London, July 17, 1973

Pradyumna (leads chanting, etc.):

atha vyavasthitä n då ñ ö vä

dhä rtarä ñ ö rä n kapi-dhvajaù

pravå tte ç astra-sampä te

dhanur udyamya pä ë ò avaù

hå ñ é keç aà tadä vä kyam

idam ä ha mahé -pate

[Bg. 1.20]

Translation: " O King, at that time Arjuna, the son of Pä ë ò u, who was seated in his chariot, his flag marked with Hanumä n, took up his bow and prepared to shoot his arrows, looking at the sons of Dhå tarä ñ ö ra. O King, Arjuna then spoke to Hå ñ é keç a, Kå ñ ë a, these words: "

Prabhupä da: So again the word hå ñ é keç a is used here. In the beginning also, hå ñ é keç aù pä ï cajanyam. Kå ñ ë a is again designated as Hå ñ é keç a. As we have explained several times, bhakti means hå ñ é kena hå ñ é keç a-sevanaà bhaktir ucyate [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. Bhakti, the whole devotional service program, means hå ñ é kena hå ñ é keç a-sevanam. So Arjuna was meant for serving Kå ñ ë a, because he is bhakta. Kå ñ ë a has already addressed him, bhakto 'si, priyo 'si, rahasyaà hy etad uttamam: [Bg. 4.3] " My dear Arjuna, I am speaking to you the mystery of Bhagavad-gé tä." It is a mystery. Mystery means very complicated; no ordinary man can understand. Therefore it is called mystery, rahasyam. But not ordinary rahasyam, uttamam. Uttamam means transcendental, not covered with darkness of material science. But it is brilliant, daivam, divyam. Rahasyam.

So ordinary man cannot understand. Therefore they interpret foolishly, speculate, and demonstrate their rascaldom. That's all. Even big, big scholars. So they cannot understand because they are not devotee. It is meant for the devotee. This whole Bhagavad-gé tä is a transaction between God and His devotee. There is nothing more. Just like if you go to the market and two mercantile men talking. So it should be understood that he is also businessman, he is also businessman, so they must be talking something about business. It is natural conclusion. Two businessmen are talking seriously, not that they are discussing Bhagavad-gé tä. You cannot say that. They must be talking about business, something about profit.

Just like all the businessmen, they assemble in exchange, like stock exchange. So there is howling, great sound, talking with each other, tumultuous sound. That tumultuous sound means one businessman is talking, " What is your rate? This is my rate. What is your rate? " That's all. You cannot expect that a stock exchange, the people gathered there, they are talking something about Bhä gavata and Bhagavad-gé tä. No.

Similarly, when there is talk between the Supreme Lord Kå ñ ë a and His devotee, so this whole talk is bhakti. It is nothing else. They derive some meaning, jï ä na, jï ä nä tmaka-vyä khyä. They describe on the understanding of the jï ä né s, philosophical speculators. They are also candidate. Those who are jï ä nis actually, they are also interested to know what is Kå ñ ë a. Jï ä né ca bharatarñ abha, jijï ä sur. Ä rto arthä rthé jijï ä sur jï ä né ca bharatarñ abha [Bg. 7.16]. These four classes of men, provided their background is pious life....

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

yeñ ä à tv anta-gataà pä paà

janä nä à puë ya-karmaë ä m

te dvandva-moha-nirmuktä

bhajante mä à då ò ha-vratä ù

[Bg. 7.28]

Pä pé s, sinful men, they cannot understand. They understand, only think that " Kå ñ ë a is Bhagavä n; so I am also Bhagavä n. He's an ordinary man, maybe little powerful, historically very famous man. So He is, after all, a man. So I am also man. So why not I am God? " This is the conclusion of the abhaktas, non-devotees and sinful men.

So anyone who is declaring himself God, immediately you should know he is the greatest sinful man. And 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. Nobody. Any pious man will not do it. He knows, " What I am? I am ordinary human being. How can I claim to take the position of God? " And they become famous among rascals.

