20--Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā 20.16

[child crying]
[Aside:] Just stop.

Devotee: [indistinct]

Prabhupada: Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu very much regrets, He says, "My Lord I am so much unfortunate." Why? "Because in the holy name of Your Lordship," namnam akari, the name of the Lord and the Lord Himself, there is no difference-abhinna-tvat nama-naminoḥ [Padma Purana] "In the absolute world there is no difference between God, His name, His fame, His qualities, His entourage, everything is God." That is absolute conception-oneness. So Lord Caitanya says that, "You have invested all the energies of Yourself in the holy name of Yourself." In other words there is no difference between Krsna and His name. As we have in this material world, we have got experience that the name and the substance are different. If I am thirsty if I simply chant, "Water, water, water," it will not help, I must have water, the substance. Therefore the substance water and the name water are different, that is material conception and in the spiritual world there is no such difference, the name is as good as the Lord. That conception we can not now accommodate within our brain because our brain is full of material conceptions. It is very difficult to understand, but we have to take it from the sastra., Just as Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that, "In the holy name of the Lord there is all potencies, all energies of the Supreme Lord. Namnam akari bahudha nija-sarva-saktis: and the Lord has got multi-names, just like we were chanting sometimes:

You'll find out, thousands and thousand of names of the Lord and Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that, "Each name is as good as the Supreme Lord." So etadrsi tava: so in this age as soon as you chant the holy name of the Lord, even with offense. There are ten kinds of offenses in chanting the holy name of the Lord. In the beginning naturally because we are not perfect we chant the holy name of the Lord with offenses but gradually we become offenseless. So there are three stages of chanting the holy name. The first stage is with offense chanting, the second stage is almost free from offenses. The result of chanting the holy name of the Lord with offense is pains and pleasures of this material world and the result of chanting the holy name of the Lord almost offenseless is immediately mukti. The second stage, second stage of chanting, just like Ajamila. Ajamila, he simply chanted, "Narayana," that also not with the purpose of indicating the Lord but he was calling his youngest son, Narayana. At the time of his death he was very much afraid. He was... his youngest son was very pet and he was asking him, "My dear son, Narayana, please come here." So simply by this chanting name-Narayana, Oh he became liberated. That Ajamila upeksana is there in the Srimad-Bhagavatam and when we chant the name offensless then we get prema-krsna-prema. Then we become absorbed in love of Krsna. The love of Krsna is exhibited in the Vrndavana pastimes of Lord Krsna by the gopis, by the cowherd boys, by Krsna's father, mother. That is the perfect exhibition of love of Krsna. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu says:

"There is no, I mean to say, discrimination that you have to chant the holy name at such-and-such hour, in such-and-such state. Just like we go to temple after taking bath, and becoming purified but Caitanya Mahaprabhu says there is no such rules and regulations for chanting the holy name. You can chant in any stage of your life, in any condition of life-kirtaniyaḥ sada hariḥ [Cc Antya 20.21].

Sada means that even if you are impure, even if you are in the lavatory then, then also you can chant. So much previlage is given a chance for chanting the holy name. Because if you; if you actually the name is holy then immediately you chant you become purified. So where is the condition of impurity? That is the statement by Caitanya Mahaprabhu that: etadrsi tava krpa bhagavan mamapi: "My dear Lord because I am a fallen soul in this age of Kali and You are so kind that You have given all Your energies and power in Your whole name, holy name and there is no hard and fast rules and regulations for chanting. Still I am so unfortunate that I have no attraction. Still, etadrsi tava kappa bhagavan mamapi durdaivam idrsam, "I am so unfortunate that I cannot chant this." This is our position.

So therefore sahkirtana-yajna, in this age sahkirtana-yajna is recommended: yajnaiḥ sahkirtana-prayair yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ [SB 11.5.32]. Sahkirtana yajna means to worship Lord Caitanya, this is the Lord Caitanya's picture with His five associates.

