Wrong side

Expressions researched:
"wrong side"

SB Canto 1

SB 1.9.16, Purport:

The best policy is simply to abide by the orders of the Lord without argument. The sufferings of the Pāṇḍavas were never due to their past deeds. The Lord had to execute the plan of establishing the kingdom of virtue, and therefore His own devotees suffered temporarily in order to establish the conquest of virtue. Bhīṣmadeva was certainly satisfied by seeing the triumph of virtue, and he was glad to see King Yudhiṣṭhira on the throne, although he himself fought against him. Even a great fighter like Bhīṣma could not win the Battle of Kurukṣetra because the Lord wanted to show that vice cannot conquer virtue, regardless of who tries to execute it. Bhīṣmadeva was a great devotee of the Lord, but he chose to fight against the Pāṇḍavas by the will of the Lord because the Lord wanted to show that a fighter like Bhīṣma cannot win on the wrong side.

SB 1.18.34, Purport:

On the contrary, he justified the wrong act in a way characteristic of the brāhmaṇas of Kali-yuga. He compared the King to a watchdog, and so it was wrong for the King to enter the home of a brāhmaṇa and ask for water from the same pot. The dog is certainly reared by its master, but that does not mean that the dog shall claim to dine and drink from the same pot. This mentality of false prestige is the cause of downfall of the perfect social order, and we can see that in the beginning it was started by the inexperienced son of a brāhmaṇa. As the dog is never allowed to enter within the room and hearth, although it is reared by the master, similarly, according to Śṛṅgi, the King had no right to enter the house of Śamīka Ṛṣi. According to the boy's opinion, the King was on the wrong side and not his father, and thus he justified his silent father.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 2.58-59 -- New York, April 27, 1966:

The bank will pay you, either you like to take it or not take it. Just like we have this law in this ordinary life, similarly, anything, good action or bad action, we have to suffer or enjoy the result. That is called reaction. But sacrifice for the cause of the Supreme Lord, that has no reaction. This is also bright side. There are so many wrong side also.

So Bhagavad-gītā says that yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ. Sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ. Sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ. Kilbiṣa means sinful reaction, sinful reaction, "Tit for tat," good reaction or bad reaction. But one who eats after offering to the Supreme Lord, he is not under the regulation of reaction. Whatever we eat... Even we eat, that, we have got to repay for that. Now, the Sanskrit word, the flesh... Flesh, Sanskrit word, is called māṁsa. Māṁsa. The māṁsa means..., mām means "me," and sa means "he." "So I am eating some animal; so in my next life that animal will eat me."

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.4.25 -- Montreal, June 20, 1968:

Their memory was so sharp. But at the present age so many things are reducing gradually. The memory is reducing, the duration of life is reducing, the strength is reducing, and the mercy is reducing. So many things are reducing. We are thinking that we are making progress, but actually we are reducing. This is called māyā. We are making progress on the wrong side. That means reducing. Everyone, you know that people are not so much merciful at the present moment. If a man is attacked by some rogue, nobody is going to help him. If a man's apartment is, there is a burglar, thief, nobody is going to help him. Or if a man is very poor, nobody is going to help him. It is dwindling. It is decreasing. Similarly, duration of life. Your grandfather, your forefathers, they were living up to hundred years or more than that. And nowadays hardly they are living sixty or seventy years. Similarly, memory. The memory is also reducing. Knowledge is also reducing.

Lecture on SB 1.8.40 -- Mayapura, October 20, 1974:

Even when Arjuna said, "Yes. This is all right. I'll fight with my enemies, but how can I kill Bhīṣmadeva? He is not my enemy. He's my maintainer, my grandfather. We lost our father at early age. He took care. How can I kill? How can I kill my teacher, Droṇācārya?" But Kṛṣṇa supported that "You must kill them." "Why?" "Because they have taken the wrong side. Because Bhīṣmadeva, in spite of his becoming so learned, still, he has gone to the side of the Duryodhana, and simply for matter of getting some money, maintenance."

And actually Bhīṣmadeva went to the side of Duryodhana, considering that "These people are maintaining me. How can I give up their company at times of danger?" That is also another consideration. So similarly, Droṇācārya, although he's guru, teacher of military art, he also went to Duryodhana's side for money. So therefore... Karṇa... Nobody came to this side. So Kṛṣṇa was doing justice, that He was... This is politics, "Tit for tat." This is politics. Śaṭhe śāṭhyamācaret.(?)

Lecture on SB 1.10.4 -- Mayapura, June 19, 1973:

He wanted that these rascals should be removed, the Duryodhana and company. And Yudhiṣṭhira must be there. Therefore He personally supervised the warfare. He took the reigns of Arjuna's chariot to give him direction: "Kill all these demons. Even Bhīṣma. Even Droṇācārya. Kill all of them, because they have taken side of the wrong side. Kill them." That is Kṛṣṇa's order. "Although Bhīṣma is respectful, respectable, Droṇācārya's respectable, your guru, your grandfather, and such great personality, certainly they are respectable. But because they have taken side of the wrong side, they must be killed. They must be." This is the instruction.

So dharma is so strong. Dharma means to abide by the order of Kṛṣṇa. That is dharma. If we remain faithful to Kṛṣṇa, and what Kṛṣṇa says, if we do that, that is perfect dharma. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). That is first-class religious system. We do not decry any system of religion.

