The soul is always the same

Continued from the book " perfect questions perfect answers" Chapter 3

Bob: Science may. though, say something. It is said in science that energy is never destroyed; it is changed.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: That's all right. But how the energy is working in the future—that science does not know. How is the energy diverted? How, by different manipulations, is the energy working differently? For instance, electrical energy. By different handling it is operating the heats and it is operating the refrigerator. They are just the opposite, but the electrical energy is the same. Similarly, this energy—living energy—how is it being directed? Which way is it going? How is it fructifying in the next life? That they do not know. But in Bhagavad-gītā it is very simply stated.

vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya
[Bg. 2.22]

You are covered by a dress, by a shirt. When this shirt is unuesable, you change it. Similarly, this body is just like a shirt and coat. When it is no longer workable, we have to change it.

Bob: What is the "we" that has to change? What is constant?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: That is the soul.

Bob: From one life to the next?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: That is the soul—I. What "you" is speaking? You! What "I" is speaking? Identity: ātmā, or soul.

Bob: My soul is different from your soul?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. You are an individual soul, I am an individual soul.

Bob: You have removed yourself from karmic influences. If I was to remove myself from karmic influences, would our souls be the same or different?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: The soul is of the same quality in all. You are under a certain conception of life at the present moment, and these countrymen of yours [the Kṛṣṇa conscious devotees] were under a certain conception of life, but by training they have taken to another conception of life. So the ultimate training is how to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is the perfection.

Bob: If two people are Kṛṣṇa conscious, is their soul the same?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: The soul is always the same.

Bob: In each person? In each person is it the same?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes.

Bob: [pointing to two devotees] If these two are Kṛṣṇa conscious, are their souls the same?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: The soul is the same but always individual, even if one is not Kṛṣṇa conscious. For instance, you are a human being, and I am a human being. Even if I am not a Christian, even if you are not a Hindu, still we are human beings. Similarly, the soul may not be Kṛṣṇa conscious, or he may be Kṛṣṇa conscious—it doesn't matter. But the soul is the soul.

Bob: Can you tell me more about this?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Soul—as pure spirit, all souls are equal. Even in an animal. Therefore it is said, paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ: [Bg. 5.18] those who are actually learned do not see the outward covering, either in a human being or in an animal.

To be continued.....

one should not equalize the supreme holy name of the Lord with any other name

Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī instructed Mahārāja Parīkṣit about the importance of the chanting of the holy name of the Lord by every progressive gentleman. In order to encourage the King, who had only seven remaining days of life, Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī asserted that there is no use in living hundreds of years without any knowledge of the problems of life — better to live for a moment with full consciousness of the supreme interest to be fulfilled. The supreme interest of life is eternal, with full knowledge and bliss. Those who are bewildered by the external features of the material world and are engaged in the animal propensities of the eat-drink-and-be-merry type of life are simply wasting their lives by the unseen passing away of valuable years. 

We should know in perfect consciousness that human life is bestowed upon the conditioned soul to achieve spiritual success, and the easiest possible procedure to attain this end is to chant the holy name of the Lord.

 From Viṣṇu-yāmala Tantra, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has proven that one can be liberated from the effects of all sins simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord. 

Quoting from the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, Śrī Gosvāmījī says that one should neither blaspheme the devotee of the Lord nor indulge in hearing others who are engaged in belittling a devotee of the Lord. A devotee should try to restrict the vilifier by cutting out his tongue, and being unable to do so, one should commit suicide rather than hear the blaspheming of the devotee of the Lord. The conclusion is that one should neither hear nor allow vilification of a devotee of the Lord. 

As far as distinguishing the Lord’s holy name from the names of the demigods, the revealed scriptures disclose (Bg. 10.41) that all extraordinarily powerful beings are but parts and parcels of the supreme energetic, Lord Kṛṣṇa. Except for the Lord Himself, everyone is subordinate; no one is independent of the Lord. Since no one is more powerful than or equal to the energy of the Supreme Lord, no one’s name can be as powerful as that of the Lord. By chanting the Lord’s holy name, one can derive all the stipulated energy synchronized from all sources. Therefore, one should not equalize the supreme holy name of the Lord with any other name. Brahmā, Śiva or any other powerful god can never be equal to the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu. The powerful holy name of the Lord can certainly deliver one from sinful effects, but one who desires to utilize this transcendental potency of the holy name of the Lord in one’s sinister activities is the most degraded person in the world. Such persons are never excused by the Lord or by any agent of the Lord. 