As it is stated in the Ç ré mad-Bhä gavatam, ç va-viò -varä hoñ ö ra kharaiù [SB 2.3.19]. What is that verse? Uñ ö ra-kharaiù, saà stutaù puruñ aù paç uù. They.... in this world we see there are many great men, so-called great men, and they are very much praised by the general people. So Bhä gavata says, that anyone who is not a devotee, who never chants the Hare Kå ñ ë a mantra, he may be very great man in the estimation of rascals, but he is nothing but an animal. Ç va-viò -varä ha-uñ ö ra-kharaiù. " So how you can say such a great man. You are saying that animal." Our business is very thankless task. We say any man who is not a devotee, he is rascal. We say generally. It is very harsh word, but we have to use it. As soon as we see that he is not a devotee of Kå ñ ë a, then he's a rascal. How do we say? He is not my enemy, but we have to say because it is stated by Kå ñ ë a.

If we are really Kå ñ ë a conscious, then our business is to repeat the words of Kå ñ ë a. That's all. What is the difference between a Kå ñ ë a's representative and non-representative? The representative of Kå ñ ë a will simply repeat what Kå ñ ë a says. That's all. He becomes representative. It doesn't require much qualification. You simply repeat with firm conviction. As Kå ñ ë a says, sarva-dharmä n parityajya mä m ekaà ç araë aà vraja [Bg. 18.66]. So one who has accepted this fact, that, " If I surrender to Kå ñ ë a, my all business is successful, " he is Kå ñ ë a's representative. That's all.

You don't require to be very highly educated or advanced. Simply if you simply accept that what Kå ñ ë a says... Just like Arjuna said, sarvam etaà å tam manye yad vadasi keç ava: [Bg. 10.14] " My dear Kå ñ ë a, Keç ava, whatever You are saying, I accept it, without any change." That is bhakta. Therefore Arjuna is addressed, bhakto 'si. This is the bhakta's business. Why shall I think of Kå ñ ë a as like me, ordinary man? This is the difference between a bhakta and not bhakta. A bhakta knows that " I am insignificant, a small spark of Kå ñ ë a. Kå ñ ë a is individual person. I am also individual person. But when we consider about His power and my power, I am most insignificant." This is understanding of Kå ñ ë a.

There is no difficulty. Simply one must be sincere, not sinful. But a sinful man cannot understand Him. The sinful man, he will say, " Oh, Kå ñ ë a is also man. I am also man. Why I am not God? He is simply God? No, I am also. I am God. You are God, you are God, every God." Just like Vivekananda said, " Why you are searching after God? Don't you see so many gods are loitering in the street? " You see. This is his God realization. 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. One does not know what is God, what is power of God, what is meant by God. They are accepting some rascal as God. As nowadays, that is going on. Another rascal has come. He is also declaring himself God. So it has become very cheap thing. But they have no brain to think that " I am claiming God; what power I have got? "

So this is the mystery. This is the mystery. Without becoming devotee, the mystery of understanding God is not possible. And Kå ñ ë a has said in the Bhagavad-gé tä how one can know Him. Bhaktyä mä m abhijä nä ti yä vä n yaç cä smi tattvataù [Bg. 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 karmé, worker, one can understand Me." No, he has never said, never said. So the karmé s, jï ä né s, yogis, they are all rascals. They cannot understand Kå ñ ë a. All rascals. Karmé s are third-class rascals, the jï ä né s are second-class rascal, and the yogis are first-class rascal. That's all.

