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People still go to observe religious ritualistic performances. And in the Vedas there is injunction, If you want to perform some ritualistic ceremonies, religious, then go to Kuruksetra

Expressions researched:
"People still go to observe religious ritualistic performances. And in the Vedas there is injunction, kuru-kṣetre dharmam ācaret: "If you want to perform some ritualistic ceremonies, religious, then go to Kurukṣetra"

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

When the planning was complete and the warfield was set up at dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre (BG 1.1) . . . dharma-kṣetre means, kuru-kṣetre, that place is a pilgrimage. People still go to observe religious ritualistic performances. And in the Vedas there is injunction, kuru-kṣetre dharmam ācaret: "If you want to perform some ritualistic ceremonies, religious, then go to Kurukṣetra." So Kurukṣetra is a dharma-kṣetra. It is a not fictitious thing, just like rascal commentators, so-called, they say, "Kurukṣetra means this body." It is not that. As it is.

Our process is that we are getting experience about the perfect knowledge, the destination of life, simply by hearing from Kṛṣṇa. So we are the most intelligent person. It is not possible to experience directly, but if one has got intelligence, then simply by hearing and considering and thinking over it, he gets the experience. So those who are very sinful, they get experience by hearing and by direct seeing, directly seeing also—still, they cannot check from sinful activities. So Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, by his sinful activities he became so much fallen that he did not hear anybody's advice, Vidura's advice, Bhīṣma's advice that, "Don't plan like this. They are rightful owner. The Pāṇḍavas, they are rightful owners. They are minor, but don't try to cheat them." But Dhṛtarāṣṭra was . . .

So when the planning was complete and the warfield was set up at dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre (BG 1.1) . . . dharma-kṣetre means, kuru-kṣetre, that place is a pilgrimage. People still go to observe religious ritualistic performances. And in the Vedas there is injunction, kuru-kṣetre dharmam ācaret: "If you want to perform some ritualistic ceremonies, religious, then go to Kurukṣetra." So Kurukṣetra is a dharma-kṣetra. It is a not fictitious thing, just like rascal commentators, so-called, they say, "Kurukṣetra means this body." It is not that. As it is.

Try to understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is. Kurukṣetra, dharma-kṣetra. It is a place of religion. And especially when Kṛṣṇa was present there, it is already. Why this house? Before our occupation, why this house was an ordinary house? Now it is temple. It is dharma-kṣetra, it is a religious place. Why? Because Kṛṣṇa is there. Kṛṣṇa is there. So either you take Kurukṣetra ordinary place, but because in the battlefield Kṛṣṇa was there directing Arjuna, so it is already dharma-kṣetra.

So formerly people were religiously trained up. So they could not speak lies in a dharma-kṣetra. That is still the practice. Just like in the Western world, the Christians go to the church, they admit, confession, "Yes, I have done it." But that has become a formality. But actually, one should admit in religious place that "Yes, I have done this." But that does not mean you admit and again do it. No. You admit once, then you are excused. But don't do it again.

So here Dhṛtarāṣṭra says, samavetā yuyutsavaḥ (BG 1.1): "All these people, my sons," māmakāḥ . . . māmakāḥ. That means "my sons," and pāṇḍava, "and my brother Pāṇḍu's sons," samavetā, "they assembled." What is the purpose? The purpose is yuyutsavaḥ. This word yuyutsu is still used in Japan. Perhaps you know, yuyutsa, fighting. So yuyutsu, those who are desirous of fighting. Now, both the parties were desiring to fight, and they assembled. Why he is asking question, kim akurvata: "What did they do?" Because he was little doubtful that "These boys, after being assembled in dharma-kṣetra kuru-kṣe . . . they might have changed their ideas. They might have settled up." Actually, the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra might have admitted, "Yes, Pāṇḍavas, you are actually the owner. What is the use of unnecessarily fighting?"

So he was very much anxious whether they had changed their decision. Therefore he is asking. Otherwise there was no question of asking, kim akurvata. He . . . just like if you are given food, if I ask somebody that, "Such-and-such gentleman was served with nice dishes. Then what did he do?" this is foolish question. He would eat. That's all. (laughter) What is the question of, "What did he do?" Similarly, when it is already settled up that they were to fight, there was no such question as kim akurvata, "What did they do?" But he asked this question because he was doubtful whether they had changed their opinion.

Kim akurvata sañjaya (BG 1.1). He was asking his secretary. He was blind man. He was always conducted by his secretary, Sañjaya, a very faithful secretary. And he is explaining the Bhagavad-gītā by experiencing, by television within the heart. That art is not yet developed. You have got television through machine, but there is another television—you can see within your heart everything, what is going on outside. So that television was known to . . . that will be explained by Sañjaya, that by the grace of Vyāsadeva, he learned this televisioning, and he was sitting with his master within the room, and he was actually seeing how the fighting is going on, and he was explaining. This is the basic principle of Bhagavad-gītā, I mean, the basic platform.

Page Title:People still go to observe religious ritualistic performances. And in the Vedas there is injunction, If you want to perform some ritualistic ceremonies, religious, then go to Kuruksetra
Compiler:Vidisha
Created:2022-09-14, 06:37:24
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=1, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1