Kṛṣṇa says, er, Arjuna says: "My dear Kṛṣṇa," that "You have now spoken about the sannyāsam." Sannyāsam means to give up the reaction of our work. "Then again, You are asking me to work." Sannyāsaṁ karmaṇāṁ kṛṣṇa: "Then You are speaking of this yoga, karma-yoga."
So that is quite possible. When the spiritual master instructs to the disciple on different subject matter, sometimes the disciple becomes puzzled which of them has to be accepted and which has to be carried and which has to be rejected. In the beginning, such, I mean to say, puzzling things appear. So it is appearing to Kṛṣṇa, er, to Arjuna that Kṛṣṇa has spoken to him on various subjects, about sannyāsa . . . sannyāsa means renounced order. Just like we are in sannyāsa. This is called renounced order of life, and in the Vedic system there are four divisions of social order: brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa.
Brahmacārī means from the beginning, from five years to twenty-five years, one has to live in the house of the spiritual master for being trained up. That is called brahmacārī. And after one has full training, then he comes home and he gets himself married. That is called gṛhastha, householder life.
Then, after the age of fifty years, he leaves. He gives up the family—not exactly gives up family connection; just tries to remain aloof from the family. So the husband and wife, they, entrusting the whole thing to the grown-up boys, they go out of home and travel in so many holy places and, after traveling, say, for six months, again comes home for . . . remains for one month, and then again goes away. That is the . . . that stage is called vānaprastha.
Then, when the man is completely detached from family affection, he takes sannyāsa. This is called sannyāsa. We have no connection with family. So sannyāsaṁ karmaṇāṁ kṛṣṇa punar yogaṁ ca śaṁsasi (BG 5.1).
So these things have been discussed in the previous chapter, so Arjuna says that, "We have spoken so many subject matter, so there are so many doubts arising in my mind, so kindly . . ." Yac chreya etayor ekam: "So out of so many things, whichever is the best process . . ." yac chreya etayor ekaṁ tan me brūhi suniścitam, "Kindly speak to me that one with certainty." This is called paripraśna.
Now, the spiritual master is speaking, and the disciple is hearing, so as soon as there are some doubts and puzzling, so you should at once place the matter before the spiritual master to get it cleared. So this is the process which Arjuna is following. So he has heard and, up to Fourth Chapter, so many things. Now he has got some doubt. He is placing before Kṛṣṇa and asking Him, "Out of so many things, please let me know which of them is exactly I have to follow."
Now, śrī-bhagavān uvāca. Bhagavān uvāca. Kṛṣṇa, Bhagavān. Bhagavān means . . . there are definition. There is definition of Bhagavān. Bhagavān means the Personality of Godhead. And who is Godhead? That is described in the Vedic literature:
- aiśvaryasya samagrasya
- vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ
- jñāna-vairāgyayoś caiva
- ṣaṇṇāṁ bhaga itīṅganā
- (Viṣṇu Purāṇa 6.5.47)
Now, aiśvarya is an opulence. Aiśvaryasya samagrasya. Entire opulence. Aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya. Vīryasya means strength, entire strength. And yaśaḥ. Yaśaḥ means fame. So entire fame. Yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ. Śriyaḥ means . . . Śrī means beauty, entire beauty. And jñāna. And jñāna means knowledge, entire knowledge. And vairāgya, entire renunciation. These things, whenever you find, wherever you find in complete, He is God. He is God. These six items: entire opulence, entire strength, entire fame, entire beauty, entire knowledge and entire renunciation. Six. Ṣaṇṇāṁ bhaga itīṅganā.
So if you are searching after God, so here is the definition of God. You just apply this definition, and when you find that, "Here is the perfect application of these six things," then He is God. So entire opulence . . . there are many rich men in New York City, but nobody can say that, "I am the proprietor, entire. I have got the . . . I am the proprietor of the entire bank balance." No. Nobody can say. Similarly, entire strength, entire fame, entire knowledge.
Now, so far this Bhagavad-gītā is concerned, you'll find the entire knowledge in it. If you study Bhagavad-gītā. . . of course, so far entire opulence, entire strength, when Kṛṣṇa was present, He showed it. So that is stated in the history and the Mahābhārata, in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and many other Vedic literature. They are stated.
So suppose you do not believe, that "Oh, they have been written, so many things for Kṛṣṇa, just to make Him very great." You may not believe that. But at least you have got in your presence one thing—this Bhagavad-gītā. This is spoken by Kṛṣṇa. And you'll find here entire knowledge. Entire knowledge. Any knowledge of the world, any knowledge—even material, spiritual, social, political, scientific, philosophical—any knowledge you'll find entirely in this Bhagavad-gītā. So at least this is the proof that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, because there is no other parallel book like this Bhagavad-gītā. Therefore the Bhagavad-gītā is accepted and adored by all classes of men and all over the world. Why not? Because Kṛṣṇa claims that bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29).
Although Kṛṣṇa appeared in India, He does not say that, "I am Indian." He says: sarva-loka-maheśvaram: "I am the proprietor of the entire planetary system." Then again, one place you'll find, sarva-yoniṣu: "The entire living species of life, not only humankind," He says, ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4). "I am the father, the entire living entities." So Kṛṣṇa claims because He is God. So He has to claim like that. He is not any particular country's man or particular society's man. Kṛṣṇa means all-attractive. He is for everyone. Therefore He is Bhagavān.