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Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad Gita As It Is Lecture notes: Part 1.1
All glories to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
Part 1.1: Lecture notes on some verses of Chapter 1 of the Macmillan Bhagavad Gita As It Is 1972 original unrevised non-adulterated Edition
1. BG 1.1-LONDON – July 07, 1973
Srila Prabhupada explains who should not be given a responsible post
Prabhupāda: Hm. So the history is, that same family, there was dispute who would occupy the throne. Dhṛtarāṣṭra and . . . actually he was the eldest son of the king, and next was Pāṇḍu. So every country the law of primogeniture, what is called? The eldest child . . . in your country, even the eldest child is a girl, she also occupies the throne. Just like present Queen Elizabeth. Formerly there was Queen Victoria; before that, another Elizabeth. But in India woman has no such right. The woman is never given any responsible post. That is the opinion of the greatest politician in the history of the world, Cāṇakya Paṇḍita. According to his opinion, viśvāso naiva kartavyaḥ strīṣu rāja-kuleṣu ca. He has given his explicit opinion that, “You cannot trust with any responsible post or any responsibility with a woman and politician.” Those who are diplomat, politician, you cannot trust them.
Nature of the material worldNow, after the death of Pāṇḍu, there was conspiracy. Dhṛtarāṣṭra wanted that, “Actually, this is my kingdom. Now, somehow or other, I could not get it. Now my brother is dead. So if I do not inherit, why not my sons.?” This was the politics. Politics are always there, and enviousness, jealousy. This is the nature of this material world. You cannot avoid it. Spiritual world means just the opposite. There is no politics. There is no jealousy. There is no enviousness. That is spiritual world. And material world means politics, jealousy, diplomacy, enviousness, so many things. This is material world. So even in the heavenly planets, these things are there, politics. Even in animal kingdom these politics are there. This is the nature. Matsaratā. Matsaratā means enviousness. One man is envious of another man. It doesn’t matter even they are brothers or family members. Here the family members, Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Pāṇḍu, two brothers, their sons, they were family members, but the enviousness.
The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not for the persons who are enviousSo the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not for the persons who are envious. Envious. It is a movement to train people how to become not envious. It is very first class scientific movement, yes. Not to become envious. Therefore Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in the beginning introduces, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo atra (SB 1.1.2). In this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, dharma, religious principle, cheating type of religious principle is completely eradicated, thrown away, projjhita. They are kicked out, projjhita. Just like you collect all the dirty things from the room, sweeping, and then kick out, don’t keep it within the room. Similarly, cheating type of religious system—kicked out. It is not such religion, “this religion,” “that religion.” Any religion system, if there is jealousy, that is not religion. Jealousy means . . . we should understand jealousy, what is jealousy. Explanation of jealousyJealousy means that you are rightful owner of something, I won’t allow you to take it. This is jealousy. This is jealousy. Jealousy, try to understand. Suppose you are rightful owner of something, and I am trying that, “You don’t own it. I shall own it,” or “Somebody own it, I shall not allow it.” This is jealousy.
Position of materialistic people and 2 types of experiences- seeing and hearing
So this is the position of the materialistic person. A materialistic person knows that he is sinful. A materialistic person knows that whatever he is doing is wrong, but he cannot check. Just like the thief. A thief knows that if he commits stealing, he will be arrested, he will be punished. He knows. Because he heard from law books, from other sources, and he has also seen that a thief is arrested and he is taken by the police for being punished. So we have got two kinds of experiences: by hearing and by seeing directly. In Bengali it is called dekhā-śunā. In India it is called. The two kinds of experience: one by seeing, practically experiencing, hand to hand; another by hearing. So one who is intelligent, he gets his experience simply by hearing from the right source. That is nice.
How to understand the Bhagavad GIta?
So when the planning was complete and the warfield was set up at dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre (BG 1.1) . . . dharma-kṣetre means, kuru-kṣetre, that place is a pilgrimage. People still go to observe religious ritualistic performances. And in the Vedas there is injunction, kuru-kṣetre dharmam ācaret: “If you want to perform some ritualistic ceremonies, religious, then go to Kurukṣetra.” So Kurukṣetra is a dharma-kṣetra. It is a not fictitious thing, just like rascal commentators, so-called, they say, “Kurukṣetra means this body.” It is not that. As it is.
