Bhagavad-gita 2.1-11

Arjuna Accepts Krsna as Guru When Bewildered – First Teaching Panditas Never Lament for Body

📅 October 17, 1975 📍 Johannesburg ⏱ 47 min
When bewildered about duty, surrender to the guru ends confusion and begins true spiritual instruction.
Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca

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Bhagavad-gītā 2.1-11 — October 17, 1975, Johannesburg 751017BG-JOHANNESBURG [47:28 Minutes] BG-02.01-11_751017BG-JOHANNESBURG Prabhupāda: I shall speak some verses from Bhagavad-gītā, Second Chapter, in which the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, instructed. The beginning of instruction is the Second Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā. So Arjuna, representing ourself, conditioned soul, covered with the material body and thinking in bodily conception of life... He was to fight with his brothers, nephews, grandfather, Bhīṣmadeva, also teacher the military science, Droṇācārya.

In this way the business was not very palatable. Although he was forced to fight, but the opposite party who were very near, thick and thin people, and he had to kill them, so it was not very satisfactory to him. Therefore he flatly denied to fight: "Kṛṣṇa, I am not going to fight." He left his weapon, and then Kṛṣṇa was surprised that "My friend, Arjuna, he is denying to fight in My presence." So Sañjaya, the private secretary of Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra, he was relaying the message which was going on in the battle of Kurukṣetra by higher process. Nowadays we have got experience of the television, but the another process, antar-dṛṣṭi, that is also television.

You can see the reflection of external activities within your heart, and you can explain. So Sañjaya, the private secretary of Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra, he explained that Arjuna was denying to fight. So, taṁ tathā kṛpayāviṣṭam aśru-pūrṇākulekṣaṇam viṣīdantam idaṁ vākyam uvāca madhusūdanaḥ [Bg. 2.1] Madhusūdana is Kṛṣṇa's another name. So when Kṛṣṇa saw that Arjuna is unnecessarily disturbed, then, taṁ tathā kṛpayāviṣṭam aśru-pūrṇākulekṣaṇam.

Aśru-pūrṇa, his eyes was full with tears: "Kṛṣṇa, I have to fight with my relatives." So he was crying, that "This is not very good business." So why he was crying? Kṛpayāviṣṭam: being merciful upon them. They were so cruel upon the Pāṇḍavas that they insulted their wife, they tricked how to take away their kingdom. All this injustice was done to them.

Still, because Arjuna is a Vaiṣṇava, a devotee, still, he was sympathetic: "No, no, let them do whatever they have done, but I am not going to kill them." So kṛpayāviṣṭam aśru-pūrṇākulekṣaṇam, viṣīdantam. Bhagavān uvāca. Then, after Arjuna being silent not to fight, then Bhagavān... Kṛṣṇa is Bhagavān. Bhagavān means the Supreme Personality of Godhead, full with all opulences.

That is called Bhagavān. Generally in India we speak bhāgyavān. Bhāgyavān means one who has got opulences. So Bhagavān means one who is full in opulences—in wealth, in strength, in influence, in beauty, in education, in renunciation.

In these six way when one is opulent fully, then He can be called Bhagavān. Partially if one is very opulent, sometimes he is also called Bhagavān, but real Bhagavān, according to śāstra, is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam. Others, they may possess some of the opulences—not in full; partially.

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