īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ
anādir ādir govindaḥ sarua-kāraṇa-kāraṇam
"There are many personalities possessing the qualities of Bhagavān, but Kṛṣṇa is the supreme because none can excel Him. He is the Supreme Person, and His body is eternal, full of knowledge and bliss. He is the primeval Lord Govinda and the cause of all causes."
(Brahma-saṁhitā
5.1)
In the
Bhāgavatam
also there is a list of many incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but Kṛṣṇa is described as the original Personality of Godhead, from whom many, many incarnations and Personalities of Godhead expand:
ete cāṁśa-kalāḥ puṁsaḥ kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam
indrāri-vyākulaṁ lokaṁ mṛḍayanti yuge yuge
"All the lists of the incarnations of Godhead submitted herewith are either plenary expansions or parts of the plenary expansions of the Supreme Godhead, but Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself." (Bhag. 1.3.28)
Therefore, Kṛṣṇa is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth, the source of both the Supersoul and the impersonal Brahman.
In the presence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Arjuna's lamentation for his kinsmen is certainly unbecoming, and therefore Kṛṣṇa expressed His surprise with the word
kutas,
"wherefrom." Such unmanly sentiments were never expected from a person belonging to the civilized class of men known as
Āryans.
The word
āryan
is applicable to persons who know the value of life and have a civilization based on spiritual realization. Persons who are led by the material conception of life do not know that the aim of life is realization of the Absolute Truth, Viṣṇu, or Bhagavān, and they are captivated by the external features of the material world, and therefore they do not know what liberation is. Persons who have no knowledge of liberation from material bondage are called non-Āryans. Although Arjuna was a
kṣatriya,
he was deviating from his prescribed duties by declining to fight. This act of cowardice is described as befitting the non-Āryans. Such deviation from duty does not help one in the progress of spiritual life, nor does it even give one the opportunity to become famous in this world. Lord Kṛṣṇa did not approve of the so-called compassion of Arjuna for his kinsmen.
Bg 2.3
TEXT 3
TEXT
klaibyaṁ mā sma gamaḥ pārtha
naitat tvayy upapadyate
kṣudraṁ hṛdaya-daurbalyaṁ
tyaktvottiṣṭha parantapa
SYNONYMS
klaibyam-
impotence;
mā-
do not;
sma-
take it;
gamaḥ-
go in;
pārtha-
O son of Pṛthā;
na-
never;
etat-
like this;
tvayi-
unto you;
upapadyate-
is befitting;
kṣudram-
very little;
hṛdaya-
heart;
daurbalyam-
weakness;
tyaktvā-
giving up;
uttiṣṭha-
get up;
parantapa-
O chastiser of the enemies.
TRANSLATION
O son of Pṛthā, do not yield to this degrading impotence. It does not become you. Give up such petty weakness of heart and arise, O chastiser of the enemy.
PURPORT
Arjuna was addressed as the "son of Pṛthā," who happened to be the sister of Kṛṣṇa's father Vasudeva. Therefore Arjuna had a blood relationship with Kṛṣṇa. If the son of a
ksatriya
declines to fight, he is a
kṣatriya
in name only, and if the son of a
brāhmaṇa
acts impiously, he is a
brāhmaṇa
in name only. Such
kṣatriyas
and
brāhmaṇas
are unworthy sons of their fathers; therefore, Kṛṣṇa did not want Arjuna to become an unworthy son of a
kṣatriya.
Arjuna was the most intimate friend of Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa was directly guiding him on the chariot; but in spite of all these credits, if Arjuna abandoned the battle, he would be committing an infamous act; therefore Kṛṣṇa said that such an attitude in Arjuna did not fit his personality. Arjuna might argue that he would give up the battle on the grounds of his magnanimous attitude for the most respectable Bhīṣma and his relatives, but Kṛṣṇa considered that sort of magnanimity not approved by authority. Therefore, such magnanimity or so-called nonviolence should be given up by persons like Arjuna under the direct guidance of Kṛṣṇa.
