Bhagavad-gītā 2.6

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

na caitad vidmaḥ kataran no garīyo yad vā jayema yadi vā no jayeyuḥ yān eva hatvā na jijīviṣāmas te 'vasthitāḥ pramukhe dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ [Bg 2.6]

[Nor do we know which is better—conquering them or being conquered by them. The sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, whom if we killed we should not care to live, are now standing before us on this battlefield.]

[Prabhupāda corrects pronunciation of last line]

[break] [leads chanting of synonyms]

na—nor; ca—also; etat—this; vidmaḥ—do know; katarat—which; naḥ—us; garīyaḥ—better; yat—what; vā—either; jayema—conquer us; yadi—if; vā—or; naḥ—us; jayeyuḥ—conquer; yān—those; eva—certainly; hatvā—by killing; na—never; jijīviṣāmaḥ—want to live; te—all of them; avasthitāḥ—are situated; pramukhe—in the front; dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ—the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.

[03:30]

Translation: "Nor do we know which is better—conquering them or being conquered by them. The sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, whom if we killed we should not care to live, are now standing before us on this battlefield."

Prabhupāda: So these two groups of cousin-brothers... Mahārāja Pāṅḍu had five sons and Dhṛtarāṣṭra had one hundred sons. So it is family, the same family, and it was understanding between them that when others beyond the family would come to attack them, they would join, 105 brothers, and fight. But when there was fight amongst themselves—one side, hundred brothers; one side, five brothers.

Because a kṣatriya family, it is to be understood they must go on fighting. Even in their marriage there would be fighting. Without fighting, no marriage takes place in kṣatriya family. Kṛṣṅa had 16,108 wives, and almost in each time He had to fight to gain the wife. It was a sporting. For kṣatriya to fight, it was a sporting. So he is perplexed whether this kind of fighting he should encourage or not.

There is a proverb in Bengal, khābo ki khābo nā yadi khāo tu pauṣa: "When you are perplexed, 'Whether I shall eat or not eat,' better not eat." Sometimes we come to this point, "I am not very hungry. Whether I shall eat or not eat?" The best course is not eat, not that you eat. But if you eat, then you can eat in the month of December, Pauṣa. Why? It is...

In Bengal... Bengal is tropical climate, but when it is winter season, it is advised that "If you eat it is not so harmful, because it will be digested." The night is very long, or the cold season, the digestive power is nice. So when we are confused, "to do or not to do," jābo ki jābo nā yadi jāo tu śauce: "When you think, 'Whether I shall go or not?' better don't go. But when it is a question of answering the call of nature, you must go." Jābo ki jābo nā yadi jāu tu śauce, khābo ki khābo nā yadi khāo tu pauṣe. These are very common sense.

Similarly, Arjuna is now perplexed, "Whether I shall fight or not fight?" That is also everywhere. When there is declaration of war between the modern politicians, they consider... Just like in the last, Second World War, when Hitler was preparing for war... Everyone knew that Hitler was going to retaliate, because in the first war they became defeated. So Hitler was again preparing. One, my Godbrother, German, he came in 1933 in India. So at that time he informed that "There must be war. Hitler is preparing heavy preparation. War must be there." So at that time, I think, in your country the Prime Minister was Mr. Chamberlain.

And he went to see Hitler to stop the war. But he would not. So similarly, in this fight, to the last point, Kṛṣṅa tried to avoid the war. He proposed to Duryodhana that "They are kṣatriyas, your cousin-brothers. You have usurped their kingdom. Never mind, you have taken some way or other. But they are kṣatriyas. They must have some means of livelihood. So give them, five brothers, five villages. Out of the whole world empire, you give them five villages." So he... "No, I am not going to part with even an inch of land without fight." Therefore, under such condition, the fight must be there.

So there is no question of Arjuna's considering whether he would fight or not. It is sanctioned by Kṛṣṅa; so fight must be there. Just like when we were walking, the question was raised that "Why war takes place?" That is not a very difficult subject to understand, because every one of us has got a fighting spirit. Even children fight, cats and dogs fight, birds fight, ants fight. We have seen it. So why not human being? The fighting spirit is there. That is one of the symptoms of living condition: fighting. So when that fighting should take place? Of course, at the present moment, by the ambitious politicians they fight. But fighting, according to Vedic civilization, fighting means dharma-yuddha, on religious principle. Not by whims of political ideas, "ism."

