Mental Speculation

Intellectual gymnastics and non-bona fide analysis of Gita’s teachings will never allow us to appreciate the mystery of this great wisdom

atha vyavasthitan drstva
dhartarastran kapi-dhvajah
pravrtte sastra-sampate
dhanur udyamya pandavah
hrsikesam tada vakyam
idam aha mahi-pate
[Bhagavad-gita 1.20]

O King, at that time Arjuna, the son of Pandu, who was seated in his chariot, his flag marked with Hanuman, took up his bow and prepared to shoot his arrows, looking at the sons of Dhrtarastra. O King, Arjuna then spoke to Hrsikesa [Krishna ] these words: Again the word hrsikesa is used here, as in the beginning (hrsikesa pancajanyam). Krishna is again designated as hrsikesa . As we have explained several times, bhakti means hrsikena hrsikesa sevanam bhaktir ucyate [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. Bhakti, the whole devotional service program, means hrsikena hrsikesa sevanam. So Arjuna was meant for serving Krishna , because he is bhakta. Krishna has already addressed him, bhakto's i, priyo's i, rahasyam hy etad uttamam: [Bg. 4.3] “My dear Arjuna, I am speaking to you the mystery of Bhagavad-gita.” It is rahasyam, a mystery. Mystery means very complicated; no ordinary man can understand. But this is no ordinary rahasyam. It is uttamam, which means transcendental, not covered with darkness of material science. This mystery is brilliant, daivam.

Ordinary men cannot understand this mystery. Therefore they speculate, interpret it foolishly, and demonstrate their rascaldom. Even big, big scholars cannot understand because they are not devotees. This science is meant for devotees. This whole Bhagavad-gita is a transaction between God and His devotee. Just like if you go to the market and see two mercantile men talking. So it should be understood that both are businessman, and they must be talking something about business. It is a natural conclusion. They may be appearing to talk something serious, but that does not mean they are discussing Bhagavadgita. They must be talking about business, something about profit. In a stock exchange, all businessmen come together, and there is a great noise and howling, talking with each other, tumultuous sound. The businessmen are fixing the rates, “This is my rate. What is your rate?” You cannot expect that the businessmen are discussing the Bhagavata and Bhagavad-gita. No.

Krishna and Arjuna

Talks between Krishna and His devotee will always be bhakti,
even though other topics may appear in the discussion.

Similarly, when there is talk between the Supreme Lord Krishna and His devotee, the whole talk is bhakti. It is nothing else. They may derive some meaning, jnana, jnanatmaka-vyakhya. They discuss about the understanding of the jnanis, philosophical speculators. They are also candidate. Jnanis are also interested to know what Krishna is. arto artharthi jijnasur jnani ca bharatarnabha (Gita 7.16): these four classes of men, if their background life is pious, will approach Krishna .

Impious life cannot inquire or understand about God. We have several times repeated the verse:

yesam tv anta-gatam papam
jananam punya-karmanam
te dvandva-moha-nirmukta
bhajante mam drdha-vratah
 [Gita 7.28] 

Papis, sinful men, cannot understand. They think, “Krishna is Bhagavan; so I am also Bhagavan. Krishna is an ordinary man, maybe a little powerful, historically very famous. But after all, he is a man. And I am also a man. So why not I am God?” This is the conclusion of the abhaktas, non-devotees and sinful men.

Anyone who declares himself God should be understood to be the greatest sinful man. If you study his private life, you will see that he is number one sinful man. This is the test. Otherwise nobody will say that I am God, this false representation.  Any pious man will not do it. He knows, “What I am? I am an ordinary human being. How can I claim to take the position of God?”

In this world there are many so-called great men, and they are very much praised by the general people. The Bhagavata says that anyone who is not a devotee, who never chants the Hare Krishna mantra, may be very great man in the estimation of rascals, but he is nothing but an animal. sva-vid-varahostra-kharaih (Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.19). Our business is a very thankless task. We generally say that any man who is not a devotee is a rascal. It is a very harsh word, but we have to use it. How do we say this? He is not my enemy, but we have to say because it is stated by Krishna .

If we are really Krishna conscious, then our business is to repeat the words of Krishna . That’s all. What is the difference between Krishna's representative and non-representative? The representative of Krishna will simply repeat what Krishna says. It doesn’t require much qualification. You simply repeat with firm conviction. As Krishna says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Gita 18.66]. So one who has accepted this fact “If I surrender to Krishna , my all business is successful,” he is Krishna's representative.

Just like Arjuna said, sarvam etad rtam manye yan mam vadasi kesava (Gita 10.14): “My dear Krishna , Kesava, whatever You are saying, I accept it, without any change.” That is bhakta. Therefore Arjuna is addressed, bhakto's i. This is the bhakta’s business. Why shall I think Krishna is like me, an ordinary man? This is the difference between a bhakta and non-bhakta. A bhakta knows, “I am insignificant, a small spark of Krishna . Krishna is an individual person, and I am also an individual person. But when we consider about His power and my power, I am most insignificant.” This is the proper understanding.

There is no difficulty. Simply one must be sincere, not sinful. One famous philosopher said, “Why you are searching after God? Don’t you see so many gods are loitering in the street?” This is his God realization. And he became a big man: “Oh, he is seeing everyone God.”

This foolishness, this rascaldom, is going on all over the world. No one knows what God is, what His power is. They are accepting some rascal as God. Now another rascal has come, and he is also declaring himself as God. It has become a very cheap thing. They have no brain to think, “I am claiming to be God, but what power have I got?”

So this is the mystery. Without becoming a devotee, understanding God is not possible. And Krishna has said in the Bhagavad gita how one can know Him. bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah (Gita 18.55): Only by devotion, simply. He could have said, “By high, topmost knowledge” or “by yogic process” or “by acting, becoming a very great karmi, worker, one can understand Me.” No, he has never said this.

Mental Speculation a Stumbling Block

Just as Hanuman assisted Lord Rama in battle, Arjuna was going to assist Lord Krishna in His mission.

A great scholar of the Bhagavad-gita has distorted the meaning of the Krishna's words. In the Gita, Krishna says man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru (Gita 18.65): “You always think of Me . . .” This is Krishna consciousness. But this scholar says, “It is not to the person Krishna we have to bow down.” Just see – such a big scholar, doctor of philosophy, but he cannot understand Krishna . Krishna says directly, “Think of Me,” but he interprets in a distorted way.

In this verse, Sanjaya is addressing Dhatarashtra as mahi-pate (“O King”). Kapi-dhvajah is also significant. Just as every nation has its flag, so Arjuna also had his dhvajah, or flag. The flag was on the top of his chariot. And it was marked with Hanuman, or Vajrahgaji, who fought for Lord Ramacandra. Arjuna is going to fight for Krishna , and thus he is also following the footsteps of Vajrahgaji.

This is Vaisnavism. Mahajano yena gataù sa panthaù (Cc. Madhya 17.186): A Vaisnava should follow his previous mahajana, or authority. We don’t manufacture ideas – we don’t commit such rascaldom. We simply accept the behavior or the activities of previous acaryas. There is no difficulty.

Thank you very much. Hare Krishna .