London, August 1, 1973

Pradyumna (leads chanting, etc.):

yadi mäm apratikäram

açastraà çastra-päëayaù

dhärtaräñörä raëe hanyus

tan me kñemataraà bhavet

[Bg. 1.45]

saïjaya uväca

evam uktvärjunaù saìkhye

rathopastha upäviçat

visåjya sa-çaraà cäpaà

çoka-saàvigna-mänasaù

[Bg. 1.46]

Translation: "I would consider it better for the sons of Dhåtaräñöra to kill me unarmed and unresisting, rather than fight with them.

"Saïjaya said: Arjuna, having thus spoken on the battlefield, cast aside his bow and arrows and sat down on the chariot, his mind overwhelmed with grief."

Prabhupäda: Yadi mäà apratikäram açastram çastra-päëayaù. It is the custom between the kñatriyas that in the fighting, if the other party hasn't got weapon to fight, this party will supply him weapon, not that the other party without weapon and this party will take opportunity to kill him. This is not the rules and regulation of fighting. There are many rules and regulation of the fighting. Not that "Because he is my enemy, I shall kill him any way." No. There are rules and regulations. If the enemy has broken his chariot, he is fallen down on the ground, the other party also will immediately get down from the chariot. Suppose he is feeling... If one is on the foot and another on the chariot, so he will be in superior position. So therefore the opposite party must also get down from the chariot and walk with him. That means the defeated enemy should be given all opportunities so he may not think that unnecessarily, in weak position, he has been killed. No. So Arjuna says... Arjuna, of course, did later on. When he killed Karëa. Karëa was without weapon, and he fell down from the chariot. Karëa, after falling down from the chariot, and he was trying to raise the wheel of the chariot from the mud, so Kåñëa asked Arjuna "That this is the opportunity to kill him. You kill him immediately." So at that time he had no weapons and he fell down from the chariot, and in that position he was killed by Arjuna by the order of Kåñëa. This is violating the laws.

So you can violate the laws on the order of Kåñëa. You cannot do. This is surrender. When Kåñëa says that "You do this," although it is wrong, you have to do it. There is no consideration. Just like in fight, the commander says to the soldiers, "Do this." His duty is to do that. He should not think at that time what is right or wrong. Just like Yudhiñöhira Mahäräja, he was advised by Kåñëa that "Yudhiñöhira, Mahäräja Yudhiñöhira, you go to Droëäcärya and inform him that 'Your son is dead.' " It was a false information. Because Droëäcärya would not die if he is not affected with some lamentation. So Kåñëa asked Mahäräja Yudhiñöhira that "You go because you are recognized truthful, Dharmaräja. So when you will say, this is also false, he will believe." But Yudhiñöhira hesitated, "How can I tell lie?" He disobeyed the order of Kåñëa, and he wanted to become very truthful. For this reason he had to see hell. So in the mundane consideration there are so many things, right and wrong. So long you are on the mundane platform, you have to obey all these right and wrong. But in the spiritual platform, when it is ordered by Kåñëa... He is above all this duality. He is Absolute. So even if He says to do something wrong... Because He cannot say anything which is wrong. God is all-good. If you discriminate God's order from the mundane platform, then you will be misguided. Anyone who has got firm and fixed up faith that whatever God does, whatever God orders, even from mundane calculation it may be wrong, that is right... That is absolute understanding. So those who are in the spiritual platform, for them, there is no such consideration, which is right and which is wrong. Their only consideration is whether Kåñëa is pleased. That's all. If Kåñëa is pleased by inducing me to do something wrong, I will not hesitate to do it. I will do it because it is Kåñëa's order. Tasmin tuñöe jagat tuñöam. My principle should be, "If Kåñëa is satisfied, then everything is all right." But while we are in the mundane platform, we should not concoct the idea that "Kåñëa is pleased; let me do that." No. That you, cannot do. You have to follow the rules and regulations. But if you think that it is... You cannot think; neither you can manufacture. So either you should hear from Kåñëa directly or... That is not possible because we are not in touch with Kåñëa at the present moment. We are trying to see Kåñëa through the transparent medium of spiritual master. So we cannot manufacture that "This is Kåñëa's desire." No. You have to get it confirmed from the transparent medium, spiritual master. These are the principles.

