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Chapter 2. Contents of the Gita Summarized TEXT 7 karpanya-dosopahata-svabhavah
SYNONYMS  karpanya--miserly;
dosa--weakness;
upahata--being inflicted by; sva-bhavah--characteristics;
prcchami--I
am asking; tvam--unto You; dharma--religion;
sammudha--bewildered;
cetah--in heart; yat--what;
sreyah--all-good; syat--may
be; niscitam--confidently;
bruhi--tell; tat--that;
me--unto me; sisyah--disciple;
te--Your; aham--I
am; sadhi--just instruct; mam--me;
tvam--unto You;
prapannam--surrendered.
TRANSLATION Now I am
confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of weakness.
In this condition I am asking You to tell me clearly what is best for me.
Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct
me.
PURPORT By nature's
own way the complete system of material activities is a source of perplexity
for everyone. In every step there is perplexity, and therefore it behooves
one to approach a bona fide spiritual master who can give one proper guidance
for executing the purpose of life. All Vedic literatures advise us to approach
a bona fide spiritual master to get free from the perplexities of life
which happen without our desire. They are like a forest fire that somehow
blazes without being set by anyone. Similarly, the world situation is such
that perplexities of life automatically appear, without our wanting such
confusion. No one wants fire, and yet it takes place, and we become perplexed.
The Vedic wisdom therefore advises that in order to solve the perplexities
of life and to understand the science of the solution, one must approach
a spiritual master who is in the disciplic succession. A person with a
bona fide spiritual master is supposed to know everything. One should not,
therefore, remain in material perplexities but should approach a spiritual
master. This is the purport of this verse.
Who is the
man in material perplexities? It is he who does not understand the problems
of life. In the Garga Upanisad the perplexed man is described as
follows: yo va etad aksaram gargy aviditvasmal lokat praiti sa krpanah.
"He is a miserly man who does not solve the problems of life as a human
and who thus quits this world like the cats and dogs, without understanding
the science of self-realization." This human form of life is a most valuable
asset for the living entity who can utilize it for solving the problems
of life; therefore, one who does not utilize this opportunity properly
is a miser. On the other hand, there is the brahmana, or he who
is intelligent enough to utilize this body to solve all the problems of
life.
The krpanas,
or miserly persons, waste their time in being overly affectionate for family,
society, country, etc., in the material conception of life. One is often
attached to family life, namely to wife, children and other members, on
the basis of "skin disease." The krpana thinks that he is able to
protect his family members from death; or the krpana thinks that
his family or society can save him from the verge of death. Such family
attachment can be found even in the lower animals who take care of children
also. 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. Although he could understand that his duty to fight
was awaiting him, still, on account of miserly weakness, he could not discharge
the duties. He is therefore asking Lord Krsna, the supreme spiritual master,
to make a definite solution. He offers himself to Krsna as a disciple.
He wants to stop friendly talks. Talks between the master and the disciple
are serious, and now Arjuna wants to talk very seriously before the recognized
spiritual master. Krsna is therefore the original spiritual master of the
science of Bhagavad-gita, and Arjuna is the first disciple for understanding
the Gita. How Arjuna understands the Bhagavad-gita is stated
in the Gita itself. And yet foolish mundane scholars explain that
one need not submit to Krsna as a person, but to "the unborn within Krsna."
There is no difference between Krsna's within and without. And one who
has no sense of this understanding is the greatest fool in trying to understand
Bhagavad-gita.
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