Pradyumna (leads chanting, etc.):

tam uväca håñékeçaù
prahasann iva bhärata
senayor ubhayor madhye
viñédantam idaà vacaù

Translation: "O descendant of Bhärata, at that time Kåñëa, smiling, in the midst of both armies, spoke the following words to the grief-stricken Arjuna."

Prabhupäda: So håñékeçaù, prahasann iva. Kåñëa began to laugh, smiling, "What a nonsense this is, Arjuna." First of all he said, "Put me." Senayor ubhayor madhye rathaà sthäpaya me acyuta. "Kåñëa, just put my chariot between the two parties of soldiers." And now... (coughs, aside:) Bring me water. He was so enthusiastic in the beginning that "Put my chariot between the two armies." Now this rascal is saying no yotsya, "I will not fight." Just see the rascaldom. So even Arjuna, Kåñëa's direct friend, mäyä is so strong that he also becomes a rascal, what to speak of others. First of all very enthusiasm: "Yes, put my chariot between the two armies." And now in the..., na yotsya iti govindam, "I am not going to fight." This is rascaldom. So he was smiling, that "He is My friend, direct friend, and such a big, and he is now saying that 'I will not fight.' "

So Kåñëa smiling, this smiling is very significant, prahasann. Tam uväca håñékeçaù prahasann iva bhärata, senayor ubhayor viñédantam, lamenting. First of all he came with great enthusiasm to fight; now he is lamenting. And Kåñëa is mentioned here as Håñékeça. He is solid. He is Acyuta. He is solid. He is not changed. Another significance of this word Håñékeça... Because in Närada-Païcarätra the bhakti means håñékeça-sevanam. Therefore this very name is mentioned here, Håñékeça. Håñékeça-sevanaà bhaktir ucyate. Bhakti means to serve Håñékeça, the master of the senses. And the master of senses, some rascals are describing that Kåñëa is immoral. He is master of senses and He is immoral. Just see how he has studied Bhagavad-gétä. If Kåñëa is perfect brahmacäré... Kåñëa is perfect brahmacäré, for... It was declared by Bhéñmadeva. Bhéñmadeva is the first-grade brahmacäré in the universe. He promised to Satyavaté's father... You know the story. Satyavaté's father... His, Bhéñmadeva's father was attracted by a fisherwoman, fishergirl. So he wanted to marry. And the father of the girl denied, "No, I cannot give my daughter to you." So "Why? I am king, I am asking your daughter." "No, you have got a son." Bhéñmadeva was the son of his first wife, mother Ganges. The mother Ganges was wife of Santanu Mahäräja, and Bhéñmadeva was the only remaining son. The contract was between Santanu Mahäräja and Ganges, Mother Ganges, that "I can marry you if you allow me that all the children born I shall throw in the water of the Ganges. And if you do not allow me, then immediately I shall leave your company." So Santanu Mahäräja said, "All right, still, I shall marry you." So she was throwing all the children in the Ganges. So this Bhéñmadeva... So after all, father, so he became very much sorry, that "What is this? What kind of wife I have got? She is simply throwing all the children in the water." So at the time of Bhéñmadeva, Santanu Mahäräja said, "No, I cannot allow it. I cannot allow it." Then mother Ganges said, "Then I am going." "Yes, you can go, I don't want you. I want this son." So he was wifeless. Again he wanted to marry the Satyavaté. So the father said, "No, I cannot give my daughter to you because you have got a son, grown-up son. He will be king. So I cannot give my daughter to you to become your maidservant. Her... If I would have thought that her son would be the king, then I can offer you my daughter." So he said, "No, that is not possible." But Bhéñmadeva understood that "My father is attracted with this girl." So he approached. He said to the fisherman that "You can offer your daughter to my father, but you are thinking that I shall become king. So your daughter's son will be king. On this condition you can offer your daughter." So he replied, "No, I cannot." "Why?" "You may not be king, but your son may be king." Just see, this material calculation. Then at that time he said, "No, I shall not marry. That's all. I promise. I shall not marry." So he remained brahmacäré. Therefore his name is Bhéñma. Bhéñma means very solid, firmly fixed. So he was a brahmacäré. For the sake, for the satisfaction of his father's senses, he remained brahmacäré.