One should, therefore, utilize one’s life in glorifying the Lord by all means, without any offense. Such activity of life, even for a moment, is never to be compared to a prolonged life of ignorance, like the lives of the tree and other living entities who may live for thousands of years without prosecuting spiritual advancement.

SB 2.1.12

Srila Prabhupada-the Spiritual ambassador

The Real Goal of life

From the book " Perfect questions and Perfect Answers"

Śrīla Prabhupāda: This movement is especially meant to enable a human being to reach the real goal of life.

Bob: The real goal... ?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: The real goal of life.

Bob: Is the real goal of life to know God?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. To go back home, back to Godhead. That is the real goal of life. The water that comes from the sea forms clouds, the clouds fall down as rain, and the actual goal is to flow down the river and again enter the sea. So, we have come from God, and now we are embarrassed by material life. Therefore, our aim should be to get out of this embarrassing situation and go back home, back to Godhead. This is the real goal of life.

mām upetya punar janma
duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam
nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ
saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ

["After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogīs in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection."] [Bg. 8.15] That is the version of Bhagavad-gītā. If anyone comes to Me—mām upetya: he does not come back again. Where? To this place—duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam. This place is the abode of miseries. Everyone knows, but they have been befooled by so-called leaders. Material life is miserable life. Kṛṣṇa says, God says, that this place is duḥkhālayam—it is a place of miseries. And it is also aśāśvatam, temporary. You cannot make a compromise: "All right, let it be miserable. I shall remain here as an American or Indian." No. That also you cannot do. You cannot remain an American. You may think that, having been born in America, you are very happy. But you cannot remain an American for long. You will have to be kicked out of that place. And your next life you do not know! Therefore, it is duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam [Bg.8.15]—miserable and temporary. That is our philosophy.

Bob: But when you have some knowledge of God, then life is not so miserable?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: No! Some knowledge will not do. You must have perfect knowledge.

janma karma ca me divyam
evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ
[Bg. 4.9]

Tattvataḥ means "perfectly." Perfect knowledge is being taught in Bhagavad-gītā. So, we are giving everyone in human society a chance to learn Bhagavad-gītā as it is and make his life perfect. That is the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. What does your science say about the transmigration of the soul?

Bob: I think... that science... cannot deny or affirm it. Science does not know it.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Therefore I say that science is imperfect.

to be continued.....

Srila Prabhupada Passtimes-15

Bhajans at the Manor

August 1973, Bhaktivedanta Manor, England

After one year of being with Śrīla Prabhupāda, I became accustomed to his transcendental rhythms. At times I sat in my quarters and heard the sweet sound of the harmonium coming from his room. I knew I could invite any nearby devotees into Śrīla Prabhupāda's room while His Divine Grace sang, but no one was around on this particular day. I went into his room alone and offered my humble obeisances. As I sat up I was filled with the nectar of Śrīla Prabhupāda's melodious bhajan. Just by hearing him play the harmonium and by listening to the sound of his voice my stone heart was softened. Without moving, I quietly sat and listened, not wanting to distract him while he was in this mood. It amazed me how he had so many responsibilities, but always found time to chant rounds, sing bhajans and read his books.

After a minute, he looked up from the harmonium and nodded at me. I knew that meant to accompany him with his karatals. He continued singing for some time.

"Śrīla Prabhupāda," I said when he was finished. "Your kirtan and bhajans are always different from any others I have heard."

He started laughing and replied, "Yes, I have my own style of chanting."

Śrīla Prabhupāda's style was sometimes imitated, but never duplicated. After all, who could create an international society by chanting under a tree?

