Todays Bhagavad-Gita As it Is Class 2.11 Spoken by His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Pranhupada 8-17-1973 London

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" You Are Talking Like A Learned Man "

 

73/08/17 London, Bhagavad-gita 2.11

 

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Pradyumna (leads chanting, etc.):

 

sri bhagavan uvaca

asocan anvasocas tvam

prajna-vadams ca bhasase

gatasun agatasums ca

nanusocanti panditah

[bg. 2.11]

 

The Blessed Lord said: While speaking learned words, you are mourning for

what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living

nor the dead. "

 

Prabhupada: So, what is that thing which is living and dead? The body. The

body is living and dead. So Krsna indirectly or directly chastised Arjuna that:

" The behavior that you are showing, it is not like a learned man. " Nanusocanti

panditah. That means indirectly He said that, " You do not know things are there.

Not learned. You are fool. " In spite of Arjuna speaking so many things in

support of his being nonviolent and not to kill his kinsmen, Krsna chastised him

that " You are not learned. You are fool. " So this is the position. Those who are

under the bodily concept of life, they can speak so many learned things, but

after all they are fool.

 

yasyatma-buddhi-kunape tri-dhatuke

sva-dhih kalatradisu bhauma ijya-dhih

yat-tirtha-buddhih salile na karhicij

janesv abhijnesu sa eva go-kharah

[sB 10.84.13]

 

In the Srimad-Bhagavatam, those who are under the bodily concept of life,

they are described as follows: Yasya atma-buddhih. Atma means self.

Atma-buddhih, in this body, what is this body? Kunape tri-dhatuke. It is a bag

of three elements, kapha, pitta, vayu. Mucus, bile and air. So, or ordinarily

you can understand, this is a combination, this material body is combination of

flesh, bone, blood, mucus, stool, urine, and so many other things. That, we are

not self, but the foolish persons, they are taking this lump of matter, bones

and flesh, accepting that " I am this body. " No learned man will take like that.

The whole world is misled under this conception. They are accepting this lump of

matter, blood and flesh and bones -- " I am this is I am. " This is animal

mentality. Animal thinks like that, not learned man. Learned man, one who knows,

he will say aham brahmasmi, " I am spirit soul. I am servant of God. " This is

learned speaking. " I am not this body. "

 

So Krsna is chastising Arjuna because he has accepted, he's becoming His

disciple, so the spiritual master has the right to chastise the disciple for

right direction like the teacher, like the father. Similarly, although Krsna and

Arjuna are friends, but Arjuna has accepted Him as spiritual master. There

should not be any compromising words as it is done between friend and friend.

The right things must be said that " You are wrong. Don't talk nonsense. Talking

like very learned man but you do not know anything. " " Why I do not know? "

" Because this body, while living, agatasun... " Asun means the living force.

While the living force is there, and when the living force is gone, two

conditions... This body is moving very nicely because the living force is there.

And as soon as the living force is gone out, this nice body will no longer move.

It will decompose. " Dust thou art, dust thou beist. " " Again become... " It is

called panca-bhuta. Mix with the earth. Earth, water, fire, air, sky -- these

five gross elements are the ingredients of this body. So as soon as the soul is

out of this body, this body again... Conservation of the energy. The earthly

energy goes to the earth, the waterly energy goes to the water. It is a

combination of earth. water, air, fire. So they become decomposed. And become

distributed to different elements. And that is the scientific law, it is called

conservation of energy. The energy is never lost. It comes back again to the

original stock.

 

So Krsna says this body, either in living force or without living force...

Without living force it is called dead. With living force it is called living.

In both the condition, a learned man..., learned man means one who knows

brahma-bhutah. One who knows Brahman, one who has realized Brahman.