So Bhéñmadeva, in Räjasüya-yajïa, admitted that "Nobody is better brahmacäré than Kåñëa. He was within the gopés, all young girls, but He remained a brahmacäré. If I would have been within the gopés, I do not know what was, what would have been my condition." So therefore Kåñëa is the perfect brahmacäré, Håñékeça. And these rascals they are saying that Kåñëa is immoral. No. Kåñëa is perfect brahmacäré. Dhéra. Dhéra means one who is not agitated even there is cause of being agitated. So Kåñëa is such a brahmacäré. In spite of in His just on the verge of youthhood at the age of 15, 16, years, all the village girls were friends, they were very much attracted with Kåñëa's beauty. They used to come to Kåñëa for dancing in the village. But He was brahmacäré. You will never hear that Kåñëa had some illicit sex. No. There was no such thing description. The dancing is description, but no contraceptive pill. No. That is no described here. Therefore He is Håñékeça. Håñékeça means perfect brahmacäré. Vikära-hetu, even there is cause of being agitated, He is not agitated. That is Kåñëa. He has got thousands and thousands of devotees, and some of the devotees, if they want Kåñëa as lover, Kåñëa accepts that, but He does not require anyone else. He does not require. He is self-sufficient. He does not require anyone's help for His sense gratification. Therefore Kåñëa is Håñékeça, the master of the senses.

So at least Kåñëa's devotees... There are many instances of Kåñëa's devotees. They are also... Why many? Almost all devotees, they are master of the senses, gosvämé. Just like Haridäsa Öhäkura, you know. Haridäsa Öhäkura was young man, and the village zamindar, he was Mohammedan. So everyone was eulogizing Haridäsa Öhäkura, such a great devotee. So the zamindar, the village zamindar, he became very much envious. So he employed one prostitute to pollute Haridäsa Öhäkura. And she came at dead of night, nicely dressed, attractive. She was also young, very beautiful. So she proposed that "I have come, being attracted by your beauty." Haridäsa Öhäkura said, "Yes, that's all right. Come on, sit down. Let me finish my chanting. Then we shall enjoy." So she sat down. But Haridäsa Öhäkura chanting, he was chanting... We, we cannot chant even sixteen rounds, and he was chanting three times sixty-four rounds. How many it is?

Revatinandana: 196.

Prabhupäda: 196 rounds. That was his only business. Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa... So sometimes somebody wants to imitate Haridäsa Öhäkura. It is not possible. So Haridäsa Öhäkura, when it became morning, the prostitute, "Sir, now it is morning." "Yes, next night I shall... Come next night. Today I could not finish my chanting." That was a plea. In this way three days passed. Then the prostitute became converted, fell down on his..., "Sir, I came to pollute you. Now save me, I am so fallen." So Haridäsa Öhäkura said "Yes, I know that. I could have leaved this place immediately when you came, but I wanted that you have come to me, you may be converted to this Vaisnavism." So the prostitute became a great devotee by the mercy of... Haridäsa Öhäkura said that "You sit down in this place. You chant Hare Kåñëa before this tulasé plant. Now I am leaving this place."

So Kåñëa-bhakti is like that. Full control over the senses. As Kåñëa has got full control over the senses, similarly, those who are actually Kåñëa devotees, they have got full control over the senses. Håñékeça. Just like Yamunacärya. He is praying, he is speaking, yad-avadhi mama cittaù kåñëa-padäravinde nava-nava-dhämany udyataà rantum äsét: "Since I have begun to feel transcendental bliss being taken shelter of the lotus feet of Kåñëa," yad-avadhi mama cittaù kåñëa-padäravinde, kåñëa-padäravinde, the lotus feet of Kåñëa. "Since my citta, my heart, has been attracted by the lotus feet of Kåñëa," tad-avadhi bata näré-saìgame, "since then, as soon as I think of sex life," bhavati mukha-vikäraù, "I hate, I spit on it." This is Kåñëa-bhakti. Kåñëa-bhakti is like that. Bhakti-pareçänubhava-viraktir anyatra syät. This most attractive feature in this material world is sex. That is the foundation of material life. All these people are working so hard day and night only for that sex enjoyment. Yan maithunädi-gåha... They are taking so much risk. They are working, karmis, they are working so hard. What is their pleasure of life? The pleasure of life is sex. Yan maitunädi-gåhamedhi-sukhaà hi tuccham. Very abominable activities, but that is their pleasure. This is material life. So Kåñëa is not like that. But the rascals, they paint picture, and that pictures are very much appreciated, that Kåñëa is embracing gopés. Somebody was telling me that... Last... Who came? That Kåñëa's picture. So when Kåñëa is killing Putanä, that picture they will not paint, or killing Kaàsa, or... Kåñëa has got so many pictures. These pictures they will not, artists. They will simply paint the picture, His confidential dealings with the gopés. One who cannot understand Kåñëa, what is Kåñëa, which Vyäsadeva has described what is Kåñëa in nine cantos, to understand Kåñëa, and then in the Tenth Canto he begins the birth advent of Kåñëa... But these rascals, they jump over immediately to the räsa-lélä. First of all understand Kåñëa. Just like if you become a friend of some very big man, so first of all try to understand him. Then you'll try to understand his family affairs or confidential things. But these people jump over to the räsa-lélä. And misunderstand. And therefore they sometimes say, "Kåñëa is immoral." How Kåñëa can be immoral? By accepting, by chanting Kåñëa's name, the immoral persons are becoming moral, and Kåñëa is immoral. Just see the foolishness. Simply by chanting Kåñëa's name, all immoral persons are becoming moral. And Kåñëa is immoral. And it is spoken by a rascal professor.

