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He (Arjuna) is perplexed, "Which one, which side will be glorious? I shall stop fighting or not fighting?" When you are in such perplexity, what to do and what not to do, so in order to get right direction, you must approach the spiritual master

Expressions researched:
"he is perplexed, "Which one, which side will be glorious? I shall stop fighting or not fighting?" In the next verses it will be seen . . . when you are in such perplexity, what to do and what not to do, so in order to get right direction, you must approach the spiritual master"

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

If you do for Kṛṣṇa, there is no more reaction. That is your freedom. yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam (BG 2.50). That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. yoga, when you are in contact with Kṛṣṇa, that is the secret of success in this material world, working. Otherwise, whatever you are doing, whatever you are working, it will produce some reaction and you will have to enjoy or suffer. So here again, the same thing. Arjuna is thinking in terms, na caitad vidmaḥ kataran no garīyo (BG 2.6). So he is perplexed, "Which one, which side will be glorious? I shall stop fighting or not fighting?" In the next verses it will be seen . . . when you are in such perplexity, what to do and what not to do, so in order to get right direction, you must approach the spiritual master. That will be done in the next verse. Arjuna will say that, "I do not know. I am now perplexed. Although I know it is my duty as kṣatriya to fight, still I am hesitating. I am hesitating in my duty. So therefore I am perplexed. So Kṛṣṇa, therefore I submit to You." Formerly he was talking just like friend. Now he will be prepared to take lesson from Kṛṣṇa.

Here the position is that Arjuna is to fight not for himself, but he is only thinking in terms of himself. He says, te avasthitaḥ pramukhe dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ, yān eva hatvā na jijīviṣāmas (BG 2.6): "They are my brothers, relatives. If they die . . . we do not wish to die. Now they are in my front. I have to kill them?" So still he is thinking in terms of his own satisfaction. He is preparing the background—how materialistic person, they think in the terms of personal satisfaction. So that has to be given up. Not personal satisfaction; Kṛṣṇa's satisfaction. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Whatever you do, it doesn't matter, you have to test it whether you are doing it for Kṛṣṇa. That is your perfection. Not only perfection, that is the perfection of your mission of human life.

This human life is meant for that purpose. Because less than human form, the animal life, they are trained, perfection of sense gratification, personal satisfaction. They have no such feeling that "Other animals also . . ." When there is some eatable, one dog, he will think, "How I can get it?" He will never think how other dogs also will be able to take it. This is not animal nature. Animal nature means their own satisfaction. There is no question of "My friend, my family member." Even . . . they do not share even with their own children. You might have seen. If there is some foodstuff, the dog and the dog's children, everyone is trying to take in his own side. This is animal. So when this thing is changed for Kṛṣṇa, that is human life. That is the distinction between animal life.

So that is very difficult also. Therefore the whole education is there, Bhagavad-gītā, how to teach people, "Act for Kṛṣṇa, act for God, not for your personal interest. Then you'll be entangled." Yajñārthāt karma anyatra karma yaṁ bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9). Anything you do, it will produce some reaction, and you are to enjoy or suffer that reaction. Anything you do. But if you do for Kṛṣṇa, there is no more reaction. That is your freedom. yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam (BG 2.50). That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. yoga, when you are in contact with Kṛṣṇa, that is the secret of success in this material world, working. Otherwise, whatever you are doing, whatever you are working, it will produce some reaction and you will have to enjoy or suffer.

So here again, the same thing. Arjuna is thinking in terms, na caitad vidmaḥ kataran no garīyo (BG 2.6). So he is perplexed, "Which one, which side will be glorious? I shall stop fighting or not fighting?" In the next verses it will be seen . . . when you are in such perplexity, what to do and what not to do, so in order to get right direction, you must approach the spiritual master. That will be done in the next verse. Arjuna will say that, "I do not know. I am now perplexed. Although I know it is my duty as kṣatriya to fight, still I am hesitating. I am hesitating in my duty. So therefore I am perplexed. So Kṛṣṇa, therefore I submit to You." Formerly he was talking just like friend. Now he will be prepared to take lesson from Kṛṣṇa.

So our the whole instruction of Bhagavad-gītā is that you should not act for yourself; you should simply act for Kṛṣṇa. So even fighting for Kṛṣṇa, or even doing something still abominable for Kṛṣṇa . . . just like the gopīs. The gopīs were captivated by Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa was a young boy, very beautiful, and the gopīs were young girls. That is the superficial . . . actually, the gopīs are eternal associates of Kṛṣṇa.

Page Title:He (Arjuna) is perplexed, "Which one, which side will be glorious? I shall stop fighting or not fighting?" When you are in such perplexity, what to do and what not to do, so in order to get right direction, you must approach the spiritual master
Compiler:Soham
Created:2023-02-24, 10:13:52
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=1, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1