Observing the Armies on the Battlefield of Kurukñetra

Introduction

oà ajïäna-timirändhasya

jïänäïjana-çaläkayä

cakñur unmélitaà yena

tasmai çré-gurave namaù

çré-caitanya-mano-’bhéñöaà

sthäpitaà yena bhü-tale

svayaà rüpaù kadä mahyaà

dadäti sva-padäntikam

I was born in the darkest ignorance, and my spiritual master opened my eyes with the torch of knowledge. I offer my respectful obeisances unto him.

When will Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé Prabhupäda, who has established within this material world the mission to fulfill the desire of Lord Caitanya, give me shelter under his lotus feet?

vande ’haà çré-guroù çré-yuta-pada-kamalaà çré-gurün vaiñëaväàç caçré-rüpaà  sägrajätaà saha-gaëa-raghunäthänvitaà taà sa-jévamsädvaitaà sävadhütaà parijana-sahitaà kåñëa-caitanya-devaà çré-rädhä-kåñëa-pädän saha-gaëa-lalitä-çré-viçäkhänvitäàç ca 

I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master and unto the feet of all Vaiñëavas. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé along with his elder brother Sanätana Gosvämé, as well as Raghunätha Däsa and Raghunätha Bhaööa, Gopäla Bhaööa, and Çréla Jéva Gosvämé. I offer my respectful obeisances to Lord Kåñëa Caitanya and Lord Nityänanda along with Advaita Äcärya, Gadädhara, Çréväsa, and other associates. I offer my respectful obeisances to Çrématé Rädhäräëé and Çré Kåñëa along with Their associates Çré Lalitä and Viçäkhä.

he kåñëa karuëä-sindho

déna-bandho jagat-pate

gopeça gopikä-känta

rädhä-känta namo ’stu te

O my dear Kåñëa, You are the friend of the distressed and the source of creation. You are the master of the gopés and the lover of Rädhäräëé. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.

tapta-käïcana-gauräìgi

rädhe våndävaneçvari

våñabhänu-sute devi

praëamämi hari-priye

I offer my respects to Rädhäräëé, whose bodily complexion is like molten gold and who is the Queen of Våndävana. You are the daughter of King Våñabhänu, and You are very dear to Lord Kåñëa.

väïchä-kalpatarubhyaç ca

kåpä-sindhubhya eva ca

patitänäà pävanebhyo

vaiñëavebhyo namo namaù

I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaiñëava devotees of the Lord.

They can fulfill the desires of everyone, just like desire trees, and they are full of compassion for the fallen souls.

çré-kåñëa-caitanya

prabhu-nityänanda

çré-advaita gadädhara

çréväsädi-gaura-bhakta-vånda

I offer my obeisances to Çré Kåñëa Caitanya, Prabhu Nityänanda, Çré Advaita, Gadädhara, Çréväsa and all others in the line of devotion.

hare kåñëa hare kåñëa

kåñëa kåñëa hare hare

hare räma hare räma

räma räma hare hare

Bhagavad-gétä is also known as Gétopaniñad. It is the essence of Vedic knowledge and one of the most important Upaniñads in Vedic literature. Of course there are many commentaries in English on the Bhagavad-gétä, and one may question the necessity for another one. This present edition can be explained in the following way. Recently an American lady asked me to recommend an English translation of Bhagavad-gétä. Of course in America there are so many editions of Bhagavad-gétä available in English, but as far as I have seen, not only in America but also in India, none of them can be strictly said to be authoritative because in almost every one of them the commentator has expressed his own opinions without touching the spirit of Bhagavad-gétä as it is.

The spirit of Bhagavad-gétä is mentioned in Bhagavad-gétä itself. It is just like this: If we want to take a particular medicine, then we have to follow the directions written on the label. We cannot take the medicine according to our own whim or the direction of a friend. It must be taken according to the directions on the label or the directions given by a physician. Similarly, Bhagavad-gétä should be taken or accepted as it is directed by the speaker Himself. The speaker of Bhagavad-gétä is Lord Çré Kåñëa. He is mentioned on every page of Bhagavad-gétä as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Bhagavän. Of course the word bhagavän sometimes refers to any powerful person or any powerful demigod, and certainly here bhagavändesignates Lord Çré Kåñëa as a great personality, but at the same time we should know that Lord Çré Kåñëa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as is confirmed by all great äcäryas (spiritual masters) like Çaìkaräcärya, Rämänujäcärya, Madhväcärya, Nimbärka Svämé, Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu and many other authorities of Vedic knowledge in India. The Lord Himself also establishes Himself as the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the Bhagavad-gétä, and He is accepted as such in the Brahma-saàhitä and all the Puräëas, especially the Çrémad-Bhägavatam, known as the Bhägavata Puräëa ( kåñëas tu bhagavänsvayam). Therefore we should take Bhagavad-gétä as it is directed by the Personality of Godhead Himself. In the Fourth Chapter of the Gétä(4.1–3) the Lord says:

imaà vivasvate yogaà

proktavän aham avyayam

vivasvän manave präha

manur ikñväkave ’bravét

[Bg. 4.1]

evaà paramparä-präptam

imaà räjarñayo viduù

sa käleneha mahatä

yogo nañöaù parantapa

[Bg. 4.2]

sa eväyaà mayä te ’dya

yogaù proktaù purätanaù

bhakto ’si me sakhä ceti

rahasyaà hy etad uttamam

[Bg. 4.3]

Here the Lord informs Arjuna that this system of yoga, the Bhagavad-gétä, was first spoken to the sun-god, and the sun-god explained it to Manu, and Manu explained it to Ikñväku, and in that way, by disciplic succession, one speaker after another, this yoga system has been coming down. But in the course of time it has become lost. Consequently the Lord has to speak it again, this time to Arjuna on the Battlefield of Kurukñetra.

He tells Arjuna that He is relating this supreme secret to him because Arjuna is His devotee and His friend. The purport of this is that Bhagavad-gétä is a treatise which is especially meant for the devotee of the Lord. There are three classes of transcendentalists, namely the jïäné, the yogé and the bhakta, or the impersonalist, the meditator and the devotee. Here the Lord clearly tells Arjuna that He is making him the first receiver of a new paramparä (disciplic succession) because the old succession was broken. It was the Lord’s wish, therefore, to establish another paramparä in the same line of thought that was coming down from the sun-god to others, and it was His wish that His teaching be distributed anew by Arjuna. He wanted Arjuna to become the authority in understanding the Bhagavad-gétä. So we see that Bhagavad-gétä is instructed to Arjuna especially because Arjuna was a devotee of the Lord, a direct student of Kåñëa, and His intimate friend. Therefore Bhagavad-gétä is best understood by a person who has qualities similar to Arjuna’s. That is to say he must be a devotee in a direct relationship with the Lord. As soon as one becomes a devotee of the Lord, he also has a direct relationship with the Lord. That is a very elaborate subject matter, but briefly it can be stated that a devotee is in a relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead in one of five different ways:

1. One may be a devotee in a passive state;

2. One may be a devotee in an active state;

3. One may be a devotee as a friend;

4. One may be a devotee as a parent;

5. One may be a devotee as a conjugal lover.

Arjuna was in a relationship with the Lord as friend. Of course there is a gulf of difference between this friendship and the friendship found in the material world. This is transcendental friendship, which cannot be had by everyone. Of course everyone has a particular relationship with the Lord, and that relationship is evoked by the perfection of devotional service. But in the present status of our life, not only have we forgotten the Supreme Lord, but we have forgotten our eternal relationship with the Lord. Every living being, out of the many, many billions and trillions of living beings, has a particular relationship with the Lord eternally. That is calledsvarüpa. By the process of devotional service, one can revive thatsvarüpa, and that stage is called svarüpa-siddhi —perfection of one’s constitutional position. So Arjuna was a devotee, and he was in touch with the Supreme Lord in friendship.

How Arjuna accepted this Bhagavad-gétä should be noted. His manner of acceptance is given in the Tenth Chapter (10.12–14):

arjuna uväca

paraà brahma paraà dhäma

pavitraà paramaà bhavän

puruñaà çäçvataà divyam

ädi-devam ajaà vibhum

ähus tväm åñayaù sarve

devarñir näradas tathä

asito devalo vyäsaù

svayaà caiva bravéñi me

sarvam etad åtaà manye

yan mäà vadasi keçava

na hi te bhagavan vyaktià

vidur devä na dänaväù

“Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the ultimate abode, the purest, the Absolute Truth. You are the eternal, transcendental, original person, the unborn, the greatest. All the great sages such as Närada, Asita, Devala, and Vyäsa confirm this truth about You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me. O Kåñëa, I totally accept as truth all that You have told me. Neither the demigods nor the demons, O Lord, can understand Your personality.”

After hearing Bhagavad-gétä from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Arjuna accepted Kåñëa as paraà brahma, the Supreme Brahman. Every living being is Brahman, but the supreme living being, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the Supreme Brahman. Paraà dhäma means that He is the supreme rest or abode of everything; pavitram means that He is pure, untainted by material contamination; puruñam means that He is the supreme enjoyer; çäçvatam, original; divyam,transcendental; ädi-devam, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; ajam,the unborn; and vibhum, the greatest.

Now one may think that because Kåñëa was the friend of Arjuna, Arjuna was telling Him all this by way of flattery, but Arjuna, just to drive out this kind of doubt from the minds of the readers of Bhagavad-gétä, substantiates these praises in the next verse when he says that Kåñëa is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead not only by himself but by authorities like Närada, Asita, Devala and Vyäsadeva. These are great personalities who distribute the Vedic knowledge as it is accepted by all äcäryas. Therefore Arjuna tells Kåñëa that he accepts whatever He says to be completely perfect.

Sarvam etad åtaà manye: “I accept everything You say to be true.” Arjuna also says that the personality of the Lord is very difficult to understand and that He cannot be known even by the great demigods. This means that the Lord cannot even be known by personalities greater than human beings. So how can a human being understand Lord Çré Kåñëa without becoming His devotee?

Therefore Bhagavad-gétä should be taken up in a spirit of devotion. One should not think that he is equal to Kåñëa, nor should he think that Kåñëa is an ordinary personality or even a very great personality. Lord Çré Kåñëa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So according to the statements of Bhagavad-gétä or the statements of Arjuna, the person who is trying to understand the Bhagavad-gétä, we should at least theoretically accept Çré Kåñëa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and with that submissive spirit we can understand the Bhagavad-gétä.Unless one reads the Bhagavad-gétä in a submissive spirit, it is very difficult to understand Bhagavad-gétä, because it is a great mystery.

Just what is the Bhagavad-gétä? The purpose of Bhagavad-gétä is to deliver mankind from the nescience of material existence. Every man is in difficulty in so many ways, as Arjuna also was in difficulty in having to fight the Battle of Kurukñetra. Arjuna surrendered unto Çré Kåñëa, and consequently this Bhagavad-gétä was spoken. Not only Arjuna, but every one of us is full of anxieties because of this material existence. Our very existence is in the atmosphere of nonexistence. Actually we are not meant to be threatened by nonexistence. Our existence is eternal. But somehow or other we are put into asat. Asat refers to that which does not exist.

Out of so many human beings who are suffering, there are a few who are actually inquiring about their position, as to what they are, why they are put into this awkward position and so on. Unless one is awakened to this position of questioning his suffering, unless he realizes that he doesn’t want suffering but rather wants to make a solution to all suffering, then one is not to be considered a perfect human being. Humanity begins when this sort of inquiry is awakened in one’s mind. In the Brahma-sütra this inquiry is called brahma jijïäsä. Athäto brahma jijïäsä. Every activity of the human being is to be considered a failure unless he inquires about the nature of the Absolute.

Therefore those who begin to question why they are suffering or where they came from and where they shall go after death are proper students for understanding Bhagavad-gétä. The sincere student should also have a firm respect for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such a student was Arjuna.

Lord Kåñëa descends specifically to reestablish the real purpose of life when man forgets that purpose. Even then, out of many, many human beings who awaken, there may be one who actually enters the spirit of understanding his position, and for him this Bhagavad-gétä is spoken. Actually we are all swallowed by the tigress of nescience, but the Lord is very merciful upon living entities, especially human beings. To this end He spoke the Bhagavad-gétä, making His friend Arjuna His student.

Being an associate of Lord Kåñëa, Arjuna was above all ignorance, but Arjuna was put into ignorance on the Battlefield of Kurukñetra just to question Lord Kåñëa about the problems of life so that the Lord could explain them for the benefit of future generations of human beings and chalk out the plan of life. Then man could act accordingly and perfect the mission of human life.

The subject of the Bhagavad-gétä entails the comprehension of five basic truths. First of all, the science of God is explained and then the constitutional position of the living entities, jévas. There is éçvara, which means the controller, and there are jévas, the living entities which are controlled. If a living entity says that he is not controlled but that he is free, then he is insane.

The living being is controlled in every respect, at least in his conditioned life.

So in the Bhagavad-gétä the subject matter deals with the éçvara, the supreme controller, and the jévas, the controlled living entities. Prakåti (material nature) and time (the duration of existence of the whole universe or the manifestation of material nature) and karma (activity) are also discussed. The cosmic manifestation is full of different activities. All living entities are engaged in different activities. From Bhagavad-gétä we must learn what God is, what the living entities are, whatprakåti is, what the cosmic manifestation is, how it is controlled by time, and what the activities of the living entities are.

Out of these five basic subject matters in Bhagavad-gétä it is established that the Supreme Godhead, or Kåñëa, or Brahman, or the supreme controller, or Paramätmä—you may use whatever name you like—is the greatest of all. The living beings are in quality like the supreme controller. For instance, the Lord has control over the universal affairs of material nature, as will be explained in the later chapters of Bhagavad-gétä. Material nature is not independent. She is acting under the directions of the Supreme Lord. As Lord Kåñëa says, mayädhyakñeëa prakåtiù süyate sa-caräcaram: “This material nature is working under My direction.” When we see wonderful things happening in the cosmic nature, we should know that behind this cosmic manifestation there is a controller. Nothing could be manifested without being controlled. It is childish not to consider the controller. For instance, a child may think that an automobile is quite wonderful to be able to run without a horse or other animal pulling it, but a sane man knows the nature of the automobile’s engineering arrangement. He always knows that behind the machinery there is a man, a driver. Similarly, the Supreme Lord is the driver under whose direction everything is working. Now the jévas, or the living entities, have been accepted by the Lord, as we will note in the later chapters, as His parts and parcels. A particle of gold is also gold, a drop of water from the ocean is also salty, and similarly we the living entities, being part and parcel of the supreme controller, éçvara, or Bhagavän, Lord Çré Kåñëa, have all the qualities of the Supreme Lord in minute quantity because we are minute éçvaras,subordinate éçvaras. We are trying to control nature, as presently we are trying to control space or planets, and this tendency to control is there because it is in Kåñëa.

But although we have a tendency to lord it over material nature, we should know that we are not the supreme controller. This is explained in Bhagavad-gétä.

What is material nature? This is also explained in Gétä as inferior prakåti,inferior nature. The living entity is explained as the superior prakåti. Prakåti is always under control, whether inferior or superior. Prakåti is female, and she is controlled by the Lord just as the activities of a wife are controlled by the husband. Prakåti is always subordinate, predominated by the Lord, who is the predominator. The living entities and material nature are both predominated, controlled by the Supreme Lord. According to the Gétä, the living entities, although parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord, are to be considered prakåti.

