other features, there is no ānanda. There is eternity, there is knowledge, but there is no ānanda. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt [Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12].
[By nature, the Supreme Lord is blissful.]
That is the Vedānta-sūtra. One is by nature ānandamaya. We are searching after ānanda, bliss, but we do not know where to get bliss. We are trying to get bliss in this material world by eating meat, eating wine, drinking wine, by sex. They are trying to get ānanda. That is not ānanda. Ānanda is..., what is satyānanda.
These ānandas, these pleasures—flickering, for few minutes, for few hours—that is not ānanda. Ānanda means satyānanda, real ānanda. Real ānanda. What is that real ānanda? Brahma-sukha. That ānanda is in exchange with the Supreme Brahman. Brahma-saukhyam anantam [SB 5.5.1].
[Lord Ṛṣabhadeva told His sons: My dear boys, of all the living entities who have accepted material bodies in this world, one who has been awarded this human form should not work hard day and night simply for sense gratification, which is available even for dogs and hogs that eat stool. One should engage in penance and austerity to attain the divine position of devotional service. By such activity, one's heart is purified, and when one attains this position, he attains eternal, blissful life, which is transcendental to material happiness and which continues forever.]
That is anantam, unlimited ānanda. Therefore ramante yoginaḥ anante [Cc Madhya 9.29].
[The Supreme Absolute Truth is called Rāma because the transcendentalists take pleasure in the unlimited true pleasure of spiritual existence.]
Therefore those who are actually yogīs, bhakti-yogīs—there are different types of yoga—so they ramante, they enjoy, ramante yoginaḥ anante, along with the ananta, Unlimited. Kṛṣṅa is unlimited. When you join with Kṛṣṅa in His rāsa dance as gopīs, or as cowherds boy, play with Him, or become His father and mother, Yaśodā, Nanda Mahārāja, Yaśodā-rāṅī, or His..., become servant, or even become like water, Yamunā, or land in Vṛndāvana and trees or fruits or flowers, any way, or cows and calves...
Join with Kṛṣṅa. Then you get ānanda, real ānanda. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt [Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12].
[By nature, the Supreme Lord is blissful.]
Sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha [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.]
That is the description in all Bhāgavatam, how the Kṛṣṅa's associates are enjoying life. Kṛta-puṅya-puñjāḥ [SB 10.12.11].
[All the boys would be differently engaged. Some boys blew their flutes, and others blew bugles made of horn. Some imitated the buzzing of the bumblebees, and others imitated the voice of the cuckoo. Some boys imitated flying birds by running after the birds' shadows on the ground, some imitated the beautiful movements and attractive postures of the swans, some sat down with the ducks, sitting silently, and others imitated the dancing of the peacocks.
Some boys attracted young monkeys in the trees, some jumped into the trees, imitating the monkeys, some made faces as the monkeys were accustomed to do, and others jumped from one branch to another. Some boys went to the waterfalls and crossed over the river, jumping with the frogs, and when they saw their own reflections on the water they would laugh. They would also condemn the sounds of their own echoes.
In this way, all the cowherd boys used to play with Kṛṣṅa, who is the source of the Brahman effulgence for jñānīs desiring to merge into that effulgence, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead for devotees who have accepted eternal servitorship, and who for ordinary persons is but another ordinary child. The cowherd boys, having accumulated the results of pious activities for many lives, were able to associate in this way with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. How can one explain their great fortune?]
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said, "These boys who are playing with Kṛṣṅa, oh, they are not ordinary boys." Kṛta-puṅya-puñjāḥ: "They have amassed the effects of pious activities for millions and trillions of births. Now they have come to play with Kṛṣṅa."
So that opportunity is there in bhakti-yoga. Kṛṣṅa is anxious to take you back. Why you are wasting time, economic development? What economic development you'll do? You cannot get more than what is destined to you. That is not possible. Then everyone would have been big man, big, educated, very beautiful. Econ... Pious activities, the effects of pious activity, is to get nice opulence, janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī [SB 1.8.26]:
[My Lord, Your Lordship can easily be approached, but only by those who are materially exhausted, because one who is on the path of [material] progress, trying to improve himself with respectable parentage, great opulence, high education and bodily beauty, cannot address You with sincere feeling.]
birth in very high family, janma; aiśvarya, opulence, riches; education; śrī... Śruta, śruta means education, highly learned. These things are effects of pious activities. You get nice family, you take your birth in nice family, rich family, aiśvarya, you get good education, you become very beautiful. These are the effects of pious activities. Similarly, the effects of impious activities, the opposite.
But they are all material. They are destined. Whatever you have got by pious or impious activities, that you cannot change. It is not possible. But you can change your position, this material position, by Kṛṣṅa consciousness. That you can change. Other things you cannot change. If you are white, you cannot become black, or if you are black, you cannot become white. That is not possible. But you can become first-class Kṛṣṅa conscious person. Either you are black or white, it doesn't matter. This is Kṛṣṅa consciousness.
Therefore our endeavor should be how to become Kṛṣṅa conscious. Other things we cannot change. This is not possible. Sarvatra.
tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ tal labhyate duḥkhavad anyataḥ sukhaṁ kālena sarvatra gabhīra-raṁhasā [SB 1.5.18]
Kālena, by time, whatever you are destined you will get. Don't bother about so-called economic development. So far food is concerned, Kṛṣṅa is supplying, eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān, even cats and dogs and ants. Why not you? There is no need of bothering Kṛṣṅa, "God, give us our daily bread." He will give you. Don't bother. Try to become very faithful servant of God. "Oh, God has given so many things. So let me give my energy to serve Kṛṣṅa." This is required.
This is Kṛṣṅa consciousness. "I have taken so much, life after life, from Kṛṣṅa. Now this life let me dedicate to Kṛṣṅa." This is Kṛṣṅa consciousness. "This life I will not let it go uselessly like cats and dogs. Let me utilize it for Kṛṣṅa consciousness." This is Kṛṣṅa consciousness.
Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṅa.
Devotees: Jaya... [end]