London, July 22, 1973

Pradyumna (leads chanting, etc.):

arjuna uväca

dåñövemaà svajanaà kåñëa

yuyutsuà samupasthitam

sédanti mama gäträëi

mukhaà ca pariçuñyati

[Bg. 1.28]

vepathuç ca çarére me

roma-harñaç ca jäyate

gäëòévaà sraàsate hastät

tvak caiva paridahyate

[Bg. 1.29]

Translation: "Arjuna said: My dear Kåñëa, seeing my friends and relatives present before me in such a fighting spirit, I feel the limbs of my body quivering and my mouth drying up. My whole body is trembling, and my hair is standing on end. My bow Gäëòéva is slipping from my hand, and my skin is burning."

Prabhupäda: So dåñövä imaà svajanam. Arjuna is a great warrior, fighter, and for a kñatriya to kill one is not very difficult task. The kñatriyas are trained up. Hunting. Hunting is allowed for the kñatriyas. Just like medical practitioners, they are trained up how to practice surgical operation on dead body. It is not possible to, of course, for a gentleman, to push knife in someone's body. It is naturally very difficult thing. Rogues and thieves, they can stab. So as the doctors, medical men, surgeons are trained up to operate their knife on the dead body to see where are the nerves, similarly, kñatriyas are also allowed for being trained how to kill. Kñatriya means... Kñat. Kñat means injury. And tra means träyate, saves. A kñatriya has to save the citizens from being injured by others. He is called kñatriya. Brähmaëa means one who knows brahma, the supreme. So brähmaëa, kñatriya, vaiçya, çüdra. These divisions are there according to quality. Guëa-karma-vibhägaçaù [Bg. 4.13]. By guëa. Guëa means quality. And karma means actual operation of the guëa.

So Arjuna was a kñatriya, trained up by Droëäcärya how to kill. This is the... Nonviolence is not the business of the kñatriya. That is cowardice. They are taught how to become violent. Otherwise, they cannot rule over. Formerly the judgement was given by the king, immediately finished. Not go to the court and wait for the judgement for ten years. In the meantime everything is finished. Not like that. Anything, there was regularly, the king used to sit in his assembly, and all the criminals, culprits, they were judged by the king himself. Sometimes the king had to kill personally with the sword. Even in European countries, the royal orders were trained up. Nowadays it is constitutional, democratic government. The king has no power. But this is not good for the people. The democracy is a farce. At least, I do not like it. Because so many rascals, simply by getting votes, go to the government, and what do they know how to rule over? Therefore, at the present moment, all over the world there is no good government. There is no good government. The America was considered to have very good government. Now we can see the behavior of Mr. Nixon. It is not possible. Formerly the kñatriyas, they were trained up how to govern. They were trained up by military men, just like Droëäcärya trained Arjuna, Duryodhana. All the royal princes were trained up how to kill. Not only killing, also, according to çästra, how to rule over. The king's business is to see that everyone in the country, they are properly employed and engaged in his own business. That is king's business. There was no question of unemployment. This is government's first business. Because if a person is unemployed, then the devil's workshop. Devil's, work... If he hasn't got to do anything... That is being done now. Rich man's son, he hasn't got to do anything, so his brain is devil's workshop. They are manufacturing so many "isms." But everyone should be engaged. This is government's first business to see. A brähmaëa is engaged as a brähmaëa, a kñatriya is engaged as kñatriya.

So Arjuna was not a coward. He was a competent warrior. But still, dehätma-buddhi, the bodily concept of life is so strong... That Arjuna admits, dåñövä tu svajanaà kåñëa: [Bg. 1.28] "My dear Kåñëa, I have to kill my own men." What is that "own men"? "Own men" means this bodily relationship. Why others are not own men? Everyone is own men. Because everyone is Kåñëa's son. So when one becomes Kåñëa conscious, he can see everyone own men. And when he is not Kåñëa conscious, he simply sees own men where there is bodily relationship. This is the defect. They are advertising, humanitarian work, philanthropic work, communism, this "ism," but when there is question of bodily relationship, immediately everything is changed. You know, the Communist country, the Khruschev was driven out because he was patronizing his own men. That was the defect. So you can advertise that "I am for everyone," but there is affection for own men. Nepotism. Nepotism. It's called nepotism. So many big, big leaders. Our Jawaharhal Nehru, he was sending his own men as ambassador. Vijaya Lakshmi, a woman, she was being sent as ambassador. She was high commissioner here. So this "own men" question is very prominent everywhere.