You should understand, the so-called yogis, they are first-class rascal because they do not understand Kå ñ ë a. The jï ä né s they are also second-class rascal. Even a big scholar like Dr. Radhakrishnan, he is how, I mean to say, deforming the meaning of Bhagavad-gé tä. Kå ñ ë a says man-manä bhava mad-bhakto mad-yä jé mä à namaskuru: [Bg. 18.65] " You always think..." This is Kå ñ ë a consciousness, man-manä: " Always think of Kå ñ ë a, Me, about Me, " Kå ñ ë a says. And they will make meaning that you can say also. " Kå ñ ë a says that you always think of Him; you can say also, Think of me." This meaning, they are distorting. So Kå ñ ë a says man-manä bhava mad-bhakto mad-yä jé mä à namaskuru [Bg. 18.65], and this Dr. Radhakrishnan says, " It is not to the Kå ñ ë a person." Just see. Just a big scholar, doctor of philosophy, he cannot understand Kå ñ ë a. Kå ñ ë a says directly, man-manä bhava mad-bhaktaù [Bg. 9.34]. He is interpreting in a different way.

Therefore this word is used here, hå ñ é keç a. Hå ñ é keç am idaà vä kyam, hå ñ é keç am tadä vä kyam idam ä ha mahé -pate [Bg. 1.20]. Mahé -pate, " O King..." Saï jaya was addressing Dhå tarä ñ ö ra. He's a king. So mahé -pate. Hå ñ é keç aà kapi-dhvajaù. Kapi-dhvajaù is nominative. So " He said..." Kapi-dhvajaù. Kapi-dhvajaù is also significant. Kapi-dhvajaù, Arjuna, on his... Just like nowadays also, every nation has different types of flags, so Arjuna also had his flag on the... Dhvajaù. Dhvajaù means the flag. The flag was on the top of his chariot. And it was marked with Hanumä n, Vajrä ì gajé, Vajrä ì gajé, Hanumä n, who fought for Lord Rä macandra. He is fighting for Kå ñ ë a. So he is also following the footsteps of Vajrä ì gajé.

Vaiñ ë avism is like that. Mahä jano yena gataù sa panthä ù [Cc. Madhya 17.186]. Mahä jano yena gataù sa panthä ù. Vaiñ ë ava should follow his previous mahä jana, authority. That is Vaiñ ë avism. We don't manufacture ideas. We don't commit such rascaldom. We simply accept the behavior or the activities of previous ä cä ryas. There is no difficulty. There is no difficulty.

So in the fighting principle, Arjuna is fighting for Kå ñ ë a. He is following the previous fighting ä cä rya, Hanumä nji. Therefore he has depicted his flag with Hanumä n, that " Hanumä nji, Vajrä ì gajé, kindly help me." This is Vaiñ ë avism. " I have come here to fight for Lord Kå ñ ë a. You fought also for the Lord. Kindly help me." This is the idea. Kapi-dhvajaù. So any activities of the Vaiñ ë ava, they should always pray to the previous ä cä rya, " Kindly help me. Kindly..." This is, Vaiñ ë ava is always thinking himself helpless, helpless. And begging help from the previous ä cä rya.

Just like in Caitanya-caritä må ta you will find, the author, at the end of every chapter:

ç ré rü pa-raghunä tha-pade yä ra ä ç a

caitanya-caritä må ta kahe kå ñ ë adä sa

[Cc. Adi 1.110]

His every line, he is thinking of Rü pa-Raghunä tha, previous ä cä ryas. " So let me surrender to the gosvä mé s and they will help me how to write." You cannot write. That is not possible.

So this is Vaiñ ë ava's policy. Vaiñ ë ava ö hä kura, tomä ra kukkura, baliyä janaha more. Bhaktivinoda Ö hä kura has sung, " My dear vaiñ ë ava ö hä kura, you just accept me as your dog, as the dog works by the indication of the master." He will give his life. Dog has a good qualification. However a strong dog may be, when the master orders, he will give his life. This is dog, faithful, so faithful to the master. So vaiñ ë ava ö hä kura... So Bhaktivinoda Ö hä kura is praying, vaiñ ë ava ö hä kura, tomä ra kukkura, baliyä janaha more: " My dear vaiñ ë ava ö hä kura..." Vaiñ ë ava ö hä kura means guru. " Kindly accept me as your dog." And he describes, I forget the exact language, that " I will always try to protect you. As dog keeps watch, so I will watch so nobody will come to disturb you. And whatever little prasä dam you'll give me, I'll be satisfied." That dog's qualification. The master is eating, but the dog will never come, unless the master gives little morsel. He is satisfied. He is satisfied.