In the middle you find the picture of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and on His right side there is Nityananda Prabhu and on the right side of Nityananda Prabhu there is Advaita Prabhu and on the left side is Gadadhara Prabhu and the left side of Gadadhara Prabhu there is Srivasa Thak. They are called Panca-tattvas. Panca-tattvas means Krsna, Krsna and His immediate manifestation-prakasa-vigraha. Then His incarnation and then His cit-spiritual potency and then His marginal potency. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna, Nityananda Prabhu is immediate manifestation of Krsna or Balarama-Baladeva, Sahkarsana. And Advaita Prabhu is Maha-Visnu avatara and Gadadhara Prabhu is the cit potency and Srivasa Thakura is marginal potency. There is no external potency, external potency means this material world. So external potency, as I have explained the other day: avidya-karma-sahga anya trtiya-saktir isyate: [Cc Madhya 6.154] "External potency, this material world, is full of ignorance." So ignorance is compared with darkness; darkness. So darkness the Caitanya-caritamrta [Madhya 22.31] says that:

Just like sunlight, now it is night, there is no sun in the sky there is sun but it is now covered; so there is darkness. Actually this material world is full of darkness, that is the nature therefore in the Vedic literature we hear: tamasi ma jyotir gamaḥ [Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad 1.3.28]. "Don't remain within this material world, it is full of darkness."

Full of darkness and in the spiritual world it is not darkness and all the planets there they are illuminated therefore it is called jyoti. The whole spiritual world is full of jyoti; brahma-jyoti:

Yasya prabha: just like here you can see the prabha, the illumination emanating from the sun has made this world and during daytime very shiny. Everything you can see, but at night you can not see. In the Upanisads therefore it said that in the spiritual world there is no need of sun, there is no need of moon. And here also in the Bhagavad-gita we understand that Krsna says that, "I am the sunshine, I am the moonshine, I am the taste of the water." These things are described in the Bhagavad-gita and how He is sunshine, how He is moonshine? Because original shine, original effulgence from the body of Krsna. That is called brahma-jyoti: yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-anḍa-koti. That light is coming, just like you can see from the sun innumerable waves of light is coming always. Similarly from the spiritual world, from the planet which is known as Goloka Vrndavana the spiritual effulgence is coming. That is stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, eh, Bhagavad-gita:

"Beyond this material sky there is another spiritual sky," paras tasmat tu bhavo, bhavaḥ means.. svabhavaḥ: "Nature". Anyaḥ: that is different, that is spiritual sky and that is sanatana-that is eternal. This material sky is temporary: bhūtva bhūtva praliyate [Bg 8.19], when there will be destruction, annihilation of this material world this sky will no more remain.

Exactly like the cloud. A cloud appears and disappears, cloud is not permanent although cloud is in the sky. Similarly this material sky is within the spiritual sky, it appears and disappears.

So: yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-anḍa-koti. So these things, the description of the spiritual sky and description of the material sky. There are in the sastras, and we can take advantage of this and understand clearly what is spiritual world, what is their position. I mean, how the planets are there, distinct from these material planets and ananta-koti brahmananda. These things are described in the sastras. So unless we take information from the sastras our knowledge is always imperfect. We can not understand about the creation of the Lord by speculation-that is not possible. We can not understand even perfectly what is the position of this material world. Just like we get information from Brahma-samhita that there are innumerable universes, this is one universe. And as there are innumerable universes there are innumerable suns, innumerable moons and innumerable planets and in each and every planet: vibhūti-bhinnam-the atmosphere is different. Not that all planets are of the same type. Just like you see before you when there is sunrise you feel warm, so warm, and when there is moonrise you find yourself cooling. Why? Because the planets has got different atmospheres, some planet is fiery, some planet is cooling. That is the plan of the Supreme Lord, how to:

This is Vedic version that, "The Supreme Person or the Supreme Absolute Truth, has got multi-energies and they are working so perfectly that you see that things are going on automatically." Not automatically, there is behind all this exhibition, there is brain, very big brain and that brain is Krsna. That Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita:

Mayadhyaksena: "Under My direction." Don't think that nature is working without any direction. No. Just like a small child, when there is electric fan. Just like in our childhood also, we were thinking like that, that when there was gramophone playing, personally I am speaking. That I thought that, "There is some man within the box."