So Arjuna is a great warrior. He could fight all the soldiers, all the fighting men, yuyutsu. The other party, they were also, they were assembled, yuyutsu, with fighting spirit. Other men, even they are not fighting spirit, we can kill very easily. But own men, although they are fighting spirit, still he hesitates. Because own men. So this "own-menship," in relationship with the body, is the barrier for spiritual understanding. So long this conception of life will exist, that "I am this body, and anyone who is related with this body, they are my own men, kinsmen, relatives..." This conception of life is the greatest barrier for advancing in spiritual consciousness. Therefore the Vedic civilization is so planned that one has to give up this rascal "own men" conception. That is the vairägya. It is called vairägya. Jïäna-vairägya. Two things required in human life: knowledge and vairägya, detachment. The attachment increases. First of all, it increases. Puàsaù striyä mithuné-bhävam etam [SB 5.5.8]. This whole world is based on sex life. A man has got attraction for woman; a woman has got attraction for man. This is nature's bondage. Shackle. And when they are actually united, either by the father, mother, or by their own way, that shackle, that attraction, increases. Puàsaù striyä mithuné-bhävam etaà tayor mitho hådaya-granthim ähuù. Hådaya-granthim. Knot in the heart. "She is my wife." "He is my husband." Of course, now that knot is very slack. Formerly it was very strong because the woman was not allowed to mix with any other man, and the man was also not allowed with any other woman. This intermingling has slackened even that knot, hådaya-granthim. Therefore, even trifle cases, quarrel between husband and wife, there is divorce. Because that unity is not very strong now. That is good. Some way or other, it is slackened. So this "own-menship" comes from bodily concept of life.

So Arjuna is preparing the ground, how to receive the instruction of Bhagavad-gétä. Because spiritual instruction will begin to separate the soul from the body. Unless one understands that there is a soul different from this body, there is no spiritual education. This is the basic principle. If you do not understand what is soul, what is spirit soul, then where is spiritual education? So Arjuna was affected. He says frankly, dåñövä tu svajanaà kåñëa yuyutsuà samupasthitam: [Bg. 1.28] "What is this? I have to kill my own men." Svajanam. Svajanam means own men. "No, no." Sédanti mama gäträëi: "Oh, I am shivering." Mukhaà ca pariçuñyati: "My mouth is being dried up." We have got this experience. When there is danger, these things happen, so many symptoms.

vepathuç ca çarére me

roma-harñaç ca jäyate

gäëòévaà sraàsate hastät

tvak caiva paridahyate

[Bg. 1.29]

As these things, these symptoms, different transformations of bodily constitution, appear in times of danger, similarly such symptoms appear in times of spiritual bliss. That is called añöa-sättvika-vikära [Cc. Antya 14.99], eight kinds of transformation of the body. So there is so many reserve energies within our body. They become manifest in due course of time when the mind and intelligence work in different ways. This is the study, how things appear. It is appearing from intelligence, mind. The soul is there and the intelligence and mind creating the situation of the bodily symptoms. Therefore body or the senses are not all. The modern education, they think this body is everything. No. Real study is body means the senses. Indriyäëi paräëy ähuù. On gross vision we see this body. Indriyäëi paräëy ähur indriyebhyaù paraà manaù [Bg. 3.42]. But the bodily symptoms are acting because the mind is there. And mind is working because the intelligence is there. And the intelligence is working because the soul is there. (aside:) You can stand.

