London, July 9, 1973

Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)

saï jaya uvä ca

då ñ ö vä tu pä ë ò avä né kaà

vyü ò haà duryodhanas tadä

ä cä ryam upasaì gamya

rä ja vacanam abravé t

[Bg. 1.2]

Translation: " Saï jaya said: O King, after looking over the army gathered by the sons of Pä ë ò u, King Duryodhana went to his teacher and began to speak the following words: "

Prabhupä da: So Dhå tarä ñ ö ra inquired from Saï jaya, kim akurvata: " After my sons and my brother's sons assembled together for fighting, what did they do? " This was the inquiry. So to encourage him... Because Saï jaya could understand the feelings of his master that he wanted the fight, no compromise, kñ atriya spirit, " Let my sons and my brother's sons fight..." That is kñ atriya spirit. " My sons are one hundred in number and they are only five, so certainly my sons will come out victorious, and then the kingdom will be assured." That was his plan. So Saï jaya, his secretary, could understand the feeling. Of course, at last he would inform differently. Yatra yogeç varaù hariù. At last he described, " My dear sir, you do not expect victory. It is not possible. Because the other side is Kå ñ ë a, yatra yogeç varaù hariù, and the fighter Arjuna, so it is beyond your expectation of victory." But in the beginning he says, " Don't be discouraged. There was no compromise. Immediately your son Duryodhana..." And he is addressing himself (his son) as " rä ja." because Dhå tarä ñ ö ra would be encouraged when at least he thinks of his son becoming the king. Therefore he said " rä ja."

So då ñ ö vä tu pä ë ò avä né kam [Bg. 1.2]. Duryodhana did not expect that the Pä ë ò avas would be able to accomplish military strength so nicely because they were bereft of all sources. Their kingdom was taken away, their money was usurped, they were sent into the forest, so many tribulations. But the foolish Duryodhana did not know that above all, there was Kå ñ ë a on their side. That he could not calculate. Therefore when he saw the Pä ë ò avas are well-equipped with good number of soldiers, pä ë ò avä né kam, he was little surprised, that " How they could gather are so many soldiers? " So immediately, to consult the commander-in-chief Dronä cä rya....

Dronä cä rya was everyone's teacher, ä cä rya. Ä cä rya means teacher. Ä cä ryam upasaì gamya [Bg. 1.2]. The military teacher. So Duryodhana, he was military teacher of the Pä ë ò avas also. When all of them were children, they were given under the instruction of Dronä cä rya. Dronä cä rya was brä hmaë a, but he knew the military art. Therefore he was appointed teacher for all the boys, the Kauravas. So... but Ä cä rya, Dronä cä rya joined with Duryodhana. Bhé ñ madeva joined with Duryodhana. None of them joined with Arjuna. Because Arjuna or Mahä rä ja Yudhiñ ö hira was not king at that time, the financial control was not in their hands, and these people, sons of Dhå tarä ñ ö ra, they were on the government political power. The financial control was in their hands. So they were giving enough money for maintenance to Dronä cä rya and Bhé ñ madeva. So they felt obliged. Of course, they knew everything. But externally, they felt obligation: " Arjuna, I am getting money from Duryodhana. So in this point of danger, if I do not join him, it does not look well. I am getting financial maintenance."

Of course, Arjuna did not ask him. Arjuna was satisfied with Kå ñ ë a. That's all. Kå ñ ë a also divided Himself. Because it is family quarrel. So He said, " I cannot take part with anyone and even if I take part, side, of any of you, I shall not fight. Directly I shall not fight. I may be on your side or that side, but I'll not fight." Still, Arjuna was satisfied. So Kå ñ ë a, in order to satisfy Arjuna, that " I shall not fight, but I shall become your charioteer. I shall drive your chariot." So in this way the battle was arranged, and when Dhå tarä ñ ö ra inquired, kim akurvata saï jaya [Bg. 1.1], " What did they do? " He said, " Sir, don't be disappointed. There was no compromise. Immediately your son, after seeing the military arrangement of the Pä ë ò avas, he was surprised, and immediately he went to Dronä cä rya." He is the commander-in-chief appointed first. " What to do? " Rä jä vacanam abravé t [Bg. 1.2]. Then he began to speak, to inform Dronä cä rya. So next verse.

Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)

paç yaitä à pä ë ò u-puträ ë ä m

ä cä rya mahatià camü m

vyü ò hä à drupada-putreë a

tava ç iñ yeë a dhé matä

[Bg. 1.3]

Translation: " O my teacher, behold the great army of the sons of Pä ë ò u, so expertly arranged by your intelligent disciple, the son of Drupada."

Prabhupä da: So—intelligent. This Drupada, the son of Drupada, he was meant for killing Dronä cä rya. Drupada Mahä rä ja was not in good terms with Dronä cä rya. So he performed a yajï a to get a son who could kill Dronä cä rya. That son is this Draupada. So Dronä cä rya knew that " Drupada Mahä rä ja has got his son. In future he would kill me." Still, when he was offered to become his disciple, to learn military art, he accepted, " Yes." That means the brä hmaë as were so liberal: " When he is coming as my disciple, never mind, he would kill me in future. That doesn't matter. But I must give him teaching." Therefore this word is used, dhé matä, very intelligent: " He has killed the military science from you just to kill you." Dhé matä, tava ç iñ yeë a. " Your disciple, he has arranged." This is the pointing out. So that he may be angry: " This rascal has learned from me and he wants to kill me? "

But no. Duty is duty. After all, everyone will die; nobody will exist. So nobody should be afraid of death. This is Vedic civilization. Death is inevitable. " As sure as death." Who can avoid death? So being afraid of death, we should not deviate from our duties, real duty. That is Vedic civilization. So Duryodhana wanted to point out " That this boy, your disciple, he... It is fixed up that he's meant for killing you, and he has arranged nicely military phalanx just to defeat you. And he has learned this art from you."