Devotees: [laugh]

Prabhupada: "And as there is direction, he is singing." And, and when from Howrah station there was first railway line from Howrah Station to Burdwan. Of course this is not our personal experience, we heard from our professor of logic. He said that people used to think that, "In the engines there must be some horses. Otherwise how it is moving?" You see? Similarly our hypothetical, this speculation has no value. We would think like that, that within the engine there are horses and in the gramophone box there is a man and electric. But why this idea? The idea is that without some cause there can not be any effect. That is real idea. So you do not think, the modern scientists they think that things are going automatically but a great scientist Professor Einstein he said that, "As we are making progress in scientific research he is finding out that there is a very big brain behind it." That brain is Krsna. That brain is Krsna and as soon as you call for a brain then He is a person. Cannot. Without person you can not conceive of any brain.

So Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita:

The whole world is going on, very smoothly, each planet is moving, there is no collision. There are so many big, big planets, they are so rightly adjusted that the sun is moving sixteen thousand miles per second. That is stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, it is roaming throughout the universe so every planet is getting heat and light. So such adjustment is. In the Brahma-samhita [Bs 5.52] also it is said:

Sakala-grahanam, yac-caksur: "The sun is the eyes of all the planets." Why it is the eyes? Because without sunlight in this planet or any other planet we can not see. These eyes are useless without sunlight, useless. You are very much proud of your eyes, you are very much, "I want to see personally." What you can see? What is the power of seeing? So this attitude is not very good for attaining perfect knowledge. So our Vedic injunction is that if you want perfect knowledge then you must go to guru: tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet [Munḍaka Upanisad 1.2.12]. In the Bhagavad-gita [Bg 4.34] also it is said that:

Tad viddhi: "If you want to understand the spiritual science then you understand from a person where you can surrender." Pranipatena: surrender, you must find out a personality where you can surrender yourself. Tad viddhi pranipatena pariprasnena: and then you can question. Question and with service, surrender and service, that is the way of learning. Therefore in our Vedic civilization the brahmacaris are sent to gurukula, to the spiritual master, and here, there he surrenders and gives service and inquires from the spiritual master to understand what is what. Pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya tad viddhi.

So we can not speculate or we can not learn everything without superior guidance-that is not possible. That is a fact in everywhere, even in the material world you can not learn engineering without admitting yourself in an engineering college or hearing from the professors who are expert engineers in knowledge; any department. So how people can learn about God without accepting this process? Tad viddhi pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya. That is not possible. That is the verdict of all Vedic literatures, either you take Upanisads or you take Bhagavad-gita or you take Srimad-Bhagavatam, any literature they're all Vedic literatures. In the Bhagavata [SB 11.3.21] also it is said that: tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuḥsreya uttamam.

If anyone is actually inquisitive, sreya; sreya means: "The highest perfection, highest benefit." There are two kinds of things: sreya and preya; preya means that immediate attraction. For sense gratification, everyone is immediately attracted and this is called preya and there is another word which is called sreya; sreya means, "Real benediction." So the Bhagavata [SB 11.9.29], in another place it is said: labdhva su-durlabham bahu-sambhavante.

"That this human form of life is obtained after graduation, gradual development of various types of life." Tūrnam yateta, niḥsreyasaya. The sreyas word is used in so many places so: tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuḥsreya uttamam.

