Listen

Now in our detailed study of Bhagavad-gita, we reach the point where Arjuna concludes his arguments, creating the pretext for Kṛṣṇa’s instruction by flatly refusing to fight.

sanjaya uvaca
evam uktva hrsikesam
gudakesah parantapah
na yotsya iti govindam
uktva tusnim babhuva ha

Sanjaya said: “Having spoken thus, Arjuna, chastiser of enemies, told Kṛṣṇa, ‘Govinda, I shall not fight,’ and fell silent.” [Bhagavad-gita 2.9]

In the previous sloka, Arjuna told Kṛṣṇa that “There is no profit in this fighting because the enemies are all my relatives and teachers; even if I am victorious, I will become unhappy by killing them, so what is the use?” That kind of false renunciation sometimes takes place because of ignorance. Actually, it is not very intelligent, even from a material point of view.

Now in this sloka, evam uktva, “Having said that, ‘So there is no profit in fighting,’ ” evam uktva hrsikesam, “he is speaking to the master of the senses.” And in the previous sloka he has said, sisyas te ’ham prapannam: [Bhagavad-gita 2.7] “I am Your surrendered disciple.” So now instead of speaking as friends, Kṛṣṇa becomes the guru and Arjuna becomes the disciple. Formerly they were talking as friends. But friendly talking cannot decide any serious question. When there is some serious matter, it must be placed before one’s superior authority for conclusive judgment. So Arjuna surrenders to the supreme authority, Kṛṣṇa.

The greatest authority is hrsikesam, as we have several times discussed. Hrsika means the senses, and isa means the master. Hrsika-isa join together as Hrsikesa. Similarly, in this sloka Arjuna is called Gudakesa. Gudaka means darkness or ignorance, and isa, as before, means master. So Arjuna conquered over his ignorance by surrendering to Kṛṣṇa and accepting Him as spiritual master.

om ajnana-timirandhasya
jnananjana-salakaya
caksur-unmilitam yena
tasmai sri-guruve namah

“I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, who has opened my eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance, with the torchlight of knowledge.” [Sri Guru pranama, a traditional Vaiṣṇava prayer to he spiritual master]

Everyone is born a fool. Everyone is originally in darkness. Therefore, even though one is human being, he requires education. An animal cannot be educated, but a human being can. A sisya, a disciple, comes to the guru for enlightenment, or spiritual education. Therefore guru’s first duty is to educate the disciple about the spiritual ontology. This spiritual education is the prime duty of human life. The Esoteric Teaching says,

rsabha uvaca
nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke
kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye
tapo divyam putraka yena sattvam
suddhyed yasmad brahma-saukhyam tv anantam

“Lord Rsabhadeva told His sons: ‘My dear boys, of all the living entities who have accepted material bodies in this world, one who has been awarded this human form should not work hard day and night simply for sense gratification, which is available even for dogs and hogs that eat stool. One should engage in penance and austerity to attain the divine position of devotional service. By such activity, one’s heart is purified, and when one attains this position, he attains eternal, blissful life, which is transcendental to material happiness and which continues forever.’ ” [Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.1]

In the animal species of life, we have to work very hard, day and night, simply for the four necessities of life: eating, sleeping, mating and defending. The main object of animal life is sense gratification. Therefore the animals have to work very hard.

In the human form of life, Kṛṣṇa gives us so much facility, like language, reasoning and intelligence. We can live very comfortably. That’s all right. We can make our standard of living very comfortable, as long as we simultaneously pursue the higher purpose of attaining perfection in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But don’t live like animals, simply working hard day and night to increase sense gratification. Otherwise what is the value of this human life?

Modern human civilization is focused almost exclusively on how to live comfortably, but they want to expand sense gratification unlimitedly. That is the mistake of modern civilization. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said,

yuktahara-viharasya
yukta-cestasya karmasu
yukta-svapnavabodhasya
yogo bhavati duhkha-ha

“He who is regulated in his habits of eating, sleeping, recreation and work can mitigate all material pains by practicing the yoga system.” [Bhagavad-gita 6.17]

Yes, you must eat, you must sleep, you must satisfy your senses, you must arrange for defense—but as much as possible, you must not divert attention from the process of self-realization. We have to eat, yuktahara. That’s a fact. Yuktahara is alright, but not atyahara, eating more than necessary. Rupa Gosvami has advised in his Upadesamrta,

atyaharah prayasas ca
prajalpo niyamagrahah
laulyam jana-sangas ca
sadbhir bhaktir vinasyati

“One’s devotional service is spoiled when he becomes too entangled in the following six activities: (1) eating more than necessary or collecting more funds than required; (2) over-endeavoring for mundane things that are very difficult to obtain; (3) talking unnecessarily about mundane subject matters; (4) Practicing the scriptural rules and regulations only for the sake of following them and not for the sake of spiritual advancement, or rejecting the rules and regulations of the scriptures and working independently or whimsically; (5) associating with worldly-minded persons who are not interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness; and (6) being greedy for mundane achievements.” [Sri Upadesamrta, 2]

If you want to advance in spiritual consciousness—because that is the only meaningful objective of life—then you should not eat more than necessary, atyaharah, or collect more than necessary. Atyaharah prayasas ca prajalpo niyamagrahah: we avoid unnecessary eating, collecting, mundane talk, and insincere practice of religion, cheating religion. That is our philosophy.

