Prabhupāda: “Arjuna said: O Kṛṣṇa, first of all You ask me to renounce work, and then again You recommend work with devotion. Now will You kindly tell me definitely which of the two is more beneficial?”
Renouncement does not mean voidness. Renouncement is only the negative side. When our spiritual master was physically present, we asked him whether renounced order of sannyāsa is nice or householder life is nice. So Guru Mahārāja replied that “We are going to enter into the household of Kṛṣṇa. What we have got to do with renouncement?”
Actually that is the position. When I speak that “Don’t do this,” “don’t do this” means don’t do this nonsense. “Don’t do this” does not mean you give up nice activities. Nobody says “Don’t do this.” “Don’t do this” means don’t do rascaldom. Similarly, renouncement means to renounce these material activities.
Just like Śaṅkarācārya’s philosophy—to merge into the existence of Brahman. His first condition is you must accept sannyāsa. Śaṅkarācārya’s philosophy is brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā:
This material world is false, and Brahman, the supreme spirit, is reality. So their philosophy is to merge into the supreme reality and stop this material activity. That is the sum and substance of Śaṅkarācārya’s philosophy. Lord Buddha’s philosophy also almost the same. He says nirvāṇa. Nirvāṇa also means “extinguish.” Just like this flame is there. If you extinguish this flame, it is called nirvāṇa. So Buddha’s philosophy is also that extinguish this blazing fire of material activities: stop this; try to understand your life; meditate. This is another science.
So Vaiṣṇava philosophy means not only stop this nonsense, but begin actual life. Lord Buddha also wanted to tell the same philosophy; Śaṅkarācārya also wanted to say the same philosophy. But the people who are followers, they had no stamina to understand what is spiritual activities. Therefore he did not say it; he stopped simply up to nirvāṇa. “Stop this nonsense.”
But here Kṛṣṇa says that stop work means stop working this nonsense work. What is that nonsense work? This material activities—sense enjoyment—it is nonsense. Why nonsense? Because it is animalistic. The animals are also working for sense gratification. What the animals are doing? The birds and the beasts, what they are doing? All day they are searching after some food, and as soon as the belly is fulfilled—sex life. You see the sparrow, the pigeons, or any animal. That means āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithuna (Hitopadeśa 25).
And in the evening they gather together, eating, mating, eating, mating, and sleep. So sleeping, eating and sex life—and fearing from the enemy. Everyone is afraid.
So material activities mean the same thing. You may eat very nice, palatable dishes in the restaurant, but what is that? Eating, that’s all. There is no other philosophy. Simply eating philosophy, that’s all. You may be satisfied with certain type of dishes, and the pigeon will be satisfied simply by certain grains of peas, that’s all. But the pleasure is eating. Similarly, sleeping. When you fall asleep, you do not know whether you are sleeping on a very nice mattress or on the floor. Sometimes you are dreaming that “I am sleeping on the forest” or “on the seashore.”
You forget everything. So sleeping… Eating, sleeping, mating—sex intercourse. The same enjoyment as the pigeon is enjoying, you are also enjoying. And defending—they are defending by their wings; you are defending by atomic bomb. So there is no difference of quality of life. So Kṛṣṇa, when says “Stop work,” means stop working like animals, but not to stop working like Kṛṣṇa conscious people are doing—not to stop chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. Stop your animalistic life and begin your spiritual life. That is the purpose.
So Arjuna is playing the part of a common man. He is constant companion of Kṛṣṇa. He is friend of Kṛṣṇa. So there was no possibility of Arjuna’s becoming such fool, but he is playing the part of a fool because if he does not question like that, then how this Bhagavad-gītā will come from the Supreme Personality of Godhead? Just like there is a stage play. Somebody is speaking, somebody is answering, and the audience is benefiting. Similarly, this is also Kṛṣṇa’s stage play to teach us. And who will accompany Him? Who will answer Him? Who will play with Him?
His most confidential devotee, Arjuna. Otherwise who will play with Him? He is Supreme Personality of Godhead, and a great devotee like Arjuna can play with Him. Just like if there is a very respectable person, who will accompany him? Somebody similarly respectable. So Arjuna as a common man says that “Sometimes You say that ’You stop work,’ and again You say that ’You work with devotion.’ ”