Sreya: the highest benefit. Uttamam; uttamam means udgata-tama yasmat. Tama means: "This material world," as I told you before. So beyond the material world, if you want to learn something, tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuḥsreya uttamam. Uttamam. Krsna is sometimes described as uttama-sloka. So not ordinary person, those who are very much eager, very much anxious to understand about spiritual matters; spiritual world. Then his first duty is, tasmad gurum prapadyeta: he must approach a bona fide spiritual master, not ordinary man. Ordinary man, they are not interested, "What is spiritual world? What is God? What is our relationship with?" They are not. Therefore accepting a guru is meant for him who is very serious to understand what is spiritual subject matter otherwise there is no need of guru. So sreya uttamam, those who are actually very serious they will require a guru. And what is the symptoms of a guru? Who is a guru? That is also stated the:

"That a guru is well-versed in the transcendental knowledge." Sabde, brahma, sabda-brahma, sabde pare ca nisnatam: he is well-versed in such a way just like if you take bath, if you take a dip in the river or in the ocean as you become all merged in water. Similarly one who has completely undergone the training of merging himself in transcendental water, sabde pare ca nisnatam, and the result is-brahmany upasamasrayam. He is so firmly situated that he, he has no more any material anxieties. That means guru is he who is fully interested in spiritual subjects, he has no more any material interest, sabde pare ca nisnatam brahmany upasamasrayam. In the Bhagavad-gita [Bg 4.34] also it is said:

Tattva-darsi: one who has actually seen the Absolute Truth or understood the Absolute Truth. So this Absolute Truth, how it can be understood? The Absolute Truth is not possible to understand by speculative knowledge. There are two kinds of processes: speculative knowledge and descending knowledge. The knowledge which is coming from upper planets or higher authorities, that is called amnaya in Sanskrit, that is called amnaya. So we have to take knowledge from the amnaya. That is confirmed in the Srimad Bhagavad-gita [Bg 4.2], Krsna says to Arjuna:

Amnaya, parampara: by disciplic succession. As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita [Bg 4.1]:

So we have to receive knowledge in that way, that is perfect knowledge. If you want to know Krsna or God you should know from Krsna or from His disciplic succession otherwise there is no possibility.

Krsna is not exposed to anyone and everyone, that any scholar will come and try to understand Krsna by mental speculation-that is not possible. That is not possible, they can not approach that is the injunction of the sastras. Ataḥ sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaiḥ [Cc Madhya 17.136], "By your gymnastic process of the senses, mental speculation, it it is not possible to understand Krsna," namadi.

Even you can not understand what is Krsna's name. Namadi: beginning from name. Because we can understand Krsna beginning from His name, therefore this chanting process is the beginning of devotional service of understanding Krsna: ataḥsri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam. You can not grasp by your material senses, so how can we get?

Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau. If you engage your tongue in the service of the Lord then He becomes revealed. You can not see Krsna, just like you can not see sun in this darkness by your scientific method. If you say that, "We have got the greatest powerful torchlight and I shall show you where is the sun." That is not possible, you keep your torchlight in your pocket or in your laboratory, sun will appear when the time is there. Similarly if you can not force sun to appear before you by your whims, how you can force Krsna or God to appear before you without being any reason here yourself in devotional service. It is not possible. Naham prakasaḥ: He reserves the right of not being exposed to the non devotees but one who is a devotee, one who has developed love of Krsna, he sees every moment, every second.

So Krsna recommends, the Upanisads recommends, Bhagavad-gita recommends, Bhagavata recommends, all Vedic literatures recommend and that is actually the fact. You can not understand the Absolute Truth by speculative knowledge-that is not possible. The knowledge must descend from higher authorities just like Krsna is saying that, "First of all I told this science of Bhagavad-gita, Bhagavad-gita yoga to Vivasvan, the sun-god and now that is lost." Sa kaleneha, yogo nastaḥ paran-tapa. So when the parampara system is dispersed, then the purport of Bhagavad-gita or any Vedic literature is lost. Not that a person because his is a very big scholar; academic education and he tries to understand this transcendental science, Bhagavad-gita or any Vedic literature-it is not possible. So our system is to understand Bhagavad-gita because we are generally discussing on Bhagavad-gita, to understand from the authorities. We don't speculate therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gita as it is. "As it is," means as we have received it from the authorities. So who is the authority? Now that authority you can know very easily, if you don't accept any other authority, you take Arjuna. Arjuna directly heard from Krsna, therefore he is an authority. So how Arjuna accepts Bhagavad-gita, we simply try to understand then you understand Bhagavad-gita, where is the difficulty. What Arjuna says after learning Bhagavad-gita? He says karisye vacanam tava [Bg 18.73]: "Now I shall act as You order."