So Arjuna says, yadi mäm apratikäram. Pratikäram, apratikäram. Pratikäram means counteraction, and apratikäram means without any counteraction. So he is informing Kåñëa that "If the other party, dhärtaräñöräù, the sons of Dhåtaräñöra, other party, they kill me while I am not prepared..." But that is not the regulation of fighting. So therefore he says apratikäram: "Whether if I am not prepared and they kill me all of a sudden, this is wrong. I accept, even they kill me, apratikäram, without I am fully equipped..." Açastram. In the fight, one must be equipped with all weapons. "But when I am not equipped with weapons or I am not willing to fight... Because I am not willing to fight." This has been decided: "I cannot kill my kinsmen. Therefore I am not going to take the step of pratikäram, counteraction. So even in this condition, they come and kill me," yadi mäm apratikäram açastram, "I am not fully equipped with çastra, weapons," açastram and çastra-päëayaù, "and they are fully equipped with weapons," dhärtaräñörä raëe hanyus, "so in this condition the other party, my cousin-brothers, sons of Dhåtaräñöra, if they kill me," raëe hanyus, tan me kñemataraà bhavet, "I shall prefer that. I am not going to fight. If you think that 'If you don't fight, then they will take the opportunity...' " He is talking with Kåñëa. He is already giving the counterargument, that "Kåñëa, if you think that I don't fight, but they will take the opportunity and kill me immediately, that also I shall prefer, but I am not going to fight. This is my decision." Saïjaya uväca. So Saïjaya, the secretary of Dhåtaräñöra... They were sitting in a room. So evam uktvä, "thus saying," Arjuna, the person... Arjuna is nominative case. Arjuna, saìkhye, "in the battlefield;" rathopastha, "on the chariot," upäviçat. You have seen the picture. When Kåñëa blew His conchshell and from the backside Arjuna is just trying to take his arrow and fight... But instead of fighting, he's visåjya sa-çaraà cäpam. "No, no, no. I am not going to..., giving up. Finished. I am no more going to fight." Visåjya sa-çaraà cäpam. Why it is? Çoka-saàvigna-mänasaù. His mind was overwhelmed with lamentation, that "How can I kill my kinsmen?" This is the position.

So apratikäram, pratikäram. There are two things. Pratikäram means counteraction. Here in this material world, for everything there is counteraction. Just like if you are diseased, so you have to take the medicine. That is pratikäram. The disease is caused by some, what is called, disarrangement within the body. So we have to arrange, we have to set up the disarrangement within the body. That is pratikäram. Medicine, counteraction. Similarly, if somebody is coming to kill you, so you also become prepared to kill him. This is pratikäram. If somebody is drowning in the sea, then you have to give him some help, send some boat or some lifeboat so that he can be saved. So we have got so many... This material world is going on. It is full of dangers. Padaà padaà yad vipadam [SB 10.14.58]. Material world means step by step, simply danger. That is material world. So we have to find out pratikäram, counteraction, how to save yourself from danger. Just like when we walk, we see in so many doors, "Danger." So that you are warned. Sometimes the doors are: "Beware of the dog." So you have to take care, "No, I shall not enter." So everything there is danger, and there is pratikäram, counter, counteraction, how to save yourself from it. This is called struggle for existence. In this material world, there is only this danger and counteraction. I am unhappy; so just to become happy I have to work, I have to get money. Whatever I want... So this is going on. Pratikäram, danger, vipadam. Padaà padaà yad vipadam. Padaà padaà yad vipadaà na teñäm. So samäçritä ye pada-pallavaà plavam. Anyone who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of Kåñëa, samäçritä ye pada-pallavaà plavaà mahat-padaà puëya-yaço muräreù. Muräri. Muräri means Kåñëa. So puëya-yaço. He is simply glorified by pious activities. There is no impious activities in Kåñëa. Kåñëa is the purest. So whatever He does, that is pure. The rascals they do not know this. They think, "Kåñëa is immoral." And He has become a professor, teacher. He does not know, he does not understand Kåñëa. So many big, big professors, learned scholars, they do not understand what is Kåñëa. And they talking about Kåñëa. They are taking the position of instructing about Kåñëa. Just see how rascaldom. You do not know something perfectly, and still, you are talking about it. This is going on. Puëya-yaço muräreù. What is Kåñëa? Kåñëa says, bahünäà janmanäm ante jïänavän mäà prapadyante [Bg. 7.19]. We have to know Kåñëa. Because as soon as you know Kåñëa, you become immediately liberated.