Receiving transcendental knowledge through bona fide disciplic succession

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is recognized Vedic wisdom, and the system of receiving Vedic knowledge is called avaroha-panthā, or the process of receiving transcendental knowledge through bona fide disciplic succession. For advancement of material knowledge there is a need for personal ability and researching aptitude, but in the case of spiritual knowledge, all progress depends more or less on the mercy of the spiritual master. The spiritual master must be satisfied with the disciple; only then is knowledge automatically manifest before the student of spiritual science. The process should not, however, be misunderstood to be something like magical feats whereby the spiritual master acts like a magician and injects spiritual knowledge into his disciple, as if surcharging him with an electrical current. The bona fide spiritual master reasonably explains everything to the disciple on the authorities of Vedic wisdom. The disciple can receive such teachings not exactly intellectually, but by submissive inquiries and a service attitude.

 The idea is that both the spiritual master and the disciple must be bona fide. In this case, the spiritual master, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, is ready to recite exactly what he has learned from his great father Śrīla Vyāsadeva, and the disciple, Mahārāja Parīkṣit, is a great devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. A devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa is he who believes sincerely that by becoming a devotee of the Lord one becomes fully equipped with everything spiritual. This teaching is imparted by the Lord Himself in the pages of the Bhagavad-gītā, in which it is clearly described that the Lord (Śrī Kṛṣṇa) is everything, and that to surrender unto Him solely and wholly makes one the most perfectly pious man. This unflinching faith in Lord Kṛṣṇa prepares one to become a student of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and one who hears Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from a devotee like Śukadeva Gosvāmī is sure to attain salvation at the end, as Mahārāja Parīkṣit did.

 The professional reciter of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and the pseudodevotees whose faith is based on one week’s hearing are different from Śukadeva Gosvāmī and Mahārāja Parīkṣit. Śrīla Vyāsadeva explained Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam unto Śukadeva Gosvāmī from the very beginning of the janmādy asya verse, and so Śukadeva Gosvāmī also explained it to the King. Lord Kṛṣṇa is described as the Mahāpuruṣa in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (Canto Eleven) in His devotional feature as Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself in His devotional attitude, descended to the earth to bestow special favors upon the fallen souls of this Age of Kali.

SB 2.1.10

Bhagavad-gītā should be taken up in a spirit of devotion

How Arjuna accepted this Bhagavad-gītā should be noted. His manner of acceptance is given in the Tenth Chapter (10.12–14):

“Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the ultimate abode, the purest, the Absolute Truth. You are the eternal, transcendental, original person, the unborn, the greatest. All the great sages such as Nārada, Asita, Devala and Vyāsa confirm this truth about You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me. O Kṛṣṇa, I totally accept as truth all that You have told me. Neither the demigods nor the demons, O Lord, can understand Your personality.”

After hearing Bhagavad-gītā from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa as paraṁ brahma,the Supreme Brahman. Every living being is Brahman, but the supreme living being, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the Supreme Brahman. Paraṁ dhāma means that He is the supreme rest or abode of everything; pavitram means that He is pure, untainted by material contamination; puruṣam means that He is the supreme enjoyer; śāśvatam, eternal; divyam, transcendental; ādi-devam, the original Supreme Personality of Godhead; ajam,the unborn; and vibhum, the greatest.

Now one may think that because Kṛṣṇa was the friend of Arjuna, Arjuna was telling Him all this by way of flattery, but Arjuna, just to drive out this kind of doubt from the minds of the readers of Bhagavad-gītā, substantiates these praises in the next verse when he says that Kṛṣṇa is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead not only by himself but by authorities like Nārada, Asita, Devala and Vyāsadeva. These are great personalities who distribute the Vedic knowledge as it is accepted by all ācāryas. Therefore Arjuna tells Kṛṣṇa that he accepts whatever He says to be completely perfect. Sarvam etad ṛtaṁ manye: “I accept everything You say to be true.” Arjuna also says that the personality of the Lord is very difficult to understand and that He cannot be known even by the great demigods. This means that the Lord cannot even be known by personalities greater than human beings. So how can a human being understand Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa without becoming His devotee?