Therefore he is using this word, dhé matä. Dhé, dhé means intelligence. Dhé mat-ç abda. Dhé mat. Dhé means intelligence, and mat means " one who possesses." Asty arthe matup-pratyaya. When one possesses something, in this sense, this pratyaya... In Sanskrit there are pratyayas. So matup pratyaya. So matup. From matup, it comes to mat. Sanskrit language means it is so reformed that each and every word has significance. Not that like your English language. " Beauty but peauty put.(?)" No, not like that. If you say " beauty but, " you must say, " peauty put." But no, you change: beauty but peauty put. Why? This kind of change cannot be allowed in Sanskrit language. If the " u" means " aù, " just like beauty but, then it must always mean like that, no change. So dhé matä. Dhé means intelligence. Dhé means intelligence. So one who has got intelligence. Every word is used with full meaning. Sanskrit language is so nice. Therefore it is called Sanskrit, Sanskrit, Saà skå ta. Saà skå ta means reform. And the alphabets are called devanä garé. Devanä garé means these alphabets... Just like in Europe the Roman letters are used, similarly, in the upper planetary system these alphabets are used, devanä garé, used in the cities of the demigods. And the language is called Saà skå ta, " most reformed." And Sanskrit is the mother of all languages.

Even in this planet, the Latin is also derived from Sanskrit. Just like the " maternal, " the matå -ç abda, " paternal, " pitå -ç abda. So dhé matä. So here the writer is Vyä sadeva. So every word is selected, either in Bhagavad-gé tä or in Ç ré mad-Bhä gavatam or the Purä ë as, all writings of..., Mahä bhä rata, each and every word is used just like weighing in the balance. So many words should be in the beginning, so many words should be in the end. And not whimsically. That cannot be allowed. That is called saà skå ta sä hitya, literary... Just like Caitanya Mahä prabhu when he was hearing Keç ava Kä ç mé ré, as soon as there was little discrepancy, bhavä né -bhartä, immediately he criticized and defeated him. Sanskrit language is so nice.

Paç yaitä à pä ë ò u-puträ ë ä m ä cä rya: [Bg. 1.3] " My dear teacher, just see how many military soldiers are standing there on behalf of the Pä ë ò avas, and they have been arranged by your disciple, who is meant for killing you. So just remember." That means " You become more strong that this boy and the other party may not kill you." But Duryodhana does not know that the death does not depend on military strength or bodily strength. When death will come, nobody can check. Death is God. When Kå ñ ë a desires that " This man should be killed now, " or " He must die now, " nobody can check. Rä khe kå ñ ë a mare ke mare kå ñ ë a rä khe ke. If Kå ñ ë a desires to kill somebody, nobody can give him protection, no power. And if He wants to save somebody, nobody can kill him. This is Kå ñ ë a's protection.

Therefore this big, big commander-in-chief Dronä cä rya and Bhé ñ madeva, Karë a, they were very, very, big, powerful commanders. Arjuna was nothing before them. Arjuna was just like... Paré kñ it Mahä rä ja compared that " My grandfather was just like an ordinary fish, and these soldiers, these commanders, (were) just like timiì gila." Timiì gila, there is a fish—we get information from Vedic literature—very big fish. They swallow up the whales. Timi. Timi means whale fish. And timiì gila means... Just like small fish are swallowed up like this. So just imagine how big such fish is. So these commanders, Karë a, Dronä cä rya, and Bhé ñ ma, were compared with the timiì gila. And Arjuna although very powerful, he was compared with timi. So Paré kñ it Mahä rä ja admitted " That it was not possible for my grandfather to win over the battle before these big, big commanders. It is only by the grace of Kå ñ ë a he was saved." So the conclusion is if Kå ñ ë a saves, nobody can kill; and if Kå ñ ë a wants to kill, nobody can save. Therefore our conclusion should be that we should always be under the protection of Kå ñ ë a. Avaç ya rakñ ibe kå ñ ë a. This is ç araë ä gati. Ç araë ä gati, surrender. Surrender means that " I am surrendering to Kå ñ ë a with full faith that He is quite competent and able to give me protection." This is called surrender. Not that hesitation: " Oh, I will surrender to Kå ñ ë a, and in case of danger, He may not be able to give me protection." That is not surrender. With full faith, " Yes, Kå ñ ë a is so powerful, Kå ñ ë a is so great, that I am surrendering to Kå ñ ë a from this day: 'From this day... Kå ñ ë a, I was wandering throughout the universe life after life without knowing my relationship with you. Now, today, I surrender unto you. Kindly accept me and engage me in your service.' " This is called surrender. Thank you very much. (end)