So knowing Kåñëa is not so easy thing. Therefore Kåñëa says, manuñyäëäà sahasreñu kaçcid yatati siddhaye [Bg. 7.3]. First of all you become siddha, perfect. Perfect means perfect knowledge. That is called siddha. And another siddha means very powerful, master of all yogic perfection. That is also siddha. Yogic perfection, eight kinds of perfection,

animä-laghimä-präptiù

präkämyaà mahimä yathä

éçitvaà ca vaçitvaà ca

tathä kämävasäyitä

So they obtain eight kinds of siddhis. They are also called siddhas. From material point of view, a perfect yogi can counteract anything, and whatever he likes, he can do. That is called siddhi, añöa-siddhi. But still, he is not as siddha as Kåñëa. Kåñëa's name is Yogeçvara. He is the master of all the yogis. Yogesvara. Yatra yogeçvaraù kåñëaù [Bg. 18.78]. The yogis also, they are deficient with Kåñëa's power. Still, some rascals, without any yoga siddhi, they claim that "I have become God." What is your qualification? Have you got all the yoga-siddha? Then how you claim that you are... But rascals, they claim to become God, and other rascals, they also believe that "Here is God." Both of them are animals. Çva-viò-varähoñöra-kharaiù saàstutaù puruñaù paçuù [SB 2.3.19]. One who does not know actually what is Kåñëa, if he accepts somebody, some rascal as God, then he is also animal. That is also animal. One who is claiming that "I am as good as Kåñëa," he is certainly animal, crazy. He does not know what is the power of Kåñëa, how much He is Yogeçvara. Still, he is falsely claiming to become Kåñëa. And one who accepts him as Kåñëa... So Kåñëa, one should understand first of all Kåñëa. Without understanding Kåñëa, if somebody remarks, if he thinks Kåñëa as ordinary human being, avajänanti mäà müòhä mänuñéà tanum äçritam [Bg. 9.11], that is the müòha's business, rascals' business. Kåñëa, because He comes as ordinary human being, manuñya-lélä, if we take Him, Kåñëa, as like me, like ordinary, than I am a müòha. How a human child at the age of six or seven years, one can lift the whole mountain Govardhana? First of all try to understand Kåñëa, how much powerful He is. How a three-month-old child can kill a big demon, Putana. These things are there in the Bhägavatam about Kåñëa's life. How do you claim to become as good as Kåñëa? This is crazy. Animalism.

