Bhagavad-gita 2.10 – 2.11 Lord Sri Krishna begins rendering Bhagavad-gita

Lord Sri Krishna began rendering Bhagavad-gita to the grief-stricken Arjuna. As Hrsikesa, the controller of senses, the Lord began delivering the Absolute principles to wipe out the lamentation of His disciple. Arjuna had voluntarily become a student of his Friend and Lord Sri Krishna at once assumed the role of Spiritual Master. The talks were openly exchanged in the presence of both armies for the benefit of all.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead chastised the student calling him indirectly a fool. Arjuna was talking like a learned man but was indeed ignorant. Arjuna argued that religious principles should be given more importance than politics and sociology but he did not know that knowledge of matter, soul and the Supreme is even more important than religious formalities.

Arjuna was lacking in knowledge and hence he was lamenting for something worthless. The body is born and gets destroyed ultimately; hence the body is temporary and not as important as the soul. Learned is one who knows the difference between body and soul and does not lament for the living or death of the body.

Lord revealed Sankhya philosophy on what is body and what is soul in verses 2.11 – 2.30 while explaining why Arjuna should not grieve for any living being. Principles of body and soul applied to even Bhismadeva and Dronacarya. There was no cause for lamentation regardless of the condition of their material body.

There are different stages of knowledge - pratyaksa, aparoksa, pratyaksa paroksa aparokṣa, adhoksaja, aprakṛta. In the gross bodily platform we demand pratyaksa-jnanam which means direct perception. So-called scientists believe in pratyaksa praman or experimental knowledge based on gross sense perception. Knowledge acquired in the bodily platform through direct perception is not real knowledge. God is not a subject matter that one can see with pratyakṣa direct perception. God's another name is anubhava and is realized in aparokṣa stage. Just like we do not see the sun directly in a room during daytime although we know that there is the sun. He can be estimated from His creation. Further consciousness about Lord Sri Krishna means adhokṣaja and aprakṛta that is beyond the senses. Anubhava can therefore be obtained through sruti or srota-pantha or hearing from vedic literature as rendered by bona-fide spiritual master. This process as exibited by Bhagavad-gita can dissipate ignorance.

Bhagavad-gita 2.4 – 2.9 Arjuna remains perplexed and surrenders to Lord Krishna for solution

Arjuna repeated his arguments for not fighting. Respectable superiors like Bhisma the grandfather and Dronacarya, the teacher are always worshipable. Even if they attack, they should not be counterattacked. It is general etiquette that superiors are not to be harshly treated even if they are sometimes harsh in behaviour.

Arjuna claimed that it would be better to live in this world by begging than to live at the cost of lives of great souls. Even though desiring worldly gain, they were superiors. If they were killed, the victory would be tainted with blood. He even did not care to live. Arjuna was pious in nature and did not yearn for unwnated victory.

Arjuna then accepted - kärpanya-dosopahata-svabhävah – “Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of miserly weakness. I am asking You to tell me for certain what is best for me.”

He understood that he had become “krpanah” or miserly. Such persons waste their time in being overly affectionate for family, society, country, etc., in the material conception of life. This is like “skin disease.” The krpanah thinks that he is able to protect his family members from death; or that his family or society can in turn save him from the verge of death. Such family attachment can be found even in animals.

Being intelligent, Arjuna could understand that his affection for family members and his wish to protect them from death were the causes of his perplexities. He understood that he could not discharge his duties on account of miserly weakness. He however realized that he could not solve his real problem on his own. No motivation like an unrivaled kingdom on earth or supremacy like that of the demigods in the heavenly planets could make him change his mind. He therefore needed a definite solution, a definite help to remove his lamentation.

sisyas te ‘ham sädhi mäm tväm prapannam - Arjuna therefore offers himself as a disciple to Lord Krishna, the supreme spiritual master. Before the war Arjuna knew Krishna as his friend, relative and age-mate. But now he wanted to stop friendly talks. Arjuna wanted to talk very seriously before the recognized spiritual master. He resolved - na yotsya iti govindam – “Govinda I shall not fight” and surrendered unto the Lord for true knowledge.

Bhagavad-gita 2.2-3 Lord Krishna chastised Arjuna because of his weak behaviour

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna said – kutas tva kasmalam idam - My dear Arjuna, how have these impurities come upon you? They are not at all befitting a man who knows the value of life.

In the presence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Arjuna’s lamentation of his kinsmen is certainly unbecoming, and therefore Lord Krishna expressed His surprise at such non-Aryan like behaviour. An Aryan knows the value of life and follows varnasrama civilization based on spiritual realization. Arjuna was a ksatriya and was deviating from his prescribed duties by declining to fight. This act of cowardice is described as befitting the non-Aryans.