So this is the process. The basic principle is the soul. The soul is acting through intelligence, and the intelligence is acting through mind, and the mind is expressed through the senses. This is the position. So as my mind is absorbed in something, some subject matter, my bodily symptoms also will work, or the senses will work according to that mind. Therefore for spiritual advancement also, you have to train your mind. Sa vai manaù kåñëa-padäravindayor vacäàsi vaikuëöha-guëänuvarëane [SB 9.4.18]. If you use... First of all fix up your mind. Yoga means indriya-saàyama. Yoga practice means that controlling the mind and the senses. That is yoga practice. Because our mind is very flickering and changing, something accepting immediately, something rejecting immediately, very flickering. Therefore we have to train up the mind, and when the mind is trained up, then automatically your senses will be controlled. If you are strong-minded, that "I will not accept any foodstuff which is not offered to Kåñëa," naturally your tongue is controlled. Naturally. Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura has sung, çaréra avidyä-jäl jaòendriya tähe käl jéve phele viñaya-sägare. Our this body is a network of nescience, or ignorance. This body, why we have got this body, material body? Because we have forgotten Kåñëa and we wanted to lord it over the material nature. This is our position. Therefore, according to our different desires, we have got different bodies. Here we are sitting, say fifty or hundred men. Nobody's body will tally with other's body. Face and everything, different. Because every one of us has got different desires. Therefore their facial expression, bodily construction, everything is made according to the mind. So at the time of death also, the constitution of mind will transfer me to another, different type of body. The mind will carry the soul. These are all explained in the Bhagavad-gétä. Yaà yaà väpi smaran bhävaà tyajaty ante kalevaram [Bg. 8.6]. So if you train up your mind, that is Kåñëa consciousness. Always remembering Kåñëa. Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa, Hare Hare. Then it may be possible that at the time of death you remember Kåñëa and your life is successful. Tyaktvä dehaà punar janma naiti mäm eti kaunteya [Bg. 4.9]. Immediately you are transferred to Kåñëaloka. This is training.

So we have to think of Kåñëa always, twenty-four hours. Kértanéyaù sadä hariù. Caitanya Mahäprabhu has recommended. Taror api sahiñëunä.

tåëäd api sunécena

taror api sahiñëunä

amäninä mänadena

kértaniyaù sadä hariù

[Cc. Ädi 17.31]

Because our aim is... If we are serious of being transferred to the loka, to the place, where Kåñëa is, then we have to train up the mind so nicely that at the time of death I can remember Kåñëa. Therefore one great king, Kulaçekhara, he is praying to Kåñëa, kåñëa tvadéya pada-paìkaja... What is that verse? Tvadéya, kåñëa tvadéya pada-paìkaja [MM 33]. I am just forgetting. The idea is, Kulaçekhara, King Kulaçekhara is praying to Kåñëa, adyaiva viçatu me mänasa-räja-haàsaù. Adyaiva. Präëa-prayäëa-samaye kapha-väta-pittaiù smaraëaà kutas te. He is praying, "Kåñëa, I am now in good health. So kindly award me death immediately." Adyaiva. "Immediately, so that my mind, who is just like a swan, he can take pleasure by entering into stem of Your lotus flower feet." Kåñëa's feet is always compared with lotus flower, and the lotus flower has got a stem. And the swans, they take pleasure being entangled with that stem. They go and dive into the water. This is their very good sporting. So he is taking that sporting, he is comparing his mind as the räja-haàsa. "So as the räja-haàsa takes pleasure by entangling him in the stem of the lotus flower, similarly Your lotus feet, there is a stem. So my mind, which may be compared with räja-haàsa, let it be entangled now, immediately. Otherwise I do not know." Präëa-prayäëa-samaye kapha-väta-pittaiù. "When everything bodily function will be mixed up, kapha-väta-pittaiù, 'ghan ghan,' there will be some sound, how I will be able to remembering your lotus feet? So let me die immediately, immediately. Now I am quite fit. Otherwise I may not be able." This is the point. The mind should be kept in healthy condition. Saàjïa. Therefore one who dies with full sense remembering Kåñëa, oh, he is successful. In Bengali it is said, bhajana kara sädhana kara mürti yäìre haya. (?) You may be very great devotee. That's all right. But it will be tested at the time of your death, how you remember Kåñëa. That will be the test examination. At the time of death, if we forget, if we become parrotlike... Just like parrot, he chants also, "Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa." But when the cat catches the neck, "Kanh! Kanh! Kanh!" No more Kåñëa. No more Kåñëa. So artificial practice will not help us. Then "Khan, khan." That kapha-pitta-vätaiù, kaëöhävarodhana-vidhau smaraëaà kutas te [MM 33].

