Prabhupāda: Yes. The, the necessity of a spiritual master is for him who is conscious of his material sufferings. If one is not conscious of his material sufferings, then he is not even on the human being status: he's still in the animal status. Animal status, you see? Now, the modern civilization . . . the modern civilization is practically . . . they are evading, evading the real sufferings. They are engaged in temporary sufferings. But the Vedic system is Vedic knowledge. They are meant for ending the sufferings of . . . for good, sufferings for good. You see? The human life is meant for that, ending all sufferings. Of course, we are trying to end all kinds of sufferings. Our business, our occupation, our education, our advancement of knowledge—everything is meant for ending suffering. But that suffering is temporary. Temporary. But we have to end the sufferings for good. Suffering . . .
That sort of knowledge is called transcendental knowledge, and if anyone is seeking after that transcendental know . . . this Bhagavad-gītā is not an ordinary thing. It is transcendental knowledge. And now here the ground is prepared. Ground is prepared. Arjuna is conscious of his suffering, perplexity. Now he is seeking a spiritual master.
So the, the . . . we should take the position of Arjuna: disciple. When a disciple is serious about making . . . about making a solution of the suffering, then he requires a spiritual master. And what sort of spiritual master? Kṛṣṇa, the most perfect man. The most perfect man. So a spiritual master is representative of Kṛṣṇa. Of course, Kṛṣṇa is not present before us. But at least we must have a person as our spiritual master who represents Kṛṣṇa. And who can represent Kṛṣṇa? One who is devotee of Kṛṣṇa, in the line, disciplic succession. You see? So see here. Arjuna accepts Kṛṣṇa as the spiritual master.
Now, question may be that "Why Arjuna . . .? There was many learned men, not only Kṛṣṇa, but there were Vyāsadeva and other great sages and brahmins. Why . . .?" Kṛṣṇa was also kṣatriya. Kṛṣṇa was not a brahmin. Of course, He took His, mean . . . He appeared in the family of a kṣatriya. And they were cousin-brothers. Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, they were cousin-brothers. Kṛṣṇa was the son of the brother, and Arjuna was the son of the sister. Arjuna's mother and Kṛṣṇa's father, they were brother and sister. So they are in the family relation. They were intimately related, and at the same time, they were of the same age and friends.
Now, the question may be: "Why Kṛṣṇa is accepted as the spiritual master?" That is the selection of the disciple, that Arjuna says:
- na hi prapaśyāmi mamāpanudyād
- yac chokam ucchoṣaṇam indriyāṇām
- avāpya bhūmāv asapatnam ṛddhaṁ
- rājyaṁ surāṇām api cādhipatyam
- (BG 2.8)
Now, he says that, "I am so perplexed that my lamentation cannot be satisfied even if I get the kingdom of the universe. I am going to fight for the kingdom only of this earth, or the India." Of course, formerly, India means Bhārata. Now India is a name given by the foreigners. The real name of this planet is Bhārata-varṣa, this planet.
Now, gradually, it has been cut up. It has been cut up, just like we have got immediate experience that some portion of India is now cut up, and that is named Pakistan. You know, all. Similarly, this whole planet, five thousand years before, this whole planet was known as Bhārata-varṣa. Bhārata-varṣa. And before that, thousands and millions of years before, this planet was known as Ilāvṛta-varṣa. Ilāvṛta-varṣa. And now, since the time of Emperor Bharata . . . there was an emperor whose name was Bharata. So from the name of Bharata, this planet's name became Bhārata-varṣa.
So up to five thousand years before . . . why five thousand years before? Say, up to four thousand years before, although the modern history cannot give account, chronological account, more than 2,500 years, but we are speaking, about four thousand years before, this planet was called Bhārata-varṣa.
Now, Arjuna says that "We are going to fight for the matter of this Bhārata-varṣa planet. This is one of the planet in the universe. But if I get the whole planets of this . . . the complete planets of this universe, and without any competitor, still, the perplexity which has arisen in my mind, that cannot be mitigated." So . . . now, see what sort, what sort of responsibility is given to the Kṛṣṇa. Sañjaya uvāca. Now, Sañjaya said:
- evam uktvā hṛṣīkeśaṁ
- guḍākeśaḥ parantapaḥ
- na yotsya iti govindam
- uktvā tūṣṇīṁ babhūva ha
- (BG 2.9)
"Just saying this, Arjuna became silent: 'Oh, I cannot fight.' "
- tam uvāca hṛṣīkeśaḥ
- prahasann iva bhārata
- senayor ubhayor madhye
- viṣīdantam idaṁ vacaḥ
- (BG 2.10)
Now here Kṛṣṇa is addressed as Hṛṣīkeśa. Hṛṣīkeśa . . . we should always remember that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is present as incarnation. Now, God is all-powerful. God is all-powerful. So if He comes before you, you cannot deny that, "How is that, God has come?" You cannot say that. If God is all-powerful, then it is His choice: it is His free will. He can come before you, come before you, provided you are such qualified devotee. So there cannot be any solid argument that "God cannot come" or "God . . ." Of course, so far Vedic literatures are concerned, they accept the incarnation of God.
So Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and so He is addressed as Hṛṣīkeśa. Hṛṣīka . . . Hṛṣīkeśa, it has got a significant . . . significant meaning. Hṛṣīka. Hṛṣīka means the senses, hṛṣīka. And īśa, īśa means Lord. Īśa means Lord. So He is the Lord of the senses. He is the Lord of the senses. Similarly, Govinda. Govinda . . . here also, Govinda name is also there. Yes. Na yotsya . . . Na yotsya iti govindam uktvā tūṣṇīṁ babhūva ha (BG 2.9).
Govindam. Govinda. Go means also senses. Go means cow, go means land and go means sense. And inda. Inda means pleasure. One who gives pleasure to the cow, one who gives pleasure to the land, one who gives pleasure to the senses—so His name is Govinda. Now, two things . . . two names, are used here.
So we should try to understand what is the meaning of Hṛṣīkeśa. Hṛṣīka means indriya, and īśa means Lord. So whatever senses we have got, the actually the proprietor of the senses—not myself. The proprietor of the senses is God. Just like we are sitting in this room. This room is allotted for our sitting under some consideration of rent or whatever it may be, but this room is not ours. That's a fact. We should not consider that, "This is . . . I am the proprietor of the room." Although I am using it to my heart's desire, as I like, that is a different thing. But as soon as there is some misunderstanding or the landlord says: "Now you cannot room in this room. Vacate," I have to vacate. You see?
Similarly, this is also just like room, this, our body. This body is given to us by God under certain condition, and as soon as God likes that, "You should vacate from this body," I have to vacate. Nobody can allow us to stay here. And besides that . . . just like my hand, my hand, this hand . . . now, suppose if this hand is paralyzed. The power of this hand is so long . . . so long there is power from the Supreme. Otherwise, if my hand is paralyzed, there is no remedy. There is no remedy. You see? So we are not the owner of this body, not the owner of the senses. The senses are just like hired, hired from the Supreme Lord. This is a very subtle understanding. One should know. So therefore actually the proprietor of the senses is God.