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TEXT 78 yatra yogesvarah krsno
SYNONYMS  yatra--where;
yoga-isvarah--the
master of mysticism; krsnah--Lord Krsna;
yatra--where; parthah--the
son of Prtha; dhanuh-dharah--the carrier of the bow and arrow; tatra--there;
srih--opulence;
vijayah--victory; bhutih--exceptional
power; dhruva--certain;
nitih--morality; matih mama--is
my opinion.
TRANSLATION Wherever
there is Krsna, the master of all mystics, and wherever there is Arjuna,
the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence, victory, extraordinary
power, and morality. That is my opinion.
PURPORT The Bhagavad-gita
began with an inquiry of Dhrtarastra. He was hopeful of the victory of
his sons, assisted by great warriors like Bhisma, Drona and Karna. He was
hopeful that the victory would be on his side. But, after describing the
scene on the battlefield, Sanjaya told the King, "You are thinking of victory,
but my opinion is that where Krsna and Arjuna are present, there will be
all good fortune." He directly confirmed that Dhrtarastra could not expect
victory for his side. Victory was certain for the side of Arjuna because
Krsna was there. Krsna's acceptance of the post of charioteer for Arjuna
was an exhibition of another opulence. Krsna is full of all opulences,
and renunciation is one of them. There are many instances of such renunciation,
for Krsna is also the master of renunciation.
The fight
was actually between Duryodhana and Yudhisthira. Arjuna was fighting on
behalf of his elder brother, Yudhisthira. Because Krsna and Arjuna were
on the side of Yudhisthira, Yudhisthira's victory was certain. The battle
was to decide who would rule the world, and Sanjaya predicted that the
power would be transferred to Yudhisthira. It is also predicted here that
Yudhisthira, after gaining victory in this battle, would flourish more
and more because he was not only righteous and pious, but he was a strict
moralist. He never spoke a lie during his life.
There are
many less intelligent persons who take Bhagavad-gita to be a discussion
of topics between two friends in a battlefield. But such a book cannot
be scripture. Some may protest that Krsna incited Arjuna to fight, which
is immoral, but the reality of the situation is clearly stated: Bhagavad-gita
is the supreme instruction in morality. The supreme instruction of morality
is stated in the Ninth Chapter, in the thirty-fourth verse: man-mana
bhava mad-bhaktah. One must become a devotee of Krsna, and the essence
of all religion is to surrender unto Krsna, as stated, Sarva-dharman.
The instructions of Bhagavad-gita constitute the supreme process
of religion and of morality. All other processes may be purifying and may
lead to this process, but the last instruction of the Gita is the
last word in all morality and religion: surrender unto Krsna. This is the
verdict of the Eighteenth Chapter.
From Bhagavad-gita
we can understand that to realize oneself by philosophical speculation
and by meditation is one process, but to fully surrender unto Krsna is
the highest perfection. This is the essence of the teachings of Bhagavad-gita.
The path of regulative principles according to the orders of social life
and according to the different courses of religion may be a confidential
path of knowledge in as far as the rituals of religion are confidential,
but one is still involved with meditation and cultivation of knowledge.
Surrender unto Krsna in devotional service in full Krsna consciousness
is the most confidential instruction and is the essence of the Eighteenth
Chapter.
Another
feature of Bhagavad-gita is that the actual truth is the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Krsna. Absolute Truth is realized in three features--impersonal
Brahman, localized Paramatma, and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna.
Perfect knowledge of the Absolute Truth means perfect knowledge of Krsna.
If one understands Krsna, then all the departments of knowledge are part
and parcel of that understanding. Krsna is transcendental, for He is always
situated in His eternal internal potency. The living entities are manifested
and are divided into two classes, eternally conditioned and eternally liberated.
Such living entities are innumerable, and they are considered fundamental
parts of Krsna. Material energy is manifested into twenty-four divisions.
The creation is effected by eternal time, and it is created and dissolved
by external energy. This manifestation of the cosmic world repeatedly becomes
visible and invisible.
In Bhagavad-gita
five principal subject matters have been discussed: the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, material nature, the living entities, eternal time and all
kinds of activities. All of these are dependent on the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, Krsna. All conceptions of the Absolute Truth, namely, impersonal
Brahman, localized Paramatma, or any other transcendental conception, exist
within the category of understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Although superficially the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the living entity,
material nature and time appear to be different, nothing is different from
the Supreme. But the Supreme is always different from everything. Lord
Caitanya's philosophy is that of "inconceivably one and different." This
system of philosophy constitutes perfect knowledge of the Absolute Truth.
The living
entity in his original position is pure spirit. He is just like an atomic
particle of the Supreme Spirit. The conditioned living entity, however,
is the marginal energy of the Lord; he tends to be in contact with both
the material energy and the spiritual energy. In other words, the living
entity is situated between the two energies of the Lord, and because he
belongs to the superior energy of the Lord, he has a particle of independence.
By proper use of that independence he comes under the direct order of Krsna.
Thus he attains his normal condition in the pleasure-giving potency.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Purports to the Eighteenth Chapter of the Srimad Bhagavad-gita in the matter of its Conclusion--the Perfection of Renunciation.
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