Pradyumna (leads chanting, etc.):
dhṛtarāṣṭra
uvāca
dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre
samavetā yuyutsavaḥ
māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caiva
kim akurvata sañjaya
[Bg. 1.1]
dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre
samavetā yuyutsavaḥ
māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caiva
kim akurvata sañjaya
[Bg. 1.1]
Prabhupāda:
(during chanting of śloka) Now, in your leisure hour you will try
to repeat and get by heart some of the ślokas. That will be very nice.
Go on.
Pradyumna:
(after synonyms) "Translation: Dhṛtarāṣṭra
said: O Sañjaya, after assembling in the place of pilgrimage at Kurukṣetra,
what did my sons and the sons of Pāṇḍu do, being desirous to fight?"
Prabhupāda:
So the history is that same family, there was dispute who would occupy the throne.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra
and, actually he was the eldest son of the king, and next was Pāṇḍu.
So every country the law of primogeniture, what is called? The eldest child...
In your country even the eldest child is a girl, she also occupies the throne.
Just like present Queen Elizabeth. Formerly there was Queen Victoria; before
that, another Elizabeth. But in India woman has no such right. Woman is never given
any responsible post. That is the opinion of the greatest politician in the
history of the world, Cāṇakya Paṇḍita. According to his opinion, viśvāso
naiva kartavyaḥ strīṣu rāja-kuleṣu
ca.
He has given his explicit opinion that "You cannot trust with any
responsible post or any responsibility with a woman and politician." Those
who are diplomat, politician, you cannot trust them.
So the
general regulation is that woman should remain under the protection of husband,
er, father, husband and children. Just like these Pāṇḍus, their mother, Kuntī,
she was very, very qualified lady. But still, after the death of her husband,
she always remained with the sons. The sons are going to the forest; the mother
is also going. Also the wife is also going, Draupadī.
This was the... So two parties... Dhṛtarāṣṭra
was the eldest son, but he was blind, bodily defect. Therefore he was not
awarded the throne. His next brother, Pāṇḍu,
he was offered the throne, but he died very early age, a young man. When these
Pāṇḍus, the five sons, Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja,
at at that time not Mahārāja, Yudhiṣṭhira,
Bhīma,
Arjuna,
Nakula,
Sahadeva,
they were very small children, so they were taken care of by Dhṛtarāṣṭra
and other elderly family... Bhīṣmadeva. He was the grandfather of the Pāṇḍavas.
He was the elder uncle of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. Bhīṣma
was elder brother of Dhṛtarāṣṭra's father. He was so old. But he was...
Actually, the kingdom belonged to Bhīṣma, but he remained a brahmacārī,
he did not marry. There was no issue of Bhīṣmadeva. Therefore his nephews, Dhṛtarāṣṭra
and Pāṇḍu,
they were inheritor.
Now,
after the death of Pāṇḍu, there was conspiracy. Dhṛtarāṣṭra
wanted that "Actually, this is my kingdom. Now, somehow or other, I could
not get it. Now my brother is dead. So if I do not inherit, why not my
sons.?" This was the politics. Politics are always there, and enviousness,
jealousy. This is the nature of this material world. You cannot avoid it.
Spiritual world means just the opposite. There is no politics. There is no
jealousy. There is no enviousness. That is spiritual world. And material world
means politics, jealousy, diplomacy, enviousness, so many things. This is
material world. So even in the heavenly planets, these things are there,
politics. Even in animal kingdom, these politics are there. This is the nature.
Matsaratā. Matsaratā means enviousness. One man is envious of
another man. It doesn't matter, even they are brothers or family members. Here
the family members, Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Pāṇḍu,
two brothers, their sons, they were family members, but the enviousness...
So the Kṛṣṇa
consciousness movement is not for the persons who are envious. Envious. It is a
movement to train people how to become not envious. It is very first-class
scientific movement, yes. Not to become envious. Therefore Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
in the beginning introduces, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo
atra
[SB 1.1.2].
In this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, dharma,
religious principles, cheating type of religious principle is completely
eradicated, thrown away, projjhita. They are kicked out, projjhita.
Just like you collect all the dirty things from the room, sweeping and then
kick out, don't keep it within the room. Similarly, cheating type of religious
system—kicked out. It is not such religion, "this religion,"
"that religion." Any religion system, if there is jealousy, that is
not religion. Jealousy means... We should understand jealousy, what is
jealousy. Jealousy means that you are rightful owner of something; I won't
allow you to take it. This is jealousy. This is jealousy. Jealousy, try to
understand. Suppose you are rightful owner of something, and I am trying that
"You don't own it. I shall own it. Or somebody own it. I shall not allow
it." This is jealousy.