Try to understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is. Kurukṣetra, dharma-kṣetra. It is a place of religion. And especially when Kṛṣṇa was present there, it is already. Why this house? Before our occupation, why this house was an ordinary house? Now it is temple. It is dharma-kṣetra, it is a religious place. Why? Because Kṛṣṇa is there. Kṛṣṇa is there. So either you take Kurukṣetra ordinary place, but because in the battlefield Kṛṣṇa was there directing Arjuna, so it is already dharma-kṣetra.
Who is a real Mahatma?
Prabhupāda: . . . leader to Bhagavad-gītā and became a sādhu, mahātmā, but when they found that a mahātmā is leader and he is a great student of Bhagavad-gītā, and by the way all people gathered round him. Although he was a politician, he has nothing to do with Bhagavad-gītā or mahātmā. No. (laughter) Because the definition of mahātmā is given in the Bhagavad-gītā. The definition of mahātmā is there: mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ, bhajanty ananya manaso (BG 9.13). This is mahātmā. Mahātmā means he has taken shelter of Kṛṣṇa cent percent, and his only business is to worship and glorify Kṛṣṇa. That is mahātmā.
So Gandhi never believed that there was Kṛṣṇa, but he became mahātmā by popular vote. That’s all. That kind of mahātmā is not accepted by the śāstra. Mahātmā is . . . first symptom of mahātmā is that he must be a great devotee of Kṛṣṇa. That is mahātmā. That is . . . Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13).
And he is not under any material world. He is in the spiritual world. Daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ. And what is the symptom? Bhajanty ananya-manaso. Ananya-manaso, without any diversion, he’s simply devoted to Kṛṣṇa. This is mahātmā. Everything is there in the Bhagavad-gītā, therefore I request you to study Bhagavad-gītā thoroughly as it is. Then you become perfectly powerful, spiritual.
2. BG 1.2-3 -LONDON – July 09, 1973
Why was Duryodhana addressed a “Raja(King)?
So Sañjaya, his secretary, could understand the feeling. Of course, at last he would inform differently: yatra yogeśvaraḥ hariḥ (BG 18.78). At last he described, “My dear sir, you do not expect victory. It is not possible. Because the other side is Kṛṣṇa, yatra yogeśvaraḥ hariḥ, and the fighter Arjuna, so it is beyond your expectation of victory.” But in the beginning he says, “Don’t be discouraged. There was no compromise. Immediately your son Duryodhana . . .” And he is addressing himself as rāja, because Dhṛtarāṣṭra would be encouraged when at least he thinks of his son becoming the king. Therefore he said rāja.
Duryodhana’s miscalculation of strength of the Pandavas’ army
So dṛṣṭvā tu pāṇḍavānīkam. Duryodhana did not expect that the Pāṇḍavas would be able to accomplish military strength so nicely, because they were bereft of all sources. Their kingdom was taken away, their money was usurped, they were sent into the forest—so many tribulations. But the foolish Duryodhana did not know that above all, there was Kṛṣṇa on their side. That he could not calculate. Therefore when he saw the Pāṇḍavas are well equipped with good number of soldiers, pāṇḍavānīkam, he was little surprised, that “How they could gather so many soldiers?” So immediately, to consult the commander-in-chief, Dronācārya . . .
Explanation of position of those who feel obliged to wicked people just because they accept their food and shelterDronācārya was everyone’s teacher, ācārya. Ācārya means teacher. Ācāryam upasaṅgamya (BG 1.2). The military teacher. So Duryodhana, he was military teacher of the Pāṇḍavas also. When all of them were children, they were given under the instruction of Dronācārya. Dronācārya was brāhmaṇa, but he knew the military art. Therefore he was appointed teacher for all the boys, the Kaurava. So . . . but Ācārya, Dronācārya, joined with Duryodhana. Bhīṣmadeva joined with Duryodhana. None of them joined with Arjuna. Because Arjuna or Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was not king at that time. The financial control was not in their hands, and these people, sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, they were on the government political power. The financial control was in their hand. So they were giving enough money for maintenance to Dronācārya and Bhīṣmadeva. So they felt obliged. Of course, they knew everything, but externally they felt obligation: “Arjuna, I am getting money from Duryodhana. So in this point of danger, if I do not join him, it does not look well. I am getting financial maintenance.”