This is clearly mentioned in the Seventh Chapter of Bhagavad-gétä. Apareyam itas tv anyäà prakåtià viddhi me paräm/ jéva-bhütäm: “This material nature is My inferior prakåti, but beyond this is another prakåti—jéva-bhütäm, the living entity.”

Material nature itself is constituted by three qualities: the mode of goodness, the mode of passion and the mode of ignorance. Above these modes there is eternal time, and by a combination of these modes of nature and under the control and purview of eternal time there are activities, which are called karma. These activities are being carried out from time immemorial, and we are suffering or enjoying the fruits of our activities. For instance, suppose I am a businessman and have worked very hard with intelligence and have amassed a great bank balance. Then I am an enjoyer. But then say I have lost all my money in business; then I am a sufferer. Similarly, in every field of life we enjoy the results of our work, or we suffer the results. This is called karma.

Éçvara (the Supreme Lord), jéva (the living entity), prakåti (nature), käla(eternal time) and karma (activity) are all explained in the Bhagavad-gétä. Out of these five, the Lord, the living entities, material nature and time are eternal.

The manifestation of prakåti may be temporary, but it is not false. Some philosophers say that the manifestation of material nature is false, but according to the philosophy of Bhagavad-gétä or according to the philosophy of the Vaiñëavas, this is not so. The manifestation of the world is not accepted as false; it is accepted as real, but temporary. It is likened unto a cloud which moves across the sky, or the coming of the rainy season, which nourishes grains. As soon as the rainy season is over and as soon as the cloud goes away, all the crops which were nourished by the rain dry up. Similarly, this material manifestation takes place at a certain interval, stays for a while and then disappears. Such are the workings of prakåti. But this cycle is working eternally. Therefore prakåtiis eternal; it is not false. The Lord refers to this as

“My prakåti. ” This material nature is the separated energy of the Supreme Lord, and similarly the living entities are also the energy of the Supreme Lord, although they are not separated but eternally related. So the Lord, the living entity, material nature and time are all interrelated and are all eternal.

However, the other item, karma, is not eternal. The effects of karma may be very old indeed. We are suffering or enjoying the results of our activities from time immemorial, but we can change the results of our karma, or our activity, and this change depends on the perfection of our knowledge. We are engaged in various activities. Undoubtedly we do not know what sort of activities we should adopt to gain relief from the actions and reactions of all these activities, but this is also explained in the Bhagavad-gétä.

The position of éçvara, the Supreme Lord, is that of supreme consciousness.

The jévas, or the living entities, being parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord, are also conscious. Both the living entity and material nature are explained as prakåti, the energy of the Supreme Lord, but one of the two, the jéva, is conscious. The other prakåti is not conscious. That is the difference. Therefore the jéva-prakåti is called superior because the jévahas consciousness which is similar to the Lord’s. The Lord’s is supreme consciousness, however, and one should not claim that the jéva, the living entity, is also supremely conscious.

The living being cannot be supremely conscious at any stage of his perfection, and the theory that he can be so is a misleading theory. Conscious he may be, but he is not perfectly or supremely conscious.

The distinction between the jéva and the éçvara will be explained in the Thirteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gétä. The Lord is kñetra-jïa, conscious, as is the living being, but the living being is conscious of his particular body, whereas the Lord is conscious of all bodies. Because He lives in the heart of every living being, He is conscious of the psychic movements of the particular jévas. We should not forget this. It is also explained that the Paramätmä, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is living in everyone’s heart as éçvara, as the controller, and that He is giving directions for the living entity to act as he desires. The living entity forgets what to do. First of all he makes a determination to act in a certain way, and then he is entangled in the actions and reactions of his own karma. After giving up one type of body, he enters another type of body, as we put on and take off clothes. As the soul thus migrates, he suffers the actions and reactions of his past activities. These activities can be changed when the living being is in the mode of goodness, in sanity, and understands what sort of activities he should adopt. If he does so, then all the actions and reactions of his past activities can be changed.

Consequently, karma is not eternal. Therefore we stated that of the five items ( éçvara, jéva, prakåti, time and karma) four are eternal, whereaskarma is not eternal.

The supreme conscious éçvara is similar to the living entity in this way: both the consciousness of the Lord and that of the living entity are transcendental.

It is not that consciousness is generated by the association of matter. That is a mistaken idea. The theory that consciousness develops under certain circumstances of material combination is not accepted in the Bhagavad-gétä.

Consciousness may be pervertedly reflected by the covering of material circumstances, just as light reflected through colored glass may appear to be a certain color, but the consciousness of the Lord is not materially affected. Lord Kåñëa says, mayädhyakñeëa prakåtiù [Bg. 9.10] . When He descends into the material universe, His consciousness is not materially affected. If He were so affected, He would be unfit to speak on transcendental matters as He does in the Bhagavad-gétä. One cannot say anything about the transcendental world without being free from materially contaminated consciousness. So the Lord is not materially contaminated. Our consciousness, at the present moment, however, is materially contaminated. The Bhagavad-gétä teaches that we have to purify this materially contaminated consciousness. In pure consciousness, our actions will be dovetailed to the will of éçvara, and that will make us happy.

It is not that we have to cease all activities. Rather, our activities are to be purified, and purified activities are called bhakti. Activities in bhakti appear to be like ordinary activities, but they are not contaminated. An ignorant person may see that a devotee is acting or working like an ordinary man, but such a person with a poor fund of knowledge does not know that the activities of the devotee or of the Lord are not contaminated by impure consciousness or matter. They are transcendental to the three modes of nature. We should know, however, that at this point our consciousness is contaminated.

When we are materially contaminated, we are called conditioned. False consciousness is exhibited under the impression that I am a product of material nature. This is called false ego. One who is absorbed in the thought of bodily conceptions cannot understand his situation. Bhagavad-gétä was spoken to liberate one from the bodily conception of life, and Arjuna put himself in this position in order to receive this information from the Lord. One must become free from the bodily conception of life; that is the preliminary activity for the transcendentalist. One who wants to become free, who wants to become liberated, must first of all learn that he is not this material body. Mukti, or liberation, means freedom from material consciousness. In the Çrémad-Bhägavatam also the definition of liberation is given. Muktirhitvänyathä-rüpaà svarüpeëa vyavasthitiù: mukti means liberation from the contaminated consciousness of this material world and situation in pure consciousness. All the instructions of Bhagavad-gétä are intended to awaken this pure consciousness, and therefore we find at the last stage of the Gétä’s instructions that Kåñëa is asking Arjuna whether he is now in purified consciousness. Purified consciousness means acting in accordance with the instructions of the Lord. This is the whole sum and substance of purified consciousness. Consciousness is already there because we are part and parcel of the Lord, but for us there is the affinity of being affected by the inferior modes. But the Lord, being the Supreme, is never affected. That is the difference between the Supreme Lord and the small individual souls.

What is this consciousness? This consciousness is “I am.” Then what am I?

In contaminated consciousness “I am” means “I am the lord of all I survey. I am the enjoyer.” The world revolves because every living being thinks that he is the lord and creator of the material world. Material consciousness has two psychic divisions. One is that I am the creator, and the other is that I am the enjoyer. But actually the Supreme Lord is both the creator and the enjoyer, and the living entity, being part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, is neither the creator nor the enjoyer, but a cooperator. He is the created and the enjoyed.

For instance, a part of a machine cooperates with the whole machine; a part of the body cooperates with the whole body. The hands, legs, eyes, and so on are all parts of the body, but they are not actually the enjoyers. The stomach is the enjoyer. The legs move, the hands supply food, the teeth chew, and all parts of the body are engaged in satisfying the stomach because the stomach is the principal factor that nourishes the body’s organization. Therefore everything is given to the stomach. One nourishes the tree by watering its root, and one nourishes the body by feeding the stomach, for if the body is to be kept in a healthy state, then the parts of the body must cooperate to feed the stomach.

Similarly, the Supreme Lord is the enjoyer and the creator, and we, as subordinate living beings, are meant to cooperate to satisfy Him. This cooperation will actually help us, just as food taken by the stomach will help all other parts of the body. If the fingers of the hand think that they should take the food themselves instead of giving it to the stomach, then they will be frustrated. The central figure of creation and of enjoyment is the Supreme Lord, and the living entities are cooperators. By cooperation they enjoy. The relation is also like that of the master and the servant. If the master is fully satisfied, then the servant is satisfied. Similarly, the Supreme Lord should be satisfied, although the tendency to become the creator and the tendency to enjoy the material world are there also in the living entities because these tendencies are there in the Supreme Lord who has created the manifested cosmic world.

We shall find, therefore, in this Bhagavad-gétä that the complete whole is comprised of the supreme controller, the controlled living entities, the cosmic manifestation, eternal time and karma, or activities, and all of these are explained in this text. All of these taken completely form the complete whole, Copyright © 1998 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust Int'l. All Rights Reserved.

and the complete whole is called the Supreme Absolute Truth. The complete whole and the complete Absolute Truth are the complete Personality of Godhead, Çré Kåñëa. All manifestations are due to His different energies. He is the complete whole.

It is also explained in the Gétä that impersonal Brahman is also subordinate to the complete Supreme Person ( brahmaëo hi pratiñöhäham). Brahman is more explicitly explained in the Brahma-sütra to be like the rays of the sunshine.

The impersonal Brahman is the shining rays of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Impersonal Brahman is incomplete realization of the absolute whole, and so also is the conception of Paramätmä. In the Fifteenth Chapter it shall be seen that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Puruñottama, is above both impersonal Brahman and the partial realization of Paramätmä. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is called sac-cid-änanda-vigraha. The Brahma-saàhitä begins in this way:éçvaraù paramaù kåñëaù sac-cid-änanda-vigrahaù/ anädir ädirgovindaù sarva-käraëa-käraëam. “Govinda, Kåñëa, is the cause of all causes. He is the primal cause, and He is the very form of eternity, knowledge and bliss.”

Impersonal Brahman realization is the realization of His sat (eternity) feature.

Paramätmä realization is the realization of sat-cit (eternal knowledge). But realization of the Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa, is realization of all the transcendental features: sat, cit and änanda (eternity, knowledge, and bliss) in complete vigraha (form).

People with less intelligence consider the Supreme Truth to be impersonal, but He is a transcendental person, and this is confirmed in all Vedic literatures. Nityo nityänäà cetanaç cetanänäm. ( Kaöha Upaniñad 2.2.13) As we are all individual living beings and have our individuality, the Supreme Absolute Truth is also, in the ultimate issue, a person, and realization of the Personality of Godhead is realization of all of the transcendental features in His complete form. The complete whole is not formless. If He is formless, or if He is less than any other thing, then He cannot be the complete whole. The complete whole must have everything within our experience and beyond our experience, otherwise it cannot be complete.

The complete whole, Personality of Godhead, has immense potencies ( paräsya çaktir vividhaiva çrüyate). How Kåñëa is acting in different potencies is also explained in Bhagavad-gétä. This phenomenal world or material world in which we are placed is also complete in itself because the twenty-four elements of which this material universe is a temporary manifestation, according to Säìkhya philosophy, are completely adjusted to produce complete resources which are necessary for the maintenance and subsistence of this universe.

There is nothing extraneous, nor is there anything needed. This manifestation has its own time fixed by the energy of the supreme whole, and when its time is complete, these temporary manifestations will be annihilated by the complete arrangement of the complete. There is complete facility for the small complete units, namely the living entities, to realize the complete, and all sorts of incompleteness are experienced due to incomplete knowledge of the complete. SoBhagavad-gétä contains the complete knowledge of Vedic wisdom.

All Vedic knowledge is infallible, and Hindus accept Vedic knowledge to be complete and infallible. For example, cow dung is the stool of an animal, and according to småti, or Vedic injunction, if one touches the stool of an animal he has to take a bath to purify himself. But in the Vedic scriptures cow dung is considered to be a purifying agent. One might consider this to be contradictory, but it is accepted because it is Vedic injunction, and indeed by accepting this, one will not commit a mistake; subsequently it has been proved by modern science that cow dung contains all antiseptic properties. So Vedic knowledge is complete because it is above all doubts and mistakes, and Bhagavad-gétä is the essence of all Vedic knowledge.

Vedic knowledge is not a question of research. Our research work is imperfect because we are researching things with imperfect senses. We have to accept perfect knowledge which comes down, as is stated inBhagavad-gétä, by the paramparä (disciplic succession). We have to receive knowledge from the proper source in disciplic succession beginning with the supreme spiritual master, the Lord Himself, and handed down to a succession of spiritual masters. Arjuna, the student who took lessons from Lord Çré Kåñëa, accepts everything that He says without contradicting Him. One is not allowed to accept one portion ofBhagavad-gétä and not another. No. We must accept Bhagavad-gétäwithout interpretation, without deletion and without our own whimsical participation in the matter. The Gétä should be taken as the most Copyright © 1998 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust Int'l. All Rights Reserved.

perfect presentation of Vedic knowledge. Vedic knowledge is received from transcendental sources, and the first words were spoken by the Lord Himself.

The words spoken by the Lord are called apauruñeya, meaning that they are different from words spoken by a person of the mundane world who is infected with four defects. A mundaner (1) is sure to commit mistakes, (2) is invariably illusioned, (3) has the tendency to cheat others and (4) is limited by imperfect senses. With these four imperfections, one cannot deliver perfect information of all-pervading knowledge.

Vedic knowledge is not imparted by such defective living entities. It was imparted unto the heart of Brahmä, the first created living being, and Brahmä in his turn disseminated this knowledge to his sons and disciples, as he originally received it from the Lord. The Lord is pürëam,all-perfect, and there is no possibility of His becoming subjected to the laws of material nature. One should therefore be intelligent enough to know that the Lord is the only proprietor of everything in the universe and that He is the original creator, the creator of Brahmä. In the Eleventh Chapter the Lord is addressed as prapitämaha [Bg. 11.39] because Brahmä is addressed as pitämaha, the grandfather, and He is the creator of the grandfather. So no one should claim to be the proprietor of anything; one should accept only things which are set aside for him by the Lord as his quota for his maintenance.

There are many examples given of how we are to utilize those things which are set aside for us by the Lord. This is also explained inBhagavad-gétä. In the beginning, Arjuna decided that he should not fight in the Battle of Kurukñetra. This was his own decision. Arjuna told the Lord that it was not possible for him to enjoy the kingdom after killing his own kinsmen. This decision was based on the body because he was thinking that the body was himself and that his bodily relations or expansions were his brothers, nephews, brothers-in-law, grandfathers and so on. Therefore he wanted to satisfy his bodily demands. Bhagavad-gétä was spoken by the Lord just to change this view, and at the end Arjuna decides to fight under the directions of the Lord when he says, kariñye vacanaà tava [Bg. 18.73] : “I shall act according to Your word.”

In this world men are not meant for quarreling like cats and dogs. Men must be intelligent to realize the importance of human life and refuse to act like ordinary animals. A human being should realize the aim of his life, and this direction is given in all Vedic literatures, and the essence is given in Bhagavad-gétä. Vedic literature is meant for human beings, not for animals.