Just like now fighting is going on on two political groups, the Communist and the capitalist. They are trying to avoid only fight, but the fighting is going on. As soon as America is in some field, immediately Russia is also there. In the last fighting between India and Pakistan, as soon as President Nixon sent their Seventh Fleet on the Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal, almost in front of India... This was illegal. But very puffed-up, America, so sent the Seventh Fleet, maybe to show sympathy the Pakistan. But immediately our Russian friend also appeared there, and therefore America had to come back. Otherwise, I think America would have attacked on behalf of Pakistan.

So this is going on. Fighting you cannot stop. Many people, they are thinking how to stop war. That is impossible. It is nonsense proposal. It cannot be. Because the fighting spirit is there in everyone. That is a symptom of living entity. Even children, who has no politics, no enmity, they fight for five minutes; again they are friends. So the fighting spirit is there. Now, how it should be utilized? Our Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is there. We say "consciousness." We don't say, "Stop fight" or "Do this, do that, do that," no. Everything should be done in Kṛṣṅa consciousness. That is our propaganda. Nirbandha-kṛṣṅa-sambandhe [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.255]. Whatever you do, it must have some relationship with the satisfaction of Kṛṣṅa. If Kṛṣṅa is satisfied, then you act. That is Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Kṛṣṅendriya tṛpti vāñchā tāra nāma prema [Cc Ādi 4.165]. This is love. Just like you love somebody; for the sake of your beloved, you can do anything. And we do sometimes. Similarly, the same thing should be transferred to Kṛṣṅa. That's all.

Try to educate yourself how to love Kṛṣṅa and act for Kṛṣṅa only. This is the perfection of life. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje [SB 1.2.6].

[The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.]

Bhakti, bhakti means service, bhaja-sevāyām. The bhaja-dhātu, it is used for the purpose of rendering service, bhaja. And bhaja, there is Sanskrit grammar, kti-pratyaya, to make it noun. This is verb. So there are pratyayas, kti pratyaya, ti pratyaya, many pratyayas. So bhaj-dhātu kti, equal to bhakti.

So bhakti means to satisfy Kṛṣṅa. Bhakti cannot be applied to anyone else. If somebody says that "I am a great devotee of Kālī, Goddess Kālī," that is not bhakti; that is business. Because any demigod you worship, there is some purpose behind that. Generally, people take to become a devotee of Goddess Kālī for eating meat. That is their purpose. In the Vedic culture, those who are meat-eaters, they have been advised that "Don't eat meat purchased from the slaughterhouse or from the market." Actually, this system was never current anywhere, all over the world, that to maintain slaughterhouse. This is latest invention.

We talk with sometimes with Christian gentlemen, and when we inquire that "Lord Christ says, 'Thou shall not kill'; why you are killing?" they give evidence that "Christ also ate meat sometimes." Sometimes Christ ate meat, that's all right, but did Christ say that "You maintain big, big slaughterhouse and go on eating meat?" There is no common sense even. Christ might have eaten. Sometimes he... If there was no..., nothing available for eating, what could you do? That is another question. In great necessity, when there is no other food except taking meat...

That time is coming. In this age, Kali-yuga, gradually food grains will be reduced. It is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Twelfth Canto. No rice, no wheat, no milk, no sugar will be available. One has to eat meat. This will be the condition. And maybe to eat the human flesh also. This sinful life is degrading so much so that they will become more and more sinful. Tān aham dviṣataḥ krūrān kṣīpāmy ajasram andhe-yoniṣu [Bg 16.19]. Those who are demons, those who are sinful, nature's law is to place him in such condition that he will become more and more a demon, so that he will never be able to understand what is God. This is nature's law. If you want to forget God, then God will put you in such a condition that you can never understand what is God. That is demonic life.

That time is also coming. At the present moment, still a few men are interested what is God. Arto arthārtī jijñāsu jñānī [Cc Madhya 24.95]. But time is coming ahead when there will be no sense to understand God. That is the last stage of Kali-yuga, and at that time Kalkī avatāra, Kalkī avatāra will come. At that time there is no preaching of God consciousness, simply killing. Simply killing. Kalkī avatāra with His sword will simply massacre. Then again Satya-yuga will come. Again golden age will come.

