Bhagavad Gita 2.5

[Paramananda das]

Text 5

gurun ahatva hi mahanubhavan sreyo bhoktum bhaiksyam apiha loke hatvartha-kamams tu gurun ihaiva bhunjiya bhogan rudhira-pradigdhan

Translation

It would be 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 desiring worldly gain, they are superiors. If they are killed, everything we enjoy will be tainted with blood.

Commentary by Srila Prabhupada

According to scriptural codes, a teacher who engages in an abominable action and has lost his sense of discrimination is fit to be abandoned. Bhishma and Drona 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.

Commentary by Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur

"If you don't want the kingdom, then how will you live?"

"Not killing my elders, I will live by begging, though it is condemned for the ksatriya to do so. It is better to eat that food got from begging. That is, though it will bring infamy in this life, it will not be inauspicious for future lives. These gurus have not become proud. One should reject only the followers of Duryodhana who do not know right from wrong. The scriptures say:

guror apy avaliptasya karyakaryam ajanatah utpathapratipannasya parityago vidhlyate

One should reject the guru who is proud, does not know proper behavior, who becomes engaged in sinful life. Mahabharata 5.178.24

They, on the contrary, are great souls (mahanubhavan). What fault is there in Bhisma and others who have control over time and lust?"

"But Bhisma said to Yudhisthira,

arthasya puruso daso dasas tv artho na kasyacit iti satyam maharaja baddho 'smy arthena kauravaih

Man is a servant of wealth. Wealth is not a servant of anyone. O king, I have been bound by wealth to the Kauravas. Mahabharata 6.41.36

Therefore, has not their great character been destroyed by such desire for wealth?"

"That is true, but if I kill them, I will be unhappy. Though in killing those Kurus who are greedy for wealth (artha kaman), I should enjoy the wealth, it is contaminated with their blood. The meaning is this: though they have desire for wealth, they are still my gurus. Therefore in killing them, because I commit the sin of killing guru, my enjoyment will be mixed with that sin."

Rudra Vaisnava Sampradaya: Visnuswami Sridhara Swami's Commentary It may be argued: That without slaying them it would not be possible for Arjuna to even maintain his own body. So Arjuna is responding that without slaying his superiors like Bhishma and Drona which bars one from the heavenly kingdoms it would be better to live in this world even on food obtained by begging without causing the death of anyone. Otherwise misery will be the result not only in the next life but even in the present Arjuna was stating he would be experiencing the miseries of hellish existence. This is verified by Arjuna saying that by slaying elders and superiors even in the present life all the spoils he would be enjoying would be tainted with their blood. Another interpretation is that the word arthakamanmay be also taken as qualifying the elders and superiors. These elders being consumed by greed of wealth are not likely to refrain from war. Therefore they will have to be slain. Bhishma for an example spoke to King Yudhisthira saying: Man is a slave to wealth but wealth is the slave of no man, this is the truth. O Emperor I am bound to the Kauravas by the acceptance of wealth.

Brahma Vaisnava Sampradaya: Madhvacarya There is no commentary for this verse.

Sri Vaisnava Sampradaya: Ramanuja There is no commentary for this verse.

Kumara Vaisnava Sampradaya: Nimbaditya Kesava Kasmiri's Commentary It may be further submitted that although Bhishma and Drona are both always to be respected, but as they are superiors and perceptors to both the Pandavas and the Kauravas they should all be looked after equally regarding aquisition and preservation. Why should Bhishma and Drona fight for the unlawful kingdom of the Kauravas on the side of the wicked Duryodhana? It appears that being devoid of discrimination of what should be done and what should not be done have gone afoul of righteousness and thus according to Vedic scriptures have the right to be slain. Bishma himself has stated that a superior who is degraded by these qualities deserves to be abandoned. To this Arjuna is replying that refraining from slaying great souls it is better to live in this world by begging alms as by this no sin will be incurred to reap in the next life. But if as Arjuna states they are great souls then how can they be degraded and if they are degraded how can they be considered great souls and hence there abandonment is proper. One who is inferior should normally never even think of abandoning a preceptor otherwise one will perish out of folly. But Bhisma's statement that a man is slave to wealth but wealth is slave to no man; therefore due to accepting wealth he was controlled by the Kauravas. So this proves that controlled by wealth and not righteousness and thus slaying them incurs no sin. But to this Arjuna states that by slaying elders we may undoubtedly enjoy some pleasures in this world but these pleasures would be tainted with blood as they are derived from the sin of slaying superiors.

comments:

In Hari Bhakti Vilasa, 1th Vilasa Srila Sanatana Goswami has quoted:

Text 45

vishnu-smritau

paricarya-yaso-labha-

lipsuh shishyad guru na hi

kripa-sindhuh su-sampurnah

sarva-sattvopakarakah

vishnu-smritau—in the Vishnu-smriti; paricarya—worship; yasah—fame; labha—attainment; lipsuh—desirign; shishyat—from his disciple; guru—a spiritual master; na—not; hi—indeed; kripa-sindhuh—an ocean of mercy; su-sampurnah—very perfect; sarva-sattvopakarakah—doing good to everyone.

In the Vishnu-smriti it is said:

"A person who is greedy to get worship, praise, and money from his disciple is not a true spiritual master. A true spiritual master is an ocean of mercy, perfect, a person who does good to everyone, . . .

Text 46

nisprihah sarvatah siddhah

sarva-vidya-visharadah

sarva-samshaya-sancchetta-

nalaso gurur ahritah

nisprihah—desireless; sarvatah—in all ways; siddhah—perfect; sarva-vidya-visharadah—expert in all knowledge; sarva-samshaya-sancchetta—able to cut apart all doubts; analasah—not lazy; guruh—spiritual master; ahritah—said.

. . . free of all material desires, completely perfect, learned in all knowledge, able to cut apart all doubts, and not lazy."

Text 58

dushöa-lakshana-sampanno

yadyapi svayam ishvarah

bahu-pratigrahasakta

acaryah shri-kshayavahah

dushöa-lakshana-sampannah—filled with faults; yadyapi—although; svayam—personally; ishvarah—able; bahu—many; pratigraha—donations; asaktah—attached; acaryah—a spiritual master; shri—of good fortune; kshaya—the destruction; avahah—bringing.

. . . has a host of faults, and, although financially well situated is greedy for more and bigger donations, is the kind of spiritual master that destroys the good fortune of his disciples."