Animals can kill other living animals, and there is no question of sin on their part, but if a man kills an animal for the satisfaction of his uncontrolled taste, he must be responsible for breaking the laws of nature. In the Bhagavad-gétä it is clearly explained that there are three kinds of activities according to the different modes of nature: the activities of goodness, of passion and of ignorance. Similarly, there are three kinds of eatables also: eatables in goodness, passion and ignorance. All of this is clearly described, and if we properly utilize the instructions of Bhagavad-gétä, then our whole life will become purified, and ultimately we will be able to reach the destination which is beyond this material sky. [Bg. 15.6]

That destination is called the sanätana sky, the eternal, spiritual sky. In this material world we find that everything is temporary. It comes into being, stays for some time, produces some by-products, dwindles and then vanishes. That is the law of the material world, whether we use as an example this body, or a piece of fruit or anything. But beyond this temporary world there is another world of which we have information. That world consists of another nature, which is sanätana, eternal. Jéva is also described as sanätana, eternal, and the Lord is also described assanätana in the Eleventh Chapter. We have an intimate relationship with the Lord, and because we are all qualitatively one—the sanätana-dhäma, or sky, the sanätana Supreme Personality and the sanätanaliving entities—the whole purpose of Bhagavad-gétä is to revive our sanätana occupation, or sanätana-dharma, which is the eternal occupation of the living entity. We are temporarily engaged in different activities, but all of these activities can be purified when we give up all these temporary activities and take up the activities which are prescribed by the Supreme Lord. That is called our pure life.

The Supreme Lord and His transcendental abode are both sanätana, as are the living entities, and the combined association of the Supreme Lord and the living entities in the sanätana abode is the perfection of human life. The Lord is very kind to the living entities because they are His sons. Lord Kåñëa declares in Bhagavad-gétä, sarva-yoniñu. .. ahaà béja-pradaù pitä: “I am the father of all.” Of course there are all types of living entities according to their various karmas, but here the Lord claims that He is the father of all of them.

Therefore the Lord descends to reclaim all of these fallen, conditioned souls, to call them back to the sanätana eternal sky so that the sanätanaliving entities may regain their eternal sanätana positions in eternal association with the Lord. The Lord comes Himself in different incarnations, or He sends His confidential servants as sons or His associates or äcäryas to reclaim the conditioned souls.

Therefore, sanätana-dharma does not refer to any sectarian process of religion. It is the eternal function of the eternal living entities in relationship with the eternal Supreme Lord. Sanätana-dharma refers, as stated previously, to the eternal occupation of the living entity. Çrépäda Rämänujäcärya has explained the word sanätana as “that which has neither beginning nor end,” so when we speak of sanätana-dharma, we must take it for granted on the authority of Çrépäda Rämänujäcärya that it has neither beginning nor end.

The English world religion is a little different from sanätana-dharma.

Religion conveys the idea of faith, and faith may change. One may have faith in a particular process, and he may change this faith and adopt another, but sanätana-dharma refers to that activity which cannot be changed. For instance, liquidity cannot be taken from water, nor can heat be taken from fire. Similarly, the eternal function of the eternal living entity cannot be taken from the living entity. Sanätana-dharma is eternally integral with the living entity. When we speak of sanätana-dharma, therefore, we must take it for granted on the authority of Çrépäda Rämänujäcärya that it has neither beginning nor end. That which has neither end nor beginning must not be sectarian, for it cannot be limited by any boundaries. Those belonging to some sectarian faith will wrongly consider that sanätana-dharma is also sectarian, but if we go deeply into the matter and consider it in the light of modern science, it is possible for us to see that sanätana-dharma is the business of all the people of the world—nay, of all the living entities of the universe.

Non- sanätana religious faith may have some beginning in the annals of human history, but there is no beginning to the history of sanätana-dharma, because it remains eternally with the living entities. Insofar as the living entities are concerned, the authoritative çästras state that the living entity has neither birth nor death. In the Gétä it is stated that the living entity is never born and he never dies. He is eternal and indestructible, and he continues to live after the destruction of his temporary material body. In reference to the concept of sanätana-dharma, we must try to understand the concept of religion from the Sanskrit root meaning of the word. Dharma refers to that which is constantly existing with a particular object. We conclude that there is heat and light along with the fire; without heat and light, there is no meaning to the word fire. Similarly, we must discover the essential part of the living being, that part which is his constant companion. That constant companion is his eternal quality, and that eternal quality is his eternal religion.

When Sanätana Gosvämé asked Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu about the svarüpa of every living being, the Lord replied that the svarüpa, or constitutional position, of the living being is the rendering of service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If we analyze this statement of Lord Caitanya’s, we can easily see that every living being is constantly engaged in rendering service to another living being. A living being serves other living beings in various capacities. By doing so, the living entity enjoys life. The lower animals serve human beings as servants serve their master. A serves B master, B serves C master, and C serves D master and so on. Under these circumstances, we can see that one friend serves another friend, the mother serves the son, the wife serves the husband, the husband serves the wife and so on. If we go on searching in this spirit, it will be seen that there is no exception in the society of living beings to the activity of service. The politician presents his manifesto for the public to convince them of his capacity for service. The voters therefore give the politician their valuable votes, thinking that he will render valuable service to society. The shopkeeper serves the customer, and the artisan serves the capitalist. The capitalist serves the family, and the family serves the state in the terms of the eternal capacity of the eternal living being.

In this way we can see that no living being is exempt from rendering service to other living beings, and therefore we can safely conclude that service is the constant companion of the living being and that the rendering of service is the eternal religion of the living being.

Yet man professes to belong to a particular type of faith with reference to particular time and circumstance and thus claims to be a Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist or an adherent of any other sect. Such designations are non— sanätana-dharma. A Hindu may change his faith to become a Muslim, or a Muslim may change his faith to become a Hindu, or a Christian may change his faith and so on. But in all circumstances the change of religious faith does not affect the eternal occupation of rendering service to others. The Hindu, Muslim or Christian in all circumstances is servant of someone. Thus, to profess a particular type of faith is not to profess one’s sanätana-dharma. The rendering of service is sanätana-dharma.

Factually we are related to the Supreme Lord in service. The Supreme Lord is the supreme enjoyer, and we living entities are His servitors. We are created for His enjoyment, and if we participate in that eternal enjoyment with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we become happy. We cannot become happy otherwise. It is not possible to be happy independently, just as no one part of the body can be happy without cooperating with the stomach. It is not possible for the living entity to be happy without rendering transcendental loving service unto the Supreme Lord.

In the Bhagavad-gétä, worship of different demigods or rendering service to them is not approved. It is stated in the Seventh Chapter, twentieth verse: 

kämais tais tair håta-jïänäù

prapadyante ’nya-devatäù

taà taà niyamam ästhäya

prakåtyä niyatäù svayä

“Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires surrender unto demigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship according to their own natures.” Here it is plainly said that those who are directed by lust worship the demigods and not the Supreme Lord Kåñëa. When we mention the name Kåñëa, we do not refer to any sectarian name. Kåñëa means the highest pleasure, and it is confirmed that the Supreme Lord is the reservoir or storehouse of all pleasure. We are all hankering after pleasure.

Änanda-mayo ’bhyäsät ( Vedänta-sütra 1.1.12). The living entities, like the Lord, are full of consciousness, and they are after happiness. The Lord is perpetually happy, and if the living entities associate with the Lord, cooperate with Him and take part in His association, then they also become happy.

The Lord descends to this mortal world to show His pastimes in Våndävana, which are full of happiness. When Lord Çré Kåñëa was in Våndävana, His activities with His cowherd boyfriends, with His damsel friends, with the other inhabitants of Våndävana and with the cows were all full of happiness. The total population of Våndävana knew nothing but Kåñëa. But Lord Kåñëa even discouraged His father Nanda Mahäräja from worshiping the demigod Indra, because He wanted to establish the fact that people need not worship any demigod. They need only worship the Supreme Lord, because their ultimate goal is to return to His abode.

The abode of Lord Çré Kåñëa is described in the Bhagavad-gétä,Fifteenth Chapter, sixth verse:

na tad bhäsayate süryo

na çaçäìko na pävakaù

yad gatvä na nivartante

tad dhäma paramaà mama

“That supreme abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by fire or electricity. Those who reach it never return to this material world.”

This verse gives a description of that eternal sky. Of course we have a material conception of the sky, and we think of it in relationship to the sun, moon, stars and so on, but in this verse the Lord states that in the eternal sky there is no need for the sun nor for the moon nor electricity or fire of any kind because the spiritual sky is already illuminated by the brahmajyoti, the rays emanating from the Supreme Lord. We are trying with difficulty to reach other planets, but it is not difficult to understand the abode of the Supreme Lord. This abode is referred to as Goloka. In the Brahma-saàhitä (5.37) it is beautifully described: goloka eva nivasaty akhilätma-bhütaù. The Lord resides eternally in His abode Goloka, yet He can be approached from this world, and to this end the Lord comes to manifest His real form, sac-cid-änanda-vigraha

[ Bs. 5.1] . When He manifests this form, there is no need for our imagining what He looks like. To discourage such imaginative speculation, He descends and exhibits Himself as He is, as Çyämasundara. Unfortunately, the less intelligent deride Him because He comes as one of us and plays with us as a human being.

But because of this we should not consider the Lord one of us. It is by His omnipotency that He presents Himself in His real form before us and displays His pastimes, which are replicas of those pastimes found in His abode.

In the effulgent rays of the spiritual sky there are innumerable planets floating. The brahmajyoti emanates from the supreme abode, Kåñëaloka, and the änanda-maya, cin-maya planets, which are not material, float in those rays.

The Lord says, na tad bhäsayate süryo na çaçäìko na pävakaù/ yad gatvä na nivartante tad dhäma paramaà mama [Bg. 15.6]. One who can approach that spiritual sky is not required to descend again to the material sky. In the material sky, even if we approach the highest planet (Brahmaloka), what to speak of the moon, we will find the same conditions of life, namely birth, death, disease and old age. No planet in the material universe is free from these four principles of material existence.

The living entities are traveling from one planet to another, but it is not that we can go to any planet we like merely by a mechanical arrangement. If we desire to go to other planets, there is a process for going there. This is also mentioned: yänti deva-vratä devän pitèn yänti pitå-vratäù [Bg. 9.25] . No mechanical arrangement is necessary if we want interplanetary travel. The Gétä instructs: yänti deva-vratä devän.The moon, the sun and higher planets are called Svargaloka. There are three different statuses of planets: higher, middle and lower planetary systems. The earth belongs to the middle planetary system. Bhagavad-gétä informs us how to travel to the higher planetary systems (Devaloka) with a very simple formula: yänti deva-vratä devän. One need only worship the particular demigod of that particular planet and in that way go to the moon, the sun or any of the higher planetary systems.

Yet Bhagavad-gétä does not advise us to go to any of the planets in this material world, because even if we go to Brahmaloka, the highest planet, through some sort of mechanical contrivance by maybe traveling for forty thousand years (and who would live that long?), we will still find the material inconveniences of birth, death, disease and old age. But one who wants to approach the supreme planet, Kåñëaloka, or any of the other planets within the spiritual sky, will not meet with these material inconveniences. Amongst all of the planets in the spiritual sky there is one supreme planet called Goloka Våndävana, which is the original planet in the abode of the original Personality of Godhead Çré Kåñëa. All of this information is given in Bhagavad-gétä, and we are given through its instruction information how to leave the material world and begin a truly blissful life in the spiritual sky.

In the Fifteenth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gétä, the real picture of the material world is given. It is said there:

ürdhva-mülam adhaù-çäkham

açvatthaà prähur avyayam

chandäàsi yasya parëäni

yas taà veda sa veda-vit

Here the material world is described as a tree whose roots are upwards and branches are below. We have experience of a tree whose roots are upward: if one stands on the bank of a river or any reservoir of water, he can see that the trees reflected in the water are upside down. The branches go downward and the roots upward. Similarly, this material world is a reflection of the spiritual world. The material world is but a shadow of reality. In the shadow there is no reality or substantiality, but from the shadow we can understand that there are substance and reality. In the desert there is no water, but the mirage suggests that there is such a thing as water. In the material world there is no water, there is no happiness, but the real water of actual happiness is there in the spiritual world.

The Lord suggests that we attain the spiritual world in the following manner (Bg. 15.5):

nirmäna-mohä jita-saìga-doñä

adhyätma-nityä vinivåtta-kämäù

dvandvair vimuktäù sukha-duùkha-saàjïair

gacchanty amüòhäù padam avyayaà tat

That padam avyayam, or eternal kingdom, can be reached by one who is nirmäna-moha. What does this mean? We are after designations. Someone wants to become “sir,” someone wants to become “lord,” someone wants to become the president or a rich man or a king or something else. As long as we are attached to these designations, we are attached to the body, because designations belong to the body. But we are not these bodies, and realizing this is the first stage in spiritual realization. We are associated with the three modes of material nature, but we must become detached through devotional service to the Lord. If we are not attached to devotional service to the Lord, then we cannot become detached from the modes of material nature. Designations and attachments are due to our lust and desire, our wanting to lord it over the material nature. As long as we do not give up this propensity of lording it over material nature, there is no possibility of returning to the kingdom of the Supreme, the sanätana-dhäma. That eternal kingdom, which is never destroyed, can be approached by one who is not bewildered by the attractions of false material enjoyments, who is situated in the service of the Supreme Lord. One so situated can easily approach that supreme abode.

Elsewhere in the Gétä (8.21) it is stated:

avyakto ’kñara ity uktas

tam ähuù paramäà gatim

yaà präpya na nivartante

tad dhäma paramaà mama

Avyakta means unmanifested. Not even all of the material world is manifested before us. Our senses are so imperfect that we cannot even see all of the stars within this material universe. In Vedic literature we can receive much information about all the planets, and we can believe it or not believe it.

All of the important planets are described in Vedic literatures, especially Çrémad-Bhägavatam, and the spiritual world, which is beyond this material sky, is described as avyakta, unmanifested. One should desire and hanker after that supreme kingdom, for when one attains that kingdom, he does not have to return to this material world.

Next, one may raise the question of how one goes about approaching that abode of the Supreme Lord. Information of this is given in the Eighth Chapter. It is said there:

anta-käle ca mäm eva

smaran muktvä kalevaram

yaù prayäti sa mad-bhävaà

yäti nästy atra saàçayaù

“Anyone who quits his body, at the end of life, remembering Me, attains immediately to My nature; and there is no doubt of this.” [Bg. 8.5] One who thinks of Kåñëa at the time of his death goes to Kåñëa. One must remember the form of Kåñëa; if he quits his body thinking of this form, he surely approaches the spiritual kingdom. Mad-bhävam refers to the supreme nature of the Supreme Being. The Supreme Being is sac-cid-änanda-vigraha [ Bs. 5.1]—that is, His form is eternal, full of knowledge and bliss. Our present body is not sac-cid-änanda. It is a sat, not sat. It is not eternal; it is perishable. It is not cit, full of knowledge, but it is full of ignorance. We have no knowledge of the spiritual kingdom, nor do we even have perfect knowledge of this material world, where there are so many things unknown to us. The body is also niränanda; instead of being full of bliss it is full of misery. All of the miseries we experience in the material world arise from the body, but one who leaves this body thinking of Lord Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, at once attains a sac-cid-änanda body.

The process of quitting this body and getting another body in the material world is also organized. A man dies after it has been decided what form of body he will have in the next life. Higher authorities, not the living entity himself, make this decision. According to our activities in this life, we either rise or sink. This life is a preparation for the next life. If we can prepare, therefore, in this life to get promotion to the kingdom of God, then surely, after quitting this material body, we will attain a spiritual body just like the Lord’s.

