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Learned man does not lament over a dead body or a living body

Expressions researched:
"Learned man does not lament over a dead body or a living body"

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

You (Arjuna) do not know how things are going on because paṇḍitāḥ, those who are learned men, they would not have lamented just like you are doing." That means indirectly He says... Paṇḍitāḥ means learned. Learned man does not lament over a dead body or a living body.


Lecture on BG 2.7-11 -- New York, March 2, 1966:

Now, here is a book, Bhagavad-gītā. Now, apart from other books, other knowledge which He imparted to other . . . now, here is a book which was imparted to Arjuna. Now, it is so. . . the depth of knowledge, that people are still considering, great, great scholars. We are not reading, but Dr. Radhakrishnan, one of the greatest scholars of the world—now he is the president of India—he is discussing. Professor Einstein, he was living here in America.

He was a German Jew, and I think he was living in America. He was a great student of this Bhagavad-gītā. Hitler. Hitler was a great student of Bhagavad-gītā. And there were many scholars still reading Bhagavad-gītā, trying to understand. Just see what best depth of knowledge He has given. It is made by Kṛṣṇa. So in knowledge, in wealth, in strength, in beauty and in everything He was opulent. Therefore He is Bhagavān. You cannot accept any ordinary man as Bhagavān. So therefore Bhagavān.

Now, bhagavān uvāca. And because He has been accepted as the spiritual master . . . just like a teacher has the right to sometimes rebuke the student, so in the first instance He is rebuking Arjuna in the following words, that:

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ
prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase
gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca
nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ
(BG 2.11)

That "Arjuna, you are speaking just like a very great, learned man, but you are . . . you are . . . in other words, you are a fool. You do not know how things are going on, because paṇḍitāḥ, those who are learned men, they would not have lamented just like you are doing." That means indirectly He says . . . paṇḍitāḥ means learned. Learned man does not lament over a dead body or a living body. Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca. Asūn means life. One has lost his life, and one has got his life, a body, living body and a dead body. Living body and a dead body. Just mark the point that, "A learned man . . . as you are lamenting over the subject of killing your friends and relatives, but a learned man would not have lamented like this. That means you are a fool."

When He says . . . just like if I say: "Mr. Green, what you have done, any intelligent man should not have done this," so this is indirectly saying that "You are not intelligent." It is in a gentleman's way, speaking that "Mr. Green, what you are doing, no intelligent man can do this." That means "You are not intelligent."

So here He says that "You are lamenting over the bodies of your relatives because in the fight you are considering that 'My friends and my relatives will be killed,' so that means they are living bodies, and you are lamenting over the . . . over their killing. So this sort of lamentation is never done by a learned man. A learned man never does it." Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ (BG 2.11). "Those who are learned, one who is learned, he does not lament over the body, either a living body or dead body. There is no question of."

Now, because one who knows the distinction between the body and the soul, firmly con . . . just like you have heard the name of Socrates. Soc . . . a great philosopher, Greek philosopher. He believed in the immortality of soul. So he was punished in the court, hemlock. Hemlock was offered to him that, "All right, if you believe the immortality of soul, then you drink this hemlock poison." So he drunk, because he was firmly convinced that "Even if I drink this poison, my body will be destroyed, but by destruction of my body, I am not going to be destroyed." He was convinced. So he did not lament. So a paṇḍita, learned man, must know that this body and soul, the distinction, the difference between body and soul . . . the body is not soul and the soul is not body, and one who knows, he is learned man. This instruction is given first.

So for spiritual advancement this first knowledge: that the body and the soul is different. This body cannot be identified with the soul. You see? The soul is there, but body is not soul. Body is not soul. So every learned man knows it, and we should be . . .

I think we can stop here. (end)

Page Title:Learned man does not lament over a dead body or a living body
Compiler:Krsnadas
Created:22 of Sep, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=1, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1