Lecture on SB 5.5.4 -- Vrndavana, October 26, 1976:

It will check my sense gratification. Kill." Vikarma. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). He doesn't see that what will be the result of it. Vikarma. Karma, vikarma, akarma. Karma means prescribed duties, according... Just like law. "You keep to the right," this is law. And as soon as you keep to the wrong side, left, it is vikarma. This is karma and vikarma. But for sense-gratification we execute vikarma. So therefore we are implicating and we are preparing for the next life. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram: (BG 8.6) at the time of death these desires become prominent. Even without desire we get so many ideas and dream at night. So at the time of death, on account of our vikarma, we shall create a situation, and the next life we get a similar body. That's all. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute. Na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Jean-Paul Sartre:

Prabhupāda: Free means to make right or wrong decision. That is free. Freedom does not mean dullness or passive.

Śyāmasundara: Yes. But because we are free we become susceptible to being dull.

Prabhupāda: Just like a dog. A dog is free. He can go to the right or the wrong side, and nobody cares for it. That is for the dog. But if a human being, if he decides instead of going to the right, to the left, then he is criminal, because he has got responsibility. So either you take dog's philosophy or man's philosophy. Dog's philosophy, he has no decision. He is an animal. He can go this side or that side. But we cannot do that. So whether he is man or dog. If he is a man, he must decide right and wrong. He is responsible. That is a man.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- April 5, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: ...hesitating to kill Droṇa or Bhīṣma. They are teachers. But it is duty. Kṛṣṇa wanted. Because they were on the wrong side, they must be killed. That was Kṛṣṇa's desire. So he should execute. Jaya. (break)

Girirāja: "The Blessed Lord said: All the great warriors—Droṇa, Bhīṣma, Jayadratha, Karṇa—are already destroyed. Simply fight, and you will vanquish your enemies."

Prabhupāda: So this is our duty. Just like in this particular case, about our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, that so many people are giving me the credit. Actually, I have no credit. It is already desired or it is already planned that "This time in Western countries, this saṅkīrtana movement..." So it is our duty. Similarly, our only duty is to carry out the order of the Supreme. Other things is already done by Him. So if we abide by the orders of the Supreme, then we get the credit. We should know that. So our only thing is to abide by the...

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Carol Cameron -- May 9, 1975, Perth:

Paramahaṁsa: But in one place they say Christ encouraged fishermen. Because he came and the fishermen were fishing on one side of the boat, and Christ came along and said, "You are fishing on the wrong side of the boat." He said, "Put your nets on the other side, and you will get more fish." An they did that and they got huge amounts of fish. And so they were encouraged in their fish-eating in this way.

Gaṇeśa: Jesus also said to the fisherman, "Give up you fishing and I will make you fishers of men." He said this to his disciples.

Prabhupāda: Then on the whole it comes that his instructions are sometimes contradictory.

Paramahaṁsa: Not only that but they say that... Usually when it comes right down to it, the Bible has gone through so many interpretations and so many changes in the last two thousand years that...

Prabhupāda: Yes. It is very difficult.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Conversation with News Reporters -- March 25, 1976, Delhi:

Prabhupāda: No, no, why wonder? You just try to understand this common sense, that as soon as you go to the street, if the indication is that you must keep your car on the left side and as soon as you go to the right side, you become a criminal immediately. You can say, "What is the wrong? The right side or wrong side, I am driving my car," but it is criminal. You know or not know. Ignorance of law is no excuse. So just similarly there is law of God. So as soon as you violate, you must suffer. You see?

Reporter (1): What is that law court?

Prabhupāda: That means you are so ignorant. You are so ignorant. The law of God, law is.... God is personally speaking, "This is the law." Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is the law. God is speaking personally, and you do not know? And you are advertising very expert in reading Bhagavad-gītā, and you do not know the law? This is going on. Big, big scholars, big, big monkey, they are reading Bhagavad-gītā three hundred times daily, but do not know what is law. This is going on. In Bengali there is a saying, "Big, big monkey, big, big belly, Ceylon jumping, melancholy." You know the monkey, big monkey, Hanumānjī. He jumped over. So ask any other monkey, "Can you jump?"

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- October 27, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: These are the śāstra... Mano-rathena. Those who are on the speculative platform, they cannot have their spiritual qualities. It is a... To the modern world it is a novel idea. It is not idea; this is original qualification. Part and parcel of God, it must be godlike. Gold is gold, maybe a small particle. Similarly, living entity, part and parcel of God, so it is God undoubtedly—in a small particle. But that is sufficient for his perfection. They are being misled other ways, in the wrong side. So who will not like it unless he's a rogue. Huh?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Actually they would even give us permanent residency, but they are scared that if they give it to us they will have to give it to everybody else. So therefore they're not giving it to us.

Prabhupāda: Never mind. We have got big establishment and our, these European and American young boys, they have been trained up. Otherwise, how could I manage? We have nothing to do with politics. Rather, we are giving social service. What we'll do, politics? It is not our business. There are so many people. So the government should give us chance to organize a society for the highest benefit of human being. And they can see from our books what is our idea. (break)