73/07/07 London, Bhagavad-gita 1.1
Pradyumna (leads chanting, etc.):
dhrtarastra uvaca
dharma-ksetre kuru-ksetre
samaveta yuyutsavah
mamakah pandavas caiva
kim akurvata sanjaya[Bg. 1.1]
Prabhupada: (during chanting of sloka) Now, in your leisure hour you will try to repeat and get by heart some of the slokas. That will be very nice. Go on.
Pradyumna: (after synonyms) "Translation: Dhrtarastra said: O Sanjaya, after assembling in the place of pilgrimage at Kuruksetra, what did my sons and the sons of Pandu do, being desirous to fight?"
Prabhupada: So the history is that same family, there was dispute who would occupy the throne. Dhrtarastra and, actually he was the eldest son of the king, and next was Pandu. So every country the law of primogeniture, what is called?The eldest child... In your country even the eldest child is a girl, she alsooccupies the throne. Just like present Queen Elizabeth. Formerly there wasQueen Victoria; before that, another Elizabeth. But in India woman hasno such right. Woman is never given any responsible post. That is the opinionof the greatest politician in the history of the world, Canakya Pandita.According to his opinion, visvaso naiva kartavyah strisu raja-kulesu ca. He hasgiven his explicit opinion that "You cannot trust with any responsiblepost or any responsibility with a woman and politician." Those who arediplomat, 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 Pandus, their mother, Kunti, she was very, very qualified lady. But still, after the death ofher 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, Draupadi. This wasthe... So two parties... Dhrtarastra was the eldest son, but he was blind,bodily defect. Therefore he was not awarded the throne. His next brother,Pandu, he was offered the throne, but he died very early age, a young man. Whenthese Pandus, the five sons, Yudhisthira Maharaja, at at that time notMaharaja, Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, Sahadeva, they were very smallchildren, so they were taken care of by Dhrtarastra and other elderly family...Bhismadeva. He was the grandfather of the Pandavas. He was the elder uncle ofDhrtarastra. Bhisma was elder brother of Dhrtarastra's father. He was so old.But he was... Actually, the kingdom belonged to Bhisma, but he remained a brahmacari,he did not marry. There was no issue of Bhismadeva. Therefore his nephews,Dhrtarastra and Pandu, they were inheritor.
Now, after the death of Pandu, there was conspiracy. Dhrtarastra 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.?" Thiswas the politics. Politics are always there, and enviousness, jealousy. This isthe nature of this material world. You cannot avoid it. Spiritual world means justthe opposite. There is no politics. There is no jealousy. There is noenviousness. That is spiritual world. And material world means politics,jealousy, diplomacy, enviousness, so many things. This is material world. Soeven in the heavenly planets, these things are there, politics. Even in animalkingdom, these politics are there. This is the nature. Matsarata. Matsaratameans enviousness. One man is envious of another man. It doesn't matter, eventhey are brothers or family members. Here the family members, Dhrtarastra andPandu, two brothers, their sons, they were family members, but theenviousness...
So the Krsna 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. ThereforeSrimad-Bhagavatam in the beginning introduces, dharmah projjhita-kaitavo atra[SB 1.1.2]. In this Srimad-Bhagavatam, dharma, religious principles, cheatingtype of religious principle is completely eradicated, thrown away, projjhita.They are kicked out, projjhita. Just like you collect all the dirty things fromthe 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, ifthere is jealousy, that is not religion. Jealousy means... We should understandjealousy, what is jealousy. Jealousy means that you are rightful owner ofsomething; 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 Iam trying that "You don't own it. I shall own it. Or somebody own it. Ishall 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 goodgovernment. Government should give security of life and property. That isgovernment. Not only for the human being, but even for the ant. This isgovernment. Not that I give protection to my brother, and not to others. Thatis not... Just like Pariksit Maharaja, he was giving protection to the animalsalso. When he was on his tour, as soon as he saw that a black man was trying tokill one cow, oh, immediately he took his sword, "Who are you? You aretrying 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 isoffered as good respect as to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. King iscalled nara-deva, nara-deva. That means "God in human form." King isgiven... Why? Because he acts as the representative of God. He cannot bejealous to any living entity, at least, born in his kingdom. That is calledpraja. 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, heshould become king. So these persons, this Dhrtarastra and his sons, they werejealous. How they could give protection to the citizens? They are themselvesjealous. Just like nowadays, all these politicians, they are jealous. Theycannot give any protection to the citizens. They are simply interested withtheir party politics. They have no time even to think how to give niceprotection to the citizens so that they may feel happy always that "Wehave got good government. There is no cause of anxiety. We have got sufficientfood, sufficient protection, sufficient opulence, everything sufficient."That is good government.