So from the beginning we have to practice Kåñëa consciousness if we are actually serious to go back to home, back to Godhead. Not that let it be left for two or three years before death. Oh, it is not so easy. It is not so easy. Prahläda Mahäräja recommends therefore,

kaumära äcaret präjïo

dharmän bhägavatän iha

durlabhaà mänuñaà janma

tad apy adhruvam arthadam

[SB 7.6.1]

He was five years old, Kåñëa conscious, from the womb of his mother. He heard instruction of Närada. Närada was instructing his mother. He was in the womb. Fortunately, by God's grace, he heard all the instruction of Närada when he was in the womb of his mother. And the result was, from the beginning of his life, he is Kåñëa conscious. From the beginning. As soon as he took birth, he was Kåñëa conscious. So he was advising his class friends, preaching. Just see. He was five-years-old boy, but he was taking the opportunity of preaching. Because the teacher... He is born of demon family. So all those class friends, they were also sons of demons. So there is no question of Kåñëa consciousness. But he learned Kåñëa consciousness from the womb of his mother.

So he was trying to preach. Because he was king's son, there was no other opportunity for preaching, and he was a five-years-old boy. He took the opportunity in the classroom, as soon as the teacher is away, he would preach. He would preach. This is preaching spirit. As soon as you get some opportunity, preach. What is that preach? Preaching, Caitanya Mahäprabhu has advised us, yäre dekha täre kaha kåñëa-upadeça [Cc. Madhya 7.128]. This is preaching. "Whoever you meet, simply speak of the instruction of Kåñëa." So if you are advanced, if you know what is the instruction of Kåñëa by reading Bhagavad-gétä, you can preach to others. And if you have not read anything, suppose you do not know anything, then you can also preach. What is that? "Just become a devotee of Kåñëa, my dear sir." That's all. This is also preaching. "Just surrender to Kåñëa." You go door to door. If you cannot do anything, simply say, "My dear sir, you are very good man. Oh, you are very intelligent man. Chant Hare Kåñëa." Sakalam eva vihäya dürät. This preaching was taught by Prabodhänanda Sarasvaté. Dante nidhäya tåëakaà padayor nipatya käku-çataà kåtvä ca ahaà bravémi. This is the preaching process. Dante nidhäya tåëakam. According to Vedic civilization, if one wants to become very humble and approach another person, then he has to take one straw in the mouth. Tåëa. So the preaching process is to take a straw in the mouth, dante nidhäya tåëakaà padayor nipatya, and falling down on your feet, dante nidhäya tåëakaà padayor, käku-çataà kåtvä ca ahaà bravémi. And flattering you: "Sir, you are so great man, you are so intelligent man." This is flattering. Although he is fool number one, we have to flatter like that. "Oh, there is no greater man like you. You are so intelligent, you are so rich, you are so beautiful." So all these things. Just like the beggars. Sometimes: "You become king." And one thinks, "Oh, he is blessing me. All right, you take one paisa." So this flattering is also required. So käku-çataà kåtvä cähaà bravémi. So the man may ask that "Why you are so humble and flattering? What is your intention? Tell me." So he is now telling. He sädhavaù, "Oh, you are great sädhu." He sädhavaù, sakalam eva vihäya dürät: "You have learned so many nice things. I know that. But kick them out, please." Sakalam eva. "Whatever you have nonsense learned, rascaldom you have learned, please kick them out. This is my request." Sakalam eva vihäya dürät caitanya-candra-caraëe kurutänurägam. "Just hear what Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu says. This is my request." This is preaching. This is preaching. Flatter, fall down on his feet, and eulogize him as great sädhu, as great intelligent, great rich. Do so that he may little hear. And when he says, "What do you want?" "Now, (laughter) I want this, sir. Whatever rascaldom you have learned, please forget. Because I know you are rascal number one. (laughter) You have got so many hodge-podge thing in your brain. So you kick them out please." Sakalam eva vihäya dürät. "Kick them, throw away, long distance. Don't look upon them." "Then what to do?" Caitanya-candra-caraëe kurutänurägam. "Please hear what Caitanya-candra says." çré-kåñëa-caitanya-dayä karaha vicära, vicära karile citte päbe camatkära: [Cc. Ädi 8.15] "Just try to understand the mercy of Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu and you will feel so sublime." Çré-kåñëa-caitanya-dayä karaha vicära [Cc. Ädi 8.15]. "Don't take it blindly. If you are intelligent, just make a judgment, what Caitanya-candra is." Tell him.

