VERSE 8
na hi prapaśyāmi mamāpanudyād
yac chokam ucchoṣaṇam indriyāṇām
avāpya bhūmāv asapatnam ṛddhaṁ
rājyaṁ surāṇām api cādhipatyam
SYNONYMS
na—do not; hi—certainly; prapaśyāmi—I see; mama—my; apanudyāt—they can drive
away; yat—that; śokam—lamentation; ucchoṣaṇam—drying up; indriyāṇām—of the
senses; avāpya—achieving; bhūmau—on the earth; asapatnam—without rival;
ṛddham—prosperous; rājyam—kingdom; surāṇām—of the demigods; api—even;
ca—also; ādhipatyam—supremacy
TRANSLATION
I can find no means to drive away this grief which is drying up my senses. I will not
be able to destroy it even if I win an unrivalled kingdom on the earth with sovereignty
like that of the demigods in heaven.
PURPORT
Although Arjuna was putting forward so many arguments based on knowledge of the
principles of religion and moral codes, it appears that he was unable to solve his real
problem without the help of the spiritual master, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He could understand
that his so-called knowledge was useless in driving away his problems, which were
drying up his whole existence; and it was impossible for him to solve such perplexities
without the help of a spiritual master like Lord Kṛṣṇa. Academic knowledge,
scholarship, high position, etc., are all useless in solving the problems of life; help can
only be given by a spiritual master like Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, the conclusion is that a
spiritual master who is one hundred percent Kṛṣṇa conscious is the bona fide spiritual
master, for he can solve the problems of life. Lord Caitanya said that one who is master
in the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, regardless of his social position, is the real
spiritual master.
kibāvipra, kibā nyāsī, śūdra kene naya
yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei 'guru' haya.
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya 8.127)
"It does not matter whether a person is a vipra [learned scholar in Vedic wisdom] or is
born in a lower family, or is in the renounced order of life—if he is master in the
science of Kṛṣṇa, he is the perfect and bona fide spiritual master." So without being a
master in the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, no one is a bona fide spiritual master. It is
also said in Vedic literatures:
ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṇo vipro mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ
avaiṣṇavo gurur na syād vaiṣṇavaḥ śvapaco guruḥ
"A scholarly brāhmaṇa, expert in all subjects of Vedic knowledge, is unfit to become a
spiritual master without being a Vaiṣṇava, or expert in the science of Kṛṣṇa
consciousness. But a person born in a family of a lower caste can become a spiritual
master if he is a Vaiṣṇava, or Kṛṣṇa conscious."
The problems of material existence—birth, old age, disease and death—cannot be
counteracted by accumulation of wealth and economic development. In many parts of
the world there are states which are replete with all facilities of life, which are full of
wealth, and economically developed, yet the problems of material existence are still
present. They are seeking peace in different ways, but they ean achieve real happiness
only if they consult Kṛṣṇa, or the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam—which
constitute the science of Kṛṣṇa—or the bona fide representative of Kṛṣṇa, the man in
Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
If economic development and material comforts could drive away one's lamentations
for family, social, national or international inebrieties, then Arjuna would not have
said that even an unrivalled kingdom on earth or supremacy like that of the demigods
in the heavenly planets would not be able to drive away his lamentations. He sought,
therefore, refuge in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and that is the right path for peace and
harmony. Economic development or supremacy over the world can be finished at any
moment by the cataclysms of material nature. Even elevation into a higher planetary
situation, as men are now seeking a place on the moon planet, can also be finished at
one stroke. The Bhagavad-gītā confirms this: kṣīṇe puṇye martyalokaṁ viśanti "When
the results of pious activities are finished, one falls down again from the peak of
happiness to the lowest status of life." Many politicians of the world have fallen down in
that way. Such downfalls only constitute more causes for lamentation.