So this is Vaiñ ë avism, to follow the previous ä cä rya. This is Vaiñ ë avism. Mahä jano yena gataù sa panthä ù [Cc. Madhya 17.186], dharmasya tattvaà nihitaà guhä yä à mahä jano yena gataù.... Tarko 'pratiñ ö haù ç rutayo vibhinnä. Tarko, if you are very great logician, you can argue, " Oh why Kå ñ ë a can be God? I can be God, " by logic you may defeat an ignorant devotee, but ç ä stra says by becoming a big logician, you cannot understand transcendental knowledge. Transcendental knowledge you have to understand by submitting, praë ipä tena, tad viddhi praë ipä tena [Bg. 4.34]. First of all surrender. Tad viddhi. If you want to know this transcendental science, then you must fully surrender. This is first qualification. Tad viddhi praë ipä tena paripraç nena sevayä. Three things. First surrender; then if you cannot understand, then you question. Otherwise you have no right to question from a Vaiñ ë ava.

Not that " Can you show me God? " What qualification you have got? You want to see God. Another rascal will say " Yes, I will show you God. Come to me. I shall show you God." This is going on. One rascal inquires, " Can you show me God? " and the big rascal says, " Yes, come to me alone. I shall show you God." This business is going on. God's seeing is so cheap thing that any rascal comes, " Can you show me God, " and another rascal says, " Yes, come to me. In the evening I shall show you." That means if he is a foolish rascal, then he will show him something magic, and he will understand, " Oh I have seen God." That's all, finished. God-seeing business is finished. And he comes... After God-seeing, he is the same, the same rascal. What improvement you have... You have seen God. What improvement you have made? God seeing is so cheap thing. No.

So we should be very careful. If we actually are interested in understanding... Manuñ yä ë ä à. It is not so easy. In the Bhagavad-gé tä you will find. Manuñ yä ë ä à sahasreñ u kaç cid yatati siddhaye [Bg. 7.3]. Out of many millions of persons, kaç cid yatati siddhaye, one person becomes interested how to make his life successful. Because they do not know what is successful life. They simply know how to work like hogs and dogs, day and night working. And what is the goal of life? Now, sense gratification. Just like the hogs. Hogs, you will find, day and night finding out where is stool. And he will eat. And as soon as the hogs become very fatty, because they eat actually very substantial... Stool is chemically very substantial food. It contains hydro-phosphytes. The doctors said. I do not know whether they have tasted. (laughter). But they taste it actually. When they test in laboratory, they taste. I know that. They taste it. They have to taste it. Because their laboratory, chemical examination means the symptoms has to be written, the characteristics. Just like potassium cyanide, they have not tasted. Because as soon as you taste, you will die. (laughter)

So chemical analysis means one has to test to find out the characteristic. So this I have seen, one doctor friend, he was keeping one dysentery stool in a plate, on his table, I saw. " What is this doctor? " He said, " Oh, it is to be tasted... It is dysentery stool". So they taste it. They have to. They take fish... Everyone, medical men know. So this hog's business is to eat stool, and as soon as he gets fatty, then sex. And that sex has no discrimination. You will see, a hogs, he does not care whether mother, sister or anyone, daughter. It doesn't matter. So this is hog civilization. Simply eating and getting strength of the senses and enjoy it.

This human life is not meant for that purpose. Therefore it is said that a person without God consciousness, Kå ñ ë a consciousness, he is no better than these dogs and hogs. That's all. This is our conclusion. We don't give any formal respect. Of course, we have to give because we are in this world. But at heart we cannot give respect to a person who has not any sense of Kå ñ ë a consciousness. We cannot give. Because who is going to give any respect to the dogs and hogs? Ç va-viò -varä hoñ ö ra-kharaiù saà stutaù puruñ aù paç uù [SB 2.3.19]. Therefore Jé va Gosvä mé has commented on this verse... If somebody says that " This Mr. such and such, this Dr. such and such, he is respected by so many people, and you are saying that he's a rascal? What is this? " So Jé va Gosvä mé says that " This man, who is respected, but he is respected by whom? He is respected by this class of men: dogs, hogs, camel and asses. So he is a big paç uù."