Brahma-bhutah prasannatma [bg. 18.54]. As soon as one is on the stage of

brahma-bhutah stage, he can understand that " I am not this body. I am separate

from this body. " This knowledge was very common knowledge. At least we can see

five thousand years ago. The ksatriyas were fighting severely one another, but

still they are not in bodily concept of life. So Arjuna being ksatriya, is so

much embarrassed with the bodily concept of life; therefore Krsna chastised him,

that " You are not a very learned man. You are talking just like a learned man,

but you are not learned man. " So this conclusion is to be taken by us. That

anyone within this world, if he has got bodily concept of life, he's not a

learned man. He's a fool. So this world at the present moment at least, it is a

fool's paradise. Nobody is learned. Because everyone is working under the bodily

concept of life. This is chastise. This is the first chastisement. Just like

before giving lesson, if the student is writing or reading wrongly, then the

teacher immediately says, " You fool, it is not like this. It should be like

this. "

 

So the first step Krsna took in educating Arjuna... The Bhagavad-gita is

now being actually being spoken, bhagavan uvaca. The first basic principle is

explained to Arjuna that " You do not know anything. Don't talk just like a

learned man. " Actually, that is our own... Every one of us in the same position.

Just like yesterday, two boys came. No philosophy, talking like nonsense,

starvation, as if he has taken, what is called? Contract for stopping

starvation. He's starving, everyone is starving, this law, the nature will go

on. Somebody, because there are three qualities of the nature -- sattva-guna,

rajo-guna, tamo-guna. So the natural laws will go on under the three laws.

Therefore always we shall find three classes or three status of living

condition. That will be explained in Bhagavad-gita. Even, everywhere there are

different species of life. Everywhere these three qualities are working. Just

like there are some good trees. Good trees means which are producing nice fruits

and flowers. They are good trees. And there are trees, no fruit, no flower, very

long standing. No use. No useful purpose. I've seen in Los Angeles, big, big

palm trees, very long, but there is no fruit. In India there are palm trees like

that, they bear fruit, very nice fruit, tal. Very sweet fruit. So any tree which

does not give us nice fruit or nice flower, that is sinful. Amongst the trees

also there are pious trees, there are sinful trees, amongst the animals also

there are pious animals, sinful animals. Just like dog and the cow. Cow is pious

animal and the dog is sinful animal. So natures, amongst the birds, this crow is

sinful bird. And the ducks, white swan, they are pious bird. The peacocks. So

similarly in the human society also, there are pious men and sinful men. Those

who are pious they have got different position. Janmaisvarya-sruta-sri.... [sB

1.8.26] Pious man means born in very good family, rich family. Janma, aisvarya,

aisvarya means riches, opulence. Janma, first-class aristocratic family,

brahmana family. Janmaisvarya-sruta, educated, highly educated; sri, beautiful.

These are the signs of pious life. And similarly just the opposite, ugly, no

education, born in poor family or low grade family, poor. These are the things.

 

So either you take human life or animal life or birds' life, beasts' life,

trees' life, anywhere you go, these three laws are working. Goodness, passion

and ignorance. Therefore, always there must be three classes. Middle class, high

class and lower class. There must be. So you cannot make one classless. That is

not possible. So long the bodily concept of life is there, there must be these

three classes. High class, middle class and lower class. So those who are

condemned, they must suffer. Everyone is condemned in this material world. But

first-class condemned, second-class condemned, third-class condemned. So you'll

find this first class, second class, third, you cannot stop it. Just like in

Bombay sometimes I showed to my disciples, say in 1935. 1935 means about fifty

years ago. Fifty years ago when I was in Bombay, that time I was doing some

business. So a class of men, they were living on footpath. Their home (is) on

the footpath. They have got a box or a bag and lying on the footpath and eating

on the footpath, their, everything on the footpath. Now the same class of men

are still there. Now economically, fifty years ago, the value of money was

greater. At that time, fifty years ago we were purchasing, say ghee, at most one

rupee per kilo. So now you cannot get first class ghee unless you pay

twenty-five rupees per kilo. So the value of money has decreased. So that means,

in other words people are getting more money. Formerly, one servant was engaged,

ten rupees or twelve rupees per month. Now you cannot get a servant unless you

pay one hundred rupees. So in that comparison, everyone is getting more money,

but still the condition is the same. Condition is the same. This will go on.

Even if you get more money, the other circumstances will force you to remain in

the same condition as you were fifty years ago. Because you are destined. This

is called destiny. You cannot change your destiny. That is not possible.

 

Therefore Bhagavata says that do not try to change your destiny. Everyone

is trying to change the destiny. I am poor man, I must be very rich man. But you

cannot change your destiny. Tasyaiva hetoh prayateta kovido na labhate yad

bhramatam upary adhah [sB 1.5.18]. In this world we are, every one of us are

bound up by the laws of karma, destiny. We have got our destiny. So much

happiness, so much distress we must have. Because this is a mixture of happiness

and distress. Here you cannot have unadulterated happiness. That is not possible

in this... Unadulterated happiness, real happiness can be achieved in the

spiritual world. Not in the material world. So certain amount of happiness and

certain amount of distress we have to enjoy and suffer. You cannot change it.