Therefore, if we want to curb lamentation for good, then we have to take shelter of
Kṛṣṇa, as Arjuna is seeking to do. So Arjuna asked Kṛṣṇa to solve his problem
definitely, and that is the way of Kṛṣṇa consciousnessd
na hi prapaśyāmi mamāpanudyād
yac chokam ucchoṣaṇam indriyāṇām
avāpya bhūmāv asapatnam ṛddhaṁ
rājyaṁ surāṇām api cādhipatyam
SYNONYMS
na—do not; hi—certainly; prapaśyāmi—I see; mama—my; apanudyāt—they can drive
away; yat—that; śokam—lamentation; ucchoṣaṇam—drying up; indriyāṇām—of the
senses; avāpya—achieving; bhūmau—on the earth; asapatnam—without rival;
ṛddham—prosperous; rājyam—kingdom; surāṇām—of the demigods; api—even;
ca—also; ādhipatyam—supremacy
TRANSLATION
I can find no means to drive away this grief which is drying up my senses. I will not
be able to destroy it even if I win an unrivalled kingdom on the earth with sovereignty
like that of the demigods in heaven.
PURPORT
Although Arjuna was putting forward so many arguments based on knowledge of the
principles of religion and moral codes, it appears that he was unable to solve his real
problem without the help of the spiritual master, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He could understand
that his so-called knowledge was useless in driving away his problems, which were
drying up his whole existence; and it was impossible for him to solve such perplexities
without the help of a spiritual master like Lord Kṛṣṇa. Academic knowledge,
scholarship, high position, etc., are all useless in solving the problems of life; help can
only be given by a spiritual master like Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, the conclusion is that a
spiritual master who is one hundred percent Kṛṣṇa conscious is the bona fide spiritual
master, for he can solve the problems of life. Lord Caitanya said that one who is master
in the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, regardless of his social position, is the real
spiritual master.
kibāvipra, kibā nyāsī, śūdra kene naya
yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei 'guru' haya.
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya 8.127)
"It does not matter whether a person is a vipra [learned scholar in Vedic wisdom] or is
born in a lower family, or is in the renounced order of life—if he is master in the
science of Kṛṣṇa, he is the perfect and bona fide spiritual master." So without being a
master in the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, no one is a bona fide spiritual master. It is
also said in Vedic literatures:
ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṇo vipro mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ
avaiṣṇavo gurur na syād vaiṣṇavaḥ śvapaco guruḥ
"A scholarly brāhmaṇa, expert in all subjects of Vedic knowledge, is unfit to become a
spiritual master without being a Vaiṣṇava, or expert in the science of Kṛṣṇa
consciousness. But a person born in a family of a lower caste can become a spiritual
master if he is a Vaiṣṇava, or Kṛṣṇa conscious."
The problems of material existence—birth, old age, disease and death—cannot be
counteracted by accumulation of wealth and economic development. In many parts of
the world there are states which are replete with all facilities of life, which are full of
wealth, and economically developed, yet the problems of material existence are still
present. They are seeking peace in different ways, but they ean achieve real happiness
only if they consult Kṛṣṇa, or the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam—which
constitute the science of Kṛṣṇa—or the bona fide representative of Kṛṣṇa, the man in
Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
If economic development and material comforts could drive away one's lamentations
for family, social, national or international inebrieties, then Arjuna would not have
said that even an unrivalled kingdom on earth or supremacy like that of the demigods
in the heavenly planets would not be able to drive away his lamentations. He sought,
therefore, refuge in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and that is the right path for peace and
harmony. Economic development or supremacy over the world can be finished at any
moment by the cataclysms of material nature. Even elevation into a higher planetary
situation, as men are now seeking a place on the moon planet, can also be finished at
one stroke. The Bhagavad-gītā confirms this: kṣīṇe puṇye martyalokaṁ viśanti "When
the results of pious activities are finished, one falls down again from the peak of
happiness to the lowest status of life." Many politicians of the world have fallen down in
that way. Such downfalls only constitute more causes for lamentation.
Therefore, if we want to curb lamentation for good, then we have to take shelter of
Kṛṣṇa, as Arjuna is seeking to do. So Arjuna asked Kṛṣṇa to solve his problem
definitely, and that is the way of Kṛṣṇa consciousnessd
