Bhagavad-gt 2.

London, August 7, 1973

Pradyumna (leads chanting, etc.):
krpaya-doopahata-svabhva
pcchmi tvam dharma-sammha-cet
yac chreya syn nicita brhi tan me
iyas te 'ha dhi m tv prapannam
[Bg. 2.7]
"Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure
because of weakness. In this condition, I am asking You to tell me
clearly what is best for me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul
surrendered unto You. Please instruct me."
Prabhupda: This is very important verse in Bhagavad-gt. It is a
turning point of life. Krpaya-doa. Miserly, doa means fault When
one does not act according to his position, that is fault. And that is
called miserly. So everyone has got his natural
propensities, svabhva. Yasya hi svabhvasya tasyso duratikrama. Sv
abhva, natural propensities. It is a common example, it is given,
that yasya hi ya svabhvasya tasyso duratikrama. One, habit is the
second nature. One who has, who is habituated or one whose nature,
characteristic in some way, it is very difficult to change. The example is
given: v yadikriyate rj sa ki na so uparhanam. If you make a dog
a king, does it mean that he'll not lick up shoes? Yes, dog's nature is to
lick up shoes. So even if you dress him like a king and let him sit down
on a throne, still, as soon as he'll see one shoe, he'll jump over and lick
it. This is called svabhva. Krpaya-doa.
So in the animal life, it is not possible to change one's nature, which
is given by the material
energy, prakti. Praktekriyamni [Bg. 3.27]. Kraa gua-sago
'sya, kraa gua-sanga asya sad-asad-janmayoniu [Bg. 13.22]. Why? All living entities are part and parcel of God.
Therefore originally the characteristic of the living entity is as good as
God. Simply it is a question of quantity. Quality is the same. Quality is
the same. Mamaivo jva-bhta [Bg. 15.7]. The same example. If
you take a drop of sea water, the quality, the chemical composition is
the same. But the quantity is different. It is a drop, and the sea is vast
ocean. Similarly, we are exactly of the same quality as Ka. We can

study. Why people say God is impersonal? If I am of the same quality,

so God is also person, how He can be imperson? If, qualitatively, we are
one, then as I feel individually, so why God should be refused
individuality? This is another nonsense. The impersonalist rascals, they
cannot understand what is the nature of God. In the Bible also it is
said: "Man is made after God." You can study God's quality by studying
your quality, or anyone's quality. Simply the difference is quantity's
different. I have got some quality, some productive capacity. We also
produce, every individual soul is producing something. But his
production cannot be compared with production of God. That is the
difference. We are producing one flying machine. We are taking very
much pride that: "Now we have discovered the sputnik. It is going to
the moon planet." But that is not perfect. It is coming back. But God
has produced so many flying planets, millions and trillions of planets,
very, very heavy planets. Just like this planet is carrying so many big,
big mountains, sea, but still it is flying. It is floating in the air just like a
cotton swab. This is God's power. Gmviya [Bg. 15.13]. In
the Bhagavad-gt, you'll find: aha dhraymy ojas. Who is
sustaining all these big, big planets? We are explaining gravity. And in
the stra we find that it is being carried by Sakaraa.
So the quality is the same, but the quantity is different. So because
the quality's same, so we have got all the propensities as God has,
as Ka has. Ka has got loving propensities with His pleasure
potency, rmat Rdhr. Similarly, because we are part and parcel
of Ka, we have also got this loving propensity. So this
is svabhava. But when we come in contact with this material
nature... Ka does not come into the contact of the material nature.
Therefore, Ka's name is Acyuta. He never falls down. But we are
prone to fall down, to be under the... Prakte kriyamni. We are
now under the influence
ofprakti. Prakte kriyamni guai karmi sarvaa [Bg. 3.27]. A
s soon as we fall down under the clutches of this prakti,material
nature, which means... Prakti's composed of three qualities, goodness,
passion and ignorance. So we capture one of the qualities. That is the
cause, kraa gua-sanga [Bg. 13.22]. Gua-saga. Means
associating with different quality. Guna-saga asya jvasya, of the living
entity. That is the cause. One can ask: "If the living entity is as good as
God, why one living entity has become dog, and one living entity has
become god, demigod, Brahm?" Now the answer is kraam. The