As explained before, there are different kinds of transcendentalists—the brahma-vädé, paramätma-vädé and the devotee—and, as mentioned, in the brahmajyoti (spiritual sky) there are innumerable spiritual planets. The number of these planets is far, far greater than all of the planets of this material world. This material world has been approximated as only one quarter of the creation ( ekäàçena sthito jagat). In this material segment there are millions and billions of universes with trillions of planets and suns, stars and moons. But this whole material creation is only a fragment of the total creation. Most of the creation is in the spiritual sky. One who desires to merge into the existence of the Supreme Brahman is at once transferred to the brahmajyoti of the Supreme Lord and thus attains the spiritual sky. The devotee, who wants to enjoy the association of the Lord, enters into the Vaikuëöha planets, which are innumerable, and the Supreme Lord by His plenary expansions as Näräyaëa with four hands and with different names like Pradyumna, Aniruddha and Govinda associates with him there. Therefore at the end of life the transcendentalists think either of the brahmajyoti, the Paramätmä or Supreme Personality of Godhead Çré Kåñëa. In all cases they enter into the spiritual sky, but only the devotee, or he who is in personal touch with the Supreme Lord, enters into the Vaikuëöha planets or the Goloka Våndävana planet. The Lord further adds that of this “there is no doubt.” This must be believed firmly. We should not reject that which does not tally with our imagination; our attitude should be that of Arjuna: “I believe everything that You have said.” Therefore when the Lord says that at the time of death whoever thinks of Him as Brahman or Paramätmä or as the Personality of Godhead certainly enters into the spiritual sky, there is no doubt about it. There is no question of disbelieving it.

The Bhagavad-gétä (8.6) also explains the general principle that makes it possible to enter the spiritual kingdom simply by thinking of the Supreme at the time of death:

yaà yaà väpi smaran bhävaà

tyajaty ante kalevaram

taà tam evaiti kaunteya

sadä tad-bhäva-bhävitaù

“Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his present body, in his next life he will attain to that state without fail.” Now, first we must understand that material nature is a display of one of the energies of the Copyright © 1998 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust Int'l. All Rights Reserved.

Supreme Lord. In the Viñëu Puräëa (6.7.61) the total energies of the Supreme Lord are delineated:

viñëu-çaktiù parä proktä

kñetra-jïäkhyä tathä parä

avidyä-karma-saàjïänyä

tåtéyä çaktir iñyate

[Cc. Madhya 6.154]

The Supreme Lord has diverse and innumerable energies which are beyond our conception; however, great learned sages or liberated souls have studied these energies and have analyzed them into three parts. All of the energies are of viñëu-çakti, that is to say they are different potencies of Lord Viñëu. The first energy is parä, transcendental. Living entities also belong to the superior energy, as has already been explained. The other energies, or material energies, are in the mode of ignorance. At the time of death either we can remain in the inferior energy of this material world, or we can transfer to the energy of the spiritual world. So the Bhagavad-gétä (8.6) says: yaà yaà väpi smaran bhävaà

tyajaty ante kalevaram

taà tam evaiti kaunteya

sadä tad-bhäva-bhävitaù

“Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his present body, in his next life he will attain to that state without fail.”

In life we are accustomed to thinking either of the material or of the spiritual energy. Now, how can we transfer our thoughts from the material energy to the spiritual energy? There are so many literatures which fill our thoughts with the material energy—newspapers, magazines, novels, etc. Our thinking, which is now absorbed in these literatures, must be transferred to the Vedic literatures. The great sages, therefore, have written so many Vedic literatures, such as the Puräëas.The Puräëas are not imaginative; they are historical records. In theCaitanya-caritämåta (Madhya 20.122) there is the following verse:

mäyä-mugdha jévera nähi svataù kåñëa-jïäna jévere kåpäya kailä kåñëa veda-puräëa

The forgetful living entities or conditioned souls have forgotten their relationship with the Supreme Lord, and they are engrossed in thinking of material activities. Just to transfer their thinking power to the spiritual sky, Kåñëa-dvaipäyana Vyäsa has given a great number of Vedic literatures. First he divided the Vedas into four, then he explained them in the Puräëas, and for less capable people he wrote the Mahäbhärata.In the Mahäbhärata there is given the Bhagavad-gétä. Then all Vedic literature is summarized in the Vedänta-sütra, and for future guidance he gave a natural commentation on the Vedänta-sütra, called Çrémad-Bhägavatam. We must always engage our minds in reading these Vedic literatures. Just as materialists engage their minds in reading newspapers, magazines and so many materialistic literatures, we must transfer our reading to these literatures which are given to us by Vyäsadeva; in that way it will be possible for us to remember the Supreme Lord at the time of death. That is the only way suggested by the Lord, and He guarantees the result: “There is no doubt.”

tasmät sarveñu käleñu

mäm anusmara yudhya ca

mayy arpita-mano-buddhir

mäm evaiñyasy asaàçayaù

“Therefore, Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of Kåñëa and at the same time continue your prescribed duty of fighting. With your activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on Me, you will attain Me without doubt.” (Bg. 8.7)

He does not advise Arjuna simply to remember Him and give up his occupation. No, the Lord never suggests anything impractical. In this material world, in order to maintain the body one has to work. Human society is divided, according to work, into four divisions of social order— brähmaëa, kñatriya, vaiçya and çüdra. The brähmaëa class or intelligent class is working in one way, the kñatriya or administrative class is working in another way, and the mercantile class and the laborers are all tending to their specific duties. In the human society, whether one is a laborer, merchant, administrator or farmer, or even if one belongs to the highest class and is a literary man, a scientist or a theologian, he has to work in order to maintain his existence.

The Lord therefore tells Arjuna that he need not give up his occupation, but while he is engaged in his occupation he should remember Kåñëa ( mäm anusmara [Bg. 8.7]). If he doesn’t practice remembering Kåñëa while he is struggling for existence, then it will not be possible for him to remember Kåñëa at the time of death. Lord Caitanya also advises this. He says, kértanéyaù sadä hariù: [Cc. adi 17.31] one should practice chanting the names of the Lord always. The names of the Lord and the Lord are nondifferent. So Lord Kåñëa’s instructions to Arjuna to “remember Me” and Lord Caitanya’s injunction to

“always chant the names of Lord Kåñëa” are the same instruction. There is no difference, because Kåñëa and Kåñëa’s name are nondifferent. In the absolute status there is no difference between reference and referrent. Therefore we have to practice remembering the Lord always, twenty-four hours a day, by chanting His names and molding our life’s activities in such a way that we can remember Him always.

How is this possible? The äcäryas give the following example. If a married woman is attached to another man, or if a man has an attachment for a woman other than his wife, then the attachment is to be considered very strong. One with such an attachment is always thinking of the loved one. The wife who is thinking of her lover is always thinking of meeting him, even while she is carrying out her household chores. In fact, she carries out her household work even more carefully so her husband will not suspect her attachment. Similarly, we should always remember the supreme lover, Çré Kåñëa, and at the same time perform our material duties very nicely. A strong sense of love is required here.

If we have a strong sense of love for the Supreme Lord, then we can discharge our duty and at the same time remember Him. But we have to develop that sense of love. Arjuna, for instance, was always thinking of Kåñëa; he was the constant companion of Kåñëa, and at the same time he was a warrior. Kåñëa did not advise him to give up fighting and go to the forest to meditate. When Lord Kåñëa delineates the yoga system to Arjuna, Arjuna says that the practice of this system is not possible for him.

arjuna uväca

yo ’yaà yogas tvayä proktaù

sämyena madhusüdana

etasyähaà na paçyämi

caïcalatvät sthitià sthiräm

“Arjuna said: O Madhusüdana, the system of yoga which You have summarized appears impractical and unendurable to me, for the mind is restless and unsteady.” (Bg. 6.33)

But the Lord says:

yoginäm api sarveñäà

mad-gatenäntarätmanä

çraddhävän bhajate yo mäà

sa me yuktatamo mataù

“Of all yogés, the one with great faith who always abides in Me, thinks of Me within himself, and renders transcendental loving service to Me is the most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all. That is My opinion.” (Bg. 6.47) So one who thinks of the Supreme Lord always is the greatest yogé, the supermost jïäné, and the greatest devotee at the same time.

The Lord further tells Arjuna that as a kñatriya he cannot give up his fighting, but if Arjuna fights remembering Kåñëa, then he will be able to remember Kåñëa at the time of death. But one must be completely surrendered in the transcendental loving service of the Lord.

We work not with our body, actually, but with our mind and intelligence.

So if the intelligence and the mind are always engaged in the thought of the Supreme Lord, then naturally the senses are also engaged in His service.

Superficially, at least, the activities of the senses remain the same, but the consciousness is changed. The Bhagavad-gétä teaches one how to absorb the mind and intelligence in the thought of the Lord. Such absorption will enable one to transfer himself to the kingdom of the Lord. If the mind is engaged in Kåñëa’s service, then the senses are automatically engaged in His service. This is the art, and this is also the secret of Bhagavad-gétä: total absorption in the thought of Çré Kåñëa.

Modern man has struggled very hard to reach the moon, but he has not tried very hard to elevate himself spiritually. If one has fifty years of life ahead of him, he should engage that brief time in cultivating this practice of remembering the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This practice is the devotional process:

çravaëaà kértanaà viñëoù

smaraëaà päda-sevanam

arcanaà vandanaà däsyaà

sakhyam ätma-nivedanam

(Çrémad-Bhägavatam 7.5.23)

These nine processes, of which the easiest is çravaëam, hearing the Bhagavad-gétä from the realized person, will turn one to the thought of the Supreme Being. This will lead to remembering the Supreme Lord and will enable one, upon leaving the body, to attain a spiritual body which is just fit for association with the Supreme Lord.

The Lord further says:

abhyäsa-yoga-yuktena

cetasä nänya-gäminä

paramaà puruñaà divyaà

yäti pärthänucintayan

“He who meditates on Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his mind constantly engaged in remembering Me, undeviated from the path, he, O

Arjuna, is sure to reach Me.” (Bg. 8.8)

This is not a very difficult process. However, one must learn it from an experienced person. Tad vijïänärthaà sa gurum eväbhigacchet: [MU 1.2.12(3)]

one must approach a person who is already in the practice. The mind is always flying to this and that, but one must practice concentrating the mind always on the form of the Supreme Lord, Çré Kåñëa, or on the sound of His name. The mind is naturally restless, going hither and thither, but it can rest in the sound vibration of Kåñëa. One must thus meditate on paramaà puruñam, the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the spiritual kingdom, the spiritual sky, and thus attain Him. The ways and the means for ultimate realization, ultimate attainment, are stated in the Bhagavad-gétä, and the doors of this knowledge are open for everyone. No one is barred out. All classes of men can approach Lord Kåñëa by thinking of Him, for hearing and thinking of Him is possible for everyone.

The Lord further says (Bg. 9.32–33):

mäà hi pärtha vyapäçritya

ye ’pi syuù päpa-yonayaù

striyo vaiçyäs tathä çüdräs

te ’pi yänti paräà gatim

kià punar brähmaëäù puëyä

bhaktä räjarñayas tathä

anityam asukhaà lokam

imaà präpya bhajasva mäm

Thus the Lord says that even a merchant, a fallen woman or a laborer or even human beings in the lowest status of life can attain the Supreme. One does not need highly developed intelligence. The point is that anyone who accepts the principle of bhakti-yoga and accepts the Supreme Lord as the summum bonum of life, as the highest target, the ultimate goal, can approach the Lord in the spiritual sky. If one adopts the principles enunciated in Bhagavad-gétä, he can make his life perfect and make a permanent solution to all the problems of life. This is the sum and substance of the entire Bhagavad-gétä.

In conclusion, Bhagavad-gétä is a transcendental literature which one should read very carefully. Gétä-çästram idaà puëyaà yaù paöhet prayataù pumän: if one properly follows the instructions of Bhagavad-gétä, one can be freed from all the miseries and anxieties of life. Bhaya-çokädi-varjitaù. One will be freed from all fears in this life, and one’s next life will be spiritual.

( Gétä-mähätmya 1)

There is also a further advantage:

gétädhyäyana-çélasya

präëäyama-parasya ca

naiva santi hi päpäni

pürva-janma-kåtäni ca

“If one reads Bhagavad-gétä very sincerely and with all seriousness, then by the grace of the Lord the reactions of his past misdeeds will not act upon him.”

( Gétä-mähätmya 2) The Lord says very loudly in the last portion of Bhagavad-gétä (18.66):

sarva-dharmän parityajya

mäm ekaà çaraëaà vraja

ahaà tväà sarva-päpebhyo

mokñayiñyämi mä çucaù

“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.” Thus the Lord takes all responsibility for one who surrenders unto Him, and He indemnifies such a person against all reactions of sins.

maline mocanaà puàsäà

jala-snänaà dine dine

sakåd gétämåta-snänaà

saàsära-mala-näçanam

“One may cleanse himself daily by taking a bath in water, but if one takes a bath even once in the sacred Ganges water of Bhagavad-gétä,for him the dirt of material life is altogether vanquished.” ( Gétä-mähätmya 3) gétä su-gétä kartavyä

kim anyaiù çästra-vistaraiù

yä svayaà padmanäbhasya

mukha-padmäd viniùsåtä

Because Bhagavad-gétä is spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one need not read any other Vedic literature. One need only attentively and regularly hear and read Bhagavad-gétä. In the present age, people are so absorbed in mundane activities that it is not possible for them to read all the Vedic literatures. But this is not necessary. This one book,Bhagavad-gétä, will suffice, because it is the essence of all Vedic literatures and especially because it is spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. ( Gétä-mähätmya 4) As it is said:

bhäratämåta-sarvasvaà

viñëu-vakträd viniùsåtam

gétä-gaìgodakaà pétvä

punar janma na vidyate

“One who drinks the water of the Ganges attains salvation, so what to speak of one who drinks the nectar of Bhagavad-gétä? Bhagavad-gétä is the essential nectar of the Mahäbhärata, and it is spoken by Lord Kåñëa Himself, the original Viñëu.” ( Gétä-mähätmya 5) Bhagavad-gétä comes from the mouth of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the Ganges is said to emanate from the lotus feet of the Lord. Of course, there is no difference between the mouth and the feet of the Supreme Lord, but from an impartial study we can appreciate that Bhagavad-gétäis even more important than the water of the Ganges.

sarvopaniñado gävo

dogdhä gopäla-nandanaù

pärtho vatsaù su-dhér bhoktä

dugdhaà gétämåtaà mahat

“This Gétopaniñad, Bhagavad-gétä, the essence of all the Upaniñads, is just like a cow, and Lord Kåñëa, who is famous as a cowherd boy, is milking this cow. Arjuna is just like a calf, and learned scholars and pure devotees are to drink the nectarean milk of Bhagavad-gétä. ” ( Gétä-mähätmya 6) ekaà çästraà devaké-putra-gétam

eko devo devaké-putra eva

eko mantras tasya nämäni yäni

karmäpy ekaà tasya devasya sevä

( Gétä-mähätmya 7)

In this present day, people are very much eager to have one scripture, one God, one religion, and one occupation. Therefore, ekaà çästraàdevaké-putra-gétam: let there be one scripture only, one common scripture for the whole world— Bhagavad-gétä. Eko devo devaké-putra eva: let there be one God for the whole world—Çré Kåñëa. Eko mantras tasya nämäni: and one hymn, one mantra, one prayer—the chanting of His name: Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa, Hare Hare/ Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma, Hare Hare. Karmäpy ekaà tasya devasya sevä: and let there be one work only—the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

THE DISCIPLIC SUCCESSION

Evaà paramparä-präptam imaà räjarñayo viduù (Bhagavad-gétä 4.2). This Bhagavad-gétä As It Is is received through this disciplic succession: 

1. Kåñëa                       17. Brahmaëya Tértha 

2. Brahmä                     18. Vyäsa Tértha 

3. Närada                      19. Lakñmépati 

4. Vyäsa                         20. Mädhavendra Puré 

5. Madhva                     21. Éçvara Puré, (Nityänanda, Advaita) 

6. Padmanäbha             22. Lord Caitanya 

7. Nåhari                        23. Rüpa, (Svarüpa, Sanätana) 

8. Mädhava                    24. Raghunätha, Jéva 

9. Akñobhya                   25. Kåñëadäsa 

10. Jaya Tértha                26. Narottama 

11. Jïänasindhu               27. Viçvanätha 

12. Dayänidhi                  28. (Baladeva) Jagannätha 

13. Vidyänidhi                 29. Bhaktivinoda 

14. Räjendra                    30. Gaurakiçora 

15. Jayadharma               31. Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté 

16. Puruñottama             32. A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupäda

- CHAPTER 1 -

Observing the Armies on the Battlefield of Kurukñetra 

TEXT 1

dhåtaräñöra uväca

dharma-kñetre kuru-kñetre

samavetä yuyutsavaù

mämakäù päëòaväç caiva

kim akurvata saïjaya

SYNONYMS

dhåtaräñöraù uväca—King Dhåtaräñöra said; dharma-kñetre—in the place of pilgrimage; kuru-kñetre—in the place named Kurukñetra; 

samavetäù—assembled; yuyutsavaù—desiring to fight; mämakäù—my party (sons); päëòaväù—the sons of Päëòu; ca—and;

 eva—certainly; kim—what; akurvata—did they do; saïjaya—O Saïjaya.

