Secrets of the Soul 21

dehino ’smin yathā dehe
kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
tathā dehāntara-prāptir
dhīras tatra na muhyati

“As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.” [Bhagavad-gita 2.13]

Arjuna was bewildered by the necessity of fighting with his relatives, so he accepted Kṛṣṇa as his spiritual Master Teacher to help him solve his problem on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra. In the beginning, they were talking like friends. But friendly talking is not very helpful for solving difficult problems. That kind of argument is called vitanda. The word vitanda indicates that a debater, not touching the main point or establishing his own point, simply tries to refute the other person’s argument. That sort of argument has no value, because friends are on an equal level; they may discuss endlessly and never come to a firm conclusion.

But when we discuss our problems with an authority, the spiritual Master Teacher, as a representative of God, Kṛṣṇa, then we cannot argue. We have to accept his advice or decision. Sadhu-sastra-guru-vakya: one has to ascertain the right path for his activities by following in the footsteps of great saintly persons and books of spiritual knowledge under the guidance of a spiritual Master Teacher, accepting the guru’s determination as final. Guru-vakya, you cannot deny or reject the words of the guru. The guru’s advice or order may not be agreeable to you in the beginning, or you may not understand it properly at first, but you cannot deny it. That is the Vedic system of parampara or disciplic succession.

In Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna has accepted Kṛṣṇa as his spiritual master. Sisyas te aham: “I become Your disciple. Until now we were talking as friends, but this will not decide the case. My question is very serious. My duty is to fight, but I do not want to fight with my relatives. My affection for our family relationship is deterring me from fighting, making me a coward in the face of my enemies. Therefore it is a very difficult position, and I find that You alone can make a solution of this complex situation. I therefore accept You as my spiritual master. And I fall down under Your lotus feet as Your disciple.” Sadhi mam prapannam: “I am surrendered. Now You kindly protect this surrendered soul.” [Bhagavad-gita 2.7]

So here in Bhagavad-gita 2.13, Kṛṣṇa is instructing Arjuna about the nature of the spirit soul. First of all, He chastised Arjuna: asocyan anvasocas tvam prajna-vadams ca bhasase: “My dear Arjuna, you are speaking like a very learned man, but I find that you do not know when to lament and when to be joyful.” [Bhagavad-gita 2.11] Gatasun agatasums ca nanusocanti panditah: indirectly, Kṛṣṇa said that “You are not pandita, a learned man; you are a fool. Because you are arguing that ‘If I kill my cousin-brothers the Yadus, their wives will be widowed, and they will become prostitute and there will be varna-sankara, unwanted population.’”

Actually, Arjuna’s doubts are very salient. If women are unprotected by their husbands or other male relatives, they will be exploited by unscrupulous men; then the resulting offspring will be varna-sankara, or unwanted children. These unwanted children become a nuisance in society. Narakayate: if varna-sankara or the population of rogues and thieves is increased, then the whole society becomes hellish, riddled with crime and exploitation. Actually, that is the condition of human society at the present moment. Therefore, according to the Vedic system, sacred marriage is required. Without marriage, the increase of population results in varna-sankara. [Bhagavad-gita 1.42]

Arjuna presented these arguments, but they were not the central question. The main case was whether Arjuna was to fight and to kill the opposing party, composed primarily of his relatives. His questions show that he was thinking very seriously. So Kṛṣṇa in the beginning said, “You are lamenting because you think that your cousin-brothers, your grandfather and your teacher will die.” [Bhagavad-gita 2.11] The general understanding of people is that, “I will die, and you will die.” But Kṛṣṇa reveals that na hanyate hanyamane sarire: nobody dies, even after the destruction of this body [Bhagavad-gita 2.20]. This sloka, Bhagavad-gita 2.13, is the beginning of Kṛṣṇa’s Esoteric Teaching about the perfection of yoga.

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