Lord Krishna did not approve of the so-called compassion or false magnanimity of Arjuna for his kinsmen. People do not know where compassion should be applied. Material compassion, lamentation and tears are all signs of ignorance of the real self. Compassion for the eternal soul is self-realization.

For example, compassion for the dress of the drowning man is senseless. Outward dress is compared to the gross material body. A man fallen in the ocean of nescience cannot be saved simply by rescuing his outward dress or the gross material body. One who does not know this and laments for the outward dress is called a sudra or one who laments unnecessarily. Such a person does not attain opulences but only infamy.

Lord Krishna further chastises Arjuna - klaibyam mä sma gamah pärtha - do not yield to this degrading impotence. Only a Friend can call His friend impotent. Arjuna was being guided by the Lord Himself to overcome his weakness and to reveal the knowledge of liberation from material bondage.

Six Opulences of Sri Bhagavan or Supreme Personality of Godhead

The Sankskrit word Bhagavan is explained by the great authority Parasara Muni, the father of Vyasadeva.

aiswarasya samägrasya viryasya yasasah sriyah
jnäna vairägyayos caiva sannam bhaga itingana … Visnu Purana 6.5.47

The Supreme Personality who possesses all aiswarya or riches, all virya or strength, all yasa or fame, all sri or beauty, all jnana or knowledge and all vairagya or renunciation is called Bhagavan.

There are many persons who are very rich, very powerful, very beautiful, very famous, very learned and very much detached, but no one can claim that he possesses all riches, all strength etc. entirely. Only Lord Krishna can claim this because He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. No living entity, including Brahma, Lord Shiva or Narayana, can possess all opulences as fully as Krishna.

It is concluded in the Brahma-samhita by Lord Brahma himself that Lord Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. No one is equal to or above Him. He is the primeval Lord, or Bhagavan, known as Govinda, and He is the supreme cause of all causes.

In the Srimad Bhagavatam also there is a list of many incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but Lord Krishna is described as the original Personality of Godhead, from whom many, many incarnations and Personalities of Godhead expand.

Acaryas including Adi Sankaracarya, Ramanujacarya, Madhavacarya and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself have accepted Lord Krishna or Govinda as the Supreme Personality of Godhead or Bhagavan.

Bhagavad-gita Chapter-2 Lord Sri Krishna begins speaking Bhagavad-gita

Bhagavad-gita Chapter-2 is a summary of the gita itself. After presenting the condition of living beings - both good and bad - in Chapter-1, Lord Sri Krishna reveals the essence of Bhagavad-gita in Chapter-2.

uväca madhusudanah - Lord Madhusudana or Lord Krishna begins speaking Bhagavad-gita … BG 2.1
sri-bhagavän uväca – The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna said … BG 2.2

Lord Krishna and the Supreme Personality of Godhead are identical. Therefore Lord Krishna is referred to as Bhagavan throughout the Gita. Bhagavan is the ultimate in the Absolute Truth. Absolute Truth is realized in three phases of understanding as explained by Srimad Bhagavatam, namely - Brahman or the impersonal all pervasive spirit, Paramatma or the localized aspect of the Supreme within the heart of all living entities, and Bhagavan or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krsna.

The three divine aspects of Sri Bhagavan can be explained by the example of the sun, which also has three different aspects, namely - the sunshine, the sun’s surface and the sun planet itself.

One who studies the sunshine only is the preliminary student. Ordinary students who are satisfied by simply understanding the sunshine – its universal pervasiveness and the glaring effulgence of its impersonal nature – may be compared to those who realize only the Brahman feature of the Absolute Truth. This is the realization of brahmajyoti or effulgence emanating from the Lord.

One who understands the sun’s surface is further advanced. The student who has advanced still further can know the sun disc, which is compared to knowledge of the Paramatma feature of the Absolute Truth. This is the realization of Supersoul in the heart and the all-pervasiveness of the Lord in all living and non-living entities.

One who can enter into the sun planet is the highest. Such student who can enter into the heart of the sun planet is compared to those who realize the personal features of the Supreme Absolute Truth. This is the realization of the relationship with the Lord as His servant, friend, parent or paramour.

The sunshine, the sun disc and the inner affairs of the sun planet cannot be separated from one another, and yet the students of the three different phases are not in the same category. Therefore, the bhakta or the transcendentalist who has realized the Bhagavan feature of the Absolute Truth is the topmost.