reason isgua-saga asya. Asya jvasya gua-saga. Because he's

associating with a particular gua. Sattva-gua, rajo-gua, tamo-gua.
So these things are described very vividly in Upaniad, how guasanga acts. Just like a fire. There are sparks. The sometimes the sparks
fall down from the fire. Now there are three conditions of the fire spark
falling down. If the spark falls down on dry grass, then it can
immediately ignite the grass, the dry grass. If the spark falls down on
ordinary grass, then it burns for some time, then again it becomes
extinguished. But if the spark falls down on the water, immediately
extinguished, the fiery quality. So those who are captured by the sattvagua, sattva-gua, they are intelligent. They have got knowledge. Just
like brhmaa. And those who are captured by the rajo-gua, they are
busy in material activities. And those who have captured tamogua, they are lazy and sleepy. That's all. These are the
symptoms. Tamo-gua means they're very lazy and sleepy. Rajogua means very active, but active like monkey. Just like monkey's very
active, but they're all dangerous. You'll never see inactive. Whenever it
will sit down, it will make gat gat gat gat.
So these are activities, foolish activities. But when one is in
goodness, he's sober. He can understand what is the value of life, how
one should live, what is the aim of life, what is the goal of life. That goal
of life is to
understand Brahman. Brahmajntti brhmaa. Therefore the good
quality means the brhmaa. Similarly, katriya. So they are guakarma-vibhgaa.Gua. Gua has to be taken into account.
r Ka therefore said: catur vrya may sa gua-karmavibhgaa [Bg.4.13]. We have captured some kind of gua. It is very
difficult. But we can immediately transcend all guas. Immediately.
How? By bhakti yoga process. Sa gun samattyaitn brahmabhyya kalpate [Bg. 14.26]. If you take the bhakti-yogaprocess, then
you are no longer influenced by either of these three qualities,
goodness, passion, and ignorance. That is also stated in the Bhagavadgt: m ca avyabhicri bhakti-yogena sevate. Anyone who is
engaged in the devotional service ofKa, avyabhicri, without any
deviation, staunch, devout attention, such
person, m cvyabhicri yogena, m caavyabhicrea yogena bha
jate m sa gun samattyaitn [Bg. 14.26]. Immediately, he becomes
transcendental to all the qualities. So devotional service is not within
these material qualities. They are transcendental. Bhakti is
transcendental. Therefore, you cannot understand Ka or God

without bhakti. Bhakty m abhijnti [Bg. 18.55]. Only bhakty m

abhijnti. Otherwise, it is not
possible. Bhakty m abhijnti yvan yas csmi tattvata. Reality, in
reality, if you want to understand what is God, then you have to adopt
this bhakti process, devotional service. Then you transcend. Therefore,
in thermad Bhgavatam, Nrada says that: tyaktv svadharma carambuja harer [SB 1.5.17]. If anyone, even by
sentiment, gives such, gives up his occupational duty according
to gua... That is called svadharma... Svadharma means one's duty
according to the quality he has acquired. That is
called svadharma. The brhmaa, katriya, vaiya, dra, they are
dividedgua-karma-vibhgaa [Bg. 4.13], by gua and karma.
So here Arjuna says that krpaya-doopahatasvabhva [Bg. 2.7]. "I am katriya." He understands that: "I am doing
wrong. I am refusing to fight. Therefore, it is krpaya-doa, miserly."
Miserly means I have got some means to spend, but if I don't spend this
is called miser. Kpaat. So kpaat. There are two classes of
men, brhmaa and dra. Brhmaa anddra. Brhmaa means he's
not miser. He has got the opportunity, great asset of this human form
of body, many millions of dollars worth, this human... But he's not
using it properly, simply seeing it: "How beautiful I am." That's all. Just
spend your beauty or utilize your asset, the human... That
is brhmaa, to be liberal. And
the... Etad viditv prayti sa brhmaa, One who knows...
Therefore Prahlda Mahrja says: durlabha manuya janma adhru
vam arthadam [SB 7.6.1]. He was preaching amongst his class friends.
He was born in a demonic family, Hirayakaipu. And his class friends,
also, of the same category. So Prahlda Mahrja was advising them:
"My dear brothers, let us cultivate Ka consciousness." So other boys,
what do they know about Ka conscious...? Prahlda Mahrja is
liberated from the very birth. So they said: "What is
thisKa consciousness?" They could not understand. So he was
convincing
them: durlabha manuya janma tad apyadhruvam arthadam. This
human body
is durlabha. Labdhv sudurlabha idam bahu sambhavnte [SB 11.9.
29]. This human form of body is a great concession given by the
material nature. People are so miscreant and foolish. They do not
understand what is the value of this human form of life. They engage
this body for sense gratification like cats and dogs. Thestra therefore