So we observe, as far as possible, some regulative principles of moderation in sense enjoyment. Why? Our philosophy is that everything belongs to God.

bhoktaram yajna-tapasam
sarva-loka-mahesvaram
suhrdam sarva-bhutanam
jnatva mam santim rcchati

“A person in full consciousness of Me, knowing Me to be the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attains peace from the pangs of material miseries.” [Bhagavad-gita 5.29]

Kṛṣṇa says, “I am the enjoyer,” bhokta. So bhoktaram yajna-tapasam: Kṛṣṇa is the enjoyer of all sacrifices and penances. Just like this whole body is working to enjoy life, but the enjoyment begins from the stomach. You have to give sufficient nice food to the stomach, then you can enjoy everything else. If there is sufficient energy, we can digest our food, then all the other senses become strong and you can enjoy sense gratification. Otherwise you cannot.

So sense enjoyment begins from the stomach. The luxuriant growth of the tree begins from the root, if there is sufficient water. The trees drink water from the legs, the roots, not from the heads. We eat from the head. So there are different arrangements for different kinds of bodies. As we can eat from the mouth, the trees eat from their legs. But somehow or other one must eat and digest.

Ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithuna: eating, sleeping, defending and mating. Depending on the species, either you eat through your legs or your mouth or your hands. But so far Kṛṣṇa is concerned, He can eat from anywhere. He can eat from hands, from legs, from eyes, from ears, anywhere, because His body is completely spiritual. There is no difference between His heads and legs and ears and eyes. That is stated in the Brahma-samhita,

angani yasya sakalendriya-vrttimanti
pasyanti panti kalayanti ciram jaganti
ananda-cinmaya-sadujjvala-vigrahasya
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

“I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose transcendental form is full of bliss, truth, substantiality and is thus full of the most dazzling splendor. Each of the limbs of that transcendental figure possesses in Himself, the full-fledged functions of all the organs, and eternally sees, maintains and manifests the infinite universes, both spiritual and mundane.” [Brahma-samhita 5.32]

In this human body our sense enjoyment begins from the stomach; the tree begins developing luxuriantly from the root. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is the origin of everything, the root: janmady asya yatah: the original source from which everything else has emanated [Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.1.1]. So without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, devotional service, without pleasing Kṛṣṇa, you cannot be happy. This is the system of the Esoteric Teaching.

Therefore how will Kṛṣṇa be pleased? Kṛṣṇa will be pleased when we consider everything to be His property, and act accordingly. We are all Kṛṣṇa’s sons, God’s sons. Everything is Kṛṣṇa’s property. These are facts. So everything should be given first to Kṛṣṇa, and then you take the remnants as prasadam, mercy of God. That will make you happy, because by doing like that, there is no karma attached to the enjoyment. We can enjoy taking prasadam of Kṛṣṇa, because He is the proprietor, bhokta, enjoyer. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita.

yajna-sistasinah santo
mucyante sarva-kilbisaih
bhunjate te tv agham papa
ye pacanty atma-karanat

“The devotees of the Lord are released from all kinds of sins because they eat food which is offered first for sacrifice. Others, who prepare food for personal sense enjoyment, verily eat only sin.” [Bhagavad-gita 3.13]

yajnarthat karmano ’nyatra
loko ’yam karma-bandhanah
tad-artham karma kaunteya
mukta-sangah samacara

“Work done as a sacrifice for Visnu has to be performed; otherwise work causes bondage to this material world. Therefore, O son of Kunti, perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will always remain free from bondage.” [Bhagavad-gita 3.9]

Everything should be done for Kṛṣṇa, even your eating, sleeping, mating, fighting—anything you do. You can enjoy all kinds of sense enjoyment—but after Kṛṣṇa has enjoyed. Then you can enjoy.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa’s name is Hrsikesa. He is the Master of the senses. You cannot enjoy your senses independently. Just like a cook may be preparing very nice foodstuffs in the kitchen, but he cannot eat before the proprietor. If he does, he will be dismissed. The master must take first, and then afterward the servants can enjoy all the nice food without any difficulty.

So Kṛṣṇa is the master of the senses. The whole world is struggling for sense gratification. Here is the simple philosophy, the truth of how to live without karma: “First of all, let Kṛṣṇa enjoy. He is the Master. Then we enjoy.”

isavasyam idam sarvam
yat kinca jagatyam jagat
tena tyaktena bhunjitha
ma grdhah kasya svid dhanam

“Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong.” [Sri Isopanisad, 1]

Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa: isavasyam idam sarvam. Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa, but we are thinking, “Everything belongs to me.” This is illusion.

Janasya moho ’yam aham mameti: “In this way one increases life’s illusions and thinks in terms of ‘I and mine.’ ” [Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.8] This ‘I and mine’ is the root of illusion. Everyone is thinking, “I am this body, and everything, whatever we find in this world, is to be enjoyed by me.” This is the greatest mistake of modern materialistic civilization, because it is simply increasing the term of material existence due to karma.

Real knowledge means tena tyaktena bhunjitha: “Everything belongs to God. I can take only whatever He gives me, kindly allows.” This is not only esoteric philosophy; this is a fact. Nobody is proprietor except Kṛṣṇa: isavasyam idam sarvam [Isopanisad 1].

bhoktaram yajna-tapasam
sarva-loka-mahesvaram
suhrdam sarva-bhutanam
jnatva mam santim rcchati

“A person in full consciousness of Me, knowing Me to be the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attains peace from the pangs of material miseries.” [Bhagavad-gita 5.29]

Maha-isvaram: Kṛṣṇa says, “I am the enjoyer. I am the proprietor.” Maha means great. We can claim that we are isvaram, controller, but Kṛṣṇa is described as maha-isvaram “controller of the controller.” That is Kṛṣṇa. Nobody can be a controller independently of Kṛṣṇa’s will.