Bg 2.4
TEXT 4
TEXT
arjuna uvāca
kathaṁ bhīṣmam ahaṁ saṅkhye
droṇaṁ ca madhusūdana
iṣubhiḥ pratiyotsyāmi
pūjārhāv ari-sūdana
SYNONYMS
arjunaḥ uvāca-
Arjuna said;
katham-
how;
bhīṣmam-
unto Bhīṣma;
aham-
I;
saṅkhye-
in the fight;
droṇam-
unto Droṇa;
ca-
also,
madhusūdana
-O killer of Madhu;
iṣubhiḥ-
with arrows;
pratiyotsyāmi-
shall counterattack;
pūjā-arhau-
those who are worshipable;
arisūdana-
O killer of the enemies.
TRANSLATION
Arjuna said: O killer of Madhu [Kṛṣṇa], how can I counterattack with arrows in battle men like Bhīṣma and Droṇa, who are worthy of my worship?
PURPORT
Respectable superiors like Bhīṣma the grandfather and Droṇācārya the teacher are always worshipable. Even if they attack, they should not be counterattacked. It is general etiquette that superiors are not to be offered even a verbal fight. Even if they are sometimes harsh in behavior, they should not be harshly treated. Then, how is it possible for Arjuna to counterattack them? Would Kṛṣṇa ever attack His own grandfather, Ugrasena, or His teacher, Sāndīpani Muni? These were some of the arguments by Arjuna to Kṛṣṇa.
Bg 2.5
TEXT 5
TEXT
gurūn ahatvā hi mahānubhāvān
śreyo bhoktuṁ bhaikṣyam apīha loke
hatvārtha-kāmāṁs tu gurūn ihaiva
bhuñjīya bhogān rudhira-pradigdhān
SYNONYMS
gurūn-
the superiors;
ahatvā-
by killing;
hi-
certainly;
mahā-anubhāvān-
great souls;
śreyaḥ-
it is better;
bhoktum-
to enjoy life;
bhaikṣyam-
begging;
api-
even;
iha-
in this life;
loke-
in this world;
hatvā-
killing;
artha-
gain;
kāmān-
so desiring;
tu-
but;
gurūn-
superiors;
iha-
in this world;
eva-
certainly;
bhuñjīya-
has to enjoy;
bhogān-
enjoyable things;
rudhira-
blood;
pradigdhān-
tainted with.
TRANSLATION
It is better to live in this world by begging than to live at the cost of the lives of great souls who are my teachers. Even though they are avaricious, they are nonetheless superiors. If they are killed, our spoils will be tainted with blood.
PURPORT
According to scriptural codes, a teacher who engages in an abominable action and has lost his sense of discrimination is fit to be abandoned. Bhīṣma and Droṇa were obliged to take the side of Duryodhana because of his financial assistance, although they should not have accepted such a position simply on financial considerations. Under the circumstances, they have lost the respectability of teachers. But Arjuna thinks that nevertheless they remain his superiors, and therefore to enjoy material profits after killing them would mean to enjoy spoils tainted with blood.
Bg 2.6
TEXT 6
TEXT
na caitad vidmaḥ kataran no garīyo
yad vā jayema yadi vā no jayeyuḥ
yān eva hatvā na jijīviṣāmas
te 'vasthitāḥ pramukhe dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ
SYNONYMS
na-
nor;
ca-
also;
etat-
this;
vidmaḥ-
do know;
katarat-
which;
naḥ-
us;
garīyaḥ-
better;
yat-
what;
vā-
either;
jayema-
conquer us;
yadi-
if;
vā-
or;
naḥ-
us;
jayeyuḥ-
conquer;
yān-
those;
eva-
certainly;
hatvā-
by killing;
na-
never;
jijīviṣāmaḥ-
want to live;
te-
all of them;
avasthitāḥ-
are situated;
pramukhe-
in the front;
dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ-
the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.
TRANSLATION
Nor do we know which is better-conquering them or being conquered by them. The sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, whom if we killed we should not care to live, are now standing before us on this battlefield.
PURPORT
Arjuna did not know whether he should fight and risk unnecessary violence, although fighting is the duty of the
kṣatriyas,
or whether he should refrain and live by begging. If he did not conquer the enemy, begging would be his only means of subsistence. Nor was there certainty of victory, because either side might emerge victorious. Even if victory awaited them (and their cause was justified), still, if the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra died in battle, it would be very difficult to live in their absence. Under the circumstances, that would be another kind of defeat for them. All these considerations by Arjuna definitely prove that he was not only a great devotee of the Lord but that he was also highly enlightened and had complete control over his mind and senses. His desire to live by begging, although he was born in the royal household, is another sign of detachment. He was truly virtuous, as these qualities, combined with his faith in the words of instruction of Śrī Kṛṣṇa (his spiritual master), indicate. It is concluded that Arjuna was quite fit for liberation. Unless the senses are controlled, there is no chance of elevation to the platform of knowledge, and without knowledge and devotion there is no chance of liberation. Arjuna was competent in all these attributes, over and above his enormous attributes in his material relationships.