says: "No, this human form of body is not meant for spoiling like the
hogs and dogs." Nya deho deha-bhj n-loke. Everyone has got a
body, material body. But n-loke, in the human society, this body is not
to be spoiled.Nya deho deha-bhj nloke kan kmn arhati vi-bhuj ye [SB 5.5.1]. This human form of
life, simply working uselessly hard, day and night, for sense
gratification. This is the business of the hog and dog. They are doing
also the same thing, whole day and night, working hard simply for
sense gratification. So therefore in the human society there must be a
system of division. That is called varrama-dharma. That is Vedic
civilization. That is really called rya-samja. rya-samja does not
mean to become rascal and fool and deny the existence of God. No.
That is Anrya. Just like Ka rebukedArjuna: anrya-jua. "You are
talking like anrya." One who is not Ka conscious,
he's anrya. Anrya. rya means who is advancing
in Ka consciousness. So really rya-samna means Ka conscious
person. Otherwise, bogus, bogus rya-samna. Because here from
the Bhagavad-gt says, Ka says Arjuna, rebuking, because he was
refusing to fight, because he does not know what is his duty,
again Arjuna is admitting here that krpaya-doopahatasvabhva [Bg. 2.7]. "Yes, I amanrya. I have become anrya. Because I
have forgotten my duty."
So actually ryan samja means Ka conscious society,
International Society for Ka... That is rya. Not bogus. So
here, Arjuna is explaining, putting himself: "Yes, krpayadoo. Because I am forgetting my duty, therefore upahata-svabhva, I
am bewildered in my natural propensities." A katriya should be always
active. Whenever there is a war, there is fight, they must be very much
enthusiastic. A katriya, if another katriya says: "I want to fight with
you," he, oh, he cannot refuse. "Yes, come one. Fight. Take sword."
Immediately: "Come one" That is katriya. Now he's refusing to fight.
He's forgetting his duty, katriya duty. Therefore, he's admitting:
Yes, krpaya-doa. Krpaya-doopahata-svabhva [Bg. 2.7]."My
natural duty I am forgetting. Therefore I have become miser. Therefore
my..." Now when you become miser, that is a diseased condition. Then
what is your duty? Then go to a person who can... Just like when you
become diseased, you go to a physician and ask him "What to do, sir? I
am now suffering with this disease." This is your duty. Similarly, when
we are perplexed in our duties, or we forget our duties, it is very nice to
go to the superior person and ask him what to do. So who can be

superior person than Ka? Therefore Arjuna says: pcchmi tvm. "I
am asking you. Because it is my duty. I'm now falling in my duty, faulty.
So this is not good. So I must ask somebody who is superior to me."
That is the
duty. Tadvijnrtha sa gurum eva abhigacchet [MU 1.2.12]. This is
the Vedic duty. Everyone is perplexed. Everyone is suffering in this
material world, being perplexed. But he'll not search out a bona
fide guru. No. That is krpaya-doa. That is krpayadoa. Here, Arjuna is coming out of the krpaya-doa. How? Now he's
asking Ka. Pcchmi tvm. "My dear Ka, You are the most
superior person. That I know. You are Ka. So I am perplexed.
Actually, I am forgetting my duty. Therefore, I am asking You."
So you have to approach the Supreme Person, means Ka or His
representative. All others are rascals and fools. If you approach a
person, guru, who is not representative of Ka, you are approaching a
rascal. How you'll be enlightened? You must approach Ka, or His
representative. That is
wanted. Tad vijnrtha sa gurum eva abhigacchet [MU 1.2.12]. So
who is guru? Samit-pi rotriya brahma-niham. A guru is
full Ka conscious. Brahma-niham. And rotriyam.
rotriyam means who has heard, who has received knowledge by
the rotriya paha. By hearing from superior
authority.Eva paramparprptam ima rjarayo vidu [Bg. 4.2]. So here we have to learn
from Arjuna that when we are perplexed, when we forget our real duty,
and therefore we are puzzled, then our duty is to
approach Ka as Arjuna is doing. So if you say: "Where
is Ka?" Ka is not there, but Ka's representative is there. You
should approach him. That is the Vedic injunction. Tadvijnrtha sa gurum eva abhigacchet [MU 1.2.12]. One must
approach guru.
And guru means Kaoriginally. Tene brahma hd ya dikavaye muhyanti yat sraya [SB 1.1.1].
Janmdyasya yata anvayt itarata ca artheuabhija svart. You
have to approach. That is guru. So we consider, we take Brahm...
Because he's the first creature within this universe, he's accepted as
the guru. He imparted... Just like we belong to the Brahmasampradya. There are foursampradyas, Brahma-sampradya, rsampradya, Rudra-sampradya and Kumra-samapradya. They're
all mahjanas.

