Arjuna was not a brahmin, neither a sannyasi. A grhastha, householder, and a . . . in royal order. He's on the battlefield. He's not a Vedantist. But just see how his knowledge is perfect

Expressions researched:
"Arjuna was not a brāhmiṇ, neither a sannyāsī. A gṛhastha, householder, and a . . . in royal order. He's on the battlefield. He's not a Vedāntist. But just see how his knowledge is perfect"

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

The lupta-piṇḍodaka-kriyāḥ (BG 1.41). Taking for granted that some of my forefathers have become ghostly life and has not got the gross body, so by this piṇḍodaka . . . piṇḍa means offering prasādam of Viṣṇu prasādam. Still in India there is a place, Gayā. There is Viṣṇu temple, and it is a custom, all Hindus . . . nowadays, they do not go. They do not believe even. They have given up everything. Due to unwanted children, they don't care for it, what is family, what is piṇḍa-udaka. Simply eat, drink, be merry and enjoy, that's all. But you see five thousand years, Arjuna . . . Arjuna was not a brāhmiṇ, neither a sannyāsī. A gṛhastha, householder, and a . . . in royal order. He's on the battlefield. He's not a Vedāntist. But just see how his knowledge is perfect.

730729 - Lecture BG 01.41-42 - London

So gross body is required, because every living entity in this material world, they have come to enjoy. Kṛṣṇa bhuliyā jīva bhoga vāñchā kare pāśāte māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare (Prema-vivarta 6.2). This is the beginning of our material life. When we forget to render service to Kṛṣṇa, immediately we get a material body offered by the material nature.

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni

guṇair karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ

ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā

kartāham iti manyate

(BG 3.27)

So this gross body is required for enjoyment. Spirit, spiritual body is also very subtle, and the astral body, or subtle body, is also very subtle. The gross body required. So on account of one's severe sinful life, he does not get this gross body.

Therefore the lupta-piṇḍodaka-kriyāḥ (BG 1.41). Taking for granted that some of my forefathers have become ghostly life and has not got the gross body, so by this piṇḍodaka . . . piṇḍa means offering prasādam of Viṣṇu prasādam. Still in India there is a place, Gayā. There is Viṣṇu temple, and it is a custom, all Hindus . . . nowadays, they do not go. They do not believe even. They have given up everything. Due to unwanted children, they don't care for it, what is family, what is piṇḍa-udaka. Simply eat, drink, be merry and enjoy, that's all. But you see five thousand years, Arjuna . . . Arjuna was not a brāhmiṇ, neither a sannyāsī. A gṛhastha, householder, and a . . . in royal order. He's on the battlefield. He's not a Vedāntist. But just see how his knowledge is perfect.

This is Vedic culture. One may not be a brāhmaṇa . . . Brāhmaṇa is very advanced. Satya śama dama titikṣa (BG 18.42). But even kṣatriyas, they are also so advanced, so advanced we can see that he is hearing Bhagavad-gītā from Kṛṣṇa in the battlefield. How much time you can spare in the battlefield? The talk took place between the two soldiers when he was just going to throw his arrow. Śāstra sampate. Just was going to . . . he became very compassionate: "Kṛṣṇa, I have to kill my own kinsmen." And he's describing. He's describing, "What kind of sinful activities I am going to do." So just try to understand how much people were advanced. These Bhagavad-gītā talks took place between Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna in the battlefield, just on the verge of his beginning the battle. So how much time he could spare? Utmost, half an hour. Not more than that.