FRIENDS OF LORD KRISHNA - FOLKNet

1.5. Arjuna said: My dear Kåñëa, O infallible one, my illusion is now gone. I have regainedmy memory by Your mercy. I am now firm and free from doubt and am prepared toact according to Your instructions.(Bhagavad-gétä 18.73)1.6. Albert Einstein observed, “The significant problems we face cannot be solved at thesame level of thinking we were when we created them.”2. Bhagavad-gétä Is Eternal And Apaureñaya Unlike Modern Day Philosophies AndTheories2.1. Scholar and devoteeA scholar visited a temple to enquire from the devotees about God. The devoteeoffered some milk to his guest, but he continued pouring even after the cup was full.After a short while, the scholar could not stand it any longer and said “Sir the cup isalready full! Stop pouring!”The devotee replied “You are just like this cup, full of your own views and opinions. Ifyou do not empty your cup first, how can I tell you about Bhagavad-gétä?”2.2. Who is authorityYadubara: Çréla Prabhupäda, we’re taking this from the Bhägavatam. Won’t they justthink that this is myth?Prabhupäda: (indistinct) is myth? Who believes you? If you don’t believe me, I don’tbelieve you. Finished.Yadubara: So we should present our side.Prabhupäda: Yes. That is our business. If you don’t believe me I don’t believe you.Finished business. You have got your authority, I’ve got my authority. Why shall I...?Hari-çauri: Actually we have authority and they have no authority.Prabhupäda: What is your age? You are all scientists within 200 years. And ourBhägavata is written 5,000 years ago. Why shall I accept yours?Yadubara: So no matter what they say we should present it at least.Prabhupäda: Yes. You have become all scientists, and everything within 200 years.What is the age of your European, Western civilization? It cannot go more than 3,000years? Our Bhägavata is written 5,000 years ago. And before that, Çukadeva Gosvämésays, “I have heard like this.” That’s all. Millions and millions (of years ago)...(Room Conversation, 6 th July, 1976, Washington, D.C.)Lesson Notes: FOLK Bronze – 02 -Importance and Relevance of Message of BG Today Page 4 of 12

2.3. The four defectsPrabhupäda: Yes. The position of conditioned soul is that he must commit mistake,and he’s illusioned, and his senses are imperfect, and he wants to cheat. Everyonespeaks something. You know that he has no perfect knowledge in the subject matter,still he wants to speak something. That means he wants to cheat. This is going on.And then after some years somebody says, “No, it was not correct.” That means hecheated. The former scientists or philosophers cheated.Svarüpa Dämodara: Why ask?Prabhupäda: Yes. He has no perfect knowledge and he proposed something and nowit is incorrect. And the man who is correcting, he’s also a cheater. This is going on, thisis their paramparä system. One cheater, another cheater, another cheater. So whyshall I believe the cheaters?Devotee (1): They’ve convinced us by their machines.Prabhupäda: That machine means, their machine. Again you are bringing the sameargument. What is value of machine? The machine is made by a cheater. Imperfectsenses, how it is perfect?Devotee (1): But some machines work, though, like the radio, the TV...Prabhupäda: Work to some extent, that much credit you can take.Svarüpa Dämodara: Yes, to some extent that is also you’re saying...Prabhupäda: To some extent is, everyone accepts.Hari-çauri: Just amplifies the cheating.Prabhupäda: Yes. To some extent they are correct, that’s all. So far they say, “I cansee 2 feet or 10 feet.” That’s all. So how can I say I can see the whole sky? That ischeating.Svarüpa Dämodara: Actually that is also the fundamental mistake.Prabhupäda: Yes.Svarüpa Dämodara: In our attempt to gain knowledge, that we try to expand ourown limited experience to something which is beyond my...Prabhupäda: Beyond my...Yadubara: Doctor Frog.Prabhupäda: Doctor Frog, yes.Svarüpa Dämodara: So sometimes...Prabhupäda: Imagining. “It may be like this. It may be like that.” That is notknowledge. Doctor Frog is thinking of Atlantic ocean. He is within three feet of water.And how he can think of Atlantic Ocean? He may think, “It may be four feet, or fivefeet, or ten feet,” and as soon as says 20 feet, he bursts. He’s finished. Now you arefinished.(Room Conversation, 6 th July, 1976, Washington, D.C.)2.4. Whatever Kåñëa says is free from defectsSuhåt means well-wisher. Well-wisher. Here is the supreme well-wisher. He wants,Kåñëa wants that wherever you live, you live peacefully and happily; and therefore Heis called suhåt. He is desiring everyone’s happiness. Therefore He comes Himself toadvise, to instruct how to live, how to follow His instruction, and He leaves theseLesson Notes: FOLK Bronze – 02 -Importance and Relevance of Message of BG Today Page 5 of 12