Bg 2.7
TEXT 7
TEXT
kārpaṇya-doṣopahata-svabhāvaḥ
pṛcchāmi tvāṁ dharma-sammūḍha-cetāḥ
yac chreyaḥ syān niścitaṁ brūhi tan me
śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam
SYNONYMS
kārpaṇya-
miserly;
doṣa
-weakness;
upahata-
being inflicted by;
svabhāvaḥ-
characteristics;
pṛcchāmi-
I am asking;
tvām-
unto You;
dharma-
religion;
saṁmūḍha-
bewildered;
cetāḥ-
in heart;
yat-
what;
śreyaḥ-
all-good;
syāt-
may be;
niścitam-
confidently;
brūhi-
tell;
tat-
that;
me-
unto me;
śiṣyaḥ-
disciple;
te-
Your;
aham-
I am;
śādhi-
just instruct;
mām-
me;
tvām-
unto You;
prapannam-
surrendered.
TRANSLATION
Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me clearly what is best for me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me.
PURPORT
By nature's own way the complete system of material activities is a source of perplexity for everyone. In every step there is perplexity, and therefore it behooves one to approach a bona fide spiritual master who can give one proper guidance for executing the purpose of life. All Vedic literatures advise us to approach a bona fide spiritual master to get free from the perplexities of life which happen without our desire. They are like a forest fire that somehow blazes without being set by anyone. Similarly, the world situation is such that perplexities of life automatically appear, without our wanting such confusion. No one wants fire, and yet it takes place, and we become perplexed. The Vedic wisdom therefore advises that in order to solve the perplexities of life and to understand the science of the solution, one must approach a spiritual master who is in the disciplic succession. A person with a bona fide spiritual master is supposed to know everything. One should not, therefore, remain in material perplexities but should approach a spiritual master. This is the purport of this verse.
Who is the man in material perplexities? It is he who does not understand the problems of life. In the
Garga Upaniṣad
the perplexed man is described as follows:
yo vā etad akṣaraṁ gārgy aviditvāsmāl lokāt praiti sa kṛpaṇaḥ
"He is a miserly man who does not solve the problems of life as a human and who thus quits this world like the cats and dogs, without understanding the science of self-realization." This human form of life is a most valuable asset for the living entity who can ultilize it for solving the problems of life; therefore, one who does not utilize this opportunity properly is a miser. On the other hand, there is the
brāhmaṇa,
or he who is intelligent enough to utilize this body to solve all the problems of life.
The
kṛpaṇas,
or miserly persons, waste their time in being overly affectionate for family, society, country, etc., in the material conception of life. One is often attached to family life, namely to wife, children and other members, on the basis of "skin disease." The
kṛpaṇa
thinks that he is able to protect his family members from death; or the
kṛpaṇa
thinks that his family or society can save him from the verge of death. Such family attachment can be found even in the lower animals who take care of children also. Being intelligent, Arjuna could understand that his affection for family members and his wish to protect them from death were the causes ot his perplexities. Although he could understand that his duty to fight was awaiting him, still, on account of miserly weakness, he could not discharge the duties. He is therefore asking Lord Kṛṣṇa, the supreme spiritual master, to make a definite solution. He offers himself to Kṛṣṇa as a disciple. He wants to stop friendly talks. Talks between the master and the disciple are serious, and now Arjuna wants to talk very seriously before the recognized spiritual master. Kṛṣṇa is therefore the original spiritual master of the science of
Bhagavad-gītā,
and Arjuna is the first disciple for understanding the
Gītā.
How Arjuna understands the
Bhagavad-gītā
is stated in the
Gītā
itself. And yet foolish mundane scholars explain that one need not submit to Kṛṣṇa as a person, but to "the unborn within Kṛṣṇa." There is no difference between Kṛṣṇa's within and without. And one who has no sense of this understanding is the greatest fool in trying to understand
Bhagavad-gītā.