Kṛṣṇa says, dharma-kṣetra. Not Kṛṣṇa says, sañjaya uvāca. Dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre . . . no. Dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca. Dhṛtrāṣṭra says:
- dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre
- samavetā yuyutsavaḥ
- māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caiva
- kim akurvata sañjaya
- (BG 1.1)
He is asking his secretary. He was blind man, so he was asking his secretary, "My dear Sañjaya, after my boys, māmakāḥ, and pāṇḍavāḥ, the sons of my younger brother Pāṇḍu, samavetā yuyutsavaḥ, they assembled for fighting in the dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre . . ." Dharma . . . kuru-kṣetra is still there. Everyone knows. And it is dharma-kṣetra. Everyone knows. Then where is the difficulty to understand dharma-kṣetra kuru-kṣetra māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāḥ? But if you foolishly interpret, "Dharma-kṣetra means this, and kuru-kṣetra means that, and pāṇḍavāḥ means that," you spoil the whole thing. That is going on. Otherwise there is no difficulty. Dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre samavetā yuyutsavaḥ (BG 1.1).
Actually, it is historical fact, Mahābhārata. There was fight between two cousin-brothers. They, "No. Pāṇḍava means this and this. Kuru-kṣetra means this and . . . this means this." In this way, things are being spoiled. So we are misled in that way. Actually if we read Bhagavad-gītā as it is, as a devotee . . . because without being a devotee, nobody can understand Bhagavad-gītā. Because in the Bhagavad-gītā in so many places it is stated, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). Bhaktyā, only through devotion, only becoming a devotee, you can understand Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise you cannot. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ (BG 7.25): "I am not exposed to anyone." Yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ. "Only bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55)."
So this is the way. And this life is meant for that purpose. That is the advice of the Vedas. Vedaiś ca sarvaiḥ . . . (break) So Arjuna is inquiring from Kṛṣṇa, and He says, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate (BG 10.8). So Bhagavad-gītā is real Vedānta. And if one understands Bhagavad-gītā as it is, he is really Vedāntist. Veda means knowledge, and anta means the last word. So last word of knowledge is Kṛṣṇa. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). If one does not understand Kṛṣṇa and does not surrender to Kṛṣṇa, he is simply uselessly wasting his time. That is the verdict of all Vedic literature.
Therefore in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavata it is said, kāmasya nendriya-prītiḥ. Kāmasya nendriya-prītir lābho jīveta yāvatā (SB 1.2.10). Simply take so much as you will need, not for sense gratification. That is the process. Don't take more, don't take less. Yuktāhāra-vihārasya (BG 6.17). Śāstra does not advise you that you starve, unnecessarily you starve. No. Kṛṣṇa has condemned one who unnecessarily starves. You take foodstuff, but don't take anything which is forbidden. Take kṛṣṇa-prasādam. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam (BG 9.26). Don't try to satisfy your senses. The senses will be satisfied. There are so many varieties of food, kṛṣṇa-prasādam. That you will . . . these Europeans and Americans, they used to take meat. Now if you give them, bribe that, "You take again meat . . ." Because they have learned to cook so many nice foodstuff. Ask any one of them. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā. When you get better thing, nivartate, then you give up which is not very good.