ehind Him, such books as Bhagavad-gétä, and He sends His representativeoccasionally to revive our consciousness. This business is going on, not only in thehuman society, even in the animal society. Anywhere, even in demigod society, thingsare going on like that. Therefore we should know, whatever Bhagavän says, therecannot be any mistake, any illusion, any cheating or any imperfectness. Then it will bevery nice. And that is the fact. The word used, bhagavän uväca, means this instructionis neither mistaken nor illusion nor cheating nor imperfect. Whatever we teach, wespeak, we conditioned soul... As I said, that we are very much proud of our eyes, butwe cannot see without sunrise... We cannot see without electricity. But that is ourdefect. We are possessing everything defective, still we are proud: “We are perfect.”That is cheating. We are not perfect. But Kåñëa, Bhagavän, is not like that. If we thinkKåñëa is also like us, avajänanti mäà müòhä mänuñém... [Bhagavad-gétä 9.11]. BecauseHe teaches exactly like a human being, He appears, therefore we think, “He may belittle more intelligent than me. After all, He is like me.” No. He is Bhagavän. We haveto understand.(Lecture, Bhagavad-gétä 2.11, 1 st October, 1975, Mauritius)2.5. Kåñëa’s instructions are perfectSo here in this Bhagavad-gétä, that Bhagavän is giving you knowledge. So how muchperfect it is, you have to consider. Vyäsadeva could have said, “çré-vyäsadevauväca.” No. Bhagavän uväca, so authoritative. So whatever He says, there cannotbe any change. It is all perfect. Unfortunately, we rascals, we do not take Bhagavadgétäas it is. We want to change it according to our whims. This rascal havoc hasruined the whole world. Otherwise, if they would have preached Bhagavad-gétä as itis, the world situation would have been different. Everything would have been inorder, tranquility, peace, and everybody would have been prosperous. But the rascalswill not do that. That is the defect. Therefore our tiny effort is how to presentBhagavad-gétä as it is. This is our mission.(Lecture, Bhagavad-gétä 2.11, 1 st October, 1975, Mauritius)3. Relevance Of Bhagavad-gétä In Present Times3.1. Management specialists and researchers all over the world are now recognizing theneed for suffusion of fundamental tenets of spirituality into the guiding principles ofmanagement. Developing and encouraging workplace spirituality promises to provideseveral positive outcomes related to organizational performance including higherproductivity, increased job satisfaction, lower employee turnover rates, positive ethicalvalues and higher customer satisfaction. Let us now learn a few principles from theBhagavad-gétä that will help us handle tough decisions in life.Lesson Notes: FOLK Bronze – 02 -Importance and Relevance of Message of BG Today Page 6 of 12