So it is very difficult. Nobody can understand Kåñëa without becoming a pure devotee of Kåñëa. Because Kåñëa says, bhaktyä mäm abhijänäti yävän yas cäsmi tattvataù [Bg. 18.55]. Tattvataù, in truth. Tattvataù means truth. If one wants to understand Kåñëa as He is, then he has to take this process of devotional service, bhakta, bhakti. Håñékeëa håñékeça-sevanaà bhaktir ucyate [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. When one is employed as the servitor of Håñékeça, the master of senses. Master, and håsékeëa, when your senses are also engaged in the service of the master of the senses, then you also become master of the senses. You also. Because your senses are engaged in the service of the Håñékeça, the senses have no other opportunity to be engaged. Locked up. Sa vai manaù kåñëa-padäravindayoù. So this is the process of devotional service. If you want to become master of the senses, gosvämé, svämé, then you should always keep your senses engaged in the service of Håñékeça. That is the only way. Otherwise it is not possible. As soon as you become a little slack to engage your senses in the service of the master of the senses, immediately mäyä is there, "Come on, please." This is the process. Kåñëa bhuliyä jéva bhoga väïchä kare, päsate mäyä täre jäpaöiyä dhare. As soon as you forget Kåñëa, even for a moment, immediately mäyä is there: "Please, my dear friend, come here." Therefore we have to become very cautious. We cannot forget Kåñëa even for a moment. Therefore the chanting program, Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa, Hare Hare/ Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma... Always remember Kåñëa. Then mäyä will not be able to touch you. Mäm eva ye prapadyante mäyäm etän taranti. Mäyä cannot touch. Just like Haridäsa Öhäkura. He was engaged in the service of Håñékeça. Mäyä came in full-fledged strength. Still, she was defeated; Haridäsa Öhäkura was not defeated.

So try to understand Kåñëa as Håñékeça. So Håñékeça, Kåñëa, began to laugh that "He is My friend, constant associate, and such weakness. He first of all was enthusiastic to ask Me to take his chariot, senayor ubhayor madhye. Now viñédantan, now he is lamenting." So... We are all fools like that. Arjuna is not fool. Arjuna has been been described as Guòäkeça. How he can be fool? But he is playing the part of fool. If he does not play the part of a fool, how this Bhagavad-gétä will come from the mouth of Çré Kåñëa? And because he is devotee, he is perfectly playing in such a way that Kåñëa is giving instruction. So perfect teacher and the perfect disciple, Arjuna. We have to learn from their de... Our position... Arjuna is representing just like ordinary man like us, and Kåñëa is Håñékeça, giving His advice, perfect advice. If we take, if we read Bhagavad-gétä in the spirit of understanding like Arjuna, the perfect disciple, and if we accept the advice and the instruction of Kåñëa, the perfect teacher, then we should know that we have understood Bhagavad-gétä. By my mental speculation, by rascal interpretation, by showing one's scholarship, you cannot understand Bhagavad-gétä. That is not possible. Submissive. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gétä it is said, tad viddhi praëipätena paripraçnena sevayä [Bg. 4.34]. So we have to surrender as Arjuna, he surrendered. Çiñyas te 'haà çädhi mäà prapannam: "I surrender unto You. I become Your disciple." To become disciple means to surrender, voluntarily accepting the instruction, the advice, the order of the spiritual master. So Arjuna has already accepted that. Although he is speaking that na yotsye, "Kåñëa, I shall not fight." But master, when He explains everything, he will fight. Master's order. Not to fight, that is his own sense gratification. And to fight in spite of he had no desire to fight, that is the satisfaction of the master. This is the sum and substance of Bhagavad-gétä.