So this is preaching. This is preaching. So Arjuna has to be a preacher. Practical preacher. What is that preaching? That he has to sacrifice everything for Kåñëa's sake. That's all. This is preaching. Sakalam eva vihäya dürät. Arjuna will be the greatest example, how he became Kåñëa conscious, in the last Tenth Chapter. He will say, sarvam etad åtaà manye yad vadasi keçava: [Bg. 10.14] "My dear Kåñëa, Keçava, whatever you say, I accept in total." Without any interpretation, or "This is like this, this is like that, this is not very good." Ardha-kukkuöé-nyäya [Cc. Ädi-lélä 5.176]. All rascals, they accept this Bhagavad-gétä on the principle of ardha-kukkuöé-nyäya. In the nyäya, in the logic. There is a logic, ardha-kukkuöé-nyäya. What is that ardha-kukkuöé-nyäya? Kukkuöé means the hen. So hen gives one egg every day. So the man, proprietor of the hen, he is considering that "This hen is very good, giving every day one egg. But the, its mouth is expensive. It eats. So let me cut the mouth, simply take the egg." So there are rascals, they study Bhagavad-gétä on this principle of ardha-kukkuöé-nyäya. "Cut this, take this, cut this, take this." So if you cut the head, there will be no more egg. The rascal does not know. If you cut the head there will be no more production of egg. So similarly, if you try to study Bhagavad-gétä according to your whims, cut this and take this, that is not study of Bhagavad-gétä. That is something else. That is something else. That is something else.

Therefore we have to take from Arjuna how he accepted Bhagavad-gétä. He said, sarvam etad åtaà manye: [Bg. 10.14] "Kåñëa, You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Whatever You are speaking, whatever You have spoken, I take them as it is." This is study of Bhagavad-gétä. So the hindrance is this svajanam. Now he is presenting. He is presenting himself as fool number one, although he is not so. But he is creating the ground for Kåñëa's speaking on Bhagavad-gétä. This is the principle. Therefore he is not at all affected by the svajanam, but he is presenting, "This is my problem, that I have to kill..." Dåñövä imaà svajanaà kåñëa. "By seeing my own kinsmen, because I am fool number one..." Yasyätma-buddhiù kuëape tridhätuke [SB 10.84.13]." I am calling them svajana. In çästra it is called svajanäkhya-dasyu. Svajanäkhya-dasyu. They are all thieves and rogues, but they are claiming as my kinsmen. Suppose in your pocket there is one hundred dollars. If some pickpocket takes it and if you capture him, then you give him immediately to the police. And when you come home after hard-earned money, and when your wife takes away, oh, you laugh, "Oh you have taken all my money! Ahhhhh!" But the same pickpocket, but the same pickpocket, but because he's svajanäkhya-dasyu, "pickpocket in the name of svajana," he is very much pleased: "Oh, my wife has taken, my son has taken. Never mind." That's all. And others? As soon as takes, he, "Give him to the police." The same business is being done. He is working hard day and night, and they are plundering. Still, they are thinking, "They are my svajanam, they are my kinsmen." This is called illusion.

Thank you very much. (end)

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