Karisye vacanam tava. He was arguing with Krsna, he was not inclined to fight and Krsna had to teach him Bhagavad-gita to encourage him in the fighting. So after teaching Bhagavad-gita Krsna asked him that, "What is now your decision?" This is another point, that Krsna does not force you to become His servant, that is not His business. Every living entity, although part and parcel of Krsna, but He does not force anyone. He gives him instruction that, "This is My instruction, now if you like you can accept, if you don't like you can reject it." That is your discretion because Krsna does not infringe on your little independent life. Because we are all parts and parcels of Krsna. Krsna is supreme independent-svarat. He is described as svarat and He also describes Himself that:

"There is no more anyone to order Him," parataram. Because every one of us is carrying the order of our superiors. So Krsna does not carry out any superior's order, that you'll find, because He is the Supreme He is ordering. Nobody is there. As Caitanya-caritamrta says therefore: ekale isvara krsna, ara saba bhrtya: "The only master is Krsna and all others, they are all servants." And Caitanya Mahaprabhu says: jivera svarūpa haya nitya-krsna-dasa [Cc Madhya 20.108].

So everyone has to carry His order, directly or indirectly. Just like I was giving the example that the citizen has to carry out the order of the government. He likes or does not like, that does not matter, he has too. If he does not then he will be forced to carry the order of the government in the prison house-he will be arrested. Similarly we, we are conditioned souls we live in the prison house of this material world and we are forced to carry out the orders of material nature. You can not say that, "I shall change the material laws." No. That is not in your power, it is not possible. So either you disobey Krsna or obey Krsna you have to serve Him directly or indirectly, that is your position. Ekale isvara krsna, ara saba bhrtya. Bhrtya has no independence.

So this Krsna consciousness movement is to bring all people actually in his constitutional position without misleading them. If you mislead persons that is not actually welfare activities for the human society. We should speak the real truth, you may accept or not accept, that is another thing because everyone has got independence. Krsna also does not force Arjuna that, "You must do it." Krsna is God, Krsna is the Supreme Powerful, He could have forced Arjuna that, "You must fight." But no, He was teaching Bhagavad-gita and after teaching He inquired that, "What is your decision now?" That decision was changed already. So anyone who actually understands Bhagavad-gita, his decision will change and what is our decision? Our decision in this material world is to enjoy, to sense gratify, that we can not. Our senses are not gratified although we are trying utmost, that is called maya, that is called maya: durasaya ye bahir-artha-maninaḥ [SB 7.5.31].

We are trying to adjust things in this material world to be happy but no, you'll not be allowed to remain in this material world-mrtyuḥ sarva-haras caham [Bg 10.34]. Then Krsna will appear as death and He will take away all your things what you have created-sarva-haras. You create your factory, you create your price. So many things in this material world and spoil your energy but at once Krsna will appear as death, mrtyuḥ sarva-haras caham: He will take it-everything.

So in order to save the people from this business of creating and being taken away and again become poverty-stricken in various types of forms of life chaurasi lakh: Eight million four hundred thousand species of life. This is the opportunity, this is the opportunity that we should get out of this entanglement and repeated birth and death and that is instructed by Krsna:

If you do that then you're actually benefited otherwise you shall go on in the cycle of birth and death, that is the position. Lord Caitanya teaches us the same thing and Lord Krsna taught the same thing and our business is to present the same thing as far as possible before all the people of the world, this is Krsna consciousness movement.

