Verse: Srimad Bhagvatam 1.7.44
Date: August 20th, 1995
Place: Zurich
Transcription: Nityarupini Devi Dasi
Edited: Hemavati Radhika dasi
sarahasyo dhanur-vedaḥ
savisargopasaḿyamaḥ
astra-grāmaś ca bhavatā
śikṣito yad-anugrahāt
TRANSLATION BY HIS DIVINE GRACE SRILA PRABHUPADA
It was by DroṇAcharya's mercy that you learned the military art of throwing arrows and the confidential art of controlling weapons. Please repeat after me.
It was by DroṇAcharya's mercy that you learned the military art of throwing arrows and the confidential art of controlling weapons.
PURPORT BY HIS DIVINE GRACE SRILA PRABHUPADA
Dhanur-veda, or military science, was taught by Droṇacharya with all its confidential secrets of throwing and controlling by Vedic hymns. Gross military science is dependent on material weapons, but finer than that is the art of throwing the arrows saturated with Vedic hymns, which act more effectively than gross material weapons like machine guns or atomic bombs. The control is by Vedic mantras, or the transcendental science of sound. It is said in the Rāmāyaṇa that Mahārāja Daśaratha, the father of Lord Śrī Rāma, used to control arrows by sound only. He could pierce his target with his arrow by only hearing the sound, without seeing the object. So, this is a finer military science than that of the gross material military weapons used nowadays. Arjunaa was taught all this, and therefore Draupadī wished that Arjunaa feel obliged to Acharya Droṇa for all these benefits. And in the absence of DroṇAcharya, his son was his representative. That was the opinion of the good lady Draupadī. It may be argued why DroṇAcharya, a rigid brāhmaṇa, should be a teacher in military science. But the reply is that a brāhmaṇa should become a teacher, regardless of what his department of knowledge is. A learned brāhmaṇa should become a teacher, a priest and a recipient of charity. A bona fide brāhmaṇa is authorized to accept such professions.
sarahasyo dhanur-vedaḥ
savisargopasaḿyamaḥ
astra-grāmaś ca bhavatā
śikṣito yad-anugrahāt
It was by Droṇacharya's mercy that you learned the military art of throwing arrows and the confidential art of controlling weapons.
So, Draupadi is appealing to Arjunaa to release Aswatthama the son of Dronacharya Arjunaa’s teacher who taught him the use of weapons. Anyone who teaches any branch of Vedas is called teacher or Acarya. In Vedas there are different sections there is karma kanda section there is jnana kanda section upasana kanda section. So, this Karma kanda section of the Vedas have all these different activities in the material platform. There are prescribed activities of performing sacrifices and there are different branches of different sciences also like one of them is the use of weapons that science is called Dhanur veda and that is the branch of Atharva veda.
So Dronacarya was an expert in that science. Dronacarya was a disciple of Parashuramaa who was an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who actually appeared to annihilate the Kshtriyas from the surface of this earth. And Parashuramaa for twenty-one times annihilated the Kshtriyas, twenty-one times he just slaughtered all the Kshtriyas because Kshtriyas became independent tyrannical at one time. So instead of ruling or instead of protecting the citizens the kshtriya kings were actually torturing their citizens and extracting taxes forcibly for their pleasure instead of protecting their citizens like father they were actually plundering them as a bunch of bandits. Therefore, the Supreme Personality of Godhead appeared to relief the burden of this earth as Parashurama. Parashurama, He single handedly wiped out all the Kshtriyas and not only once or twice but twenty-one times. Like all the Kshtriyas were wiped out but some of the Kshtriyas wives were pregnant so they gave birth because in those days the women were not touched the fight used to take place between the warriors not like today’s warfare like somebody drops a bomb and all kind of innocent people die but that was not the way it was during the Vedic time.
In the Vedic time the Kshtriyas would confront each other like we have seen in the Bhagvad Gita how the two armies the Kaurava army and the Pandava army stood facing each other and then they fought and that kind of war was also prevalent all over just a few years ago even one hundred and fifty years ago that was the way people used to fight. They were brave soldiers they were warriors they were not afraid of dying so they would consider actually to die on a battlefield for a Kshtriya was glorious but things started to change from the so called first World War and it became worse in the second World War. The heroic soldiers started to lose their valour, courage and strength due to the influence of the age of Kali. With the influence of the age of Kali the fire weapons started and then came these atomic weapons actually this also is very interesting. The art of fireworks was actually known to the people in India and China and China greatly developed these fireworks.
