Prabhupada 0243 - A disciple Comes to the Guru for Enlightenment
Lecture on BG 2.9 -- London, August 15, 1973
Pradyumna: Translation, "Sañjaya said: Having spoken thus, Arjuna, chastiser of enemies, told Kṛṣṇa, 'Govinda, I shall not fight,' and fell silent."
Prabhupāda: In the previous verse, Arjuna said that "There is no profit in this fighting because the other side, they are all my relatives, kinsmen, and by killing them, even if I become victorious, so what is the value?" That we have explained, that such kind of renouncement sometimes takes place in ignorance. Actually, it is not very much intelligently placed. So in this way, evam uktvā, "saying that, 'So there is no profit in fighting,' " evam uktvā, "saying this," hṛṣīkeśam, he is speaking to the master of the senses. And in previous verse he has said, śiṣyas te 'haṁ prapannam: (BG 2.7) "I am Your surrendered disciple." So Kṛṣṇa becomes 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 spoken between authorities.
So hṛṣīkeśam, I have several times explained. Hṛṣīka means the senses, and īśa means the master. Hṛṣīka-īśa, and they join together: Hṛṣīkeśa. Similarly, Arjuna also. Guḍākeśa. Guḍāka means darkness, and īśa... Darkness means ignorance.
- ajñāna-timirāndhasya
- jñānāñjana-śalākayā
- cakṣur-unmīlitaṁ yena
- tasmai śrī-guruve namaḥ
Guru's duty is... A śiṣya, a disciple, comes to the guru for enlightenment. Everyone is born foolish. Everyone. Even the human beings, because they are coming from the animal kingdom by evolution, so the birth is the same, ignorance, like animals. Therefore, even though one is human being, he requires education. The animal cannot take education, but a human being can take education. Therefore śāstra says, nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate vid-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). I have several times recited this verse, that now... In the lower than human being condition, we have to work very hard simply for four necessities of life: eating, sleeping, mating and defending. Sense gratification. Main object is sense gratification. Therefore everyone has to work very hard. But in the human form of life, Kṛṣṇa gives us so much facilities, intelligence. We can make our standard of living very comfortable, but with the purpose of attaining perfection in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You live comfortably. That's all right. But don't live like animals, simply increasing sense gratification. The human effort is going on how to live comfortably, but they want to live comfortably for sense gratification. That is the mistake of the modern civilization. Yuktāhāra-vihāraś ca yogo bhavati siddhiḥ. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said yuktāhāra. Yes, you must eat, you must sleep, you must satisfy your senses, you must arrange for defense—as much as possible, not to divert attention too much. We have to eat, yuktāhāra. That's a fact. But not atyāhara. Rūpa Gosvāmī has advised in his Upadeśāmṛta,
- atyāhāraḥ prayāsaś ca
- prajalpo niyamagrahaḥ
- laulyaṁ jana-saṅgaś ca
- ṣaḍbhir bhaktir vinaśyati
- (NOI 2)
If you want to advance in spiritual consciousness—because that is the only objective of life—then you should not eat more, atyāhāraḥ, or collect more. Atyāhāraḥ prayāsaś ca prajalpo niyamagrahaḥ. That is our philosophy.