Thank you very much. Hare Krsna.

[break]

Indian Guest: [indistinct]

Prabhupada: Ha?

Indian Guest: Arjuna never went to any college.

Prabhupada: Not at all. He was a fighter, he was a fighter.

Indian Guest: College. [indistinct]

Prabhupada: Ha? That's all.

Indian Guest: How did he understand… [indistinct]

Prabhupada: Well, that is the difference between men of this age and that age. Five thousand years ago people were so expert that they could understand Bhagavad-gita and especially when Krsna is speaking it was not difficult. In the battlefield the Bhagavad-gita was instructed. When the chariot was brought before between the two soldiers and Arjuna became little disturbed that, "I have to kill my kinsmen," and therefore this instruction of Bhagavad-gita was given to him. So it took utmost half an hour or one hour because it was battlefield but at that time, especially Arjuna, he was so intelligent that he could understand very quickly. That is the solution. Svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ [Cc Madhya 17.136]. Everything becomes very quickly revealed to the devotees:

"One who is a pure devotee and has got unflinching faith in God and guru, the all the Vedic literatures becomes quickly revealed to him." That is the process, this is Vedic injunction: yasya deve para bhaktir yatha deve tatha gurau. Deve means Bhagavan. So one must have unflinching faith in God and similar faith in spiritual master. So Krsna was God and spiritual master both, to Arjuna. Ah therefore it is not difficult for him to understand Bhagavad-gita even he was not a scholar. It is not the scholar who can understand it is the devotee who can understand. That is the first qualification: bhakto 'si priyo 'si me [Bg 18.65].

Krsna says that, "The mystery of Bhagavad-gita you will understand," He could find out any other man to give this science but He selected Arjuna. And even the political sense He named it[?] Krsna never said, "Oh you are so learned, you are a great Vedantist, you are a great grammarian and therefore I am teaching you." Whatever you may be, because you are devotee, you'll understand. Krsna could have find out, found out any very. Vyasadeva was also present at that time, many scholars were present, Krsna did not find out any such scholar-He found out a devotee like Arjuna. And explained to him Bhagavad-gita. When a person is selected by Krsna how do you think that he can not understand Bhagavad-gita? He is already empowered to understand because he is bhakta, bhakto 'si priyo 'si. So that qualification is required to understand Bhagavad-gita not scholarship.

Indian Guest: I see.

Prabhupada: For practical example we have got my Guru Maharaja's Guru Maharaja, he was Gaura Kisora Dasa Babaji Maharaja, he was illiterated, illiterate, he couldn't sign even. And my Guru Maharaja was the greatest scholar of his time and he accepted him guru and he learned from him. So it is the spiritual force that counts, not this material:

If one is a pure devotee of Krsna, vasudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ, then jnana and vairagya, knowledge, will automatically be revealed. The same as it is confirmed in the Vedas: yasya deve para bhaktir yatha deve tatha gurau. Not that. There is another verse in the Srimad-Bhagavatam:

"A special favor for the devotees." Tesam evanukampartham aham ajnana-jam tamaḥ nasayamy: Sri Krsna helps, what is the use of becoming scholar? Krsna from within makes you scholar-caitya-guru. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gita:

"One who is constantly engaged in My service with love and faith," buddhi-yogam dadami tam: "I give him intelligence." If Krsna gives you intelligence to understand is it very difficult to understand Bhagavad-gita? What do you think? If Krsna helps you from within because Krsna is within you as Paramatma, as caitya-guru, and if He helps you to understand, is it very difficult? That is the position of Arjuna. Krsna although was friend of Arjuna, although friend of. He knew that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore he surrendered, "That I am now talking with You as friend, this will not solve the question, I am surrendering unto You and You can convince me, there is no other man. I am so much bewildered, so much perturbed, it is not possible to make me pacified by anyone, You can do it." Ekas te 'hamsadhi mam prapannam [Bg 2.7].

