Srila Prabhupada – “I say straightly that those who comment
on Bhagavad-gītā according to their own whims, they’re all rascals.”
What is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness? This Kṛṣṇa consciousness is nothing, is simply a drop in the ocean of these great literatures. Just like there is vast Atlantic Ocean in front of your country, and if you take one drop of Atlantic Ocean water and taste it, then you can understand at least what is the taste of this Atlantic Ocean. That is a fact. If you are intelligent enough, by tasting one drop of water of the Atlantic Ocean you can understand that the taste of the Atlantic Ocean is salty.
Similarly, this Bhagavad-gītā is the essence of all Vedic literature, just like milk is the essence of the blood. Blood . . . the milk is nothing, but it is cow’s blood transformed. Just like mother’s milk. The mother’s milk, wherefrom it comes? It comes from the blood, but transformed in such a way that it becomes nutritious to the child, tasteful to the child. Similarly, cow’s milk also, a most nutritious and valuable food. So it is compared that this Bhagavad-gītā is the milk of the cow of Vedic literature. And the milkman is Kṛṣṇa Himself. And the drinker of the milk is we are—Arjuna, through Arjuna. So these things are there.
So this Bhagavad-gītā is the essence of the Atlantic Ocean of Vedic literature, and this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means that we are presenting the . . . that taste of Bhagavad-gītā to the world as it is, without any interpretation. Just like milk, if you get it directly from the milk bag of the cow and taste it, you’ll find very nice. But if you take it and adulterate with something, water, then it is not so tasteful. Similarly, Bhagavad-gītā, if you understand as it is, then you can have the taste of the milk.
But as there are many rascal commentators . . . I say straightly that those who comment on Bhagavad-gītā according to their own whims, they’re all rascals. Just like milk, if you adulterate with water, the taste is gone, and the man who adulterates milk with water, he’s a rascal. He’s condemned. Similarly, Bhagavad-gītā, if you taste as it is, oh, then you’ll relish what is that Vedic knowledge, what is that essence of brahma-saukhyam. You can understand.
So, many people in America, since I came here they asked me to recommend an edition of Bhagavad-gītā in English. There are so many editions of Bhagavad-gītā in your country. Some of them are compiled by your countrymen, some of them compiled by Indians, but all of them different interpretation. Different interpretation. But we should not accept Bhagavad-gītā in different interpretation. We should accept Bhagavad-gītā as it is. Then we can relish.
So we shall very shortly present our Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. It has been taken by Messrs. Macmillan and Company to publish it. Most probably in the month of October it will be published. So I shall request you to read Bhagavad-gītā as it is, without any interpretation. Just like I’ll give you some examples. The first verse of Bhagavad-gītā is stated as follows:
dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetresamavetā yuyutsavaḥmāmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caivakim akurvata sañjaya(BG 1.1)
The first word is dharma-kṣetra. The second word is kuru-kṣetra. Now, the meaning is that Kurukṣetra is a place which is considered as the holy place of pilgrimage. Now, this dharma-kṣetra, kuru-kṣetra, is still present. Even in the modern day, if you go to India, it is about hundred miles from New Delhi. There is a place, Kurukṣetra, and which is, according to Hindu rites, Vedic rites, that is a place of pilgrimage. Many people go there, to the sacred place. And in the Vedic literature it is stated that kuru-kṣetre dharmaṁ yājayet: “If you want to perform religious rites, then you should perform at Kurukṣetra.”
So Kurukṣetra is a place of pilgrimage; that is a fact. But unfortunately, even a great man like Mahatma Gandhi, he comments that “Kurukṣetra means this body.” “Kurukṣetra means this body.” Now, wherefrom he got this meaning, “Kurukṣetra means this body,” which is that dictionary, I do not know. But he has interpreted in that way. Similarly, in Dr. Radhakrishnan’s book also the translation is . . . Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65): “My dear Arjuna, you just always think of Me, you just become My devotee, you just offer your all obeisances unto Me, and the result will be that you’ll come to Me, without any doubt.” That means you’ll come to the spiritual planets.
So “Come to Me . . .” Kṛṣṇa lives in Vaikuṇṭha or Goloka Vṛndāvana. These are Vedic literatures’ statement. So how you go to Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa was there. So what is meant by “come to Me undoubtedly”? Oh, he has . . . he was already there before Kṛṣṇa. Arjuna was already there. What does it mean, “come to Me”? That He has got His own place. That is also stated in the Bhagavad . . . mad-dhāma gatvā punar janma na vidyate (BG 9.25): “Anyone who comes to My place, My abode, he never goes back.”
So in this way, if we accept Bhagavad-gītā as it is . . . but this special verse, man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ, is interpreted by Dr. Radhakrishnan, “It is not up to Kṛṣṇa that we have to surrender.” Now see. Kṛṣṇa says: “directly unto Me,” but he says: “It is not to Kṛṣṇa.” In this way, in different books you’ll find different kind of interpretations. Why? The Bhagavad-gītā is very popular book, and if one has got some nonsense idea, he wants to put forward that nonsense idea through Bhagavad-gītā.
This is going on. But if you want to taste Bhagavad-gītā, then you should accept as it is. Then you’ll relish and you’ll get the benefit. By reading of Bhagavad-gītā, or the essence knowledge, quintessence of all Vedic literature, if you want to taste, just read Bhagavad-gītā as it is and you will be benefited.
