Pradyumna (leads chanting, etc.):

tam uvaca hrṣikesaḥ;
prahasann iva bharata
senayor ubhayor madhye
viṣidantam idaṁ vacaḥ;
[Bg. 2.10]

Translation: "O descendant of Bharata, at that time Krṣṇa, smiling, in the midst of both armies, spoke the following words to the grief-stricken Arjuna."

Prabhupada: So hrṣikesaḥ;, prahasann iva. Krṣṇa began to laugh, smiling, "What a nonsense this is, Arjuna." First of all he said, "Put me." Senayor ubhayor madhye rathaṁ sthapaya me acyuta [Bg. 1.21]. "Krṣṇa, just put my chariot between the two parties of soldiers." And now... (coughs, aside:) Bring me water. He was so enthusiastic in the beginning that "Put my chariot between the two armies." Now this rascal is saying no yotsya, "I will not fight." Just see the rascaldom. So even Arjuna, Krṣṇa's direct friend, maya is so strong that he also becomes a rascal, what to speak of others. First of all very enthusiasm: "Yes, put my chariot between the two armies." And now in the..., na yotsya iti govindam [Bg. 2.9], "I am not going to fight." This is rascaldom. So he was smiling, that "He is My friend, direct friend, and such a big, and he is now saying that 'I will not fight.' "

So Krṣṇa smiling, this smiling is very significant, prahasann. Tam uvaca hrṣikesaḥ; prahasann iva bharata, senayor ubhayor viṣidantam, lamenting. First of all he came with great enthusiasm to fight; now he is lamenting. And Krṣṇa is mentioned here as Hrṣikesa. He is solid. He is Acyuta. He is solid. He is not changed. Another significance of this word Hrṣikesa... Because in Narada-Pañcaratra the bhakti means hrṣikesa-sevanam. Therefore this very name is mentioned here, Hrṣikesa. Hrṣikesa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate. Bhakti means to serve Hrṣikesa, the master of the senses. And the master of senses, some rascals are describing that Krṣṇa is immoral. He is master of senses and He is immoral. Just see how he has studied Bhagavad-gita. If Krṣṇa is perfect brahmacari... Krṣṇa is perfect brahmacari, for... It was declared by Bhiṣmadeva. Bhiṣmadeva is the first-grade brahmacari in the universe. He promised to Satyavati's father... You know the story. Satyavati's father... His, Bhiṣmadeva's father was attracted by a fisherwoman, fishergirl. So he wanted to marry. And the father of the girl denied, "No, I cannot give my daughter to you." So "Why? I am king, I am asking your daughter." "No, you have got a son." Bhiṣmadeva was the son of his first wife, mother Ganges. The mother Ganges was wife of Santanu Maharaja, and Bhiṣmadeva was the only remaining son. The contract was between Santanu Maharaja and Ganges, Mother Ganges, that "I can marry you if you allow me that all the children born I shall throw in the water of the Ganges. And if you do not allow me, then immediately I shall leave your company." So Santanu Maharaja said, "All right, still, I shall marry you." So she was throwing all the children in the Ganges. So this Bhiṣmadeva... So after all, father, so he became very much sorry, that "What is this? What kind of wife I have got? She is simply throwing all the children in the water." So at the time of Bhiṣmadeva, Santanu Maharaja said, "No, I cannot allow it. I cannot allow it." Then mother Ganges said, "Then I am going." "Yes, you can go, I don't want you. I want this son." So he was wifeless. Again he wanted to marry the Satyavati. So the father said, "No, I cannot give my daughter to you because you have got a son, grown-up son. He will be king. So I cannot give my daughter to you to become your maidservant. Her... If I would have thought that her son would be the king, then I can offer you my daughter." So he said, "No, that is not possible." But Bhiṣmadeva understood that "My father is attracted with this girl." So he approached. He said to the fisherman that "You can offer your daughter to my father, but you are thinking that I shall become king. So your daughter's son will be king. On this condition you can offer your daughter." So he replied, "No, I cannot." "Why?" "You may not be king, but your son may be king." Just see, this material calculation. Then at that time he said, "No, I shall not marry. That's all. I promise. I shall not marry." So he remained brahmacari. Therefore his name is Bhiṣma. Bhiṣma means very solid, firmly fixed. So he was a brahmacari. For the sake, for the satisfaction of his father's senses, he remained brahmacari.

