TEXT 7
karpanya-dosopahata-svabhavah
prcchami tvam dharma-sammudha-cetah
yac chreyah syan niscitam bruhi tan me
sisyas te 'ham sadhi mam tvam prapannam
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.