So what
is the rightful ownership of the living entity? That is to be understood.
Birthright, what is called birthright. Just like everyone has got right to live
under the protection of the government, everyone. That is good government.
Government should give security of life and property. That is government. Not
only for the human being, but even for the ant. This is government. Not that I
give protection to my brother, and not to others. That is not... Just like Parīkṣit
Mahārāja,
he was giving protection to the animals also. When he was on his tour, as soon
as he saw that a black man was trying to kill one cow, oh, immediately he took
his sword, "Who are you? You are trying to kill?"
So this
is good government. Unless the government is equal to everyone... Just like God
is equal to everyone. The king or the government must be representative of God.
Therefore, according to Vedic civilization, king is offered as good respect as
to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. King is called nara-deva,
nara-deva.
That means "God in human form." King is given... Why? Because he acts
as the representative of God. He cannot be jealous to any living entity, at
least, born in his kingdom. That is called praja.
Praja
means one who has taken birth, or, in other words, national, national. So that
was the duty.
So
formerly, when there was fight between two kings, it is on the principle that
who is giving good protection to the citizens, not for personal profit. Who is
able to give good protection, life, security for life and property, he should
become king. So these persons, this Dhṛtarāṣṭra
and his sons, they were jealous. How they could give protection to the
citizens? They are themselves jealous. Just like nowadays, all these
politicians, they are jealous. They cannot give any protection to the citizens.
They are simply interested with their party politics. They have no time even to
think how to give nice protection to the citizens so that they may feel happy
always that "We have got good government. There is no cause of anxiety. We
have got sufficient food, sufficient protection, sufficient opulence,
everything sufficient." That is good government.
So here, Dhṛtarāṣṭra,
he is jealous. He cannot give any good government. Kṛṣṇa
knew it. Kṛṣṇa
sent a messenger, Akrura. You have read in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Before this Battle of Kurukṣetra from Dvārakā,
He sent his uncle Akrūra: "Just go to Hastināpura, New Delhi,
and see what is the situation." So Akrūra
understood that Dhṛtarāṣṭra was planning something. So he talked
with him that "Why you are implicated in such planning? Kṛṣṇa
does not want it." Although Dhṛtarāṣṭra
knew that Kṛṣṇa was the Supreme Personality of Godhead... So Dhṛtarāṣṭra
said that "I know that what I am planning, that is not good. I know Kṛṣṇa—the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. And He has requested me. But I tell you
frankly, I cannot do without it. So when Kṛṣṇa
will be pleased upon me, I may be."
So this
is the position of the materialistic person. A materialistic person knows that
he is sinful. A materialistic person knows that whatever he is doing is wrong,
but he cannot check. Just like the thief. A thief knows that if he commits
stealing, he will be arrested, he will be punished. He knows. Because he heard
from lawbooks, from other sources, and he has also seen that a thief is
arrested and he is taken by the police for being punished. So we have got two
kinds of experiences: by hearing and by seeing directly. In Bengali it is
called, dekhā-śunā. In India it is called. The two kinds of
experience: one by seeing, practically experiencing, hand to hand; another by
hearing. So one who is intelligent, he gets his experience simply by hearing
from the right source. That is nice.
So our
process is that we are getting experience about the perfect knowledge, the
destination of life, simply by hearing from Kṛṣṇa.
So we are the most intelligent person. It is not possible to experience
directly, but if one has got intelligence, then simply by hearing and
considering and thinking over it, he gets the experience. So those who are very
sinful, they get experience by hearing and by direct, directly seeing also;
still, they cannot check from sinful activities. So Dhṛtarāṣṭra,
Dhṛtarāṣṭra,
by his sinful activities he became so much fallen that he did not hear
anybody's advice, Vidura's advice, Bhīṣma's advice, that "Don't plan like
this. They are rightful owners. The Pāṇḍavas, they are rightful owners. They
are minor, but don't try to cheat them." But Dhṛtarāṣṭra
was...
So when
the planning was complete and the warfield was set up at dharma-kṣetre
kuru-kṣetre
[Bg. 1.1].
Dharma-kṣetre
means, kuru-kṣetre,
that place is a pilgrimage. People still go to observe religious ritualistic
performances. And in the Vedas there is injunction, kuru-kṣetre
dharmam
ācaret:
"If you want to perform some ritualistic ceremonies, religious, then go to
Kurukṣetra."
So Kurukṣetra
is a dharma-kṣetra.
It is a not fictitious thing, just like rascal commentators, so-called, they
say, "Kurukṣetra means this body." It is not that. As it is. Try to
understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is. Kurukṣetra,
dharma-kṣetra.