TRANSLATION

Dhåtaräñöra said: O Saïjaya, after my sons and the sons of Päëòu assembled in the place of pilgrimage at Kurukñetra, desiring to fight, what did they do?

PURPORT

   Bhagavad-gétä is the widely read theistic science summarized in the Gétä-mähätmya ( Glorification of the Gétä). There it says that one should read Bhagavad-gétä very scrutinizingly with the help of a person who is a devotee of Çré Kåñëa and try to understand it without personally motivated interpretations. The example of clear understanding is there in the Bhagavad-gétä itself, in the way the teaching is understood by Arjuna, who heard the Gétä directly from the Lord. If someone is fortunate enough to understand Bhagavad-gétä in that line of disciplic succession, without motivated interpretation, then he surpasses all studies of Vedic wisdom, and all scriptures of the world. One will find in the Bhagavad-gétä all that is contained in other scriptures, but the reader will also find things which are not to be found elsewhere. That is the specific standard of the Gétä. It is the perfect theistic science because it is directly spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Çré Kåñëa.

 The topics discussed by Dhåtaräñöra and Saïjaya, as described in the Mahäbhärata, form the basic principle for this great philosophy. It is understood that this philosophy evolved on the Battlefield of Kurukñetra, which is a sacred place of pilgrimage from the immemorial time of the Vedic age. It was spoken by the Lord when He was present personally on this planet for the guidance of mankind.

 The word dharma-kñetra (a place where religious rituals are performed) is significant because, on the Battlefield of Kurukñetra, the Supreme Personality of Godhead was present on the side of Arjuna. Dhåtaräñöra, the father of the Kurus, was highly doubtful about the possibility of his sons’ ultimate victory. In his doubt, he inquired from his secretary Saïjaya, “What did they do?” He was confident that both his sons and the sons of his younger brother Päëòu were assembled in that Field of Kurukñetra for a determined engagement of the war. Still, his inquiry is significant. He did not want a compromise between the cousins and brothers, and he wanted to be sure of the fate of his sons on the battlefield. Because the battle was arranged to be fought at Kurukñetra, which is mentioned elsewhere in the Vedas as a place of worship—even for the denizens of heaven—Dhåtaräñöra became very fearful about the influence of the holy place on the outcome of the battle. He knew very well that this would influence Arjuna and the sons of Päëòu favorably, because by nature they were all virtuous. Saïjaya was a student of Vyäsa, and therefore, by the mercy of Vyäsa, Saïjaya was able to envision the Battlefield of Kurukñetra even while he was in the room of Dhåtaräñöra. And so, Dhåtaräñöra asked him about the situation on the battlefield.

   Both the Päëòavas and the sons of Dhåtaräñöra belong to the same family, but Dhåtaräñöra’s mind is disclosed herein. He deliberately claimed only his sons as Kurus, and he separated the sons of Päëòu from the family heritage. One can thus understand the specific position of Dhåtaräñöra in his relationship with his nephews, the sons of Päëòu. As in the paddy field the unnecessary plants are taken out, so it is expected from the very beginning of these topics that in the religious field of Kurukñetra, where the father of religion, Çré Kåñëa, was present, the unwanted plants like Dhåtaräñöra’s son Duryodhana and others would be wiped out and the thoroughly religious persons, headed by Yudhiñöhira, would be established by the Lord. This is the significance of the words dharma-kñetre and kuru-kñetre, apart from their historical and Vedic importance.

TEXT 2

saïjaya uväca

dåñövä tu päëòavänékaà

vyüòhaà duryodhanas tadä

äcäryam upasaìgamya

räjä vacanam abravét

SYNONYMS

saïjayaù uväca—Saïjaya said; dåñövä—after seeing; tu—but; päëòava-anékam—the soldiers of the Päëòavas; vyüòham—arranged in a military phalanx; duryodhanaù—King Duryodhana; tadä—at that time; äcäryam—the teacher; upasaìgamya—approaching; räjä—the king; vacanam—words; abravét—spoke.

TRANSLATION

Saïjaya said: O King, after looking over the army arranged in military formation by the sons of Päëòu, King Duryodhana went to his teacher and spoke the following words.

PURPORT

Dhåtaräñöra was blind from birth. Unfortunately, he was also bereft of spiritual vision. He knew very well that his sons were equally blind in the matter of religion, and he was sure that they could never reach an understanding with the Päëòavas, who were all pious since birth. Still he was doubtful about the influence of the place of pilgrimage, and Saïjaya could understand his motive in asking about the situation on the battlefield. Saïjaya wanted, therefore, to encourage the despondent king and thus assured him that his sons were not going to make any sort of compromise under the influence of the holy place. Saïjaya therefore informed the king that his son, Duryodhana, after seeing the military force of the Päëòavas, at once went to the commander in chief, Droëäcärya, to inform him of the real position.

Although Duryodhana is mentioned as the king, he still had to go to the commander on account of the seriousness of the situation. He was therefore quite fit to be a politician. But Duryodhana’s diplomatic veneer could not disguise the fear he felt when he saw the military arrangement of the Päëòavas.

TEXT 3

paçyaitäà päëòu-puträëäm

äcärya mahatéà camüm

vyüòhäà drupada-putreëa

tava çiñyeëa dhématä

SYNONYMS

paçya—behold; etäm—this; päëòu-puträëäm—of the sons of Päëòu; äcärya—O teacher; mahatém—great; camüm—military force; vyüòhäm—arranged; drupada-putreëa—by the son of Drupada; tava—your; çiñyeëa—disciple; dhé-matä—very intelligent.

TRANSLATION

O my teacher, behold the great army of the sons of Päëòu, so expertly arranged by your intelligent disciple the son of Drupada.

PURPORT

Duryodhana, a great diplomat, wanted to point out the defects of Droëäcärya, the great brähmaëa commander in chief. Droëäcärya had some political quarrel with King Drupada, the father of Draupadé, who was Arjuna’s wife. As a result of this quarrel, Drupada performed a great sacrifice, by which he received the benediction of having a son who would be able to kill Droëäcärya. Droëäcärya knew this perfectly well, and yet as a liberal brähmaëa he did not hesitate to impart all his military secrets when the son of Drupada, Dhåñöadyumna, was entrusted to him for military education. Now, on the Battlefield of Kurukñetra, Dhåñöadyumna took the side of the Päëòavas, and it was he who arranged for their military phalanx, after having learned the art from Droëäcärya. Duryodhana pointed out this mistake of Droëäcärya’s so that he might be alert and uncompromising in the fighting. By this he wanted to point out also that he should not be similarly lenient in battle against the Päëòavas, who were also Droëäcärya’s affectionate students. Arjuna, especially, was his most affectionate and brilliant student. Duryodhana also warned that such leniency in the fight would lead to defeat.

TEXT 4

atra çürä maheñv-äsä

bhémärjuna-samä yudhi

yuyudhäno viräöaç ca

drupadaç ca mahä-rathaù

SYNONYMS

atra—here; çüräù—heroes; mahä-iñu-äsäù—mighty bowmen; bhéma-arjuna—to Bhéma and Arjuna; samäù—equal; yudhi—in the fight; yuyudhänaù—Yuyudhäna; viräöaù—Viräöa; ca—also; drupadaù—Drupada; ca—also; mahä-rathaù—great fighter.

TRANSLATION

Here in this army are many heroic bowmen equal in fighting to Bhéma and Arjuna: great fighters like Yuyudhäna, Viräöa and Drupada.

PURPORT

Even though Dhåñöadyumna was not a very important obstacle in the face of Droëäcärya’s very great power in the military art, there were many others who were causes of fear. They are mentioned by Duryodhana as great stumbling blocks on the path of victory because each and every one of them was as formidable as Bhéma and Arjuna. He knew the strength of Bhéma and Arjuna, and thus he compared the others with them.

TEXT 5

 dhåñöaketuç cekitänaù

käçiräjaç ca véryavän

purujit kuntibhojaç ca

çaibyaç ca nara-puìgavaù

SYNONYMS

dhåñöaketuù—Dhåñöaketu; cekitänaù—Cekitäna; käçiräjaù—Käçiräja;ca—also; vérya-vän—very powerful; purujit—Purujit; kuntibhojaù—Kuntibhoja; ca—and; çaibyaù—Çaibya; ca—and; nara-puìgavaù—hero in human society.

TRANSLATION

There are also great, heroic, powerful fighters like Dhåñöaketu, Cekitäna, Käçiräja, Purujit, Kuntibhoja and Çaibya.

TEXT 6

 yudhämanyuç ca vikränta

uttamaujäç ca véryavän

saubhadro draupadeyäç ca

sarva eva mahä-rathäù

SYNONYMS

yudhämanyuù—Yudhämanyu; ca—and; vikräntaù—mighty; uttamaujäù—Uttamaujä; ca—and; vérya-vän—very powerful; saubhadraù—the son of Subhadrä; draupadeyäù—the sons of Draupadé; ca—and; sarve—all;eva—certainly; mahä-rathäù—great chariot fighters.

TRANSLATION

There are the mighty Yudhämanyu, the very powerful Uttamaujä, the son of Subhadrä and the sons of Draupadé. All these warriors are great chariot fighters.

TEXT 7

asmäkaà tu viçiñöä ye

tän nibodha dvijottama

näyakä mama sainyasya

saàjïärthaà tän bravémi te

SYNONYMS

asmäkam—our; tu—but; viçiñöäù—especially powerful; ye—who; tän—them; nibodha—just take note of, be informed; dvija-uttama—O best of the brähmaëas; näyakäù—captains; mama—my; sainyasya—of the soldiers; saàjïä-artham—for information; tän—them; bravémi—I am speaking; te—to you.

TRANSLATION

But for your information, O best of the brähmaëas, let me tell you about the captains who are especially qualified to lead my military force.

TEXT 8

bhavän bhéñmaç ca karëaç ca

kåpaç ca samitià-jayaù

açvatthämä vikarëaç ca

saumadattis tathaiva ca

SYNONYMS

bhavän—your good self; bhéñmaù—Grandfather Bhéñma; ca—also; karëaù—Karëa; ca—and; kåpaù—Kåpa; ca—and; samitim-jayaù—always victorious in battle; açvatthämä—Açvatthämä; vikarëaù—Vikarëa; ca—as well as; saumadattiù—the son of Somadatta; tathä—as well as; eva—certainly; ca—also.

TRANSLATION

There are personalities like you, Bhéñma, Karëa, Kåpa, Açvatthämä, Vikarëa and the son of Somadatta called Bhüriçravä, who are always victorious in battle.

PURPORT

Duryodhana mentions the exceptional heroes in the battle, all of whom are ever victorious. Vikarëa is the brother of Duryodhana, Açvatthämä is the son of Droëäcärya, and Saumadatti, or Bhüriçravä, is the son of the King of the Bählékas. Karëa is the half brother of Arjuna, as he was born of Kunté before her marriage with King Päëòu. Kåpäcärya’s twin sister married Droëäcärya.

TEXT 9

anye ca bahavaù çürä

mad-arthe tyakta-jévitäù

nänä-çastra-praharaëäù

sarve yuddha-viçäradäù

SYNONYMS

anye—others; ca—also; bahavaù—in great numbers; çüräù—heroes; mat-arthe—for my sake; tyakta-jévitäù—prepared to risk life; nänä—many; çastra—weapons; praharaëäù—equipped with; sarve—all of them; yuddha-viçäradäù—experienced in military science.

TRANSLATION

There are many other heroes who are prepared to lay down their lives for my sake. All of them are well equipped with different kinds of weapons, and all are experienced in military science.

PURPORT

As far as the others are concerned—like Jayadratha, Kåtavarmä and Çalya—all are determined to lay down their lives for Duryodhana’s sake. In other words, it is already concluded that all of them would die in the Battle of Kurukñetra for joining the party of the sinful Duryodhana. Duryodhana was, of course, confident of his victory on account of the above-mentioned combined strength of his friends.

TEXT 10

aparyäptaà tad asmäkaà

balaà bhéñmäbhirakñitam

paryäptaà tv idam eteñäà

balaà bhémäbhirakñitam

SYNONYMS

aparyäptam—immeasurable; tat—that; asmäkam—of ours; balam—strength; bhéñma—by Grandfather Bhéñma; abhirakñitam—perfectly protected; paryäptam—limited; tu—but; idam—all this; eteñäm—of the Päëòavas; balam—strength; bhéma—by Bhéma; abhirakñitam—carefully protected.

TRANSLATION

Our strength is immeasurable, and we are perfectly protected by Grandfather Bhéñma, whereas the strength of the Päëòavas, carefully protected by Bhéma, is limited.

PURPORT

Herein an estimation of comparative strength is made by Duryodhana. He thinks that the strength of his armed forces is immeasurable, being specifically protected by the most experienced general, Grandfather Bhéñma. On the other hand, the forces of the Päëòavas are limited, being protected by a less experienced general, Bhéma, who is like a fig in the presence of Bhéñma.

Duryodhana was always envious of Bhéma because he knew perfectly well that if he should die at all, he would only be killed by Bhéma. But at the same time, he was confident of his victory on account of the presence of Bhéñma, who was a far superior general. His conclusion that he would come out of the battle victorious was well ascertained.

TEXT 11

ayaneñu ca sarveñu

yathä-bhägam avasthitäù

bhéñmam eväbhirakñantu

bhavantaù sarva eva hi

SYNONYMS

ayaneñu—in the strategic points; ca—also; sarveñu—everywhere; yathä-bhägam—as differently arranged; avasthitäù—situated; bhéñmam—unto Grandfather Bhéñma; eva—certainly; abhirakñantu—should give support; bhavantaù—you; sarve—all respectively; eva hi—certainly.

TRANSLATION

All of you must now give full support to Grandfather Bhéñma, as you stand at your respective strategic points of entrance into the phalanx of the army.

