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TEXT 41 tasmat tvam indriyany adau
SYNONYMS  tasmat--therefore;
tvam--you;
indriyani--senses; adau--in the beginning;
niyamya--by
regulating; bharata-rsabha--O chief amongst the descendants of Bharata;
papmanam--the great symbol of sin; prajahi--curb;
hi--certainly;
enam--this; jnana--knowledge; vijnana--scientific
knowledge of the pure soul; nasanam--the destroyer.
TRANSLATION Therefore,
O Arjuna, best of the Bharatas, in the very beginning curb this great symbol
of sin [lust] by regulating the senses, and slay this destroyer of knowledge
and self-realization.
PURPORT The Lord advised
Arjuna to regulate the senses from the very beginning so that he could
curb the greatest sinful enemy, lust, which destroys the urge for self-realization,
and specifically, knowledge of the self. Jnanam refers to knowledge
of self as distinguished from non-self, or, in other words, knowledge that
the spirit soul is not the body. Vijnanam refers to specific knowledge
of the spirit soul and knowledge of one's constitutional position and his
relationship to the Supreme Soul. It is explained thus in the Srimad-Bhagavatam:
jnanam parama-guhyam me yad vijnana-samanvitam/sa-rahasyam tad-angam ca
grhana gaditam maya: "The knowledge of the self and the Supreme Self
is very confidential and mysterious, being veiled by maya, but such
knowledge and specific realization can be understood if it is explained
by the Lord Himself." Bhagavad-gita gives us that knowledge, specifically
knowledge of the self. The living entities are parts and parcels of the
Lord, and therefore they are simply meant to serve the Lord. This consciousness
is called Krsna consciousness. So, from the very beginning of life one
has to learn this Krsna consciousness, and thereby one may become fully
Krsna conscious and act accordingly.
Lust is
only the perverted reflection of the love of God which is natural for every
living entity. But if one is educated in Krsna consciousness from the very
beginning, that natural love of God cannot deteriorate into lust. When
love of God deteriorates into lust, it is very difficult to return to the
normal condition. Nonetheless, Krsna consciousness is so powerful that
even a late beginner can become a lover of God by following the regulative
principles of devotional service. So, from any stage of life, or from the
time of understanding its urgency, one can begin regulating the senses
in Krsna consciousness, devotional service of the Lord, and turn the lust
into love of Godhead--the highest perfectional stage of human life.
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