This is the law of nature in this material world.

 

Therefore Bhagavata says, tasyaiva hetoh prayeteta kovido na labhyate yad

bhramatam upary adhah. People are wandering within this material world, living

entity, in different forms of life under different conditions of life. But they

are not getting the information of Krsna. That is their misfortune. So one who

is fortunate during this period of continuous wandering in different species of

life on different planets, he contacts another devotee. Guru-Krsna. Or one who

is actually anxious to unite with the Supreme Lord, how one gets this

consciousness -- by associating with devotees. Just like we are holding this

class. Even those who are not devotee, outsider, if they come they can also

understand, then he becomes, one becomes very seriously anxious how to

understand God, how to go back to home, back to Godhead. Then Krsna immediately

helps. This is the process. Krsna is there within your heart. As soon as you

become little serious, immediately, Krsna is ready. Krsna is ready, He is

sitting with you as a friend. Simply looking for the opportunity when you'll

come back to Him. That is Krsna. He's always sitting with you. But we are not

willing to go back to home, back to Godhead. We want to become God in this

material world. This is our position. Instead of going back to home, back to

Godhead, live with God, we want to become God here. That is our position.

Therefore, we are suffering. Here, you can... Nowhere you cannot be God. God is

one. Nobody can be equal or above Him. Everyone must be subordinate to God.

Therefore those who are not learned -- foolish people -- they are trying to be

happy in this material world by adjustment and becoming himself God. This is

atheism and this is demoniac tendency. But those who are advanced in knowledge,

they know that " We are eternally servant of God; we cannot become God. Better to

remain servant of God; that is our happiness. "

 

So those who are in the bodily concept of life, they cannot advance in

this real knowledge, that we are eternally servant of God. Our constitutional

position is like that. If we do not serve God, we do not agree... We are servant

of God, but if we deny that " No, I am not servant, " so that means I become

servant of maya. Servant I'll have to remain. That is my constitutional

position. So one must first of all understand what is his identity. So this is

the beginning of a lesson given by Krsna, that " You are lamenting for this body.

This is not your identity. This is not your identity. You are wrongly thinking. "

Just like if your coat is some way or other destroyed, that does not mean that

you are destroyed. If your car by accident is broken, that does not mean that

you are finished. Sometimes we get accident, that is another thing. But I am not

the car. I am not this body, I am not this coat. This is real knowledge.

Although sometimes we become little sorry, but the identity is different. So

Krsna says that " You are talking like learned man, but you do not know your

identity. You are not this body. "

 

This is the summary information. Asocyan anvasocas tvam prajna-vadams ca

bhasase [bg. 2.11]. So anyone who is not in perfect knowledge, he should not

take the position of talking like a learned man. That is cheating and that is

foolishness. First of all you know things as they are. Then talk. Otherwise, it

is said that it is better not to talk than to talk foolish. It is better to stop

talking. Therefore, sometimes in spiritual advancement there is a process,

maunam. Maunam means not to talk. Those who are too much foolish, the spiritual

master orders him, " Don't talk. Please remain silent. " That's all. Because if

you talk, you'll talk simply nonsense. Why should you spoil your energy by such

nonsense talking? Better stop. The meditation is also like that also. Instead of

talking or doing nonsense, if one is remaining silent for some time, it is

little good for him. But this meditation and maunam, silence, is not meant for

the devotees. They are meant for the lesser intelligent class of men. Devotees'

business is always to talk about Krsna. Why they should stop talking? Maunam?

No. Kirtaniyah sada harih [Cc. Adi 17.31]. Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that one has

to chant and talk of Krsna twenty-four hours. Where is the question of maunam,

silence? There is no question of silence. Silence is for those who are nonsense.

" Be silent, don't talk. " For them. At least they practice silence means at least

they stop talking nonsense. But those who are actually advanced, for them there

is no such restriction. Vacamsi vaikuntha-gunanuvarnane. We should use our

talking power for describing the glories of the Lord. Vaikuntha-gunanuvarnane.