So Bhiṣmadeva, in Rajasuya-yajña, admitted that "Nobody is better brahmacari than Krṣṇa. He was within the gopis, all young girls, but He remained a brahmacari. If I would have been within the gopis, I do not know what was, what would have been my condition." So therefore Krṣṇa is the perfect brahmacari, Hrṣikesa. And these rascals they are saying that Krṣṇa is immoral. No. Krṣṇa is perfect brahmacari. Dhira. Dhira means one who is not agitated even there is cause of being agitated. So Krṣṇa is such a brahmacari. In spite of in His just on the verge of youthhood at the age of 15, 16, years, all the village girls were friends, they were very much attracted with Krṣṇa's beauty. They used to come to Krṣṇa for dancing in the village. But He was brahmacari. You will never hear that Krṣṇa had some illicit sex. No. There was no such thing description. The dancing is description, but no contraceptive pill. No. That is no described here. Therefore He is Hrṣikesa. Hrṣikesa means perfect brahmacari. Vikara-hetu, even there is cause of being agitated, He is not agitated. That is Krṣṇa. He has got thousands and thousands of devotees, and some of the devotees, if they want Krṣṇa as lover, Krṣṇa accepts that, but He does not require anyone else. He does not require. He is self-sufficient. He does not require anyone's help for His sense gratification. Therefore Krṣṇa is Hrṣikesa, the master of the senses.

So at least Krṣṇa's devotees... There are many instances of Krṣṇa's devotees. They are also... Why many? Almost all devotees, they are master of the senses, gosvami. Just like Haridasa Ṭhakura, you know. Haridasa Ṭhakura was young man, and the village zamindar, he was Mohammedan. So everyone was eulogizing Haridasa Ṭhakura, such a great devotee. So the zamindar, the village zamindar, he became very much envious. So he employed one prostitute to pollute Haridasa Ṭhakura. And she came at dead of night, nicely dressed, attractive. She was also young, very beautiful. So she proposed that "I have come, being attracted by your beauty." Haridasa Ṭhakura said, "Yes, that's all right. Come on, sit down. Let me finish my chanting. Then we shall enjoy." So she sat down. But Haridasa Ṭhakura chanting, he was chanting... We, we cannot chant even sixteen rounds, and he was chanting three times sixty-four rounds. How many it is?

Revatinandana: 196.

Prabhupada: 196 rounds. That was his only business. Hare Krṣṇa, Hare Krṣṇa, Krṣṇa Krṣṇa... So sometimes somebody wants to imitate Haridasa Ṭhakura. It is not possible. So Haridasa Ṭhakura, when it became morning, the prostitute, "Sir, now it is morning." "Yes, next night I shall... Come next night. Today I could not finish my chanting." That was a plea. In this way three days passed. Then the prostitute became converted, fell down on his..., "Sir, I came to pollute you. Now save me, I am so fallen." So Haridasa Ṭhakura said "Yes, I know that. I could have leaved this place immediately when you came, but I wanted that you have come to me, you may be converted to this Vaisnavism." So the prostitute became a great devotee by the mercy of... Haridasa Ṭhakura said that "You sit down in this place. You chant Hare Krṣṇa before this tulasi plant. Now I am leaving this place."