PURPORT

Duryodhana, after praising the prowess of Bhéñma, further considered that others might think that they had been considered less important, so in his usual diplomatic way, he tried to adjust the situation in the above words. He emphasized that Bhéñmadeva was undoubtedly the greatest hero, but he was an old man, so everyone must especially think of his protection from all sides. He might become engaged in the fight, and the enemy might take advantage of his full engagement on one side. Therefore, it was important that other heroes not leave their strategic positions and allow the enemy to break the phalanx.

Duryodhana clearly felt that the victory of the Kurus depended on the presence of Bhéñmadeva. He was confident of the full support of Bhéñmadeva and Droëäcärya in the battle because he well knew that they did not even speak a word when Arjuna’s wife Draupadé, in her helpless condition, had appealed to them for justice while she was being forced to appear naked in the presence of all the great generals in the assembly. Although he knew that the two generals had some sort of affection for the Päëòavas, he hoped that these generals would now completely give it up, as they had done during the gambling performances.

TEXT 12

tasya saïjanayan harñaà

kuru-våddhaù pitämahaù

siàha-nädaà vinadyoccaiù

çaìkhaà dadhmau pratäpavän

SYNONYMS

tasya—his; saïjanayan—increasing; harñam—cheerfulness; kuru-våddhaù—the grandsire of the Kuru dynasty (Bhéñma); pitämahaù—the grandfather; siàha-nädam—roaring sound, like that of a lion; vinadya—vibrating; uccaiù—very loudly; çaìkham—conchshell; dadhmau—blew;pratäpa-vän—the valiant.

TRANSLATION

Then Bhéñma, the great valiant grandsire of the Kuru dynasty, thegrandfather of the fighters, blew his conchshell very loudly, making a sound like the roar of a lion, giving Duryodhana joy.

PURPORT

The grandsire of the Kuru dynasty could understand the inner meaning of the heart of his grandson Duryodhana, and out of his natural compassion for him he tried to cheer him by blowing his conchshell very loudly, befitting his position as a lion. Indirectly, by the symbolism of the conchshell, he informed his depressed grandson Duryodhana that he had no chance of victory in the battle, because the Supreme Lord Kåñëa was on the other side. But still, it was his duty to conduct the fight, and no pains would be spared in that connection.

TEXT 13

tataù çaìkhäç ca bheryaç ca

paëavänaka-gomukhäù

sahasaiväbhyahanyanta

sa çabdas tumulo ’bhavat

SYNONYMS

tataù—thereafter; çaìkhäù—conchshells; ca—also; bheryaù—large drums; ca—and; paëava-änaka—small drums and kettledrums; go-mukhäù—horns; sahasä—all of a sudden; eva—certainly;abhyahanyanta—were simultaneously sounded; saù—that; çabdaù—combined sound; tumulaù—tumultuous; abhavat—became.

TRANSLATION

After that, the conchshells, drums, bugles, trumpets and horns were all suddenly sounded, and the combined sound was tumultuous.

TEXT 14

tataù çvetair hayair yukte

mahati syandane sthitau

mädhavaù päëòavaç caiva

divyau çaìkhau pradadhmatuù

SYNONYMS

tataù—thereafter; çvetaiù—with white; hayaiù—horses; yukte—being yoked; mahati—in a great; syandane—chariot; sthitau—situated;mädhavaù—Kåñëa (the husband of the goddess of fortune); päëòavaù—Arjuna (the son of Päëòu); ca—also; eva—certainly; divyau—transcendental; çaìkhau—conchshells; pradadhmatuù—sounded.

TRANSLATION

On the other side, both Lord Kåñëa and Arjuna, stationed on a great chariot drawn by white horses, sounded their transcendental conchshells.

PURPORT

In contrast with the conchshell blown by Bhéñmadeva, the conchshells in the hands of Kåñëa and Arjuna are described as transcendental. The sounding of the transcendental conchshells indicated that there was no hope of victory for the other side because Kåñëa was on the side of the Päëòavas. Jayas tu päëòu-puträëäà yeñäà pakñe janärdanaù. Victory is always with persons like the sons of Päëòu because Lord Kåñëa is associated with them. And whenever and wherever the Lord is present, the goddess of fortune is also there because the goddess of fortune never lives alone without her husband. Therefore, victory and fortune were awaiting Arjuna, as indicated by the transcendental sound produced by the conchshell of Viñëu, or Lord Kåñëa. Besides that, the chariot on which both the friends were seated had been donated by Agni (the fire-god) to Arjuna, and this indicated that this chariot was capable of conquering all sides, wherever it was drawn over the three worlds.

TEXT 15

 päïcajanyaà håñékeço

devadattaà dhanaïjayaù

pauëòraà dadhmau mahä-çaìkhaà

bhéma-karmä våkodaraù

SYNONYMS

päïcajanyam—the conchshell named Päïcajanya; håñéka-éçaù—Håñékeça (Kåñëa, the Lord who directs the senses of the devotees);devadattam—the conchshell named Devadatta; dhanam-jayaù—Dhanaïjaya (Arjuna, the winner of wealth); pauëòram—the conch named Pauëòra; dadhmau—blew; mahä-çaìkham—the terrific conchshell;bhéma-karmä—one who performs herculean tasks; våka-udaraù—the voracious eater (Bhéma).

TRANSLATION

Lord Kåñëa blew His conchshell, called Päïcajanya; Arjuna blew his, the Devadatta; and Bhéma, the voracious eater and performer of herculean tasks, blew his terrific conchshell, called Pauëòra.

PURPORT

Lord Kåñëa is referred to as Håñékeça in this verse because He is the owner of all senses. The living entities are part and parcel of Him, and therefore the senses of the living entities are also part and parcel of His senses. The impersonalists cannot account for the senses of the living entities, and therefore they are always anxious to describe all living entities as senseless, or impersonal. The Lord, situated in the hearts of all living entities, directs their senses. But He directs in terms of the surrender of the living entity, and in the case of a pure devotee He directly controls the senses. Here on the Battlefield of Kurukñetra the Lord directly controls the transcendental senses of Arjuna, and thus His particular name of Håñékeça. The Lord has different names according to His different activities. For example, His name is Madhusüdana because He killed the demon of the name Madhu; His name is Govinda because He gives pleasure to the cows and to the senses; His name is Väsudeva because He appeared as the son of Vasudeva; His name is Devaké-nandana because He accepted Devaké as His mother; His name is Yaçodä-nandana because He awarded His childhood pastimes to Yaçodä at Våndävana; His name is Pärtha-särathi because He worked as charioteer of His friend Arjuna.

Similarly, His name is Håñékeça because He gave direction to Arjuna on the Battlefield of Kurukñetra.

Arjuna is referred to as Dhanaïjaya in this verse because he helped his elder brother in fetching wealth when it was required by the king to make expenditures for different sacrifices. Similarly, Bhéma is known as Våkodara because he could eat as voraciously as he could perform herculean tasks, such as killing the demon Hiòimba. So the particular types of conchshell blown by the different personalities on the side of the Päëòavas, beginning with the Lord’s, were all very encouraging to the fighting soldiers. On the other side there were no such credits, nor the presence of Lord Kåñëa, the supreme director, nor that of the goddess of fortune. So they were predestined to lose the battle—and that was the message announced by the sounds of the conchshells.

TEXTS 16–18

anantavijayaà räjä

kunté-putro yudhiñöhiraù

nakulaù sahadevaç ca

sughoña-maëipuñpakau

käçyaç ca parameñv-äsaù

çikhaëòé ca mahä-rathaù

dhåñöadyumno viräöaç ca

sätyakiç cäparäjitaù

drupado draupadeyäç ca

sarvaçaù påthivé-pate

saubhadraç ca mahä-bähuù

çaìkhän dadhmuù påthak påthak

SYNONYMS

ananta-vijayam—the conch named Ananta-vijaya; räjä—the king; kunté-putraù—the son of Kunté; yudhiñöhiraù—Yudhiñöhira; nakulaù—Nakula; sahadevaù—Sahadeva; ca—and; sughoña-maëipuñpakau—the conches named Sughoña and Maëipuñpaka; käçyaù—the King of Käçé (Väräëasé); ca—and; parama-iñu-äsaù—the great archer; çikhaëòé—Çikhaëòé; ca—also; mahä-rathaù—one who can fight alone against thousands; dhåñöadyumnaù—Dhåñöadyumna (the son of King Drupada); viräöaù—Viräöa (the prince who gave shelter to the Päëòavas while they were in disguise); ca—also; sätyakiù—Sätyaki (the same as Yuyudhäna, the charioteer of Lord Kåñëa); ca—and; aparäjitaù—who had never been vanquished; drupadaù—Drupada, the King of Päïcäla;draupadeyäù—the sons of Draupadé; ca—also; sarvaçaù—all; påthivé-pate—O King; saubhadraù—Abhimanyu, the son of Subhadrä; ca—also;mahä-bähuù—mighty-armed; çaìkhän—conchshells; dadhmuù—blew;påthak påthak—each separately.

TRANSLATION

King Yudhiñöhira, the son of Kunté, blew his conchshell, the Ananta-vijaya, and Nakula and Sahadeva blew the Sughoña and Maëipuñpaka. That great archer the King of Käçé, the great fighter Çikhaëòé, Dhåñöadyumna, Viräöa, the unconquerable Sätyaki, Drupada, the sons of Draupadé, and the others, O King, such as the mighty-armed son of Subhadrä, all blew their respective conchshells.

PURPORT

Saïjaya informed King Dhåtaräñöra very tactfully that his unwise policy of deceiving the sons of Päëòu and endeavoring to enthrone his own sons on the seat of the kingdom was not very laudable. The signs already clearly indicated that the whole Kuru dynasty would be killed in that great battle. Beginning with the grandsire, Bhéñma, down to the grandsons like Abhimanyu and others—including kings from many states of the world—all were present there, and all were doomed. The whole catastrophe was due to King Dhåtaräñöra, because he encouraged the policy followed by his sons.

TEXT 19

sa ghoño dhärtaräñöräëäà

hådayäni vyadärayat

nabhaç ca påthivéà caiva

tumulo ’bhyanunädayan

SYNONYMS

saù—that; ghoñaù—vibration; dhärtaräñöräëäm—of the sons of Dhåtaräñöra; hådayäni—hearts; vyadärayat—shattered; nabhaù—the sky; ca—also; påthivém—the surface of the earth; ca—also; eva—certainly; tumulaù—uproarious; abhyanunädayan—resounding.

TRANSLATION

The blowing of these different conchshells became uproarious. Vibrating both in the sky and on the earth, it shattered the hearts of the sons of Dhåtaräñöra.

PURPORT

When Bhéñma and the others on the side of Duryodhana blew their respective conchshells, there was no heart-breaking on the part of the Päëòavas. Such occurrences are not mentioned, but in this particular verse it is mentioned that the hearts of the sons of Dhåtaräñöra were shattered by the sounds vibrated by the Päëòavas’ party. This is due to the Päëòavas and their confidence in Lord Kåñëa. One who takes shelter of the Supreme Lord has nothing to fear, even in the midst of the greatest calamity.

TEXT 20

atha vyavasthitän dåñövä

dhärtaräñörän kapi-dhvajaù

pravåtte çastra-sampäte

dhanur udyamya päëòavaù

håñékeçaà tadä väkyam

idam äha mahé-pate

SYNONYMS

atha—thereupon; vyavasthitän—situated; dåñövä—looking upon; dhärtaräñörän—the sons of Dhåtaräñöra; kapi-dhvajaù—he whose flag was marked with Hanumän; pravåtte—while about to engage; çastra-sampäte—in releasing his arrows; dhanuù—bow; udyamya—taking up;päëòavaù—the son of Päëòu (Arjuna); håñékeçam—unto Lord Kåñëa;tadä—at that time; väkyam—words; idam—these; äha—said; mahé-pate—O King.

TRANSLATION

At that time Arjuna, the son of Päëòu, seated in the chariot bearing the flag marked with Hanumän, took up his bow and prepared to shoot his arrows. O

King, after looking at the sons of Dhåtaräñöra drawn in military array, Arjuna then spoke to Lord Kåñëa these words.

PURPORT

The battle was just about to begin. It is understood from the above statement that the sons of Dhåtaräñöra were more or less disheartened by the unexpected arrangement of military force by the Päëòavas, who were guided by the direct instructions of Lord Kåñëa on the battlefield. The emblem of Hanumän on the flag of Arjuna is another sign of victory because Hanumän cooperated with Lord Räma in the battle between Räma and Rävaëa, and Lord Räma emerged victorious. Now both Räma and Hanumän were present on the chariot of Arjuna to help him. Lord Kåñëa is Räma Himself, and wherever Lord Räma is, His eternal servitor Hanumän and His eternal consort Sétä, the goddess of fortune, are present. Therefore, Arjuna had no cause to fear any enemies whatsoever. And above all, the Lord of the senses, Lord Kåñëa, was personally present to give him direction. Thus, all good counsel was available to Arjuna in the matter of executing the battle. In such auspicious conditions, arranged by the Lord for His eternal devotee, lay the signs of assured victory.

TEXTS 21–22

arjuna uväca

senayor ubhayor madhye

rathaà sthäpaya me ’cyuta

yävad etän nirékñe ’haà

yoddhu-kämän avasthitän

kair mayä saha yoddhavyam

asmin raëa-samudyame

SYNONYMS

arjunaù uväca—Arjuna said; senayoù—of the armies; ubhayoù—both; madhye—between; ratham—the chariot; sthäpaya—please keep; me—my; acyuta—O infallible one; yävat—as long as; etän—all these; nirékñe—may look upon; aham—I; yoddhu-kämän—desiring to fight;avasthitän—arrayed on the battlefield; kaiù—with whom; mayä—by me;saha—together; yoddhavyam—have to fight; asmin—in this; raëa—strife; samudyame—in the attempt.

TRANSLATION

Arjuna said: O infallible one, please draw my chariot between the two armies so that I may see those present here, who desire to fight, and with whom I must contend in this great trial of arms.

PURPORT

Although Lord Kåñëa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, out of His causeless mercy He was engaged in the service of His friend. He never fails in His affection for His devotees, and thus He is addressed herein as infallible. As charioteer, He had to carry out the orders of Arjuna, and since He did not hesitate to do so, He is addressed as infallible. Although He had accepted the position of a charioteer for His devotee, His supreme position was not challenged. In all circumstances, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Håñékeça, the Lord of the total senses. The relationship between the Lord and His servitor is very sweet and transcendental. The servitor is always ready to render service to the Lord, and, similarly, the Lord is always seeking an opportunity to render some service to the devotee. He takes greater pleasure in His pure devotee’s assuming the advantageous position of ordering Him than He does in being the giver of orders. Since He is master, everyone is under His orders, and no one is above Him to order Him. But when He finds that a pure devotee is ordering Him, He obtains transcendental pleasure, although He is the infallible master of all circumstances.

As a pure devotee of the Lord, Arjuna had no desire to fight with his cousins and brothers, but he was forced to come onto the battlefield by the obstinacy of Duryodhana, who was never agreeable to any peaceful negotiation. Therefore, he was very anxious to see who the leading persons present on the battlefield were. Although there was no question of a peacemaking endeavor on the battlefield, he wanted to see them again, and to see how much they were bent upon demanding an unwanted war.