Marco Polo in his description speaks about this how they used fireworks in China. Now there was a Mongolian king, Mongolian tribal leader actually his name was Babar and he took this Chinese fireworks technique and he started to use it as a weapon. Like the fireworks that used to go up in the sky and display all kinds of intricate designs he started to shoot them straight to the enemy line and this is how the first guns were actually invented and this Babar he then invaded India and because of his fireworks fire weapons the Indian king was defeated by him and he was the first one to establish the Mughal empire. Babar was the grandfather of Akbar who entirely took over India. Anyway, so this is the beginning of the influence of Kali and from the fire weapons different types of other weapons started to develop from fire weapon came the atomic weapon. Atomic weapon is also some kind of fire weapon because atomic energy is converted into that kind of destructive fire weapon and now, they have gone even further they have got this poison gas and all kinds of devices to kill people and as a result of that those who are fighting, they are not heroic people anymore and they are not courageous warriors any more they are just a bunch of cowards. And as a result of that the world’s situation has changed drastically with this influence of Kali.
Now in earlier days when we see say when we see the description of the battle of Kurukshetra in Bhagvad Gita what do we find? We find that both the armies are facing each other and right in the front are the generals big big soldiers big big generals are standing right in front facing each other like Krishna is telling Arjunaa there is Bhishma, there is Drona, there is Aswatthama, there is Kripacarya and in this way He just started to give the descriptions and where they were they were right in front but in today’s warfare where do the so called generals the generals of the fools and cowards where do they stay and how do they dictate how do they actually conduct the war? Sitting in bunkers rather under the ground with their remotes like the telecommunication and other kind of communication and the poor infantries the people those who are the most pitiable people the most unintelligent the most defenceless they are forced out in the front and when there is a war they actually die and the worst thing also is when the war takes place the political leaders they actually have the understanding among themselves they fight, anyway it’s a whole intricate business.
Actually in today’s warfare to give an idea American industry is centralizing in weapon industries, manufacturing weapons and manufacturing bombs, aeroplanes and war equipments because that is very profitable business and all the small countries they are manufacturing what people actually need for their livelihood like cars and TVs. So, America first let Japan make them then Taiwan, Singapore, Korea all these small small countries are making all these what they need for their day-to-day life but they are manufacturing all these big big war machines.
Now when somebody manufactures something they have to sell it so America started to give different types of grants American government to different less developed nations and the grant was in the form of these weapons and America also started to create wars because when they manufacture these weapons they have to sell them they have to use them because they have to continuously manufacture like the cars if the cars don’t break down then there is no need to buy a new car similarly if the weapons are not used they won’t buy the new weapons so they create wars in different parts of the world and like it’s a known fact that this war between Iraq and Kuwait or the Iraqi invasion was actually started by America the secrets have been leaked out America actually told Iraq to get into a war invade Kuwait and when they invaded Kuwait then they came like a good leader to protect Kuwait why ? It’s a bunch of industrialists were manufacturing these war machines they are manipulating the U.S government and they created all these problems in the world and simply wanted to sell their products and ultimately what happens when the war takes place all kinds of innocent people die
America when they want to defeat Iraq, they actually thoroughly bombed Baghdad and big big cities of Iraq so many innocent people died but the person who started the war where was he first of all he sent his family wife and children everyone away from Iraq this guy was defeated the person who was the cause of so many people’s death he was just let out Scott free. No punishment nothing he is still the dictator of the country Iraq but that wouldn’t happen in the Vedic life first of all this man was not only a scoundrel Saddam Hussain he was a coward and a worst kind of person and he is the leader of that nation and he is the cause of so many people’s death both in Kuwait and Iraq and American and European soldiers also died but that person is still ruling the country as a leader. That wouldn’t happen in the Vedic time. In the Vedic time if the invader king is defeated then his head will immediately chopped out. A valiant heroic leader will fight till death.
So Prabhupada is pointing that out how much more civilized the people were in Vedic time and how much even scientifically advanced those people were first of all these people were very very heroic when they would fight the fight would take place only between the Kshtriyas no brahmana, vaishya or sudra be killed what to speak of women and children so the point I was trying to make at that time was Parashurama he killed the Kshtriya king and their armies but still some Kshtriyas were again born from their wives and when they came into the power Parashurama again killed them in this way twenty one times He slaughtered the Kshtriyas and how did He do it? He did it with an axe, Parashurama, Parashu means an axe so He is Ram with an axe and with His axe, He started to slaughter everyone and these Kshtriya leaders were actually very very powerful personalities these heroic people can fight single-handedly with thousand people, although it may sound like an untruth but actually it is a fact that’s how the Kshtriya king used to fight and that’s how the powerful they were and although it may seem that they were fighting with swords and arrows and things but actually they knew the art of using the Vedic mantras.