3.2. Responsibility for one’s actionsThis verse of Bhagavad-gétä is very important.prakåteù kriyamäëäniguëaiù karmäëi sarvaçaùahaìkära-vimüòhätmäkartäham iti manyate[Bhagavad-gétä 3.27]Ahäìkära, by false ego. The asuras, they think, “I am independent. I can do whatever Ilike.” No. You cannot do so. If you do so, then you will be punished.daivé hy eñä guëamayémama mäyä duratyayämäm eva prapadyantemäyäm etän taranti[Bhagavad-gétä 7.14]For every little action, you are responsible. It is being noted by the material nature. Andyou will be forced to accept a kind of body for suffering.(Lecture, Bhagavad-gétä 1.36, 26 th July 26, 1973, London)3.3. Ability to judge• pravåttià ca nivåttià cajanä na vidur äsuräùna çaucaà näpi cäcärona satyaà teñu vidyateThose who are demoniac do not know what is to be done and what is not to bedone. Neither cleanliness nor proper behavior nor truth is found in them.(Bhagavad-gétä 16.7)• Prabhupäda: So päpam eva. Päpam means sinful activities, and puëyam is pious. Sopeople should consider in every activity, whether it is päpam or puëyam, whether itis virtuous or sinful activities. But the asuras, they do not know. Pravåttià canivåttià ca na vidur asurä janäù [Bhagavad-gétä 16.7]. Those who are asuras, theydo not care what is sinful or what is right. “I like it; I must do it.” This is asura. Thereis no reference to the authorities, whether the action which I am going to do,whether it is pious or impious. Because by impious activities I will be degraded.Adho gacchanti tamasaù [Bg. 14.18]. Jaghanya-guëa-våtti-sthäù. If we becomeaddicted to sinful activities, the result will be we shall be degraded.(Lecture, Bhagavad-gétä 1.36, 26 th July, 1973, London)• But Arjuna is considering whether it will be pious or impious. This is devatä. In everyaction, they will consider, “What I am going to do, whether it is pious or impious.”That is devatä. “If it is pious, then it will elevate me. And if it is impious, then it willLesson Notes: FOLK Bronze – 02 -Importance and Relevance of Message of BG Today Page 7 of 12

degrade me.” Nobody wants degradation. The human life should be especiallymeant for elevation, not for degradation.(Lecture, Bhagavad-gétä 1.36, 26 th July, 1973, London)3.4. Equanimity of MindWhen Kåñëa and Arjuna and Bhéma went to Jaräsandha... Jaräsandha was very powerfulking. So before Mahäräja Yudhiñöhira’s becoming the emperor, it was the system thatall the other kings within this world, they must submit, either submit or fight. So Kåñëaand Arjuna and Bhéma went to Jaräsandha. He was very charitable to the brähmaëas,and these three persons went there, dressing themselves as poor brähmaëas. So in theassembly they begged from Jaräsandha, “Sir, we have come to beg from you for fight.”Kåñëa, to save the other soldiers, He advised that “Let us fight with Jaräsandha alone.Why he should unnecessarily bring so many soldiers and we have to also? Why thesepoor soldiers will give life? Better go, let us individually fight.” So Jaräsandha couldunderstand that “They are kñatriyas. They have come in the dress of a brähmaëa tobeg,” because kñatriya cannot beg. So he accepted, “Yes.” Then he selected Bhéma tofight with him. He rejected Arjuna and Kåñëa also, that “You are not fit for fighting withme.” So there was fighting for twenty-eight days. Fighting was going on from morningto evening. And at night they were friends. Bhéma, Arjuna, and Kåñëa was the guest,and he received them as guests. They were eating together, talking together. In themorning again fighting. This is kñatriya. It is sport, sporting, but that sporting was meantfor... Until one dies, the fighting will go on.(Lecture, Bhagavad-gétä 2.12, 12 th December, 1976, Hyderabad)3.5. Purpose before SelfThis Drupada, the son of Drupada, he was meant for killing Dronäcärya. DrupadaMahäräja was not in good terms with Dronäcärya. So he performed a yajïa to get ason who could kill Dronäcärya. That son is this Draupada. So Dronäcärya knew that“Drupada Mahäräja has got his son. In future he would kill me.” Still, when he wasoffered to become his disciple, to learn military art, he accepted, “Yes.” That meansthe brähmaëas were so liberal: “When he is coming as my disciple, never mind, hewould kill me in future. That doesn’t matter. But I must give him teaching.” Thereforethis word is used, dhématä, very intelligent: “He has killed the military science from youjust to kill you.” Dhématä, tava çiñyeëa. “Your disciple, he has arranged.” This is thepointing out. So that he may be angry: “This rascal has learned from me and he wantsto kill me?”But no. Duty is duty. After all, everyone will die; nobody will exist. So nobody shouldbe afraid of death. This is Vedic civilization. Death is inevitable. “As sure as death.”Who can avoid death? So being afraid of death, we should not deviate from our duties,real duty. That is Vedic civilization.(Lecture, Bhagavad-gétä 1.2-3, 9 th July, 1973, London)Lesson Notes: FOLK Bronze – 02 -Importance and Relevance of Message of BG Today Page 8 of 12