TEXT 23

yotsyamänän avekñe ’haà

ya ete ’tra samägatäù

dhärtaräñörasya durbuddher

yuddhe priya-cikérñavaù

SYNONYMS

yotsyamänän—those who will be fighting; avekñe—let me see; aham—I; ye—who; ete—those; atra—here; samägatäù—assembled;dhärtaräñörasya—for the son of Dhåtaräñöra; durbuddheù—evil-minded; yuddhe—in the fight; priya—well; cikérñavaù—wishing.

TRANSLATION

Let me see those who have come here to fight, wishing to please the evil-minded son of Dhåtaräñöra.

PURPORT

It was an open secret that Duryodhana wanted to usurp the kingdom of the Päëòavas by evil plans, in collaboration with his father, Dhåtaräñöra.

Therefore, all persons who had joined the side of Duryodhana must have been birds of the same feather. Arjuna wanted to see them on the battlefield before the fight was begun, just to learn who they were, but he had no intention of proposing peace negotiations with them. It was also a fact that he wanted to see them to make an estimate of the strength which he had to face, although he was quite confident of victory because Kåñëa was sitting by his side.

TEXT 24

saïjaya uväca

evam ukto håñékeço

guòäkeçena bhärata

senayor ubhayor madhye

sthäpayitvä rathottamam

SYNONYMS

saïjayaù uväca—Saïjaya said; evam—thus; uktaù—addressed; håñékeçaù—Lord Kåñëa; guòäkeçena—by Arjuna; bhärata—O descendant of Bharata; senayoù—of the armies; ubhayoù—both; madhye—in the midst; sthäpayitvä—placing; ratha-uttamam—the finest chariot.

TRANSLATION

Saïjaya said: O descendant of Bharata, having thus been addressed by Arjuna, Lord Kåñëa drew up the fine chariot in the midst of the armies of both parties.

PURPORT

In this verse Arjuna is referred to as Guòäkeça. Guòäkä means sleep, and one who conquers sleep is called guòäkeça. Sleep also means ignorance. So Arjuna conquered both sleep and ignorance because of his friendship with Kåñëa. As a great devotee of Kåñëa, he could not forget Kåñëa even for a moment, because that is the nature of a devotee. Either in waking or in sleep, a devotee of the Lord can never be free from thinking of Kåñëa’s name, form, qualities and pastimes. Thus a devotee of Kåñëa can conquer both sleep and ignorance simply by thinking of Kåñëa constantly. This is called Kåñëa consciousness, orsamädhi. As Håñékeça, or the director of the senses and mind of every living entity, Kåñëa could understand Arjuna’s purpose in placing the chariot in the midst of the armies. Thus He did so, and spoke as follows.

TEXT 25

bhéñma-droëa-pramukhataù

sarveñäà ca mahé-kñitäm

uväca pärtha paçyaitän

samavetän kurün iti

SYNONYMS

bhéñma—Grandfather Bhéñma; droëa—the teacher Droëa;pramukhataù—in front of; sarveñäm—all; ca—also; mahé-kñitäm—chiefs of the world; uväca—said; pärtha—O son of Påthä; paçya—just behold; etän—all of them; samavetän—assembled; kurün—the members of the Kuru dynasty; iti—thus.

TRANSLATION

In the presence of Bhéñma, Droëa and all the other chieftains of the world, the Lord said, Just behold, Pärtha, all the Kurus assembled here.

PURPORT

As the Supersoul of all living entities, Lord Kåñëa could understand what was going on in the mind of Arjuna. The use of the word Håñékeça in this connection indicates that He knew everything. And the word Pärtha, or the son of Kunté, or Påthä, is also similarly significant in reference to Arjuna. As a friend, He wanted to inform Arjuna that because Arjuna was the son of Påthä, the sister of His own father Vasudeva, He had agreed to be the charioteer of Arjuna. Now what did Kåñëa mean when He told Arjuna to “behold the Kurus”? Did Arjuna want to stop there and not fight? Kåñëa never expected such things from the son of His aunt Påthä. The mind of Arjuna was thus predicted by the Lord in friendly joking.

TEXT 26

taträpaçyat sthitän pärthaù

pitèn atha pitämahän

äcäryän mätulän bhrätèn

puträn pauträn sakhéàs tathä

çvaçurän suhådaç caiva

senayor ubhayor api

SYNONYMS

tatra—there; apaçyat—he could see; sthitän—standing; pärthaù—Arjuna; pitèn—fathers; atha—also; pitämahän—grandfathers; äcäryän—teachers; mätulän—maternal uncles; bhrätèn—brothers; puträn—sons; pauträn—grandsons; sakhén—friends; tathä—too; çvaçurän—fathers-in-law; suhådaù—well-wishers; ca—also; eva—certainly; senayoù—of the armies; ubhayoù—of both parties; api—including.

TRANSLATION

There Arjuna could see, within the midst of the armies of both parties, his fathers, grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, friends, and also his fathers-in-law and well-wishers.

PURPORT

On the battlefield Arjuna could see all kinds of relatives. He could see persons like Bhüriçravä, who were his father’s contemporaries, grandfathers Bhéñma and Somadatta, teachers like Droëäcärya and Kåpäcärya, maternal uncles like Çalya and Çakuni, brothers like Duryodhana, sons like Lakñmaëa, friends like Açvatthämä, well-wishers like Kåtavarmä, etc. He could see also the armies which contained many of his friends.

TEXT 27

tän samékñya sa kaunteyaù

sarvän bandhün avasthitän

kåpayä parayäviñöo

viñédann idam abravét

SYNONYMS

tän—all of them; samékñya—after seeing; saù—he; kaunteyaù—the son of Kunté; sarvän—all kinds of; bandhün—relatives; avasthitän—situated; kåpayä—by compassion; parayä—of a high grade; äviñöaù—overwhelmed; viñédan—while lamenting; idam—thus; abravét—spoke.

TRANSLATION

When the son of Kunté, Arjuna, saw all these different grades of friends and relatives, he became overwhelmed with compassion and spoke thus.

TEXT 28

arjuna uväca

dåñövemaà sva-janaà kåñëa

yuyutsuà samupasthitam

sédanti mama gäträëi

mukhaà ca pariçuñyati

SYNONYMS

arjunaù uväca—Arjuna said; dåñövä—after seeing; imam—all these; sva-janam—kinsmen; kåñëa—O Kåñëa; yuyutsum—all in a fighting spirit; samupasthitam—present; sédanti—are quivering; mama—my;gäträëi—limbs of the body; mukham—mouth; ca—also; pariçuñyati—is drying up.

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.

PURPORT

Any man who has genuine devotion to the Lord has all the good qualities which are found in godly persons or in the demigods, whereas the nondevotee, however advanced he may be in material qualifications by education and culture, lacks in godly qualities. As such, Arjuna, just after seeing his kinsmen, friends and relatives on the battlefield, was at once overwhelmed by compassion for them who had so decided to fight amongst themselves. As far as his soldiers were concerned, he was sympathetic from the beginning, but he felt compassion even for the soldiers of the opposite party, foreseeing their imminent death. And while he was so thinking, the limbs of his body began to quiver, and his mouth became dry. He was more or less astonished to see their fighting spirit. Practically the whole community, all blood relatives of Arjuna, had come to fight with him. This overwhelmed a kind devotee like Arjuna.

Although it is not mentioned here, still one can easily imagine that not only were Arjuna’s bodily limbs quivering and his mouth drying up, but he was also crying out of compassion. Such symptoms in Arjuna were not due to weakness but to his softheartedness, a characteristic of a pure devotee of the Lord. It is said therefore:

yasyästi bhaktir bhagavaty akiïcanä

sarvair guëais tatra samäsate suräù

haräv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guëä

mano-rathenäsati dhävato bahiù

“One who has unflinching devotion for the Personality of Godhead has all the good qualities of the demigods. But one who is not a devotee of the Lord has only material qualifications that are of little value. This is because he is hovering on the mental plane and is certain to be attracted by the glaring material energy.” (Bhäg. 5.18.12)

TEXT 29

vepathuç ca çarére me

roma-harñaç ca jäyate

gäëòévaà sraàsate hastät

tvak caiva paridahyate

SYNONYMS

vepathuù—trembling of the body; ca—also; çarére—on the body; me—my; roma-harñaù—standing of hair on end; ca—also; jäyate—is taking place; gäëòévam—the bow of Arjuna; sraàsate—is slipping; hastät—from the hand; tvak—skin; ca—also; eva—certainly; paridahyate—is burning.

TRANSLATION

My whole body is trembling, my hair is standing on end, my bow Gäëòéva is slipping from my hand, and my skin is burning.

PURPORT

There are two kinds of trembling of the body, and two kinds of standings of the hair on end. Such phenomena occur either in great spiritual ecstasy or out of great fear under material conditions. There is no fear in transcendental realization. Arjuna’s symptoms in this situation are out of material fear—namely, loss of life. This is evident from other symptoms also; he became so impatient that his famous bow Gäëòéva was slipping from his hands, and, because his heart was burning within him, he was feeling a burning sensation of the skin. All these are due to a material conception of life.

TEXT 30

na ca çaknomy avasthätuà

bhramatéva ca me manaù

nimittäni ca paçyämi

viparétäni keçava

SYNONYMS

na—nor; ca—also; çaknomi—am I able; avasthätum—to stay; bhramati—forgetting; iva—as; ca—and; me—my; manaù—mind; nimittäni—causes; ca—also; paçyämi—I see; viparétäni—just the opposite; keçava—O killer of the demon Keçé (Kåñëa).

TRANSLATION

I am now unable to stand here any longer. I am forgetting myself, and my mind is reeling. I see only causes of misfortune, O Kåñëa, killer of the Keçé demon.

PURPORT

Due to his impatience, Arjuna was unable to stay on the battlefield, and he was forgetting himself on account of this weakness of his mind. Excessive attachment for material things puts a man in such a bewildering condition of existence. Bhayaà dvitéyäbhiniveçataù syät(Bhäg. 11.2.37): such fearfulness and loss of mental equilibrium take place in persons who are too affected by material conditions. Arjuna envisioned only painful reverses in the battlefield—he would not be happy even by gaining victory over the foe. The words nimittäni viparétäni are significant. When a man sees only frustration in his expectations, he thinks, “Why am I here?” Everyone is interested in himself and his own welfare. No one is interested in the Supreme Self. Arjuna is showing ignorance of his real self-interest by Kåñëa’s will. One’s real self-interest lies in Viñëu, or Kåñëa. The conditioned soul forgets this, and therefore suffers material pains. Arjuna thought that his victory in the battle would only be a cause of lamentation for him.

TEXT 31

na ca çreyo ’nupaçyämi

hatvä sva-janam ähave

na käìkñe vijayaà kåñëa

na ca räjyaà sukhäni ca

SYNONYMS

na—nor; ca—also; çreyaù—good; anupaçyämi—do I foresee; hatvä—by killing; sva-janam—own kinsmen; ähave—in the fight; na—nor; käìkñe—do I desire; vijayam—victory; kåñëa—O Kåñëa; na—nor; ca—also;räjyam—kingdom; sukhäni—happiness thereof; ca—also.

TRANSLATION

I do not see how any good can come from killing my own kinsmen in this battle, nor can I, my dear Kåñëa, desire any subsequent victory, kingdom, or happiness.

PURPORT

Without knowing that one’s self-interest is in Viñëu (or Kåñëa), conditioned souls are attracted by bodily relationships, hoping to be happy in such situations. In such a blind conception of life, they forget even the causes of material happiness. Arjuna appears to have even forgotten the moral codes for a kñatriya. It is said that two kinds of men, namely the kñatriya who dies directly in front of the battlefield under Kåñëa’s personal orders and the person in the renounced order of life who is absolutely devoted to spiritual culture, are eligible to enter into the sun globe, which is so powerful and dazzling. Arjuna is reluctant even to kill his enemies, let alone his relatives. He thinks that by killing his kinsmen there would be no happiness in his life, and therefore he is not willing to fight, just as a person who does not feel hunger is not inclined to cook. He has now decided to go into the forest and live a secluded life in frustration. But as a kñatriya, he requires a kingdom for his subsistence, because the kñatriyas cannot engage themselves in any other occupation. But Arjuna has no kingdom. Arjuna’s sole opportunity for gaining a kingdom lies in fighting with his cousins and brothers and reclaiming the kingdom inherited from his father, which he does not like to do. Therefore he considers himself fit to go to the forest to live a secluded life of frustration.

TEXTS 32–35

kià no räjyena govinda

kià bhogair jévitena vä

yeñäm arthe käìkñitaà no

räjyaà bhogäù sukhäni ca

ta ime ’vasthitä yuddhe

präëäàs tyaktvä dhanäni ca

äcäryäù pitaraù puträs

tathaiva ca pitämahäù

mätuläù çvaçuräù pauträù

çyäläù sambandhinas tathä

etän na hantum icchämi

ghnato ’pi madhusüdana

api trailokya-räjyasya

hetoù kià nu mahé-kåte

nihatya dhärtaräñörän naù

kä prétiù syäj janärdana

SYNONYMS

kim—what use; naù—to us; räjyena—is the kingdom; govinda—O Kåñëa; kim—what; bhogaiù—enjoyment; jévitena—living; vä—either;yeñäm—of whom; arthe—for the sake; käìkñitam—is desired; naù—by us; räjyam—kingdom; bhogäù—material enjoyment; sukhäni—all happiness; ca—also; te—all of them; ime—these; avasthitäù—situated;yuddhe—on this battlefield; präëän—lives; tyaktvä—giving up; dhanäni—riches; ca—also; äcäryäù—teachers; pitaraù—fathers; puträù—sons;tathä—as well as; eva—certainly; ca—also; pitämahäù—grandfathers;mätuläù—maternal uncles; çvaçuräù—fathers-in-law; pauträù—grandsons; çyäläù—brothers-in-law; sambandhinaù—relatives; tathä—as well as; etän—all these; na—never; hantum—to kill; icchämi—do I wish; ghnataù—being killed; api—even; madhusüdana—O killer of the demon Madhu (Kåñëa); api—even if; trai-lokya—of the three worlds;räjyasya—for the kingdom; hetoù—in exchange; kim nu—what to speak of; mahé-kåte—for the sake of the earth; nihatya—by killing; dhärtaräñörän—the sons of Dhåtaräñöra; naù—our; kä—what; prétiù—pleasure; syät—will there be; janärdana—O maintainer of all living entities.

TRANSLATION

O Govinda, of what avail to us are a kingdom, happiness or even life itself when all those for whom we may desire them are now arrayed on this battlefield? O Madhusüdana, when teachers, fathers, sons, grandfathers, maternal uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons, brothers-in-law and other relatives are ready to give up their lives and properties and are standing before me, why should I wish to kill them, even though they might otherwise kill me? O maintainer of all living entities, I am not prepared to fight with them even in exchange for the three worlds, let alone this earth. What pleasure will we derive from killing the sons of Dhåtaräñöra?

PURPORT

Arjuna has addressed Lord Kåñëa as Govinda because Kåñëa is the object of all pleasures for cows and the senses. By using this significant word, Arjuna indicates that Kåñëa should understand what will satisfy Arjuna’s senses. But Govinda is not meant for satisfying our senses. If we try to satisfy the senses of Govinda, however, then automatically our own senses are satisfied. Materially, everyone wants to satisfy his senses, and he wants God to be the order supplier for such satisfaction. The Lord will satisfy the senses of the living entities as much as they deserve, but not to the extent that they may covet. But when one takes the opposite way—namely, when one tries to satisfy the senses of Govinda without desiring to satisfy one’s own senses—then by the grace of Govinda all desires of the living entity are satisfied. Arjuna’s deep affection for community and family members is exhibited here partly due to his natural compassion for them. He is therefore not prepared to fight. Everyone wants to show his opulence to friends and relatives, but Arjuna fears that all his relatives and friends will be killed on the battlefield and he will be unable to share his opulence after victory. This is a typical calculation of material life.