So this problem of fighting... We have to understand that fighting spirit is there in everyone. You cannot check it; you cannot stop it. We do not say stop. The Māyāvādī philosopher says that "You stop this thing." But that is not possible. You cannot stop. Because you are living entity, you have got all these propensities. How you can stop it? But it should be utilized properly. That's all.

You have got the fighting spirit. How to utilize it? Yes. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura recommends, 'krodha' bhakta-dveṣī-jane [Prema-bhakti-candrikā]: "Those who are envious of God or God's devotee, you can utilize your anger upon them." You can utilize. The anger you cannot give up. Our business is how to utilize it. That is Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Everything has to be utilized. We do not say that "You stop this, stop that." No. You... Kṛṣṅa says, yat karoṣi, yaj juhosi, yad aśnāsi, yat tapasyasi kuruśva tad mad-arpanam [Bg 9.27]. Yat karoṣi. Kṛṣṅa does not say that "You do this, you do that." He says, "Whatever you do, but the result should come to Me."

So here the position is that Arjuna is to fight not for himself, but he is only thinking in terms of himself. He says, te avasthitaḥ pramukhe dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ, yān eva hatvā na jijīviṣāmas [Bg 2.6]: "They are my brothers, relatives. If they die... We do not wish to die. Now they are in my front. I have to kill them?" So still he is thinking in terms of his own satisfaction. He is preparing the background—how materialistic person, they think in the terms of personal satisfaction. So that has to be given up. Not personal satisfaction; Kṛṣṅa's satisfaction. That is Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Whatever you do, it doesn't matter, you have to test it whether you are doing it for Kṛṣṅa. That is your perfection. Not only perfection, that is the perfection of your mission of human life.

This human life is meant for that purpose. Because less than human form, the animal life, they are trained, perfection of sense gratification, personal satisfaction. They have no such feeling that "Other animals also..." When there is some eatable, one dog, he will think, "How I can get it?" He will never think how other dogs also will be able to take it. This is not animal nature. Animal nature means their own satisfaction. There is no question of "My friend, my family member." Even..., they do not share even with their own children. You might have seen. If there is some foodstuff, the dog and the dog's children, everyone is trying to take in his own side. This is animal. So when this thing is changed for Kṛṣṅa, that is human life. That is the distinction between animal life.

So that is very difficult also. Therefore the whole education is there, Bhagavad-gītā, how to teach people, "Act for Kṛṣṅa, act for God, not for your personal interest. Then you'll be entangled." Yajñārthāt karma anyatra karma yaṁ bandhanaḥ [Bg 3.9].

[Work done as a sacrifice for Viṣṅu has to be performed, otherwise work binds one to this material world. Therefore, O son of Kuntī, perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will always remain unattached and free from bondage.]

Anything you do, it will produce some reaction, and you have to enjoy or suffer that reaction. Anything you do. But if you do for Kṛṣṅa, there is no more reaction. That is your freedom. Yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam [Bg 2.50].

[A man engaged in devotional service rids himself of both good and bad actions even in this life. Therefore strive for yoga, O Arjuna, which is the art of all work.]

That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Yoga, when you are in contact with Kṛṣṅa, that is the secret of success in this material world, working. Otherwise, whatever you are doing, whatever you are working, it will produce some reaction and you will have to enjoy or suffer.

So here again, the same thing. Arjuna is thinking in terms, na caitad vidmaḥ kataran no garīyo [Bg 2.6]. So he is perplexed, "Which one, which side will be glorious? I shall stop fighting or not fighting?" In the next verses it will be seen... When you are in such perplexity, what to do and what not to do, so in order to get right direction, you must approach the spiritual master. That will be done in the next verse. Arjuna will say that "I do not know. I am now perplexed. Although I know it is my duty as kṣatriya to fight, still I am hesitating. I am hesitating in my duty. So therefore I am perplexed. So Kṛṣṅa, therefore I submit to You." Formerly he was talking just like friend. Now he will be prepared to take lesson from Kṛṣṅa.