That is kirtana. That is chanting. Abhavad naiyasaki-kirtane. Just like for

seven days when Pariksit Maharaja was going to die... He had only seven days

left. So twenty-four hours without any eating or without any drinking a drop of

water, he went on hearing from Sukadeva Gosvami. And similarly, Sukadeva Gosvami

also went on speaking, speaking Srimad-Bhagavatam. Sri-visnu-sravane pariksit.

They got, both of them got salvation back to home, back to Godhead. How? One was

hearing, and one was chanting. These two processes. Pariksit Maharaja was

hearing and Sukadeva Gosvami was chanting. And what was the subject matter?

Krsna. That's all.

 

So Krsna subject matter is so nice that simply you do not do anything.

Simply hear, that's all. You have got God-given ear. You can hear. Sit down.

Stane sthitah srutigatam tanuvan manobhih. Srutigatam, sruti means this ear.

Srota-pantah. This is called srota-pantah. Getting knowledge by hearing. Satam

prasangan mama virya-samvido bhavanty hrtkarna-rasayana-kathah, satam prasangat

[sB 3.25.25]. When there is actually sat-sanga. Sat-sanga means this talking of

Krsna, hearing about Krsna. When there is, there is no business. Not like a

rented reciter or a paid reciter who is earning money by reciting. No, no. Not

to hear from him. Actually, he's self-realized, who is working for the Lord,

from satam. Satam means devotees. Satam prasanga. Therefore is called satsanga.

Satsanga means the association of the devotees. Sat means devotee. Sat means

God. Om tat sat. Or everything is asat. Asat means temporary. This material

world is temporary. And sat means spiritual. So sat-sanga means spiritual

association. Sat-sangan mukta-duh-sangah. The more you associate with sat, with

devotees, then you become, more you become liberated. Sat-sangan

mukta-duh-sangah. Duh-sanga. We are in the material world, we are simply in

association, bad association, duh-sanga. So if we want to get rid of this bad

association, we must associate with the devotees. Sat-sangat mukta duhsanga. And

satam prasangat mama virya-samvido, if we hear in really devotee's association,

then the... [break]

 

So Arjuna has got the best opportunity. He's hearing from the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. He has got the... He's so fortunate. He's talking with

the Supreme Personality of Godhead, face to face, directly. So our business

should be we should follow the footsteps of Arjuna. How to follow the footsteps

of Arjuna? As Arjuna understood Bhagavad-gita, you try to understand in that

way. Arjuna accepted Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Param brahma

param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan [bg. 10.12]. " Krsna, You are the Supreme

Person, Param Brahman, pavitra, the most pure. " So if we, similarly, if we, even

if we do not understand Bhagavad-gita, if we follow that: " Arjuna has understood

like this, that Krsna is the Supreme Brahman, Supreme Personality of Godhead, "

then you understand everything. This is called parampara. You don't require to,

I mean, to tax your brain, what is Krsna. Because now we have got poor

intelligence. We cannot do that. But you simply accept what Arjuna says. Then

you are perfect. Even I make a, I may become a fool number one, but if I

accept... Mahajano yena gatah sa pantha. Mahajana. Those who are authorities, if

you follow the authorities, then you understand. Dharmasya tattvam nihitam

guhayam. It is very difficult to understand what is religion, what is the

process of religion. People are very much puzzled. But if we follow the great

personalities... They are also mentioned in the sastras. Svayambhu, Sambhu,

Manu, Kumara, Kapila, Manu. So if we follow their footsteps... Just like Arjuna.

That, that is, really we understand. " If Arjuna has understood like this, so let

me understand like that. " That's all. Simple thing. Then we understand

Bhagavad-gita. But, if we want to speak very learned scholarly, but do not

understand what is Krsna, this is simply waste of time. As the so-called

scholars and philosophers are doing. They do not understand Krsna, but talking

all nonsense, and such things are very much appreciated by others. That is

described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam: sva-vid-varaha-ustra-kharaih samstutah

purusah pasuh. These rascals, so-called scholars, so-called incarnation, are

accepted by similar class of animals. Sva-vid-varaha. And actually Vedic

understanding is to follow the footsteps of the predecessor acaryas who

understand things. Then our life will be successful. We'll understand.

 

Thank you very much. (end)

 

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