The transcendental life, however, is different. Since a devotee wants to satisfy the desires of the Lord, he can, Lord willing, accept all kinds of opulence for the service of the Lord, and if the Lord is not willing, he should not accept a farthing. Arjuna did not want to kill his relatives, and if there were any need to kill them, he desired that Kåñëa kill them personally. At this point he did not know that Kåñëa had already killed them before their coming into the battlefield and that he was only to become an instrument for Kåñëa. This fact is disclosed in following chapters. As a natural devotee of the Lord, Arjuna did not like to retaliate against his miscreant cousins and brothers, but it was the Lord’s plan that they should all be killed. The devotee of the Lord does not retaliate against the wrongdoer, but the Lord does not tolerate any mischief done to the devotee by the miscreants. The Lord can excuse a person on His own account, but He excuses no one who has done harm to His devotees.

Therefore the Lord was determined to kill the miscreants, although Arjuna wanted to excuse them.

TEXT 36

päpam eväçrayed asmän

hatvaitän ätatäyinaù

tasmän närhä vayaà hantuà

dhärtaräñörän sa-bändhavän

sva-janaà hi kathaà hatvä

sukhinaù syäma mädhava

SYNONYMS

päpam—vices; eva—certainly; äçrayet—must come upon; asmän—us; hatvä—by killing; etän—all these; ätatäyinaù—aggressors; tasmät—therefore; na—never; arhäù—deserving; vayam—we; hantum—to kill; dhärtaräñörän—the sons of Dhåtaräñöra; sa-bändhavän—along with friends; sva-janam—kinsmen; hi—certainly; katham—how; hatvä—by killing; sukhinaù—happy; syäma—will we become; mädhava—O Kåñëa, husband of the goddess of fortune.

TRANSLATION

Sin will overcome us if we slay such aggressors. Therefore it is not proper for us to kill the sons of Dhåtaräñöra and our friends. What should we gain, O Kåñëa, husband of the goddess of fortune, and how could we be happy by killing our own kinsmen?

PURPORT

According to Vedic injunctions there are six kinds of aggressors: (1) a poison giver, (2) one who sets fire to the house, (3) one who attacks with deadly weapons, (4) one who plunders riches, (5) one who occupies another’s land, and (6) one who kidnaps a wife. Such aggressors are at once to be killed, and no sin is incurred by killing such aggressors. Such killing of aggressors is quite befitting any ordinary man, but Arjuna was not an ordinary person. He was saintly by character, and therefore he wanted to deal with them in saintliness. This kind of saintliness, however, is not for a kñatriya. Although a responsible man in the administration of a state is required to be saintly, he should not be cowardly. For example, Lord Räma was so saintly that people even now are anxious to live in the kingdom of Lord Räma ( räma-räjya), but Lord Räma never showed any cowardice. Rävaëa was an aggressor against Räma because Rävaëa kidnapped Räma’s wife, Sétä, but Lord Räma gave him sufficient lessons, unparalleled in the history of the world. In Arjuna’s case, however, one should consider the special type of aggressors, namely his own grandfather, own teacher, friends, sons, grandsons, etc. Because of them, Arjuna thought that he should not take the severe steps necessary against ordinary aggressors. Besides that, saintly persons are advised to forgive. Such injunctions for saintly persons are more important than any political emergency. Arjuna considered that rather than kill his own kinsmen for political reasons, it would be better to forgive them on grounds of religion and saintly behavior. He did not, therefore, consider such killing profitable simply for the matter of temporary bodily happiness. After all, kingdoms and pleasures derived therefrom are not permanent, so why should he risk his life and eternal salvation by killing his own kinsmen? Arjuna’s addressing of Kåñëa as “Mädhava,” or the husband of the goddess of fortune, is also significant in this connection. He wanted to point out to Kåñëa that, as husband of the goddess of fortune, He should not induce Arjuna to take up a matter which would ultimately bring about misfortune. Kåñëa, however, never brings misfortune to anyone, to say nothing of His devotees.

TEXTS 37–38

yady apy ete na paçyanti

lobhopahata-cetasaù

kula-kñaya-kåtaà doñaà

mitra-drohe ca pätakam

kathaà na jïeyam asmäbhiù

päpäd asmän nivartitum

kula-kñaya-kåtaà doñaà

prapaçyadbhir janärdana

SYNONYMS

yadi—if; api—even; ete—they; na—do not; paçyanti—see; lobha—by greed; upahata—overpowered; cetasaù—their hearts; kula-kñaya—in killing the family; kåtam—done; doñam—fault; mitra-drohe—in quarreling with friends; ca—also; pätakam—sinful reactions; katham—why; na—should not; jïeyam—be known; asmäbhiù—by us; päpät—from sins; asmät—these; nivartitum—to cease; kula-kñaya—in the destruction of a dynasty; kåtam—done; doñam—crime; prapaçyadbhiù—by those who can see; janärdana—O Kåñëa.

TRANSLATION

O Janärdana, although these men, their hearts overtaken by greed, see no fault in killing one’s family or quarreling with friends, why should we, who can see the crime in destroying a family, engage in these acts of sin?

PURPORT

A kñatriya is not supposed to refuse to battle or gamble when he is so invited by some rival party. Under such an obligation, Arjuna could not refuse to fight, because he had been challenged by the party of Duryodhana. In this connection, Arjuna considered that the other party might be blind to the effects of such a challenge. Arjuna, however, could see the evil consequences and could not accept the challenge. Obligation is actually binding when the effect is good, but when the effect is otherwise, then no one can be bound.

Considering all these pros and cons, Arjuna decided not to fight.

TEXT 39

kula-kñaye praëaçyanti

kula-dharmäù sanätanäù

dharme nañöe kulaà kåtsnam

adharmo ’bhibhavaty uta

SYNONYMS

kula-kñaye—in destroying the family; praëaçyanti—become vanquished; kula-dharmäù—the family traditions; sanätanäù—eternal;dharme—religion; nañöe—being destroyed; kulam—family; kåtsnam—whole; adharmaù—irreligion; abhibhavati—transforms; uta—it is said.

TRANSLATION

With the destruction of dynasty, the eternal family tradition is vanquished, and thus the rest of the family becomes involved in irreligion.

PURPORT

In the system of the varëäçrama institution there are many principles of religious traditions to help members of the family grow properly and attain spiritual values. The elder members are responsible for such purifying processes in the family, beginning from birth to death. But on the death of the elder members, such family traditions of purification may stop, and the remaining younger family members may develop irreligious habits and thereby lose their chance for spiritual salvation. Therefore, for no purpose should the elder members of the family be slain.

TEXT 40

adharmäbhibhavät kåñëa

praduñyanti kula-striyaù

stréñu duñöäsu värñëeya

jäyate varëa-saìkaraù

SYNONYMS

adharma—irreligion; abhibhavät—having become predominant; kåñëa—O Kåñëa; praduñyanti—become polluted; kula-striyaù—family ladies;stréñu—by the womanhood; duñöäsu—being so polluted; värñëeya—O descendant of Våñëi; jäyate—comes into being; varëa-saìkaraù—unwanted progeny.

TRANSLATION

When irreligion is prominent in the family, O Kåñëa, the women of the family become polluted, and from the degradation of womanhood, O descendant of Våñëi, comes unwanted progeny.

PURPORT

Good population in human society is the basic principle for peace, prosperity and spiritual progress in life. The varëäçrama religion’s principles were so designed that the good population would prevail in society for the general spiritual progress of state and community. Such population depends on the chastity and faithfulness of its womanhood. As children are very prone to be misled, women are similarly very prone to degradation. Therefore, both children and women require protection by the elder members of the family. By being engaged in various religious practices, women will not be misled into adultery. According to Cäëakya Paëòita, women are generally not very intelligent and therefore not trustworthy. So the different family traditions of religious activities should always engage them, and thus their chastity and devotion will give birth to a good population eligible for participating in the varëäçrama system. On the failure of such varëäçrama-dharma,naturally the women become free to act and mix with men, and thus adultery is indulged in at the risk of unwanted population. Irresponsible men also provoke adultery in society, and thus unwanted children flood the human race at the risk of war and pestilence.

TEXT 41

saìkaro narakäyaiva

kula-ghnänäà kulasya ca

patanti pitaro hy eñäà

lupta-piëòodaka-kriyäù

SYNONYMS

saìkaraù—such unwanted children; narakäya—make for hellish life; eva—certainly; kula-ghnänäm—for those who are killers of the family; kulasya—for the family; ca—also; patanti—fall down; pitaraù—forefathers; hi—certainly; eñäm—of them; lupta—stopped; piëòa—of offerings of food; udaka—and water; kriyäù—performances.

TRANSLATION

An increase of unwanted population certainly causes hellish life both for the family and for those who destroy the family tradition. The ancestors of such corrupt families fall down, because the performances for offering them food and water are entirely stopped.

PURPORT

According to the rules and regulations of fruitive activities, there is a need to offer periodical food and water to the forefathers of the family. This offering is performed by worship of Viñëu, because eating the remnants of food offered to Viñëu can deliver one from all kinds of sinful actions. Sometimes the forefathers may be suffering from various types of sinful reactions, and sometimes some of them cannot even acquire a gross material body and are forced to remain in subtle bodies as ghosts. Thus, when remnants of prasädam food are offered to forefathers by descendants, the forefathers are released from ghostly or other kinds of miserable life. Such help rendered to forefathers is a family tradition, and those who are not in devotional life are required to perform such rituals. One who is engaged in the devotional life is not required to perform such actions. Simply by performing devotional service, one can deliver hundreds and thousands of forefathers from all kinds of misery. It is stated in the Bhägavatam(11.5.41):

devarñi-bhütäpta-nåëäà pitèëäà

na kiìkaro näyam åëé ca räjan

sarvätmanä yaù çaraëaà çaraëyaà

gato mukundaà parihåtya kartam

“Anyone who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of Mukunda, the giver of liberation, giving up all kinds of obligation, and has taken to the path in all seriousness, owes neither duties nor obligations to the demigods, sages, general living entities, family members, humankind or forefathers.” Such obligations are automatically fulfilled by performance of devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

TEXT 42

doñair etaiù kula-ghnänäà

varëa-saìkara-kärakaiù

utsädyante jäti-dharmäù

kula-dharmäç ca çäçvatäù

SYNONYMS

doñaiù—by such faults; etaiù—all these; kula-ghnänäm—of the destroyers of the family; varëa-saìkara—of unwanted children; kärakaiù—which are causes; utsädyante—are devastated; jäti-dharmäù—community projects; kula-dharmäù—family traditions; ca—also; çäçvatäù—eternal.

TRANSLATION

By the evil deeds of those who destroy the family tradition and thus give rise to unwanted children, all kinds of community projects and family welfare activities are devastated.

PURPORT

Community projects for the four orders of human society, combined with family welfare activities, as they are set forth by the institution of sanätana-dharma, or varëäçrama-dharma, are designed to enable the human being to attain his ultimate salvation. Therefore, the breaking of the sanätana-dharma tradition by irresponsible leaders of society brings about chaos in that society, and consequently people forget the aim of life—Viñëu.

Such leaders are called blind, and persons who follow such leaders are sure to be led into chaos.

TEXT 43

utsanna-kula-dharmäëäà

manuñyäëäà janärdana

narake niyataà väso

bhavatéty anuçuçruma

SYNONYMS

utsanna—spoiled; kula-dharmäëäm—of those who have the family traditions; manuñyäëäm—of such men; janärdana—O Kåñëa; narake—in hell; niyatam—always; väsaù—residence; bhavati—it so becomes; iti—thus; anuçuçruma—I have heard by disciplic succession.

TRANSLATION

O Kåñëa, maintainer of the people, I have heard by disciplic succession that those who destroy family traditions dwell always in hell.

PURPORT

Arjuna bases his argument not on his own personal experience, but on what he has heard from the authorities. That is the way of receiving real knowledge.

One cannot reach the real point of factual knowledge without being helped by the right person who is already established in that knowledge. There is a system in the varëäçrama institution by which before death one has to undergo the process of atonement for his sinful activities. One who is always engaged in sinful activities must utilize the process of atonement called the präyaçcitta.

Without doing so, one surely will be transferred to hellish planets to undergo miserable lives as the result of sinful activities.

TEXT 44

aho bata mahat päpaà

kartuà vyavasitä vayam

yad räjya-sukha-lobhena

hantuà sva-janam udyatäù

SYNONYMS

aho—alas; bata—how strange it is; mahat—great; päpam—sins; kartum—to perform; vyavasitäù—have decided; vayam—we; yat—because; räjya-sukha-lobhena—driven by greed for royal happiness; hantum—to kill; sva-janam—kinsmen; udyatäù—trying.

TRANSLATION

Alas, how strange it is that we are preparing to commit greatly sinful acts. Driven by the desire to enjoy royal happiness, we are intent on killing our own kinsmen.

PURPORT

Driven by selfish motives, one may be inclined to such sinful acts as the killing of one’s own brother, father or mother. There are many such instances in the history of the world. But Arjuna, being a saintly devotee of the Lord, is always conscious of moral principles and therefore takes care to avoid such activities.

TEXT 45

yadi mäm apratékäram

açastraà çastra-päëayaù

dhärtaräñörä raëe hanyus

tan me kñemataraà bhavet

SYNONYMS

yadi—even if; mäm—me; apratékäram—without being resistant; açastram—without being fully equipped; çastra-päëayaù—those with weapons in hand; dhärtaräñöräù—the sons of Dhåtaräñöra; raëe—on the battlefield; hanyuù—may kill; tat—that; me—for me; kñema-taram—better; bhavet—would be.

TRANSLATION

Better for me if the sons of Dhåtaräñöra, weapons in hand, were to kill me unarmed and unresisting on the battlefield.

PURPORT

It is the custom—according to kñatriya fighting principles—that an unarmed and unwilling foe should not be attacked. Arjuna, however, decided that even if attacked by the enemy in such an awkward position, he would not fight. He did not consider how much the other party was bent upon fighting.

All these symptoms are due to soft-heartedness resulting from his being a great devotee of the Lord.

TEXT 46

saïjaya uväca

evam uktvärjunaù saìkhye

rathopastha upäviçat

visåjya sa-çaraà cäpaà

çoka-saàvigna-mänasaù

SYNONYMS

saïjayaù uväca—Saïjaya said; evam—thus; uktvä—saying; arjunaù—Arjuna; saìkhye—in the battlefield; ratha—of the chariot; upasthe—on the seat; upäviçat—sat down again; visåjya—putting aside; sa-çaram—along with arrows; cäpam—the bow; çoka—by lamentation; saàvigna—distressed; mänasaù—within the mind.

TRANSLATION

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.

PURPORT

While observing the situation of his enemy, Arjuna stood up on the chariot, but he was so afflicted with lamentation that he sat down again, setting aside his bow and arrows. Such a kind and soft-hearted person, in the devotional service of the Lord, is fit to receive self-knowledge.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Purports to the First Chapter of the Çrémad Bhagavad-gétä in the matter of Observing the Armies on the Battlefield of Kurukñetra.

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