So our the whole instruction of Bhagavad-gītā is that you should not act for yourself; you should simply act for Kṛṣṅa. So even fighting for Kṛṣṅa, or even doing something still abominable for Kṛṣṅa... Just like the gopīs. The gopīs were captivated by Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa was a young boy, very beautiful, and the gopīs were young girls. That is the superficial... Actually, the gopīs are eternal associates of Kṛṣṅa.

Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhiḥ [Bs 5.37].

[I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, residing in His own realm, Goloka, with Rādhā, resembling His own spiritual figure, the embodiment of the ecstatic potency possessed of the sixty-four artistic activities, in the company of Her confidantes [sakhīs], embodiments of the extensions of Her bodily form, permeated and vitalized by His ever-blissful spiritual rasa.]

They are expansions of Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa's pleasure potency expansion. They are meant for Kṛṣṅa's pleasure. They are not ordinary women. But superficially, just to teach us how to love Kṛṣṅa at the risk of anything... Therefore gopīs, when they were attracted by Kṛṣṅa at midnight... Kṛṣṅa was playing flute, and they became attracted and they left home. Some of them were locked up. They gave up their life even. They were so much attracted. Now this kind of behavior, if young girls... According to Vedic civilization, they cannot go out from the protection of father, husband or brother. No, they cannot go. Especially at midnight.

So this was against Vedic principle. It is openly a kind of prostitution. But because it was done for Kṛṣṅa, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He recommends, ramyā kācid upāsanā vraja-vadhubhiḥ kalpitā [Caitanya-mañjusā]:

[The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the son of Nanda Mahārāja, is to be worshiped along with His transcendental abode, Vṛndāvana. The most pleasing form of worship for the Lord is that which was performed by the gopīs of Vṛndāvaṅa. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the spotless authority on everything, and pure love of God is the ultimate goal of life for all men. These statements, for which we have the highest regard, are the opinion of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.]

"There is no more better type of worship than it was conceived by the vraja gopīs. Vraja-vadhu. The most abominable. For a young girl to leave the care of husband, father, and go to another young boy, according to Vedic culture, it is the most abominable. So still, because it was..., the center was Kṛṣṅa, it is accepted as the highest type of worship. That is Kṛṣṅa consciousness.

We have to learn how to act only for Kṛṣṅa, how to love only Kṛṣṅa. Then our life is successful. And the human life... Because we have also come down from Vaikuṅṭha some millions and millions of years ago. Anādi karama-phale [Gītāvalī]. Anādi means before the creation. We living entities, we are eternal. Even the creation is annihilated after millions and trillions of years, the living entities, they are not annihilated. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre [Bg 2.20]. They remain. So when this whole cosmic manifestation will be annihilated, the living entities will remain in the body of Viṣṅu. Then when again another creation will take place, they will come out again to fulfill their desires.

The real desire is how to go to home, back to Godhead. So this chance is given. So if this chance is misused... This life, human form of life, it is very, very risky. Again we will have to accept the cycle of birth and death. And not only that; if we do not fulfill the mission of life, then again there will be annihilation of the whole creation, and we will have to stay within the body of Viṣṅu for millions and trillions of years. Again we will have to come. So therefore it is called anādi karama-phale. Anādi means "before the creation." This is going on. And to teach the befooled living entities, Kṛṣṅa personally comes. Kṛṣṅa is very much anxious to take us back to home, back to Godhead, because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṅa. Suppose if your son is loitering in the street, are you not anxious, "Oh, there may be some accident, and the poor boy will be killed"? So you go, try to find out. Similarly, Kṛṣṅa's position is like that.

We are in this material world simply suffering, life after life. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam [Bg 8.15].

[After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogīs in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection.]

This place is miserable. But māyā's illusion, we are taking this miserable condition of life as happiness. This is called māyā. But it is... There is no happiness in this material world. Everything miserable. The sooner we understand that everything is miserable in this material world, and the sooner we prepare ourself to leave this material world and go back to home, back to..., that is our sense. Otherwise, whatever we are doing, we are simply being defeated. Because we are missing the aim. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṅum [SB 7.5.31].

[Persons who are strongly entrapped by the consciousness of enjoying material life, and who have therefore accepted as their leader or guru a similar blind man attached to external sense objects, cannot understand that the goal of life is to return home, back to Godhead, and engage in the service of Lord Viṣṅu. As blind men guided by another blind man miss the right path and fall into a ditch, materially attached men led by another materially attached man are bound by the ropes of fruitive labor, which are made of very strong cords, and they continue again and again in materialistic life, suffering the threefold miseries.]