So here, Dhrtarastra, he is jealous. He cannot give any good government. Krsna knew it. Krsna sent a messenger, Akrura. You have read in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Before this Battle of Kuruksetra from Dvaraka, He sent hisuncle Akrura: "Just go to Hastinapura, New Delhi, and see what is thesituation." So Akrura understood that Dhrtarastra was planning something.So he talked with him that "Why you are implicated in such planning? Krsnadoes not want it." Although Dhrtarastra knew that Krsna was the SupremePersonality of Godhead... So Dhrtarastra said that "I know that what I amplanning, that is not good. I know Krsna -- the Supreme Personality of Godhead.And He has requested me. But I tell you frankly, I cannot do without it. Sowhen Krsna 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 hecommits stealing, he will be arrested, he will be punished. He knows. Becausehe heard from lawbooks, from other sources, and he has also seen that a thiefis arrested and he is taken by the police for being punished. So we have gottwo kinds of experiences: by hearing and by seeing directly. In Bengali it iscalled, dekha-suna. In Indiait is called. The two kinds of experience: one by seeing, practicallyexperiencing, hand to hand; another by hearing. So one who is intelligent, hegets 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 Krsna. So we are the most intelligent person. It is not possible to experience directly, but if one hasgot intelligence, then simply by hearing and considering and thinking over it,he gets the experience. So those who are very sinful, they get experience byhearing and by direct, directly seeing also; still, they cannot check fromsinful activities. So Dhrtarastra, Dhrtarastra, by his sinful activities hebecame so much fallen that he did not hear anybody's advice, Vidura's advice,Bhisma's advice, that "Don't plan like this. They are rightful owners. ThePandavas, they are rightful owners. They are minor, but don't try to cheatthem." But Dhrtarastra was...
So when the planning was complete and the warfield was set up at dharma-ksetre kuru-ksetre [Bg. 1.1]. Dharma-ksetre means, kuru-ksetre, that place is a pilgrimage. People still go to observe religious ritualistic performances. Andin the Vedas there is injunction, kuru-ksetre dharmam acaret: "If you wantto perform some ritualistic ceremonies, religious, then go to Kuruksetra."So Kuruksetra is a dharma-ksetra. It is a not fictitious thing, just likerascal commentators, so-called, they say, "Kuruksetra means thisbody." It is not that. As it is. Try to understand Bhagavad-gita as it is.Kuruksetra, dharma-ksetra. It is a place of religion. And especially when Krsnawas present there, it is already. Why this house? Before our occupation, whythis house was an ordinary house? Now it is temple. It is dharma-ksetra, it isa religious place. Why? Because Krsna is there. Krsna is there. So either youtake Kuruksetra, ordinary place. But because in the battlefield Krsna was theredirecting Arjuna. So it is already dharma-ksetra.
So formerly people were religiously trained up. So they could not speak lies in a dharma-ksetra. That is still the practice. Just like in the western world, the Christians go to the church, they admit, confession, "Yes, I have doneit." But that has become a formality. But actually, one should admit inreligious place that "Yes, I have done this." But that does not meanyou admit and again do it. No. You admit once, then you are excused. But don'tdo it again.
So here Dhrtarastra says, samaveta yuyutsavah [Bg. 1.1]. "All these people, my sons, mamakah..." Mamakah. That means "my sons," and pandava, "my brother Pandu's sons." Samaveta, "theyassembled." What is the purpose? The purpose is yuyutsavah. This wordyuyutsu is still used in Japan.Perhaps you know, yuyutsa, fighting. So yuyutsu, those who are desirous offighting. Now, both the parties were desiring to fight, and they assembled. Whyhe is asking question, kim akurvata: "What did they do"? Because hewas little doubtful that "These boys, after being assembled in dharma-ksetrakuru-kse..., they might have changed their ideas. They might have settledup." Actually, the sons of Dhrtarastra might have admitted, "Yes,Pandavas, you are actually the owner. What is the use of unnecessarilyfighting?" So he was very much anxious whether they had changed theirdecision. 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 thequestion of "What did he do?" Similarly, when it is already settledup that they were to fight, there was no such question as kim akurvata,"What did they do?" But he asked this question because he wasdoubtful whether they had changed their opinion.
Kim akurvata sanjaya [Bg. 1.1]. He was asking his secretary. He was blind man. He was always conducted by his secretary Sanjaya, a very faithful secretary. And he is explaining the Bhagavad-gita by experiencing, by television withinthe heart. That art is not yet developed. You have got television throughmachine, but there is another television -- you can see within your hearteverything, what is going on outside. So that television was known to... Thatwill be explained by Sanjaya, that by the grace of Vyasadeva, he learned thistelevisioning, and he was sitting with his master within the room and he wasactually seeing how the fighting is going on. And he was explaining. This isthe basic principle of Bhagavad-gita, I mean, the basic platform. So let usdiscuss gradually, one after an... Thank you very much.
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