Just like the lion. Lion is respected in the forest by dogs, hogs, camel and asses and other animals. Because lion is the king of the animals. But does it mean, because he is designated as the king of animals, it has got any use? Has it got any use for any purpose? Similarly, these political leaders, they may be lion, but who respects them? These dogs, hogs, camels and asses, that's all. He may be a big animal, but he is animal, no better than a big animal. That's all. And other animals praises, dogs, hogs, camels.

Every word in the Ç ré mad-Bhä gavata we have to... We have described why especially these animals have been selected, dogs, hogs, camels and asses. A dog is very faithful to his master. He will commit so many offenses for the sake of the master. Because he knows, " The master gives me food." So in your country, if you pass through one's house, from within the house they will bark, " Bark! Bark! Bark! Ba! Ba! Why you are going in front of my house? " This is committing offense, committing offense unnecessarily. So the dog's business: one side, he is very faithful, and one side, he is simply committing offense, unnecessarily frightening other people, you see unnecessarily, without any offense. And dog's another business is that he is seeking always master. Unless he finds out a good master, it is a street dog and it has no place. It has no place. It will not get sufficient food, become lean and thin, and loiter in the street. Because dog must find out... Ç ü dra-like. Ç ü dra, unless he finds out a master to provide him, his all education is useless.

Nowadays they are educated, but they must have a good service. That means he's a ç ü dra. Without finding a master, his education has no value. So therefore in the ç ä stra it is said, kalau ç ü drä sambhavä ù. Kalau, " In this age, Kali-yuga, everyone is ç ü dra." Because he cannot even live without having a master. He must have a master to provide him. But the Vedic culture is that brä hmaë a, kñ atriya, vaiç ya, they will not accept any service. No. They will die of starvation. Especially brä hmaë a. That is enjoined in the ç ä stras, that a brä hmaë a, if he is in bad position some way or other, economically, he may accept the position of a kñ atriya or a vaiç ya, but he should not accept the position of a ç ü dra. That is doggish. This is so injunction.

Therefore formerly a brä hmaë a, when he accepts a service from anywhere, he was rejected from the brä hmaë a society. You know, Sanä tana Gosvä mé. Sanä tana Gosvä mé, Rü pa Gosvä mé, they belonged to a very high-class brä hmaë a, Sarasvata Brä hmaë a, very rich men. But both the brothers accepted service in Mohammedan government as ministers, and they were immediately rejected from the brä hmaë a society. It is not very long ago, say, about five hundred years ago. The brä hmaë a society was so strong. As soon as they will accept service. You know, the Tagore family of Calcutta, Rabindranatha Tagore, they are also brä hmaë as. But we know, in our childhood, they were also excommunicated from the brä hmaë a family because they also accepted service.

So these are Vedic principles. If we follow... The brä hmaë a will not accept anyone's service. That is against. Similarly, kñ atriya. Kñ atriya... Why this fight between Arjuna? They made them bereft of the kingdom. So they appealed to Duryodhana, that " My dear Duryodhana, you are my brother, you have taken all our properties. So we are kñ atriya. We are not going to become vaiç ya or brä hmaë a. We must live. Give us at least five villages, five brothers. We shall be satisfied. There is no question of war." " No, sir, not even the land which can hold the point of needle. I cannot spare." There is no way. Therefore there was fight. There was fight.