So Krṣṇa-bhakti is like that. Full control over the senses. As Krṣṇa has got full control over the senses, similarly, those who are actually Krṣṇa devotees, they have got full control over the senses. Hrṣikesa. Just like Yamunacarya. He is praying, he is speaking, yad-avadhi mama cittaḥ; krṣṇa-padaravinde nava-nava-dhamany udyataṁ rantum asit: "Since I have begun to feel transcendental bliss being taken shelter of the lotus feet of Krṣṇa," yad-avadhi mama cittaḥ; krṣṇa-padaravinde, krṣṇa-padaravinde, the lotus feet of Krṣṇa. "Since my citta, my heart, has been attracted by the lotus feet of Krṣṇa," tad-avadhi bata nari-saṅgame, "since then, as soon as I think of sex life," bhavati mukha-vikaraḥ;, "I hate, I spit on it." This is Krṣṇa-bhakti. Krṣṇa-bhakti is like that. Bhakti-paresanubhava-viraktir anyatra syat. This most attractive feature in this material world is sex. That is the foundation of material life. All these people are working so hard day and night only for that sex enjoyment. Yan maithunadi-grha... They are taking so much risk. They are working, karmis, they are working so hard. What is their pleasure of life? The pleasure of life is sex. Yan maitunadi-grhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham. Very abominable activities, but that is their pleasure. This is material life. So Krṣṇa is not like that. But the rascals, they paint picture, and that pictures are very much appreciated, that Krṣṇa is embracing gopis. Somebody was telling me that... Last... Who came? That Krṣṇa's picture. So when Krṣṇa is killing Putana, that picture they will not paint, or killing Kaṁsa, or... Krṣṇa has got so many pictures. These pictures they will not, artists. They will simply paint the picture, His confidential dealings with the gopis. One who cannot understand Krṣṇa, what is Krṣṇa, which Vyasadeva has described what is Krṣṇa in nine cantos, to understand Krṣṇa, and then in the Tenth Canto he begins the birth advent of Krṣṇa... But these rascals, they jump over immediately to the rasa-lila. First of all understand Krṣṇa. Just like if you become a friend of some very big man, so first of all try to understand him. Then you'll try to understand his family affairs or confidential things. But these people jump over to the rasa-lila. And misunderstand. And therefore they sometimes say, "Krṣṇa is immoral." How Krṣṇa can be immoral? By accepting, by chanting Krṣṇa's name, the immoral persons are becoming moral, and Krṣṇa is immoral. Just see the foolishness. Simply by chanting Krṣṇa's name, all immoral persons are becoming moral. And Krṣṇa is immoral. And it is spoken by a rascal professor.

So it is very difficult. Nobody can understand Krṣṇa without becoming a pure devotee of Krṣṇa. Because Krṣṇa says, bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvataḥ; [Bg. 18.55]. Tattvataḥ;, in truth. Tattvataḥ; means truth. If one wants to understand Krṣṇa as He is, then he has to take this process of devotional service, bhakta, bhakti. Hrṣikeṇa hrṣikesa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. When one is employed as the servitor of Hrṣikesa, the master of senses. Master, and hrsikeṇa, when your senses are also engaged in the service of the master of the senses, then you also become master of the senses. You also. Because your senses are engaged in the service of the Hrṣikesa, the senses have no other opportunity to be engaged. Locked up. Sa vai manaḥ; krṣṇa-padaravindayoḥ; [SB 9.4.18]. So this is the process of devotional service. If you want to become master of the senses, gosvami, svami, then you should always keep your senses engaged in the service of Hrṣikesa. That is the only way. Otherwise it is not possible. As soon as you become a little slack to engage your senses in the service of the master of the senses, immediately maya is there, "Come on, please." This is the process. Krṣṇa bhuliya jiva bhoga vañcha kare, pasate maya tare japaṭiya dhare. As soon as you forget Krṣṇa, even for a moment, immediately maya is there: "Please, my dear friend, come here." Therefore we have to become very cautious. We cannot forget Krṣṇa even for a moment. Therefore the chanting program, Hare Krṣṇa, Hare Krṣṇa, Krṣṇa Krṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama... Always remember Krṣṇa. Then maya will not be able to touch you. Mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etan taranti. Maya cannot touch. Just like Haridasa Ṭhakura. He was engaged in the service of Hrṣikesa. Maya came in full-fledged strength. Still, she was defeated; Haridasa Ṭhakura was not defeated.