Mahjano yena gata sa panth [Cc. Madhya 17.186]. We have to

accept the line of action which is given by the mahjana.
So Brahm is mahjana. You'll find Brahm's picture with Veda in
his hand. So he's the, he gave the first instruction ofVeda. But
wherefrom he got the Vedic knowledge? Therefore Vedic knowledge
is apaurueya. It is not man-made. It is Godmade. Dharma tu skd bhagavat-pratam [SB 6.3.19]. So how
God, Ka gave
to Brahm? Tene brahma hd. Brahma,brahma means the Vedic
knowledge. abda-brahma. Tene. He injected Vedic knowledge
from hd. Te satata-yuktnbhajat pritprvakam [Bg. 10.10]. When Brahm was created, he was perplexed:
"What is my duty? Everything is dark." So he meditated,
and Ka gave him knowledge that: "Your duty is this. You do like
this." Tene brahma hd ya di-kavaye. dikavaye [SB 1.1.1]. Brahm is di-kavaye. So actual guru is Ka. And
here is... Ka is advising the Bhagavad-gt. These rascals and fools
will not accept Ka as guru. They'll go to some rascal and fool and
miscreants, sinful person, and acceptguru. How he can be guru?
So guru is Ka. Here is the example given
by Arjuna. Pcchmi tvm. Who is that tvm? Ka. "Why you are
asking Me?" Dharma-sammha-cet [Bg. 2.7]. "I am bewildered in
my duties, dharma." Dharma means
duty. Dharma tu skdbhagavat-pratam [SB 6.3.19]. Sammhacet. "So what I have to do?" Yac chreya. "What is actually my
duty?" reya. reya and preya. Preya... They are two
things. Preya means which I like immediately, very nice.
And reya means ultimate goal. They are two things. Just like a child
wants to play all day. That is childish nature. That
is reya. And preya means he must take education so that in future his
life will be settled up. That is preya, reya. So Arjuna is asking
not preya. He's asking instruction from Ka not for the purpose of
confirming his reya. reya means immediately he was thinking that: "I
shall be happy by not fighting, not by killing my kinsmen." That, he
was, like a child, he was thinking. reya. But when he came to his
consciousness... Not actually consciousness, because he's intelligent.
He's asking for preya, uh, reya. Yac chreya syt. "What is the,
actually, my ultimate goal of life?" Yac chreya syt. Yac
chreya syt nicita [Bg. 2.7]. Nicitam means fixed-up, without any
mistake. Nicitam. In Bhgavata, there is,

called nicita. Nicitam means you haven't got to make research. It is

already settled up. "This is the decision:" Because we, with our teeny
brain, we cannot find out what is the actual nicita,fixedup sreya. That we do not know. That you have to ask from Ka. Or his
representative. These are the things. Yac
chreyasyt nicita brhi tan me.
So... "Kindly speak to me that." "So why shall I speak to you?" Here
says: iyas te 'ham [Bg. 2.7]. "Now I am accepting You as my guru. I
become Your iya." iya means: "Whatever you'll say, I'll accept."
That is iya. The iya word comes fromas-dhtu. as-dhtu. stra.
stra. sana. iya. These are from the same root. as-dhtu. asdhtu means rule, ruling. So we can rule in various ways. We can be
ruled, becoming a iya of a proper guru. That is as-dhtu. Or we can
be ruled bystra, weapon. Just like king has got weapon. If you don't
follow the king's instruction or government's instruction, then there is
police force, military force. That is stra. And there
is stra also. stra means book, scripture. Just like Bhagavadgt. Everything is there. So we must be ruled, either
by stra, stra or guru. Or becoming iya. Therefore it is
said: iyas te'ham [Bg. 2.7]. "I become voluntarily... I surrender unto
You." "Now you become iya. What is the proof that you have become
My iya?" dhi m tv prapannam. "Now I am fully
surrender." Prapannam.
So this knowledge required, how to find out real guru and how to
surrender unto Him. The guru does not mean that I keep a guru. So as
order-supplier "My dear guru, I am suffering from this. Can you give
me some medicine?" "Yes, yes. Take this medicine." "Yes." Not
that guru. If you are suffering from some disease, you go to a physician.
It is not guru's business to give you some medicine. A guru's business is
to give you Ka. Ka sei tomra, ka dte pra. A Vaiava is
praying guru: "Sir, you are devotee of Ka. You can give me Ka if
you like." This is the position of iya. Guru's business is how to give
youKa, not any material things. For material things, there are so
many institutions. But if you want Ka, then guru's required. Who is,
who requires a guru?
tasmd guru prapadyeta
jijsu reya uttamam
bde pare ca nita
brahmay upasamrayam
[SB 11.3.21]