So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means that we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is, and in a practical way. Just like we are recommending the members of the Society to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 9.14): “Those who are mahātmās, great souls, they are always engaged in glorifying Me.” Satatam. Satatam means always. And who is a mahātmā? Oh. We have got conception that Mahatma Gandhi, a great politician, he is called mahātmā. But in the Bhagavad-gītā the definition of mahātmā is different. In the Bhagavad-gītā you’ll find, mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13): “One who is mahātmā, he is not under the control of this material nature. He is under the protection of the spiritual nature.” Daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ.
Similarly, this Bhagavad-gītā is the essence of all Vedic literature, just like milk is the essence of the blood. Blood . . . the milk is nothing, but it is cow’s blood transformed. Just like mother’s milk. The mother’s milk, wherefrom it comes? It comes from the blood, but transformed in such a way that it becomes nutritious to the child, tasteful to the child. Similarly, cow’s milk also, a most nutritious and valuable food. So it is compared that this Bhagavad-gītā is the milk of the cow of Vedic literature. And the milkman is Kṛṣṇa Himself. And the drinker of the milk is we are—Arjuna, through Arjuna. So these things are there.
So this Bhagavad-gītā is the essence of the Atlantic Ocean of Vedic literature, and this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means that we are presenting the . . . that taste of Bhagavad-gītā to the world as it is, without any interpretation. Just like milk, if you get it directly from the milk bag of the cow and taste it, you’ll find very nice. But if you take it and adulterate with something, water, then it is not so tasteful. Similarly, Bhagavad-gītā, if you understand as it is, then you can have the taste of the milk.
But as there are many rascal commentators . . . I say straightly that those who comment on Bhagavad-gītā according to their own whims, they’re all rascals. Just like milk, if you adulterate with water, the taste is gone, and the man who adulterates milk with water, he’s a rascal. He’s condemned. Similarly, Bhagavad-gītā, if you taste as it is, oh, then you’ll relish what is that Vedic knowledge, what is that essence of brahma-saukhyam. You can understand.
So, many people in America, since I came here they asked me to recommend an edition of Bhagavad-gītā in English. There are so many editions of Bhagavad-gītā in your country. Some of them are compiled by your countrymen, some of them compiled by Indians, but all of them different interpretation. Different interpretation. But we should not accept Bhagavad-gītā in different interpretation. We should accept Bhagavad-gītā as it is. Then we can relish.
So we shall very shortly present our Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. It has been taken by Messrs. Macmillan and Company to publish it. Most probably in the month of October it will be published. So I shall request you to read Bhagavad-gītā as it is, without any interpretation. Just like I’ll give you some examples. The first verse of Bhagavad-gītā is stated as follows:
dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetresamavetā yuyutsavaḥmāmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caivakim akurvata sañjaya(BG 1.1)
The first word is dharma-kṣetra. The second word is kuru-kṣetra. Now, the meaning is that Kurukṣetra is a place which is considered as the holy place of pilgrimage. Now, this dharma-kṣetra, kuru-kṣetra, is still present. Even in the modern day, if you go to India, it is about hundred miles from New Delhi. There is a place, Kurukṣetra, and which is, according to Hindu rites, Vedic rites, that is a place of pilgrimage. Many people go there, to the sacred place. And in the Vedic literature it is stated that kuru-kṣetre dharmaṁ yājayet: “If you want to perform religious rites, then you should perform at Kurukṣetra.”
So Kurukṣetra is a place of pilgrimage; that is a fact. But unfortunately, even a great man like Mahatma Gandhi, he comments that “Kurukṣetra means this body.” “Kurukṣetra means this body.” Now, wherefrom he got this meaning, “Kurukṣetra means this body,” which is that dictionary, I do not know. But he has interpreted in that way. Similarly, in Dr. Radhakrishnan’s book also the translation is . . . Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65): “My dear Arjuna, you just always think of Me, you just become My devotee, you just offer your all obeisances unto Me, and the result will be that you’ll come to Me, without any doubt.” That means you’ll come to the spiritual planets.
So “Come to Me . . .” Kṛṣṇa lives in Vaikuṇṭha or Goloka Vṛndāvana. These are Vedic literatures’ statement. So how you go to Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa was there. So what is meant by “come to Me undoubtedly”? Oh, he has . . . he was already there before Kṛṣṇa. Arjuna was already there. What does it mean, “come to Me”? That He has got His own place. That is also stated in the Bhagavad . . . mad-dhāma gatvā punar janma na vidyate (BG 9.25): “Anyone who comes to My place, My abode, he never goes back.”
So in this way, if we accept Bhagavad-gītā as it is . . . but this special verse, man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ, is interpreted by Dr. Radhakrishnan, “It is not up to Kṛṣṇa that we have to surrender.” Now see. Kṛṣṇa says: “directly unto Me,” but he says: “It is not to Kṛṣṇa.” In this way, in different books you’ll find different kind of interpretations. Why? The Bhagavad-gītā is very popular book, and if one has got some nonsense idea, he wants to put forward that nonsense idea through Bhagavad-gītā.
This is going on. But if you want to taste Bhagavad-gītā, then you should accept as it is. Then you’ll relish and you’ll get the benefit. By reading of Bhagavad-gītā, or the essence knowledge, quintessence of all Vedic literature, if you want to taste, just read Bhagavad-gītā as it is and you will be benefited.
So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means that we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is, and in a practical way. Just like we are recommending the members of the Society to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 9.14): “Those who are mahātmās, great souls, they are always engaged in glorifying Me.” Satatam. Satatam means always. And who is a mahātmā? Oh. We have got conception that Mahatma Gandhi, a great politician, he is called mahātmā. But in the Bhagavad-gītā the definition of mahātmā is different. In the Bhagavad-gītā you’ll find, mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13): “One who is mahātmā, he is not under the control of this material nature. He is under the protection of the spiritual nature.” Daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ.