seeing through the eyes of scriptures
Bhagavad Gita 2.11
Text 11
sri-bhagavan uvaca
asocyan anvasocas tvam
prajna-vadams ca bhasase
gatasun agatasums ca
nanusocanti panditah
Translation
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: While speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor for the dead.
Commentary by Srila Prabhupada
The Lord at once took the position of the teacher and chastised the student, calling him, indirectly, a fool. The Lord said, “You are talking like a learned man, but you do not know that one who is learned—one who knows what is body and what is soul—does not lament for any stage of the body, neither in the living nor in the dead condition.” As explained in later chapters, it will be clear that knowledge means to know matter and spirit and the controller of both. Arjuna argued that religious principles should be given more importance than politics or sociology, but he did not know that knowledge of matter, soul and the Supreme is even more important than religious formularies. And because he was lacking in that knowledge, he should not have posed himself as a very learned man. As he did not happen to be a very learned man, he was consequently lamenting for something which was unworthy of lamentation. The body is born and is destined to be vanquished today or tomorrow; therefore the body is not as important as the soul. One who knows this is actually learned, and for him there is no cause for lamentation, regardless of the condition of the material body.
Commentary by Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur
"O Arjuna, this lamentation of yours caused by attachment to friends and relatives is the cause of bewilderment. Your power of discernment arising from your concerns starting in verse four with 'How can I fight against Bhisma and Drona?' are the cause of lack of wisdom." That is stated in this verse.
"You are continually lamenting (anu socah) for what is not worthy of grief (asocyan). Thus you are uttering words of wisdom to me, who am trying to enlighten you. You speak words (vadan) of wisdom (prajna) as in verse four." The intention behind the Lord's words is the opposite: "Actually you have no wisdom."
"This is because those who are wise (panditah) do not lament for that from which life has passed (gata asun)~the gross bodies, since the bodies are destructible by their very nature. Neither do they lament for the subtle bodies from which the life airs have not passed (agata asun), for those subtle bodies will certainly be destroyed before liberation. They do not lament because they accept the inherent natures of all of the gross and subtle bodies. But fools lament at the passing of life airs (subtle bodies) from the gross bodies of fathers and others, and do not at all lament for their subtle bodies. That, unfortunately, is the extent of their recognition. All these, including Bhisma, are souls equipped with gross and subtle bodies. Because of the eternal nature of their souls, there is no cause for lamentation. Previously you said that dharma sastra was stronger than artha sastra. But I say here that jnana sastra is stronger than dharma sastra."
Rudra Vaisnava Sampradaya:
Discerning that Arjuna's grief was due to the absence of discrimination between the soul and the physical body the Supreme Lord remembering Arjuna words stated in verse 28 of chapter one, regarding his lamentation for all his kinsman preparing for battle reminded him that in verse 2 of Chapter 2 He had instructed him asking: wherefore has this weakness arisen in this moment of crisis, yet here you are again merely speaking learned words befitting the wise like in verse four of Chapter 2, how are you to fight against worshippable superiors? But actually you only speak the words of a learned person because factually a spiritually intelligent person laments neither for one's kin who are dead or alive, sputtering about how can you cannot live if you lose your relations.
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Brahma Vaisnava Sampradaya:
Prajnavadah is a speculative concoction which appeals very much to the mind bewildering it so much that the intelligence accepts it even though it is not according to the injunctions of the Vedic scriptures. Why is it unworthy of sorrow? Because the intelligent neither lament for the living or for the dead. Now begins the summation. Those who are illuminated are factually illuminated by knowledge due to realization. They are prajnah or wise and knowledgeable. Avadah means they who are opposed to the Vedic injunctions. Whatever the wise and knowledgeable proclaim is always in conjunction with the Vedic injunctions. Whatever is contrary to the Vedic injunctions on any level of consciousness is not worthy of contemplation. This is factually what is meant here in this verse.
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Sri Vaisnava Sampradaya:
nor the living. In regard to the soul there is no cause in any respect for regret as it is eternal. The next verse expands this subject matter further.
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Kumara Vaisnava Sampradaya:
The conclusion based on the strength of the Vedic scriptures to be found in various texts such as: the Mundaka Upanisad it states that one who has duly realized the Ultimate Truth, whose heart is calm and whose senses are under control, such a one situated in enlightenment should categorically and comprehensively impart the knowledge of the Ultimate Truth to others by which they can also become self-realized. By disseminating the knowledge which dissolves all lamentation and delusion, the meaning which has been elucidated in the Vedic scriptures and the Vedic books of law like the Brhadaranyaka which states: By the will of He who is imperishable the sun and the moon are vitalised. The wind blows out of fear of Him, the sun rises out of fear of Him, Agni, Indra and even death all perform their duties out of fear of Him. Encompassing all that exists, internal and external is the Supreme Lord Krishna. Everthing existing is verily manifested from Him. One who is peaceful and tranquil should propitiate and worship under all circumstances. Under the control of the Supreme Lord Krishna the whole cosmic manifestation composed of demigods, demons and humans and various varieagated species is pulsating. O demigods what the Earth says is true the creator and all living species are fragments of the Supreme Lord Krishna. Whatever is present in totality is the Supreme Lord Krishna, the undecayable one, without a second and nothing else. Everything visible and invisible is created from the Supreme Lord Krishna. The Supreme Ultimate Truth is He and He alone. What grief and delusion can exist when one understands this truth? Discussing the nature and attributes of the Supreme Ultimate Reality Lord Krishna known also as Narayana, Hari, Vasudeva, Visnu and others, who controls all animate and inanimate energies like the sun, moon, fire, the demigods, death, the universes etc. and the non-material, original cause of the creation, maintenance and destruction of the total material manifestation. The all pervading, omnipresent, soul of all being and of the nature of being eternally, simultaneously one and distinctly different. In order to evoke the power of discrimination between the physical body and the soul, the Supreme Lord Krishna rejecting Arjunas scholarship replied that he was grieving for those who should not be grieved for, such as Bhishma and Drona who are engaged in battle to win merit. Here Lord Krishna responds to Arjunas statement in chapter 1, verse 32 of: What use is kingdom, fabulous wealth, enjoyments or even living. It is only Arjunas deluson that he grieves thinking that without relatives there is no purpose of ruling the kingdom or in living. Moreover Arjuna talks like one learned saying that sin would be incurred but then disregarding the fact that Duryodhana and his brothers are heinious offenders. So in this way Lord Krishna shows that foolishness and scholarship are illogical and a diachotomy being contradictory hence Arjuna’s attempt at scholarship has no value. Why? Because those with spiritual intelligence do not grieve for the dead or the living. The root word of panditah meaning learned is panda which means power of disriminative intellect,. Those who possess such discrimination are considered wise. The wise never lament for the physical body. |
"You Are Talking Like A Learned Man"
73/08/17 London, Bhagavad-gita 2.11
Pradyumna (leads chanting, etc.):
sri bhagavan uvaca asocan anvasocas tvam prajna-vadams ca bhasase gatasun agatasums ca nanusocanti panditah [Bg. 2.11] The Blessed Lord said: While speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor the dead." Prabhupada: So, what is that thing which is living and dead? The body. The body is living and dead. So Krsna indirectly or directly chastised Arjuna that: "The behavior that you are showing, it is not like a learned man." Nanusocanti panditah. That means indirectly He said that, "You do not know things are there. Not learned. You are fool." In spite of Arjuna speaking so many things in support of his being nonviolent and not to kill his kinsmen, Krsna chastised him that "You are not learned. You are fool." So this is the position. Those who are under the bodily concept of life, they can speak so many learned things, but after all they are fool. yasyatma-buddhi-kunape tri-dhatuke sva-dhih kalatradisu bhauma ijya-dhih yat-tirtha-buddhih salile na karhicij janesv abhijnesu sa eva go-kharah [SB 10.84.13] In the Srimad-Bhagavatam, those who are under the bodily concept of life, they are described as follows: Yasya atma-buddhih. Atma means self. Atma-buddhih, in this body, what is this body? Kunape tri-dhatuke. It is a bag of three elements, kapha, pitta, vayu. Mucus, bile and air. So, or ordinarily you can understand, this is a combination, this material body is combination of flesh, bone, blood, mucus, stool, urine, and so many other things. That, we are not self, but the foolish persons, they are taking this lump of matter, bones and flesh, accepting that "I am this body." No learned man will take like that. The whole world is misled under this conception. They are accepting this lump of matter, blood and flesh and bones -- "I am this is I am." This is animal mentality. Animal thinks like that, not learned man. Learned man, one who knows, he will say aham brahmasmi, "I am spirit soul. I am servant of God." This is learned speaking. "I am not this body." So Krsna is chastising Arjuna because he has accepted, he's becoming His disciple, so the spiritual master has the right to chastise the disciple for right direction like the teacher, like the father. Similarly, although Krsna and Arjuna are friends, but Arjuna has accepted Him as spiritual master. There should not be any compromising words as it is done between friend and friend. The right things must be said that "You are wrong. Don't talk nonsense. Talking like very learned man but you do not know anything." "Why I do not know?" "Because this body, while living, agatasun..." Asun means the living force. While the living force is there, and when the living force is gone, two conditions... This body is moving very nicely because the living force is there. And as soon as the living force is gone out, this nice body will no longer move. It will decompose. "Dust thou art, dust thou beist." "Again become..." It is called panca-bhuta. Mix with the earth. Earth, water, fire, air, sky -- these five gross elements are the ingredients of this body. So as soon as the soul is out of this body, this body again... Conservation of the energy. The earthly energy goes to the earth, the waterly energy goes to the water. It is a combination of earth. water, air, fire. So they become decomposed. And become distributed to different elements. And that is the scientific law, it is called conservation of energy. The energy is never lost. It comes back again to the original stock. So Krsna says this body, either in living force or without living force... Without living force it is called dead. With living force it is called living. In both the condition, a learned man..., learned man means one who knows brahma-bhutah. One who knows Brahman, one who has realized Brahman. Brahma-bhutah prasannatma [Bg. 18.54]. As soon as one is on the stage of brahma-bhutah stage, he can understand that "I am not this body. I am separate from this body." This knowledge was very common knowledge. At least we can see five thousand years ago. The ksatriyas were fighting severely one another, but still they are not in bodily concept of life. So Arjuna being ksatriya, is so much embarrassed with the bodily concept of life; therefore Krsna chastised him, that "You are not a very learned man. You are talking just like a learned man, but you are not learned man." So this conclusion is to be taken by us. That anyone within this world, if he has got bodily concept of life, he's not a learned man. He's a fool. So this world at the present moment at least, it is a fool's paradise. Nobody is learned. Because everyone is working under the bodily concept of life. This is chastise. This is the first chastisement. Just like before giving lesson, if the student is writing or reading wrongly, then the teacher immediately says, "You fool, it is not like this. It should be like this."
So the first step Krsna took in educating Arjuna... The Bhagavad-gita is now being actually being spoken, bhagavan uvaca. The first basic principle is explained to Arjuna that "You do not know anything. Don't talk just like a learned man." Actually, that is our own... Every one of us in the same position. Just like yesterday, two boys came. No philosophy, talking like nonsense, starvation, as if he has taken, what is called? Contract for stopping starvation. He's starving, everyone is starving, this law, the nature will go on. Somebody, because there are three qualities of the nature -- sattva-guna, rajo-guna, tamo-guna. So the natural laws will go on under the three laws. Therefore always we shall find three classes or three status of living condition. That will be explained in Bhagavad-gita. Even, everywhere there are different species of life. Everywhere these three qualities are working. Just like there are some good trees. Good trees means which are producing nice fruits and flowers. They are good trees. And there are trees, no fruit, no flower, very long standing. No use. No useful purpose. I've seen in Los Angeles, big, big palm trees, very long, but there is no fruit. In India there are palm trees like that, they bear fruit, very nice fruit, tal. Very sweet fruit. So any tree which does not give us nice fruit or nice flower, that is sinful. Amongst the trees also there are pious trees, there are sinful trees, amongst the animals also there are pious animals, sinful animals. Just like dog and the cow. Cow is pious animal and the dog is sinful animal. So natures, amongst the birds, this crow is sinful bird. And the ducks, white swan, they are pious bird. The peacocks. So similarly in the human society also, there are pious men and sinful men. Those who are pious they have got different position. Janmaisvarya-sruta-sri.... [SB 1.8.26] Pious man means born in very good family, rich family. Janma, aisvarya, aisvarya means riches, opulence. Janma, first-class aristocratic family, brahmana family. Janmaisvarya-sruta, educated, highly educated; sri, beautiful. These are the signs of pious life. And similarly just the opposite, ugly, no education, born in poor family or low grade family, poor. These are the things. So either you take human life or animal life or birds' life, beasts' life, trees' life, anywhere you go, these three laws are working. Goodness, passion and ignorance. Therefore, always there must be three classes. Middle class, high class and lower class. There must be. So you cannot make one classless. That is not possible. So long the bodily concept of life is there, there must be these three classes. High class, middle class and lower class. So those who are condemned, they must suffer. Everyone is condemned in this material world. But first-class condemned, second-class condemned, third-class condemned. So you'll find this first class, second class, third, you cannot stop it. Just like in Bombay sometimes I showed to my disciples, say in 1935. 1935 means about fifty years ago. Fifty years ago when I was in Bombay, that time I was doing some business. So a class of men, they were living on footpath. Their home (is) on the footpath. They have got a box or a bag and lying on the footpath and eating on the footpath, their, everything on the footpath. Now the same class of men are still there. Now economically, fifty years ago, the value of money was greater. At that time, fifty years ago we were purchasing, say ghee, at most one rupee per kilo. So now you cannot get first class ghee unless you pay twenty-five rupees per kilo. So the value of money has decreased. So that means, in other words people are getting more money. Formerly, one servant was engaged, ten rupees or twelve rupees per month. Now you cannot get a servant unless you pay one hundred rupees. So in that comparison, everyone is getting more money, but still the condition is the same. Condition is the same. This will go on. Even if you get more money, the other circumstances will force you to remain in the same condition as you were fifty years ago. Because you are destined. This is called destiny. You cannot change your destiny. That is not possible. Therefore Bhagavata says that do not try to change your destiny. Everyone is trying to change the destiny. I am poor man, I must be very rich man. But you cannot change your destiny. Tasyaiva hetoh prayateta kovido na labhate yad bhramatam upary adhah [SB 1.5.18]. In this world we are, every one of us are bound up by the laws of karma, destiny. We have got our destiny. So much happiness, so much distress we must have. Because this is a mixture of happiness and distress. Here you cannot have unadulterated happiness. That is not possible in this... Unadulterated happiness, real happiness can be achieved in the spiritual world. Not in the material world. So certain amount of happiness and certain amount of distress we have to enjoy and suffer. You cannot change it. This is the law of nature in this material world. Therefore Bhagavata says, tasyaiva hetoh prayeteta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatam upary adhah. People are wandering within this material world, living entity, in different forms of life under different conditions of life. But they are not getting the information of Krsna. That is their misfortune. So one who is fortunate during this period of continuous wandering in different species of life on different planets, he contacts another devotee. Guru-Krsna. Or one who is actually anxious to unite with the Supreme Lord, how one gets this consciousness -- by associating with devotees. Just like we are holding this class. Even those who are not devotee, outsider, if they come they can also understand, then he becomes, one becomes very seriously anxious how to understand God, how to go back to home, back to Godhead. Then Krsna immediately helps. This is the process. Krsna is there within your heart. As soon as you become little serious, immediately, Krsna is ready. Krsna is ready, He is sitting with you as a friend. Simply looking for the opportunity when you'll come back to Him. That is Krsna. He's always sitting with you. But we are not willing to go back to home, back to Godhead. We want to become God in this material world. This is our position. Instead of going back to home, back to Godhead, live with God, we want to become God here. That is our position. Therefore, we are suffering. Here, you can... Nowhere you cannot be God. God is one. Nobody can be equal or above Him. Everyone must be subordinate to God. Therefore those who are not learned -- foolish people -- they are trying to be happy in this material world by adjustment and becoming himself God. This is atheism and this is demoniac tendency. But those who are advanced in knowledge, they know that "We are eternally servant of God; we cannot become God. Better to remain servant of God; that is our happiness." So those who are in the bodily concept of life, they cannot advance in this real knowledge, that we are eternally servant of God. Our constitutional position is like that. If we do not serve God, we do not agree... We are servant of God, but if we deny that "No, I am not servant," so that means I become servant of maya. Servant I'll have to remain. That is my constitutional position. So one must first of all understand what is his identity. So this is the beginning of a lesson given by Krsna, that "You are lamenting for this body. This is not your identity. This is not your identity. You are wrongly thinking." Just like if your coat is some way or other destroyed, that does not mean that you are destroyed. If your car by accident is broken, that does not mean that you are finished. Sometimes we get accident, that is another thing. But I am not the car. I am not this body, I am not this coat. This is real knowledge. Although sometimes we become little sorry, but the identity is different. So Krsna says that "You are talking like learned man, but you do not know your identity. You are not this body." This is the summary information. Asocyan anvasocas tvam prajna-vadams ca bhasase [Bg. 2.11]. So anyone who is not in perfect knowledge, he should not take the position of talking like a learned man. That is cheating and that is foolishness. First of all you know things as they are. Then talk. Otherwise, it is said that it is better not to talk than to talk foolish. It is better to stop talking. Therefore, sometimes in spiritual advancement there is a process, maunam. Maunam means not to talk. Those who are too much foolish, the spiritual master orders him, "Don't talk. Please remain silent." That's all. Because if you talk, you'll talk simply nonsense. Why should you spoil your energy by such nonsense talking? Better stop. The meditation is also like that also. Instead of talking or doing nonsense, if one is remaining silent for some time, it is little good for him. But this meditation and maunam, silence, is not meant for the devotees. They are meant for the lesser intelligent class of men. Devotees' business is always to talk about Krsna. Why they should stop talking? Maunam? No. Kirtaniyah sada harih [Cc. Adi 17.31]. Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that one has to chant and talk of Krsna twenty-four hours. Where is the question of maunam, silence? There is no question of silence. Silence is for those who are nonsense. "Be silent, don't talk." For them. At least they practice silence means at least they stop talking nonsense. But those who are actually advanced, for them there is no such restriction. Vacamsi vaikuntha-gunanuvarnane. We should use our talking power for describing the glories of the Lord. Vaikuntha-gunanuvarnane. That is kirtana. That is chanting. Abhavad naiyasaki-kirtane. Just like for seven days when Pariksit Maharaja was going to die... He had only seven days left. So twenty-four hours without any eating or without any drinking a drop of water, he went on hearing from Sukadeva Gosvami. And similarly, Sukadeva Gosvami also went on speaking, speaking Srimad-Bhagavatam. Sri-visnu-sravane pariksit. They got, both of them got salvation back to home, back to Godhead. How? One was hearing, and one was chanting. These two processes. Pariksit Maharaja was hearing and Sukadeva Gosvami was chanting. And what was the subject matter? Krsna. That's all. So Krsna subject matter is so nice that simply you do not do anything. Simply hear, that's all. You have got God-given ear. You can hear. Sit down. Stane sthitah srutigatam tanuvan manobhih. Srutigatam, sruti means this ear. Srota-pantah. This is called srota-pantah. Getting knowledge by hearing. Satam prasangan mama virya-samvido bhavanty hrtkarna-rasayana-kathah, satam prasangat [SB 3.25.25]. When there is actually sat-sanga. Sat-sanga means this talking of Krsna, hearing about Krsna. When there is, there is no business. Not like a rented reciter or a paid reciter who is earning money by reciting. No, no. Not to hear from him. Actually, he's self-realized, who is working for the Lord, from satam. Satam means devotees. Satam prasanga. Therefore is called satsanga. Satsanga means the association of the devotees. Sat means devotee. Sat means God. Om tat sat. Or everything is asat. Asat means temporary. This material world is temporary. And sat means spiritual. So sat-sanga means spiritual association. Sat-sangan mukta-duh-sangah. The more you associate with sat, with devotees, then you become, more you become liberated. Sat-sangan mukta-duh-sangah. Duh-sanga. We are in the material world, we are simply in association, bad association, duh-sanga. So if we want to get rid of this bad association, we must associate with the devotees. Sat-sangat mukta duhsanga. And satam prasangat mama virya-samvido, if we hear in really devotee's association, then the... [break] So Arjuna has got the best opportunity. He's hearing from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He has got the... He's so fortunate. He's talking with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, face to face, directly. So our business should be we should follow the footsteps of Arjuna. How to follow the footsteps of Arjuna? As Arjuna understood Bhagavad-gita, you try to understand in that way. Arjuna accepted Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan [Bg. 10.12]. "Krsna, You are the Supreme Person, Param Brahman, pavitra, the most pure." So if we, similarly, if we, even if we do not understand Bhagavad-gita, if we follow that: "Arjuna has understood like this, that Krsna is the Supreme Brahman, Supreme Personality of Godhead," then you understand everything. This is called parampara. You don't require to, I mean, to tax your brain, what is Krsna. Because now we have got poor intelligence. We cannot do that. But you simply accept what Arjuna says. Then you are perfect. Even I make a, I may become a fool number one, but if I accept... Mahajano yena gatah sa pantha. Mahajana. Those who are authorities, if you follow the authorities, then you understand. Dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhayam. It is very difficult to understand what is religion, what is the process of religion. People are very much puzzled. But if we follow the great personalities... They are also mentioned in the sastras. Svayambhu, Sambhu, Manu, Kumara, Kapila, Manu. So if we follow their footsteps... Just like Arjuna. That, that is, really we understand. "If Arjuna has understood like this, so let me understand like that." That's all. Simple thing. Then we understand Bhagavad-gita. But, if we want to speak very learned scholarly, but do not understand what is Krsna, this is simply waste of time. As the so-called scholars and philosophers are doing. They do not understand Krsna, but talking all nonsense, and such things are very much appreciated by others. That is described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam: sva-vid-varaha-ustra-kharaih samstutah purusah pasuh. These rascals, so-called scholars, so-called incarnation, are accepted by similar class of animals. Sva-vid-varaha. And actually Vedic understanding is to follow the footsteps of the predecessor acaryas who understand things. Then our life will be successful. We'll understand. Thank you very much. (end) >>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 2.11 -- London, August 17, 1973
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However he also says:
SB 7.2.20: Hiraṇyakaśipu said: My dear mother, sister-in-law and nephews, you should not lament for the death of the great hero, for a hero's death in front of his enemy is glorious and desirable.
SB 7.2.21: My dear mother, in a restaurant or place for drinking cold water, many travelers are brought together, and after drinking water they continue to their respective destinations. Similarly, living entities join together in a family, and later, as a result of their own actions, they are led apart to their destinations.
SB 7.2.22: The spirit soul, the living entity, has no death, for he is eternal and inexhaustible. Being free from material contamination, he can go anywhere in the material or spiritual worlds. He is fully aware and completely different from the material body, but because of being misled by misuse of his slight independence, he is obliged to accept subtle and gross bodies created by the material energy and thus be subjected to so-called material happiness and distress. Therefore, no one should lament for the passing of the spirit soul from the body.
SB 7.2.23: Because of the movements of the water, the trees on the bank of a river, when reflected on the water, seem to move. Similarly, when the eyes move because of some mental derangement, the land appears to move also.
SB 7.2.24: In the same way, O my gentle mother, when the mind is agitated by the movements of the modes of material nature, the living entity, although freed from all the different phases of the subtle and gross bodies, thinks that he has changed from one condition to another.
SB 7.2.25-26: In his bewildered state, the living entity, accepting the body and mind to be the self, considers some people to be his kinsmen and others to be outsiders. Because of this misconception, he suffers. Indeed, the accumulation of such concocted material ideas is the cause of suffering and so-called happiness in the material world. The conditioned soul thus situated must take birth in different species and work in various types of consciousness, thus creating new bodies. This continued material life is called saḿsāra. Birth, death, lamentation, foolishness and anxiety are due to such material considerations. Thus we sometimes come to a proper understanding and sometimes fall again to a wrong conception of life.
SB 7.2.27: In this regard, an example is given from an old history. This involves a discourse between Yamarāja and the friends of a dead person. Please hear it attentively.
SB 7.2.28: In the state known as Uśīnara there was a celebrated King named Suyajña. When the King was killed in battle by his enemies, his kinsmen sat down around the dead body and began to lament the death of their friend.
SB 7.2.29-31: His golden, bejeweled armor smashed, his ornaments and garlands fallen from their places, his hair scattered and his eyes lusterless, the slain King lay on the battlefield, his entire body smeared with blood, his heart pierced by the arrows of the enemy. When he died he had wanted to show his prowess, and thus he had bitten his lips, and his teeth remained in that position. His beautiful lotuslike face was now black and covered with dust from the battlefield. His arms, with his sword and other weapons, were cut and broken. When the queens of the King ofUśīnara saw their husband lying in that position, they began crying, "O lord, now that you have been killed, we also have been killed." Repeating these words again and again, they fell down, pounding their breasts, at the feet of the dead King.
SB 7.2.32: As the queens loudly cried, their tears glided down their breasts, becoming reddened by kuńkuma powder, and fell upon the lotus feet of their husband. Their hair became disarrayed, their ornaments fell, and in a way that evoked sympathy from the hearts of others, the queens began lamenting their husband's death.
SB 7.2.33: O lord, you have now been removed by cruel providence to a state beyond our sight. You had previously sustained the livelihood of the inhabitants of Uśīnara, and thus they were happy, but your condition now is the cause of their unhappiness.
SB 7.2.34: O King, O hero, you were a very grateful husband and the most sincere friend of all of us. How shall we exist without you? O hero, wherever you are going, please direct us there so that we may follow in your footsteps and engage again in your service. Let us go along with you!
SB 7.2.35: The time was appropriate for the body to be burned, but the queens, not allowing it to be taken away, continued lamenting for the dead body, which they kept on their laps. In the meantime, the sun completed its movements for setting in the west.
SB 7.2.36: While the queens were lamenting for the dead body of the King, their loud cries were heard even from the abode of Yamarāja. Assuming the body of a boy, Yamarāja personally approached the relatives of the dead body and advised them as follows.
SB 7.2.37: Śrī Yamarāja said: Alas, how amazing it is! These persons, who are older than me, have full experience that hundreds and thousands of living entities have taken birth and died. Thus they should understand that they also are apt to die, yet still they are bewildered. The conditioned soul comes from an unknown place and returns after death to that same unknown place. There is no exception to this rule, which is conducted by material nature. Knowing this, why do they uselessly lament?
SB 7.2.38: It is wonderful that these elderly women do not have a higher sense of life than we do. Indeed, we are most fortunate, for although we are children and have been left to struggle in material life, unprotected by father and mother, and although we are very weak, we have not been vanquished or eaten by ferocious animals. Thus we have a firm belief that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has given us protection even in the womb of the mother, will protect us everywhere.
SB 7.2.39: The boy addressed the women: O weak women! Only by the will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is never diminished, is the entire world created, maintained and again annihilated. This is the verdict of the Vedic knowledge. This material creation, consisting of the moving and nonmoving, is exactly like His plaything. Being the Supreme Lord, He is completely competent to destroy and protect.
SB 7.2.40: Sometimes one loses his money on a public street, where everyone can see it, and yet his money is protected by destiny and not seen by others. Thus the man who lost it gets it back. On the other hand, if the Lord does not give protection, even money maintained very securely at home is lost. If the Supreme Lord gives one protection, even though one has no protector and is in the jungle, one remains alive, whereas a person well protected at home by relatives and others sometimes dies, no one being able to protect him.
SB 7.2.41: Every conditioned soul receives a different type of body according to his work, and when the engagement is finished the body is finished. Although the spirit soul is situated in subtle and gross material bodies in different forms of life, he is not bound by them, for he is always understood to be completely different from the manifested body.
SB 7.2.42: Just as a householder, although different from the identity of his house, thinks his house to be identical with him, so the conditioned soul, due to ignorance, accepts the body to be himself, although the body is actually different from the soul. This body is obtained through a combination of portions of earth, water and fire, and when the earth, water and fire are transformed in the course of time, the body is vanquished. The soul has nothing to do with this creation and dissolution of the body.
SB 7.2.43: As fire, although situated in wood, is perceived to be different from the wood, as air, although situated within the mouth and nostrils, is perceived to be separate, and as the sky, although all-pervading, never mixes with anything, so the living entity, although now encaged within the material body, of which it is the source, is separate from it.
SB 7.2.44: Yamarāja continued: O lamenters, you are all fools! The person named Suyajña, for whom you lament, is still lying before you and has not gone anywhere. Then what is the cause for your lamentation? Previously he heard you and replied to you, but now, not finding him, you are lamenting. This is contradictory behavior, for you have never actually seen the person within the body who heard you and replied. There is no need for your lamentation, for the body you have always seen is lying here.
SB 7.2.45: In the body the most important substance is the life air, but that also is neither the listener nor the speaker. Beyond even the life air, the soul also can do nothing, for the Supersoul is actually the director, in cooperation with the individual soul. The Supersoul conducting the activities of the body is different from the body and living force.
SB 7.2.46: The five material elements, the ten senses and the mind all combine to form the various parts of the gross and subtle bodies. The living entity comes in contact with his material bodies, whether high or low, and later gives them up by his personal prowess. This strength can be perceived in a living entity's personal power to possess different types of bodies.
SB 7.2.47: As long as the spirit soul is covered by the subtle body, consisting of the mind, intelligence and false ego, he is bound to the results of his fruitive activities. Because of this covering, the spirit soul is connected with the material energy and must accordingly suffer material conditions and reversals, continually, life after life.
SB 7.2.48: It is fruitless to see and talk of the material modes of nature and their resultant so-called happiness and distress as if they were factual. When the mind wanders during the day and a man begins to think himself extremely important, or when he dreams at night and sees a beautiful woman enjoying with him, these are merely false dreams. Similarly, the happiness and distress caused by the material senses should be understood to be meaningless.
SB 7.2.49: Those who have full knowledge of self-realization, who know very well that the spirit soul is eternal whereas the body is perishable, are not overwhelmed by lamentation. But persons who lack knowledge of self-realization certainly lament. Therefore it is difficult to educate a person in illusion.
SB 7.2.50: There was once a hunter who lured birds with food and captured them after spreading a net. He lived as if appointed by death personified as the killer of the birds.
SB 7.2.51: While wandering in the forest, the hunter saw a pair of kulińga birds. Of the two, the female was captivated by the hunter's lure.
SB 7.2.52: O queens of Suyajña, the male kulińga bird, seeing his wife put into the greatest danger in the grip of Providence, became very unhappy. Because of affection, the poor bird, being unable to release her, began to lament for his wife.
SB 7.2.53: Alas, how merciless is Providence! My wife, unable to be helped by anyone, is in such an awkward position and lamenting for me. What will Providence gain by taking away this poor bird? What will be the profit?
SB 7.2.54: If unkind Providence takes away my wife, who is half my body, why should He not take me also? What is the use of my living with half of my body, bereaved by loss of my wife? What shall I gain in this way?
SB 7.2.55: The unfortunate baby birds, bereft of their mother, are waiting in the nest for her to feed them. They are still very small and have not yet grown their wings. How shall I be able to maintain them?
SB 7.2.56: Because of the loss of his wife, the kulińga bird lamented with tears in his eyes. Meanwhile, following the dictations of mature time, the hunter, who was very carefully hidden in the distance, released his arrow, which pierced the body of the kulińga bird and killed him.
SB 7.2.57: Thus Yamarāja, in the guise of a small boy, told all the queens: You are all so foolish that you lament but do not see your own death. Afflicted by a poor fund of knowledge, you do not know that even if you lament for your dead husband for hundreds of years, you will never get him back alive, and in the meantime your lives will be finished.
SB 7.2.58: Hiraṇyakaśipu said: While Yamarāja, in the form of a small boy, was instructing all the relatives surrounding the dead body of Suyajña, everyone was struck with wonder by his philosophical words. They could understand that everything material is temporary, not continuing to exist.
SB 7.2.59: After instructing all the foolish relatives of Suyajña, Yamarāja, in the form of a boy, disappeared from their vision. Then the relatives of King Suyajña performed the ritualistic funeral ceremonies.
SB 7.2.60: Therefore none of you should be aggrieved for the loss of the body — whether your own or those of others. Only in ignorance does one make bodily distinctions, thinking "Who am I? Who are the others? What is mine? What is for others?"
SB 7.2.61: Śrī Nārada Muni continued: Diti, the mother of Hiraṇyakaśipu and Hiraṇyākṣa, heard the instructions of Hiraṇyakaśipu along with her daughter-in-law, Ruṣābhānu, Hiraṇyākṣa's wife. She then forgot her grief over her son's death and thus engaged her mind and attention in understanding the real philosophy of life.
These things happens under the lila sakti Krsna, or rather Lord Narasimha in this case:
Prahlada Maharaja has stated:
SB 5.18.7: Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: My dear King, Lord Nṛsiḿhadeva resides in the tract of land known as Hari-varṣa. In the Seventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, I shall describe to you how Prahlāda Mahārāja caused the Lord to assume the form of Nṛsiḿhadeva. Prahlāda Mahārāja, the topmost devotee of the Lord, is a reservoir of all the good qualities of great personalities. His character and activities have delivered all the fallen members of his demoniac family. Lord Nṛsiḿhadeva is very dear to this exalted personality. Thus Prahlāda Mahārāja, along with his servants and all the denizens of Hari-varṣa, worships Lord Nṛsiḿhadeva by chanting the following mantra.
SB 5.18.8: I offer my respectful obeisances unto Lord Nṛsiḿhadeva, the source of all power. O my Lord who possesses nails and teeth just like thunderbolts, kindly vanquish our demonlike desires for fruitive activity in this material world. Please appear in our hearts and drive away our ignorance so that by Your mercy we may become fearless in the struggle for existence in this material world.
SB 5.18.9: May there be good fortune throughout the universe, and may all envious persons be pacified. May all living entities become calm by practicing bhakti-yoga, for by accepting devotional service they will think of each other's welfare. Therefore let us all engage in the service of the supreme transcendence, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and always remain absorbed in thought of Him.
SB 5.18.10: My dear Lord, we pray that we may never feel attraction for the prison of family life, consisting of home, wife, children, friends, bank balance, relatives and so on. If we do have some attachment, let it be for devotees, whose only dear friend is Kṛṣṇa. A person who is actually self-realized and who has controlled his mind is perfectly satisfied with the bare necessities of life. He does not try to gratify his senses. Such a person quickly advances in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, whereas others, who are too attached to material things, find advancement very difficult.
SB 5.18.11: By associating with persons for whom the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Mukunda, is the all in all, one can hear of His powerful activities and soon come to understand them. The activities of Mukunda are so potent that simply by hearing of them one immediately associates with the Lord. For a person who constantly and very eagerly hears narrations of the Lord's powerful activities, the Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead in the form of sound vibrations, enters within his heart and cleanses it of all contamination. On the other hand, although bathing in the Ganges diminishes bodily contaminations and infections, this process and the process of visiting holy places can cleanse the heart only after a long time. Therefore who is the sane man who will not associate with devotees to quickly perfect his life?
SB 5.18.12: All the demigods and their exalted qualities, such as religion, knowledge and renunciation, become manifest in the body of one who has developed unalloyed devotion for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva. On the other hand, a person devoid of devotional service and engaged in material activities has no good qualities. Even if he is adept at the practice of mystic yoga or the honest endeavor of maintaining his family and relatives, he must be driven by his own mental speculations and must engage in the service of the Lord's external energy. How can there be any good qualities in such a man?
SB 5.18.13: Just as aquatics always desire to remain in the vast mass of water, all conditioned living entities naturally desire to remain in the vast existence of the Supreme Lord. Therefore if someone very great by material calculations fails to take shelter of the Supreme Soul but instead becomes attached to material household life, his greatness is like that of a young, low-class couple. One who is too attached to material life loses all good spiritual qualities.
SB 5.18.14: Therefore, O demons, give up the so-called happiness of family life and simply take shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Nṛsiḿhadeva, which are the actual shelter of fearlessness. Entanglement in family life is the root cause of material attachment, indefatigable desires, moroseness, anger, despair, fear and the desire for false prestige, all of which result in the repetition of birth and death.
So we may ask where was his son Virocana,when Prahlada spoke these things?However material illusion is very strong in this material world, and most of us jivas are completly absorbed in Krsnas maya.
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has given his Soka Satana in his Gita mala:
http://kksongs.org/songs/p/pradosasamaye.html
This Gitamala is such a wonderful book.
http://kksongs.org/authors/gitamala.html
In Srimad Bhagavatam, Srila Sukadeva Goswami has advised us:
SB 2.1.1: Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: My dear King, your question is glorious because it is very beneficial to all kinds of people. The answer to this question is the prime subject matter for hearing, and it is approved by all transcendentalists.
SB 2.1.2: Those persons who are materially engrossed, being blind to the knowledge of ultimate truth, leave many subject matters for hearing in human society, O Emperor.
SB 2.1.3: The lifetime of such an envious householder is passed at night either in sleeping or in sex indulgence, and in the daytime either in making money or maintaining family members.
SB 2.1.4: Persons devoid of ātma-tattva do not inquire into the problems of life, being too attached to the fallible soldiers like the body, children and wife. Although sufficiently experienced, they still do not see their inevitable destruction.
SB 2.1.5: O descendant of King Bharata, one who desires to be free from all miseries must hear about, glorify and also remember the Personality of Godhead, who is the Supersoul, the controller and the savior from all miseries.
SB 2.1.6: The highest perfection of human life, achieved either by complete knowledge of matter and spirit, by practice of mystic powers, or by perfect discharge of occupational duty, is to remember the Personality of Godhead at the end of life.
SB 2.1.7: O King Parīkṣit, mainly the topmost transcendentalists, who are above the regulative principles and restrictions, take pleasure in describing the glories of the Lord.
To realize constantly that we are eternal spirit souls and eternal servants of Krsna is the beginning of our spiritual life.
your servant
Payonidhi das
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