So try to understand Krṣṇa as Hrṣikesa. So Hrṣikesa, Krṣṇa, began to laugh that "He is My friend, constant associate, and such weakness. He first of all was enthusiastic to ask Me to take his chariot, senayor ubhayor madhye. Now viṣidantan, now he is lamenting." So... We are all fools like that. Arjuna is not fool. Arjuna has been been described as Guḍakesa. How he can be fool? But he is playing the part of fool. If he does not play the part of a fool, how this Bhagavad-gita will come from the mouth of Sri Krṣṇa? And because he is devotee, he is perfectly playing in such a way that Krṣṇa is giving instruction. So perfect teacher and the perfect disciple, Arjuna. We have to learn from their de... Our position... Arjuna is representing just like ordinary man like us, and Krṣṇa is Hrṣikesa, giving His advice, perfect advice. If we take, if we read Bhagavad-gita in the spirit of understanding like Arjuna, the perfect disciple, and if we accept the advice and the instruction of Krṣṇa, the perfect teacher, then we should know that we have understood Bhagavad-gita. By my mental speculation, by rascal interpretation, by showing one's scholarship, you cannot understand Bhagavad-gita. That is not possible. Submissive. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gita it is said, tad viddhi praṇipatena pariprasnena sevaya [Bg. 4.34]. So we have to surrender as Arjuna, he surrendered. Siṣyas te 'haṁ sadhi maṁ prapannam: [Bg. 2.7] "I surrender unto You. I become Your disciple." To become disciple means to surrender, voluntarily accepting the instruction, the advice, the order of the spiritual master. So Arjuna has already accepted that. Although he is speaking that na yotsye, "Krṣṇa, I shall not fight." But master, when He explains everything, he will fight. Master's order. Not to fight, that is his own sense gratification. And to fight in spite of he had no desire to fight, that is the satisfaction of the master. This is the sum and substance of Bhagavad-gita.

So Krṣṇa, seeing Arjuna, viṣidantam very much affected, lamenting, that he is not prepared to do his duty. Therefore in the next verse He begins that asocyan anvasocas tvaṁ prajña-vadaṁs ca bhaṣase: [Bg. 2.11] "My dear Arjuna, you are My friend. Never mind, maya is very strong. Despite your being My friend, personal, you are so much overwhelmed with false compassion. So just hear Me." Therefore He said, asocyan: "You are lamenting on a subject matter which is not at all good." Asocya. Socya means lamentation, and asocya means one should not lament. Asocya. So asocyan anvasocas tvaṁ prajña-vadaṁs ca bhaṣase. "But you are talking like very learned scholar." Because he has talked. But those things are right. What Arjuna has said, that varṇa-saṅkara, when the women become polluted, the population is varṇa-saṅkara, that is fact. Whatever Arjuna has said to Krṣṇa in order to avoid the fighting, so those things are correct. But from the spiritual platform, those things may be correct or incorrect, but from spiritual platform, they are not to be considered very serious. Therefore asocyan anvasocas tvam. Because his lamentation was on the bodily concept of life. That bodily concept of life, in the very beginning of Krṣṇa's instructions, it is condemned. Asocyan anvasocas tvam: [Bg. 2.11] "You are lamenting on the bodily concept of life." Because anyone who is in the bodily concept of life, he is no better than animal. So our all morality, all social status, all politics, all philosophy, everything is on this bodily concept of life. We want to enjoy senses. Senses means different parts of the body. So one who is interested with the body—that means one who is interested with the senses—their only business is how to... (end)

660304BG.NY