3.6. Leader leads from the front• Minister of Defense, perhaps he has never seen a battlefield, Minister of Defense.Formerly it was not like that. When there was fight, because they are kñatriyas...Kñatriyas, they will never go back from fighting. Yuddhe cäpy apaläyanam. That isthe symptom of kñatriya. When there is fight, they will come forward first. Çauryaàtejo... Véryaà yuddhe cäpy apaläyanam éçvara-bhävaç ca dänaà ca. Kñatriyasmeans they are very powerful, strong, and when there is fight, a kñatriya, if he ischallenged by somebody that “I want to fight with you,” he cannot deny. “Yes.What kind of fight you want, bows, arrows, or club, or sword?” Any way they willfight. And fight means until one is dead, the fight will go on. That is fight.(Lecture, Bhagavad-gétä 2.12, 12 th December, 1976, Hyderabad)• Kåñëa is chariot driver of Arjuna. So He says, janädhipäù. There were many kings.Different parts of the world, they joined. Janädhipäù, the leaders, when there isfight the leaders must come forward. And as soon as the leaders are killed, then it isvictory, not by killing the soldiers or common men by atomic bomb. No. That wasnot fighting.(Lecture, Bhagavad-gétä 2.12, 12 th December, 1976, Hyderabad)3.7. Non-attachment to resultskarmaëy evädhikäras temä phaleñu kadäcanamä karma-phala-hetur bhürmä te saìgo ‘stv akarmaëiYou have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruitsof action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and neverbe attached to not doing your duty.(Bhagavad-gétä 2.47)3.8. Always think of Kåñëatasmät sarveñu käleñumäm anusmara yudhya camayy arpita-mano-buddhirmäm evaiñyasy asaàçayaùTherefore, Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of Kåñëa and at the sametime carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your activities dedicated to Meand your mind and intelligence fixed on Me, you will attain Me without doubt.(Bhagavad-gétä 8.7)3.9. How to develop all these qualities• The secret is that if one is trained only to become a devotee of Kåñëa, all goodqualities automatically will be visible in his person. There is no need of separateLesson Notes: FOLK Bronze – 02 -Importance and Relevance of Message of BG Today Page 9 of 12

endeavor, how to make a man honest, how to make a man religious, how to makea man high-thinking, simple living. These are good... Çamo damas, titikña ärjavaàjïänaà vijïänam ästikyam [Bhagavad-gétä 18.42]. All these qualities immediatelydevelop.(Lecture, Bhagavad-gétä 1.36, 26 th July, 1973, London)• yasyästi bhaktir bhagavaty akiïcanäsarvair guëais tatra samäsate suräùharäv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guëämano-rathenäsati dhävato bahiù“One who has unflinching devotion for the Personality of Godhead has all the goodqualities of the demigods. But one who is not a devotee of the Lord has onlymaterial qualifications that are of little value. This is because he is hovering on themental plane and is certain to be attracted by the glaring material energy.” (Çrémad-Bhägavatam 5.18.12)(Purport, Bhagavad-gétä 1.28)4. Wisdom Of Bhagavad-gétä Is Mandatory To Lead A Meaningful & Purposeful Life4.1. Scholar and boatmanIn Bengal there are many rivers, and so people generally transport by boat service. So alearned scholar from Calcutta, say, was going home in the village on a boat, and hewas very happy. So he was asking the boatman, “My dear boatman, do you knowwhat are these stars, this astronomy, how they are working?” “No, sir, I do not know.”“Oh, your life is twenty-five percent lost. You do not know anything.” Then after sometime, “You know the geology, how this earth, water, they are working?” “No, sir, I ampoor man. What can I know?” “Oh, your fifty percent of your life is lost.” Then all of asudden there was a cloud, black cloud on the sky, and there was storm. Then at thattime the boatman asked, “Sir, do you know how to swim?” “No, I do not know.”“Then one hundred percent you have lost.(laughter) You are going to be drowned.” Hejumped and he drowned.(Lecture, Çrémad-Bhägavatam 2.1.6, 14 th June, 1974, Paris)4.2. Craft vs KnowledgeThere is no education actually. The modern education means simply a craftsmanship. Ifyou can prepare a nice motor car, oh, that is advancement of the... And what is this?This is craftsmanship. It is the blacksmith’s work. It is not knowledge. Knowledge isdifferent. Therefore it is called jïänaà vijïäna-sahitam. This is knowledge, “What I am?I am this body or something else? Why I am suffering? If there is any remedy? I do notwish to die, neither I am subjected to death.” Nityaù çäçvato ‘yaà na hanyate han...This is knowledge, that “If I am eternal, if I do not die after annihilation of this body,then why I am subjected to this body?” This is knowledge. And to manufacture amotor car, that is not knowledge. That is craftsmanship. Knowledge is here, that “I ameternal. Why I am put into this condition of temporary body, not only one kind ofbody, but there are 8,400,000 different forms of body, and I have to accept one ofLesson Notes: FOLK Bronze – 02 -Importance and Relevance of Message of BG Today Page 10 of 12