Who requires a guru? Guru's not a fashion. "Oh, I have got a guru. I
shall
make
a guru." Guru means
one
who's
serious.Tasmd guru prapadyeta. One has to seek out a guru.
Why? Jijsu reya uttamam. One who is inquisitive of the Supreme.
Not guru make a fashion. Just like we keep a dog, fashion. Similarly, we
keep a guru. That is not guru karma (?). "Guru will act according to my
decision." Not like that. Guru means one who can give you Ka. That
is guru. Ka sei tomra. BecauseKa is guru. That is stated in
the Brahma-sahit. Vedeu durlabha adurlabha tmabhaktau [Bs. 5.33]. Vedeudurlabha. If you want to search out...
Although Vedas means knowledge, and the ultimate knowledge is to
understandKa. Vedai ca sarvair aham eva vedyam [Bg. 15.15]. This
is the instruction. So if you independently wants to study Vedas,just,
there is, there are some rascals... They say: "We understand
only Vedas." What do you understand Veda? How you'll
understand Veda?
So Vedas says, tad vijnrtha sa gurum eva abhigacchet [MU 1.2.12]
. You'll understand Vedas by taking one, purchasing one Vedas book, or
taking it, you'll understand Vedas? Vednta is not so cheap thing.
Without becoming abrhmaa, nobody can understand a Veda, what
is Veda. Therefore,
it
is
restricted.
Without
becoming brhmaa, nobody is allowed to study Vedas. It's all
nonsense. What you'll understand about the Vedas? Therefore
Vysadeva, after compiling the four Vedas, dividing the four Vedas, he
made Mahbhrata. Because the Vedas, subject matter of Vedas is so
difficult. Str-dra-dvija-bandhn tray na rutigocar [SB 1.4.25]. For
women,
for dras, and
for
the dvija bandhu. They cannot understand what is Vedas. So all these
rascal dvija-bandhus and dras, they want to study Vedas. No, that is
not possible. One has to become first of all situated in the brahminical
qualification, satya amo
damas
titiksva rjava jnavijnam stikya brahma karma svabhva... [Bg. 18.42]. Then touch Veda. Otherwise, what you'll
understand Vedas?
Nonsense.
Therefore, Vedas says: tad vijnrtha sa gurum [MU 1.2.12]. You
must
approach
a guru to
understand Veda.And
what
is
that Veda? Vedai ca sarvair aham eva vedyam [Bg. 15.15]. The Vedas
means, to study Vedas means to understand Ka. And surrender unto
Him.
This
is
Vedic
knowledge.
Where Arjuna says
that: prapannam. "Now I am surrender unto You. I am now no more

going to talk with You on equal level just as if I know so many things."
He was right, but he was thinking on the material platform. He was
thinking that praduyanti kula-striya [Bg. 1.40]. If everyone... This is
material point. But Vedic knowledge is spiritual, uttamam.
Tasmd guru prapadyeta jijsu reya uttamam [SB
11.3.21].Uttamam. This reya. Uttamam.
Yac
chreya syt nicita. Fixed-up. There is, there is no question of
changing. That instruction is now, will be given by Ka. Sarvadharmn parityaja mm eka araa vraja. And this takes place
bahn janmanm ante jnavn m prapadyate [Bg. 7.19].
So therefore in order to achieve the highest, goal of life, one should
fully surrender to Ka or His representative. Then his life is
successful.
Thank you very much. (end)