Therefore Bhagavad-gītā should be taken up in a spirit of devotion. One should not think that he is equal to Kṛṣṇa, nor should he think that Kṛṣṇa is an ordinary personality or even a very great personality. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So according to the statements of Bhagavad-gītā or the statements of Arjuna, the person who is trying to understand the Bhagavad-gītā, we should at least theoretically accept Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and with that submissive spirit we can understand the Bhagavad-gītā. Unless one reads the Bhagavad-gītā in a submissive spirit, it is very difficult to understand Bhagavad-gītā, because it is a great mystery.

Krishna consciousness is a cultural movement for everyone's benefit

From the book " Perfect questions and Perfect Answers"

continue from  previous section....

Śrīla Prabhupāda: It is said in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that—

puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etaṁ
tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ
ato gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair
janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti
(SB 5.5.8)

This sex life is the basic principle of material life-attachment for man or woman. And when they are united, when a man and woman are united, that attachment becomes increased, and that increased attachment will induce one to accumulate gṛha (a home), kṣetra (land), suta (children), āpta (friendship or society) and vitta. Vita means money. In this way—gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittaiḥ—he becomes entangled. janasya moho 'yam: this is the illusion. And by this illusion he thinks, ahaṁ mameti: [SB 5.5.8] "I am this body, and anything in relationship with this body is mine."

Bob: What is that again?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: This attachment increases. The material attachment involves thinking, "I am this body, and because I have this body in a particular place, that is my country." And that is going on: "I am American, I am Indian, I am German, I am this, I am that—this body. This is my country. I shall sacrifice everything for my country and society." So in this way, the illusion increases. And under this illusion, when he dies he gets another body. That may be a superior body or inferior body, according to his karma. So if he gets a superior body, then that is also an entanglement, even if he goes to the heavenly planets. But if he becomes a cat or dog, then his life is lost. Or a tree—there is every chance of it. So this science is not known in the world—how the soul is transmigrating from one body to another, and how he is being entrapped in different types of bodies. This science is unknown. Therefore when Arjuna was speaking—"If I kill my brother, if I kill my grandfather on the other side..."—he was simply thinking on the basis of the bodily concept of life. But when his problems could not be solved, he surrendered to Kṛṣṇa and accepted Him as spiritual master. And when Kṛṣṇa became his spiritual master, He chastised Arjuna in the beginning:

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ
prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase
gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca
nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

"You are talking like a learned man, but you are fool number one because you are talking about the bodily concept of life." [Bg. 2.11] So this sex life increases the bodily concept of life. Therefore, the whole process is to reduce it to nil.

Bob: To reduce it over the stages of your life?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. Reduce it. A boy is trained as a student up to twenty-five years, restricting sex life. Brahmacārī. So, some of the boys remain naiṣṭhika-brahmacārī [celibate for life]. Because they are given education and they become fully conversant with spiritual knowledge, they don't want to marry. That is also restricted—he cannot have sex life without being married. Therefore in human society there is marriage, not in animal society.

But people are gradually descending from human society to animal society. They are forgetting marriage. That is also predicted in the śāstras. Dāmpatye 'bhirucir hetuḥ: in the Kali-yuga [the present age of quarrel], eventually there will be no marriage performances; the boy and the girl will simply agree to live together, and their relationship will exist on sexual power. If the man or the woman is deficient in sex life, then there is divorce. So, for this philosophy there are many Western philosophers like Freud and others who have written so many books. But according to Vedic culture, we are interested in sex only for begetting children, that's all. Not to study the psychology of sex life. There is already natural psychology for that. Even if one does not read any philosophy, he is sexually inclined. Nobody is taught it in the schools and colleges. Everyone already knows how to do it. [He laughs.] That is the general tendency. But education should be given to stop it. That is real education. [There is a long pause, filled with the sound of bicycle horns, children playing, and throngs of people calling to one another]

Bob: Presently, in America, that's a radical concept.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Well, in America there are so many things that require reformation, and this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement will bring that. I went to your country and saw that the boys and girls were living like friends, so I said to my students, "You cannot live together as friends; you must get yourselves married."