them, tathä dehäntara-präptiù [Bhagavad-gétä 2.13], according to my karma. This is myposition. How to get out of it, to inquire about it? If there is any science to accept it?”That is knowledge.(Lecture, Bhagavad-gétä 9.1, 19 th April, 1976, Melbourne)4.3. Bhagavad-gétä is the beginning of spiritual life, ABCD. So even if we do not learn theABCD of spiritual life, how our life will be successful in the mission?(Lecture, Bhagavad-gétä 13.1-2, 25 th September, 1973, Mumbai)4.4. Genuine scriptures are God’s instruction manuals for man. Would you make up yourown computer manual and expect to get somewhere? No! You would just end up inmisery if you didn’t use the manual. Similarly, we are in an environment that is alien tous — we are spirit souls but are now entangled in a material environment. We don’tknow anything about this environment, its creator, our relationship with the creatorand the current environment. How should one behave? What should be one’spurpose? Who is a friend and who is an enemy? What are the dos and don’ts of thisenvironment? How to make the best use of the current situation? How to get out ofthis predicament? The Bhagavad-gétä answers all these questions and more. It is theinstruction manual for life.5. Praise for Bhagavad-gétä As It Is5.1. “The Gétä can be seen as the main literary support for the great religious civilization ofIndia, the oldest surviving culture in the world. The present translation andcommentary is another manifestation of the permanent living importance of the Gétä.”— Thomas Merton, Theologian5.2. “If truth is what works, as Pierce and the pragmatists insist, there must be a kind oftruth in the Bhagavad-gétä As It Is, since those who follow its teachings display ajoyous serenity usually missing in the bleak and strident lives of contemporary people.”— Dr. Elwin H. Powell, Professor of Sociology, State University of New York, Buffalo5.3. “As a native of India now living in the West, it has given me much grief to see so manyof my fellow countrymen coming to the West in the role of gurus and spiritual leaders.For this reason, I am very excited to see the publication of Bhagavad-gétä As It Is by SriA.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupäda. It will help to stop the terrible cheating offalse and unauthorized ‘gurus’ and ‘yogis’ and will give an opportunity to all people tounderstand the actual meaning of Oriental culture.”— Dr. Kailash Vajpeye, Director of Indian Studies, Center for Oriental Studies, TheUniversity of Mexico5.4. “I can say that in the Bhagavad-gétä As It Is I have found explanations and answers toquestions I had always posed regarding the interpretations of this sacred work, whosespiritual discipline I greatly admire. If the asceticism and ideal of the apostles whichform the message of the Bhagavad-gétä As It Is were more widespread and morerespected, the world in which we live would be transformed into a better, morefraternal place.”— Dr. Paul Lesourd, Author, Professeur Honoraire, Catholic University of ParisLesson Notes: FOLK Bronze – 02 -Importance and Relevance of Message of BG Today Page 11 of 12

5.5. “I am most impressed with A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupäda’s scholarly andauthoritative edition of Bhagavad-gétä. It is a most valuable work for the scholar as wellas the layman and is of great utility as a reference book as well as a textbook. Ipromptly recommend this edition to my students. It is a beautifully done book.”— Dr. Samuel D. Atkins, Professor of Sanskrit, Princeton UniversityLesson Notes: FOLK Bronze – 02 -Importance and Relevance of Message of BG Today Page 12 of 12