Explanation of the beauty and synchronization of words in Sanskrit languageDhī, dhī means intelligence. Dhīmat-śabda. Dhīmat. Dhī means intelligence, and mat means “one who possesses.” Asty arthe matup-pratyaya. When one possesses something, in this sense, this pratyaya . . . in Sanskrit there are pratyayas. So matup pratyaya. So matup. From matup, it comes to mat. Sanskrit language means it is so reformed that each and every word has significance. Not that like your English language, “Beauty but, peauty put.” No, not like that. If you say “beauty but,” you must say, “peauty put.” But no, you change—beauty but, peauty put. Why? This kind of change cannot be allowed in Sanskrit language. If the “u” means “ah,” just like “beauty but,” then it must always mean like that, no change.
So dhīmatā. Dhī means intelligence. Dhī means intelligence. So one who has got intelligence. Every word is used with full meaning. Sanskrit language is so nice. Therefore it is called Sanskrit. Sanskrit, saṁskṛta. Saṁskṛta means reform. And the alphabets are called devanāgarī. Devanāgarī means these alphabets . . . just like in Europe the roman letters are used, similarly, in the upper planetary system these alphabets are used, devanāgarī, used in the cities of the demigods. And the language is called Sanskrit, “most reformed.” And Sanskrit is the mother of all languages.
Even in this planet, the Latin is also derived from Sanskrit. Just like the “maternal,” the matṛ-śabda; “paternal,” pitṛ-śabda. So dhīmatā. So here the writer is Vyāsadeva. So every word is selected, either in Bhagavad-gītā or in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or the Purāṇas, all writings of . . . Mahābhārata, each and every word is used just like weighing in the balance. There should be . . . so many words should be in the beginning, so many words should be in the end. And not whimsically. That cannot be allowed. That is called saṁskṛta sāhitya, literary. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu when he was hearing Keśava Kāśmīrī, as soon as there was little discrepancy, bhavānī-bhartā, immediately He criticized and defeated him. Sanskrit language is so nice.Arjuna saved by Krsna’s graceTherefore this big, big commander-in-chief Dronācārya and Bhīṣmadeva, Karṇa, they were very, very big, powerful commanders. Arjuna was nothing before them. Arjuna was just like . . . Parīkṣit Mahārāja compared that, “My grandfather was just like an ordinary fish, and these soldiers, these commanders, just like timiṅgala.” Timiṅgala, there is a fish—we get information from Vedic literature—very big fish. They swallow up the whales. Timi. Timi means whale fish. And timiṅgala means . . . just like small fish are swallowed up like this. So just imagine how big such fish is. So these commanders, Karṇa, Dronācārya and Bhīṣma, were compared with the timiṅgala. And Arjuna, although very powerful, he was compared with timi. So Parīkṣit Mahārāja admitted that, “It was not possible for my grandfather to win over the battle before these big, big commanders. It is only by the grace of Kṛṣṇa he was saved.”
Sothe conclusion is if Kṛṣṇa saves, nobody can kill; and if Kṛṣṇa wants to kill, nobody can save.
Srila Prabhupada advises to give up our hesitation to surrender to KrsnaTherefore our conclusion should be that we should always be under the protection of Kṛṣṇa. Avaśya rakṣibe kṛṣṇa. This is śaraṇāgati. Śaraṇāgati, surrender. Surrender means that, “I am surrendering to Kṛṣṇa with full faith that He is quite competent and able to give me protection.” This is called surrender.
Not that hesitation: “Oh, I will surrender to Kṛṣṇa, and in case of danger, He may not be able to give me protection.” That is not surrender. With full faith: “Yes, Kṛṣṇa is so powerful, Kṛṣṇa is so great, that I am surrendering to Kṛṣṇa from this day: ‘From this day . . . Kṛṣṇa, I was wandering throughout the universe life after life, without knowing my relationship with You. Now, today, I surrender unto You. Kindly accept me and engage me in Your service.’ ” This is called surrender.