So these are the some of the glorious points of this fight. But he depended on Kå ñ ë a, Arjuna. Therefore he was successful, victorious. You do, act as kñ atriya. Not that as kñ atriya he should become a brä hmaë a beggar, no. A kñ atriya cannot be beggar, neither a brä hmaë a cannot be vaiç ya. This is real caste system. But you work as a cobbler, and at the same time you claim to become a brä hmaë a, this is not allowed. Formerly the king used to see whether a brä hmaë a is acting like a brä hmaë a. Otherwise he will be stopped. Then he will be designated as he is working. This was the duty of the king to see that everyone is employed according to his profession. It was the duty of the king to see. Everyone must be employed. A brä hmaë a must be working like a brä hmaë a. A kñ atriya must be working like a kñ atriya. A vaiç ya must be working as a... Otherwise he cannot say.

Not like at the present moment, a brä hmaë a is working, a servant, a ç ü dra, and he is brä hmaë a. No. This is called asuric varë ä ç rama. Varë ä ç rama. Varë ä ç rama is very good institution. But still varë ä ç rama, perfect varë ä ç rama, cannot be possible in this age. Therefore when there was talk between Caitanya Mahä prabhu and Rä mä nanda Rä ya that how perfection of life can be attained, so Rä maë anada Raya first of all quoted a verse from Viñ ë u Purä ë a,

varë ä ç ramä cä ravatä

puruñ eë a paraù pumä n

viñ ë ur ä rä dhyate puà sä à

nä nyat tat-toñ a-kä raë am

[Cc. Madhya 8.58]

That " When human society accepts this varë ä ç rama institution, brä hmaë a, kñ atriya, vaiç ya, ç ü dra, brahmacä ré, gå hastha, vana... This is Vedic civilization. Without this division, there is no civilization. They are animals." So therefore he quoted this verse, varë ä ç ramä cä ravatä puruñ eë a paraù pumä n: " If anyone is following the principles of varë ä ç rama, then he is worshiping Lord Viñ ë u." Because the whole life is meant for worshiping Viñ ë u. The present civilization, they do not know that. Na te viduù svä rtha-gatià hi viñ ë um [SB 7.5.31]. They do not know, rascals, that what is the aim of life. Aim of life is to become Vaiñ ë ava, servant of Viñ ë u. Therefore the very word is used, hå ñ é keç a. Hå ñ é keç a, He is the guide. É ç varaù sarva-bhü tä nä à hå d-deç e 'rjuna tiñ ö hati [Bg. 18.61].

So Arjuna was strictly following the Vaiñ ë ava principles, and therefore he inquired from Hå ñ é keç a because he knows, " The Hå ñ é keç a will guide me." Sarvasya cä haà hå di sanniviñ ö o [Bg. 15.15]. Hå di sanniviñ ö o. Mattaù små tir jï ä nam apohanaà ca. So Arjuna knew it. Therefore this very word is used. The other day, also hå ñ é keç a word was there. And bhakti means to satisfy Hå ñ é keç a. This is bhakti. Hå ñ ikena hå ñ é keç a-sevanaà bhaktir ucyate [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. Bhakti, this is the simple definition of bhakti. Hå ñ é kena. Hå ñ é ka means the senses. As you have got hands, legs, eyes, ears.... These are different senses. When you engage your senses only for the service of Kå ñ ë a, then you become devotee. That's all. Your life is perfect.

You simply see Kå ñ ë a nicely decorated in the temple. That is bhakti. You simply prepare foodstuff for Kå ñ ë a. That is bhakti. You simply chant the holy name of Kå ñ ë a. That is bhakti. In this way we can utilize all the senses. We can utilize our hands in collecting flowers, in cleansing the temple. If we haven't got education, ignorant, it doesn't require. Simply engage your senses, hå ñ é kena hå ñ é keç a-sevanam [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. Then you become perfect. You have got your senses. Engage the senses for the service of Kå ñ ë a. Then you become perfect. Very nice thing. You don't require to become a very big philosopher, very rich man, very nicely educated, nothing of the sort. Simply you have got your senses. Engage the senses in the service of Kå ñ ë a, your life is perfect. Thank you very much. Hare Kå ñ ë a. (end)