Durāśayā. We are, by hope against hope, which will never be fulfilled, we are trying to adjust things here to become happy without God consciousness. It will never be accompli... Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṅuṁ durāśayā. Durāśayā means "the hope which will never be fulfilled."

So all these materialistic person, they are so fool, rascal, miscreants, they are increasing these material activities. They are thinking by this increasing material activities they will be happy. No. That is not possible. Durāśayā ye... And their leaders... Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās te 'pīśa-tantryam uru-dāmni baddhāḥ [SB 7.5.31]. All of us are tied very tight, hands and legs, and we are thinking we are free, independent, by the laws of material nature. Still we are thinking that we are independent. The scientist, they are trying to avoid God, independent by science. That is not possible. We are under the grip of the material nature. Material nature means the agent of Kṛṣṅa. Mayādhyakṣeṅa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram [Bg 9.10].

[This material nature is working under My direction, O son of Kuntī, and it is producing all moving and unmoving beings. By its rule this manifestation is created and annihilated again and again.]

Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṅāni guṅair karmāṅi sarvaśaḥ [Bg 3.27].

[The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities, which are in actuality carried out by nature.]

So we are always in perplexity like Arjuna, what to do, what not to do. But if we take this principle, that "We must do for Kṛṣṅa..." So take direction from Kṛṣṅa and take direction from Kṛṣṅa's representative and you do it; then there is no karma-bandhanaḥ. Karmāṅi nirdaheti kintu ca bhakti-bhājām [Bs 5.54].

[I adore the primeval Lord Govinda, who burns up to their roots all fruitive activities of those who are imbued with devotion and impartially ordains for each the due enjoyment of the fruits of one's activities, of all those who walk in the path of work, in accordance with the chain of their previously performed works, no less in the case of the tiny insect that bears the name of indragopa than in that of Indra, king of the devas.]

Otherwise, we are bound up by the reaction of every act. We cannot get out. So this perplexity, "Whether I shall fight or not fight," that will be explained that "Yes, you must fight for Kṛṣṅa. Then it is all right." [Prema-bhakti-candrikā].

[I will engage my lust by offering the fruits of my work to Lord Kṛṣṅa, and I will engage my anger by directing it at those who are envious of the lord's devotees. I will engage greed by becoming greedy to hear the glories of the Lord in the association of saintly devotees. By not attaining my worshipable Lord Kṛṣṅa, I will engage the quality of bewilderment; and I will engage madness by becoming mad to glorify the transcendental qualities of the Lord. In this way I will spiritualize these material qualities for the service of the Lord.]

Just like Hanumān. He fought for Lord Rāmacandra. He did not fight for himself. Similarly, Arjuna also, his flag is kapi-dhvaja; his flag is marked with Hanumān. He knew that. So Hanumān, a great fighter, fought with Rāvaṅa not for his personal interest. The interest was how to get out Sītājī from the hands of Rāvaṅa, kill the whole family, and get out and let her sit down on the side of Rāmacandra. This is the policy of Hanumān, devotees. And the Rāvaṅa policy is: "Take away Sītā from the clutches of Rāma and enjoy it." This is Rāvaṅa policy. And the Hanumān policy is: "Take out Sītā from the hands of Rāvaṅa and get her seated by the side of Rāma." The same Sītā. Sītā means Lakṣmī. So Lakṣmī means Nārāyaṅa's property, God's property.

So we should learn the policy that all these materialistic persons, Rāvaṅas, they are trying to enjoy God's property. So some way or other... Of course, we cannot fight with Rāvaṅa-class man. We are not so strong. Therefore we have taken the policy of becoming a beggar: "Sir, you are so nice man. Please give us something. Give us something. Because you are spoiling your life by keeping God's property, you are going to hell.

So some way or other, if you become a member, so you will be saved. You will be saved." That is our policy. We are not beggar. But it is a policy. Now it is not very..., we are not very strong to fight with the Rāvaṅa; otherwise, we have taken all the money by fighting. But that is not possible. We are not so strong. Therefore we have taken the policy of beggar.

Thank you very much. [end]