So Kåñëa's order must be final. If He says then everything is all right. So here Arjuna's position is: Kåñëa has already arranged the battle, and he knows that Kåñëa wants this battle; still, he says that yadi mäm apratikäram, he decides in his own way. This is called mäyä. He knows what is Kåñëa's desire, and still, he is speaking his own philosophy. That means Arjuna is placing himself on the position of ordinary man. Ordinary man does not know what is Kåñëa and what is Kåñëa's desire, and he manufactures his own philosophy and thoughts. That is ordinary man. But Arjuna, he is always friend of Kåñëa, constant friend. His name is Gudakesa, above all darkness. Certainly he must be. One who is Kåñëa's friend directly, how there can be ignorance? There cannot be. Then why Arjuna is playing that part? He knows Kåñëa's desire; still, he says that yadi mäm apratikäram açastram çastra-päëayaù. And no... Tan me kñemataraà bhavet. He is playing like that. Because without Arjuna's playing like that, how this Bhagavad-gétä will come? This is just like playing on the stage. One very rich man, he is, in a drama, he is playing the part of a very poor man. But actually, he is not poor man. But in the stage he is playing the part of a poor man. Similarly, Arjuna is not bewildered, but for the time being he appears to be bewildered by Kåñëa's mäyä, because Kåñëa wants to speak Bhagavad-gétä, for the benefit of the whole world, that what is spiritual knowledge. Therefore this is a stage arrangement.

So pratikäram and apratikäram. Whatever we have manufactured, pratikäram, counteraction, that will be also failure if Kåñëa does not sanction it. That is realized by Prahläda Mahäräja. He says "My dear Lord," Hiraëyakaçipu, that "people have manufactured so many pratikäram, counteraction." But tanu-bhåtäm, "Those who have accepted this material body, they are simply manufacturing things to counteract dangers. But even though they have all this counteracting machine or counteracting agents, still, without Your sanction, this counteracting machine or agent will not be fruitful." So similarly, Arjuna is being protected by Kåñëa. So even though Arjuna is not well-equipped, apratikäram, still he will be saved. Because Kåñëa is there. Tävad vibho tanu-bhåtäà tvad-upekñitänäm [SB 7.9.19]. And even one is well-equipped and if Kåñëa does not like to save him, he'll not be saved. Always mind this. Rakñe kåñëa mare ke, mare kåñëa rakñe ke. This is ordinary, that if Kåñëa wants to kill you, nobody can save you. And if Kåñëa wants to save you, nobody can kill you. This is the position. So the examples are given by Prahläda Mahäräja: bälasya neha çaraëaà pitarau nåsiàha. "My Lord Nåsiàhadeva, the parents of children, they are not actually protector of the children." Because generally we think that "This child, this boy has got his father, mother, he is well-protected." No. Father and mother... Every father and mother wants to protect the child, but still, the child has to meet some danger and dies. There are so many experience. Similarly, bälasya neha çaraëaà pitarau nåsiàha. The father and mother is a counteraction for the dangers of the child. But Prahläda Mahäräja said, "No, they are not counteraction." It is not that if a child is in danger, because the father and mother is very strong, very rich, he will be able to give protection to the child. No. That is not possible. Then närtasya cägadam. The medicine... A person is suffering from some disease, some fatal disease. If you think "I shall engage first-class physician and I shall supply first-class medicine," if you think, "Then the patient will be saved," no, that is not possible. That is not possible. We have got many experiences like that. Then no rich man would have died. Because he has got money, he can employ first-class physician, first-class medicine, and simply by engaging such things, counteracting, pratikäram, he cannot be saved. There are many examples like that. So the conclusion is tävad vibho tanu-bhåtäà tvad-upekñitänäm: [SB 7.9.19] "If You neglect, if You have decided that this person, this child cannot be saved, then any amount of pratikäram will not help, will not help."

Therefore real pratikäram is Kåñëa. Real pratikäram is Kåñëa, counteractive. So better we take shelter of Kåñëa as Kåñëa says, sarva-dharmän parityajya mäm ekaà çaraëaà vraja [Bg. 18.66]. You must always know that no counteraction will be beneficial for us unless we are protected by Kåñëa. So therefore our business is fully surrender to Kåñëa and seek His protection. Kåñëa says, "Yes," ahaà tväà sarva-päpebhyo mokñayiñyämi, "I shall give you protection." This is Bhagavad-gétä philosophy. We have to believe on the assertion of Kåñëa that "He is prepared to give me all protection, provided I have fully surrendered unto His lotus feet."

Thank you very much. (end

SECTION V

CONCEPTS

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