Bob: Many people see that even marriage is not sacred, so they find no desire to marry. Because people get married, and if things are not proper, they get a divorce so very easily—

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes, that also.

Bob:—that some people feel that to get married is not meaningful.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: No, their idea is that marriage is for legalized prostitution. They think like that, but that is not marriage. Even that Christian paper—what is that? Watch—?

Śyāmasundara: Watchtower?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Watchtower. It has criticized that one priest has allowed a marriage between two men—homosexuality. So these things are all going on. They take it purely for prostitution, that's all. So therefore people are thinking, "What is the use of keeping a regular prostitute at such heavy expenditure? Better not to have this."

Śyāmasundara: You use that example of the cow and the market.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes—when the milk is available in the marketplace, what is the use of keeping a cow? [Everyone laughs.] It is a very abominable condition in the Western countries—I have seen it. Here also in India, gradually it is coming. Therefore we have started this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement to educate people in the essential principles of spiritual life. It is not a sectarian religious movement. It is a cultural movement for everyone's benefit.

end of chapter 2

LORD NITYANANDA VISITS GADADHARA

LORD NITYANANDA VISITS GADADHARA

AND HIS OFFERINGS TO SRI TOTA GOPINATHA

Once Lord Nityananda came from Gaudadesh to Jagannatha Puri to take darshan of Lord Jagannatha, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates. After taking darshan of Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu went to take darshan of Lord Jagannatha. As soon as Lord Nityananda saw Jagannatha, He became overwhelmed with ecstasy and began to roll on the ground. Repeatedly He forcefully fell on the floor. Even a hundred people could not control Him. Seeing Lord Jagannatha, Lord Balarama, Subhadra and Sudarsana-cakra, Nityananda Prabhu began to weep. Knowing the glories of Nityananda Prabhu, the brahmana priest offered the flower garlands from Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra to Nityananda. When the servants of Lord Jagannatha saw Nityananda, they became extremely joyful. Those who did not know Lord Nityananda, asked others who He was? Everyone replied that He was the brother of Krishna Caitanya. Lord Nityananda's swarupaalso embraced everyone, drenching them with His tears.



Thus after taking darshan of Lord Jagannatha with great bliss, Lord Nityananda came to see Gadadhara Pandita at Sri Tota Gopinatha Temple. Gadadhara and Nityananda would love each other very much. There, by seeing the exquisite, three-fold bending form of Sri Tota Gopinatha, He cried incessant tears of joy.



Hearing of Nitai’s arrival, Gadadhara Pandita immediately stopped reciting the Srimad-Bhagavatam and hurried to welcome the Lord. Nitai and Gadai embraced firmly, bathed in each other’s tears, offered obeisances and profusely praised each other. Oblivious to Their own bodies and external environment, they floated in the ocean of spiritual happiness. No none had ever seen such expressions of love and affection.



Nitai had brought with Him thirty kilograms of the best quality rice from Bengal for offering to Sri Tota Gopinatha. He also brought brightly colored fine cloth for a Deity outfit. Presenting these items to Gadai, Nitai said, “Here is some fine cloth and first class rice for Gopinatha’s seva.”





Gadai replied gratefully, “Nitai, I have never seen such superb rice. My Lord, did You carefully bring this rice all the way from Vaikuntha for Gopinatha? Sri Laksmi Devi Herself should cook this rice, which will be offered to Gopinatha and then to His devotees.”



Gadai then wrapped the beautiful cloth attractively around Gopinatha Jiu. Then Gadadhara Pandita started to cook. He picked up some wild spinach from the garden and prepared some item from that. He also picked up some soft tamarind leaves. There was no salt at the temple at this time. Sri Gadadhara Pandita brought the salty sea water and mixed it and cooked a preparation. After finishing the cooking Gadadhara Pandita offered the rice and other delectable dishes for Lord Tota Gopinatha’s bhogaoffering.



Suddenly, at that time Lord Gaura Chandra arrived there. While chanting Hare Krishna maha-mantra Lord entered inside calling, "Gadadhara! Gadadhara!" Immediately Gadadhara came to worship the lotus feet of the Lord Gauranga with great respect.