It is a place of religion. And especially when Kṛṣṇa
was present there, it is already. Why this house? Before our occupation, why
this house was an ordinary house? Now it is temple. It is dharma-kṣetra,
it is a religious place. Why? Because Kṛṣṇa
is there. Kṛṣṇa is there. So either you take Kurukṣetra,
ordinary place. But because in the battlefield Kṛṣṇa
was there directing Arjuna. So it is already dharma-kṣetra.
So
formerly people were religiously trained up. So they could not speak lies in a dharma-kṣetra.
That is still the practice. Just like in the western world, the Christians go
to the church, they admit, confession, "Yes, I have done it." But
that has become a formality. But actually, one should admit in religious place
that "Yes, I have done this." But that does not mean you admit and
again do it. No. You admit once, then you are excused. But don't do it again.
So here Dhṛtarāṣṭra
says, samavetā yuyutsavaḥ [Bg. 1.1].
"All these people, my sons, māmakāḥ..."
Māmakāḥ.
That means "my sons," and pāṇḍava,
"my brother Pāṇḍu's sons." Samavetā,
"they assembled." What is the purpose? The purpose is yuyutsavaḥ.
This word yuyutsu is still used in Japan.
Perhaps you know, yuyutsa, fighting. So yuyutsu, those who are
desirous of fighting. Now, both the parties were desiring to fight, and they
assembled. Why he is asking question, kim
akurvata:
"What did they do"? Because he was little doubtful that "These
boys, after being assembled in dharma-kṣetra
kuru-kṣe...,
they might have changed their ideas. They might have settled up."
Actually, the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra might have admitted, "Yes,
Pāṇḍavas, you are actually the owner. What is the use of unnecessarily
fighting?" So he was very much anxious whether they had changed their
decision. Therefore he is asking. Otherwise there was no question of asking, kim
akurvata.
He... Just like if you are given food, if I ask somebody that "Such and
such gentleman was served with nice dishes. Then what did he do?" This is
foolish question. He would eat. That's all. (laughter) What is the question of
"What did he do?" Similarly, when it is already settled up that they
were to fight, there was no such question as kim
akurvata,
"What did they do?" But he asked this question because he was
doubtful whether they had changed their opinion.
Kim
akurvata
sañjaya [Bg. 1.1].
He was asking his secretary. He was blind man. He was always conducted by his
secretary Sañjaya, a very faithful secretary. And he is
explaining the Bhagavad-gītā by experiencing, by television within
the heart. That art is not yet developed. You have got television through machine,
but there is another television—you can see within your heart everything, what
is going on outside. So that television was known to... That will be explained
by Sañjaya,
that by the grace of Vyāsadeva, he learned this televisioning, and he was
sitting with his master within the room and he was actually seeing how the
fighting is going on. And he was explaining. This is the basic principle of Bhagavad-gītā,
I mean, the basic platform. So let us discuss gradually, one after an... Thank
you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. [break]
...leader
to Bhagavad-gītā and became a sādhu,
mahātmā,
but when they found that a mahātmā is leader and he is a great student
of Bhagavad-gītā, and by the way all people gathered
round him. Although he was a politician, he has nothing to do with Bhagavad-gītā
or mahātmā,
no. (laughter) Because the definition of mahātmā
is given in the Bhagavad-gītā. The definition of mahātmā
is there: mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ
prakṛtim
āśritāḥ,
bhajanty ananya manaso [Bg. 9.13].
This is mahātmā. Mahātmā
means he has taken shelter of Kṛṣṇa cent percent, and his only business is to
worship and glorify Kṛṣṇa. That is mahātmā.
So Gandhi
never believed that there was Kṛṣṇa, but he became mahātmā
by popular vote. That's all. That kind of mahātmā
is not accepted by the śāstra. Mahātmā
is, first symptom of mahātmā is that he must be a great devotee of
Kṛṣṇa.
That is mahātmā. That is.... Mahātmānas tu māṁ
pārtha
daivīṁ
prakṛtim
āśritāḥ
[Bg. 9.13].
And he is not under any material world. He is in the spiritual world. Daivīṁ
prakṛtim
āśritāḥ.
And what is the symptom? Bhajanty ananya-manaso.
Ananya-manaso,
without any diversion, he's simply devoted to Kṛṣṇa.
This is mahātmā. Everything is there in the Bhagavad-gītā,
therefore I request you to study Bhagavad-gītā
thoroughly as it is. Then you become perfectly powerful, spiritual. Now chant Hare
Kṛṣṇa.
(end)
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