Hare Krsna
Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada
About a year ago on 12th Feb 2011, H G Devakinandan prabhu gave a class in the residence of H G Vaishnava seva prabhu in Rajkot. This was a class on BG 1.45-46 and Prabhuji shared with us a recollection of the original class given by our spiritual master H H Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj several years ago in Dwaraka on this verse.
arjuna uvaca
yadi maam apratikaaram / ashastram shastra-paanayah
dhaartaraashtraa rane hanyus / tan me kshemataram bhavet
"Better for me if the sons of Dhrtarashtra, weapons in hand, were to kill me unarmed and unresisting on the battlefield."
sanjaya uvaca
evam uktvaarjuna sankhye / rathopastha uppavishat
visrjya sa-sharam caapam / shoka samvigna maanasah
Sanjaya 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."
Maharaj recited the entire first chapter in Dwaraka once and took these two verses for discussion. Here are some of the salient points from Maharaj's lecture as recollected by H G Devakinandan prabhu.
Arjuna did not want to fight in the beginning and hence he gave all the reasons (which were all good) to not fight, like - killing relatives, killing is sinful, children will become orphans etc. All these reasons were very correct, but why did Krishna reject them all? Because Arjuna's plan was different from Krishna's plan. Whenever our plan is different from Krishna's, we will always be disturbed. If we come to the temple to glorify Krishna, sing and hear nice kirtans, do nice service, then our plan is aligned with Krishna's. Otherwise, it is not aligned and hence we are disturbed. All lamentation, all distress is all within the mind. If we have all different questions to Krishna why, why etc, then we become duhsthitaa matih - disturbed mind. But when we completely surrender to the Lord and accept whatever He gives, then we will never question Him, nor will we be disturbed. We will have 100% faith that whatever He does is for our good. For devotees who have faith, they will never be weak in devotional service.
In the entire 1st chapter, Arjuna didn't want to hear Krishna. He wanted Krishna to hear him. That is why, even after giving all valid reasons, still he was not happy at heart (shoka samvigna maanasah). This is actually our case. We give all justifications and reasons for our actions, but even after convincing others, still we are not satisfied because our faith is weak and as a result our devotional service is also weak. But even though Arjuna was disturbed at heart, still he succeeded in hearing Bhagavad-gita. Why? Because Arjuna was soft in his heart. Srila Prabhupada writes in his purport, "Such a kind and soft-hearted person, in the devotional service of the Lord, is fit to receive self-knowledge". For eg., seed sown in soft sand, grows nicely. So we must also become like soft ground. Presently we are not soft hearted, but double-hearted - dealing with different people differently. That is why we are not able to succeed in devotional service. King Rantideva was the best example of a soft-hearted person described in the pages of Srimad-Bhagavatam. He prays to the Lord in SB 9.21.12 thus:
na kaamaye 'ham gatim ishvaraat paraam
ashtarddhi-yuktaam apunar-bhavam vaa
aartim prapadye 'khila-deha-bhaajaam
antah-sthito yena bhavanty aduhkhaah
"I do not pray to the Supreme Personality of Godhead for the eight perfections of mystic yoga, nor for salvation from repeated birth and death. I want only to stay among all the living entities and suffer all distresses on their behalf, so that they may be freed from suffering."
Arjuna was not only soft-hearted, but he was also very humble. He did not pose as a devotee. He honestly put forward his feelings to Krishna and inquired from Him submissively. We should follow in his footsteps to succeed in our endeavors in devotional service.
How to become soft-hearted? Two things we should follow to become soft-hearted:
a. Looking at other people's palaces, don't burn your hut. Become satisfied with what you have NOW. (To insist the importance of this statement, Maharaj mentioned that the word 'now' should be written in capital letter and underlined).
b. Stop fooling yourself in this material world to make impossible possible.
Maharaj then gave the following formula for success in devotional service:
a. Please don't use Bhagavatam for your personal name and fame.
b. Don't use bhakti to satisfy your senses.
c. Don't perform bhakti under the guise of sense enjoyment.
Arjuna became a cent percent devotee by following Krishna from the 2nd chapter onwards. Hence obedience is a must in devotional service. Maharaj said, "Obedience is the greatest remembrance of Krishna. If you don't obey Krishna, you cannot remember Him even for a second." So it is very important that we abide by the words of Guru and Krishna.
Maharaj concluded with his beautiful statement - "We should always treat each other with the soft-heartedness of Arjuna."
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