Mahaprabhu was smiling and said, "Gadadhara! How come I have not been invited? I am not different from both of You. Even if You do not invite me still, I have come here to take Prasad by asking it from you. Nityananda has brought this rice, You have cooked and offered to Lord Gopinatha. I must have share from this Prasad.”



By hearing this merciful words from the Lord Caitanya, Gadadhara and Nityananda were floating in the ocean of bliss. With great happiness Gadadhara brought the remnants of Gopinatha’s Maha-Prasadam to Gaura-sundara. Whole garden filled with sweet aroma of the rice Prasad. Gaura Chandra offered prayers to Maha-Prasadam and glorified the rice again and again.



Mahaprabhu said, "Divide this Maha-Prasadam in to three portion and we all three will eat together." Lord sat in the middle and both Nityananda and Gadadhara sat on both side of the Lord to honour the Maha-Prasadam. Lord was glorifying the rice and sabji. Mahaprabhu said, "This rice gives Krishna-Bhakti simply by its sweet smell. Or whoever will smell the scent of this rice will get Krishna Bhakti. There is no doubt about it. Gadadhara! What kind of attractive cooking have you done? I have never eaten such nice spinach. Gadadhara! What a wonderful  cooking do you know? You have cooked so nice preparation from mere tamarind  leaves. Now I understand You must be cooking in Vaikuntha. Why are you hiding Your identity?"



In this way all three of Them enjoyed Maha-Prasadam with great fun and ecstasy while joking with each other. After they finished Their Prasad other devotees took their remnants.



Whoever will hear or read this pastime of taking Prasad with devotion and blissful mode will attend Krishna-Bhakti and the lotus feet of Sri Gopinatha, of this, there is no doubt.

[Sri Caitanya Bhagavata Antya 6]

Bhagvad Gita is especially meant for the devotees

From The Introduction of Bhgavad Gita As it is...

He tells Arjuna that He is relating this supreme secret to him because Arjuna is His devotee and His friend. The purport of this is that Bhagavad-gītā is a treatise which is especially meant for the devotee of the Lord. There are three classes of transcendentalists, namely the jñānī, the yogī and the bhakta, or the impersonalist, the meditator and the devotee. Here the Lord clearly tells Arjuna that He is making him the first receiver of a new paramparā(disciplic succession) because the old succession was broken. It was the Lord’s wish, therefore, to establish another paramparā in the same line of thought that was coming down from the sun-god to others, and it was His wish that His teaching be distributed anew by Arjuna. He wanted Arjuna to become the authority in understanding the Bhagavad-gītā. So we see that Bhagavad-gītā is instructed to Arjuna especially because Arjuna was a devotee of the Lord, a direct student of Kṛṣṇa, and His intimate friend. Therefore Bhagavad-gītā is best understood by a person who has qualities similar to Arjuna’s. That is to say he must be a devotee in a direct relationship with the Lord. As soon as one becomes a devotee of the Lord, he also has a direct relationship with the Lord. That is a very elaborate subject matter, but briefly it can be stated that a devotee is in a relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead in one of five different ways:

1.  One may be a devotee in a passive state;

2.  One may be a devotee in an active state;

3.  One may be a devotee as a friend;

4.  One may be a devotee as a parent;

5.  One may be a devotee as a conjugal lover.

Arjuna was in a relationship with the Lord as friend. Of course there is a gulf of difference between this friendship and the friendship found in the material world. This is transcendental friendship, which cannot be had by everyone. Of course everyone has a particular relationship with the Lord, and that relationship is evoked by the perfection of devotional service. But in the present status of our life, not only have we forgotten the Supreme Lord, but we have forgotten our eternal relationship with the Lord. Every living being, out of the many, many billions and trillions of living beings, has a particular relationship with the Lord eternally. That is called svarūpa. By the process of devotional service, one can revive that svarūpa, and that stage is called svarūpa-siddhi – perfection of one’s constitutional position. So Arjuna was a devotee, and he was in touch with the Supreme Lord in friendship.