So two things required: unflinching faith in God and unflinching faith in spiritual master. So Krsna was God Himself and He was the spiritual master of Arjuna. What is the difficulty? And he had unflinching faith in Him. Then there is no difficulty. Similarly if you become like Arjuna you will also have no difficulty. You follow this.

Mahajano yena gataḥ sa panthaḥ: you follow the mahajana, he will answer, the same facility, there will be no difficulty.

Indian Guest 2: [indistinct] Bhagavad-gita [indistinct] incarnation of the God almighty and then the [indistinct]

Prabhupada: The first objection is that he is not an ordinary man. That I protest. You say ordinary man and I say no, because Krsna certifies that, "I'm speaking to you this Bhagavad-gita because you are My pure devotee and friend." So he is not an ordinary man. Why do you say, "Ordinary man"?

Indian Guest 2: [indistinct] was imperfect in the context of...

Prabhupada: But how the devotee can be ordinary man? First thing is that.

Indian Guest 2: No, but the devotee [indistinct]

Prabhupada: Yes. In the Forth Chapter it is clearly stated that, "I am speaking to you this Bhagavad-gita which is now lost because you are my devotee." That is stated clearly.

Indian Guest 2: In the beginning of each chapter Arjuna puts forth many doubts.

Prabhupada: That is different thing, he might have many samsayas but he is the right candidate. Doubts must be there. When you go the spiritual master you must have many doubts. Otherwise what is the use of going to the spiritual master? That is different thing. Just like when you enter into law college it does not mean you are a lawyer, you have to learn it, but your first qualification must be that you must be a graduate. So graduate is not an ordinary man. The lawyer who is entering the law college after passing BA examination, he is not an ordinary student but he might have benefits to learn from the law college. Similarly Arjuna might have many things to learn so many things from Krsna but he is not ordinary man, he was a devotee. The first graduation is there.

Just like sometimes there is Vedic injunction that a non-brahmana, a sūdra, can not read Vedas. That does not mean it is restricted to the brahmana class, it means one who has not attained the brahminical qualification, he can not understand what is Vedas. It is not that a scholar picked up some Vedic literature and he can comment. No. That is not possible. Therefore the restriction is there, that first of all you must have the brahminical qualifications:

To learn anything there must be preliminary qualifications. So anyone who has got preliminary qualifications, he is not ordinary man. So similarly if you want to understand Bhagavad-gita the preliminary qualification is that you must be a devotee of Lord Krsna otherwise it is useless. The real purpose of Bhagavad-gita is never understood without becoming a devotee. That is the actual fact. So many scholars they have committed so many mistakes in their commentaries on the Bhagavad-gita because they are not devotees.

Indian Guest 2: In that context was visvarūpa-darsana necessary?

Prabhupada: Visvarūpa-darsana was not necessary for Arjuna, for you. Because Krsna, Arjuna accepted Krsna as:

He knew Krsna and he accepted Krsna and he corroborated with the understanding of Vyasadeva, Devala, Asita in the Tenth Chapter but he requested Krsna to show His visvarūpa in the Eleventh Chapter. So it is not that Arjuna wanted to understand Krsna, whether He is God or not. He has already understood but because we people in later ages will shall say that Krsna and Arjuna was friends. You have made a compromise and Arjuna accepted Him as God. No. Therefore he asked Him to show the visvarūpa, not for him-for us. That actually Krsna was God. He has already understood param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan purusam sasvatam ajam. [Bg 10.12]

In the Tenth Chapter. He has already understood. But clarifying our knowledge he requested Krsna.

Indian Guest: [indistinct] Bhagavad-gita [indistinct]

Prabhupada: The Second Chapter is a summary, that's all. Just like when you speak something you give a subject matter synopsis of the subject matter. Then you explain. It is like that.

Indian Guest: [indistinct]

Prabhupada: So what is your proposition? That Krsna should not have explained all these things? Do you think like that?

So distribute the prasadam and… [End]