Like Prabhupada is mentioning here that Dasharathaa he knew the art of hitting the target without even seeing the target just by sound that is called Sabdbhediman, Sabda means sound bhedi means penetrating or piercing the arrow that pierce the object just by following sound and that’s why Dashratha unfortunately actually killed the son of brahmana, Andhamuni’s son he was collecting water from the river when you fill a pitcher with water it makes a sound that sound may sound like an animal licking the water when the animal drinks water it makes a slapping sound so Dashratha thought that it probably a tiger or elephant he released his arrow and the arrow hit the son of a brahmana and he was the only son of a sage Andhamuni he was a blind sage and when Dasharatha saw that he actually killed a brahmana boy he took the boy to his father he felt very much afflicted and the father at that time cursed Dasharatha that just as the pain that I am feeling due to the separation of my son similarly you will also feel the same separation from your son and you will die out of that pain from the separation of your son.
So Dasharatha came back to his kingdom he felt very bad that he killed a brahmana boy and then on top of that he was been cursed by the brahmana so Dasharatha’s spiritual master their kula guru was Vashishtha so he consulted with Vashishtha. Vashishtha said that this curse has actually become a benediction. Benediction because Dasharatha didn’t have a son and he said that this brahmana said that you will die due to the separation of your son so that means you are going to have a son. Dasharatha for long time didn’t have a son although he had three wives, he didn’t have a son and then off course these four sons were born Rama, Lakshmana, Bharat and Shatrughna and due to that curse, he actually died due to the separation of his son Lord Ramchandra. When Ramchandra was banished to the forest for fourteen years then when Ram was leaving Dashratha was running after him crying ‘’ O my son, O Ram O Ram and in this way calling out the name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Dasharatha actually left his body. So, this how we can see that it was a perfection of his life he left his body by calling out the name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
So, this is how advanced the people use to be in the Vedic time and there were so many such weapons like Arjunaa used the weapon called the sleeping weapon. At one time when Arjunaa was in the house of Virata, they were hiding they were sent to the forest for twelve years due to the game of dice losing the game of dice they were supposed to be in the forest for twelve years and one year they had lived in Incognito. Incognito means when nobody would be able to recognize them and if anyone one of them was recognized then the condition will repeat another twelve years of forest and one year Incognito. So, when they were in that year of Incognito, they stayed in the house of king called Virata and at one time when Virata was away from his kingdom with his army fighting in other part of his kingdom then Duryodhana along with his associates attacked Virata’s kingdom and they actually wanted to steal the wealth of cows that Virata had. Virata had millions of cows and that was the great wealth so they came to steal the cows.
So Arjunaa was hiding that time in the house as a dance teacher and the dance teacher of the princess Uttara. Arjunaa was not only a great warrior but he was an expert dancer also. When he was in the heavenly planet then he was taught the art of dancing by the king of Gandharvas King Chitrasena and also Arjunaa got a curse when he was in heaven that for one year, he will lose his male identity. In this way we can see how everything actually takes place according to either karmic reaction or according to Krishna’s sweet Divine arrangement. The reason actually was when Arjunaa was in heaven one day he just looked at Urvashi. Urvashi is the celestial dancer or celestial apsara so Indra noticed that Arjunaa was looking at Urvashi but Arjunaa actually looked at Urvashi because their dynasty their line the family that Arjunaa was born was coming from Urvashi.
Anyway, somehow Arjuna’s family line was coming from Urvashi. So, he was looking at her with great awe and reverence that here is my family…. the mother of my family. And when Indra noticed that Arjuna looked at Urvashi he felt that Arjuna really got attracted to Urvashi so Indra told Urvashi to go to Arjuna and when Urvashi came to Arjuna, Arjuna just treated her like his mother and Urvashi was upset so she told that since he was behaving like this and he failed to act like a man he will lose his manhood and then Arjuna begged for forgiveness and explained to her what was actually the matter and then Urvashi withdrew her curse but since the curse was there it had to happen but she withdrew it by saying ok for one year you will be in that condition and Arjuna took advantage of that curse because that one year that he was incognito he accepted that curse in that way and no one could recognize Arjuna he actually went to the palace of Virata and he became the dance teacher of his daughter princess Uttara.
So, when King Virata was away fighting with his soldiers and Duryodhanaa with his army attacked his kingdom to steal the cows then Virata’s young son he started to boast he was the only practically only male member left in the house and all the soldiers were away, so Uttar started to bang himself if I just could have a chariot here then I would have taken care of everything and given them such good lesson So Arjuna in the form of Brihanala the dance teacher of Uttara said ok I know how to ride a chariot so let’s go I will ride the chariot and you will fight with them So Uttar got excited he got the chariot and Arjuna drove the chariot but when Uttar saw the army it was like an ocean and he was alone so he became afraid.
So he wanted to run away so Arjuna caught him and said don’t run you drive the chariot and let me fight and Arjuna kept his weapon hiding in a tree he actually tied up his weapon in a tree he went there and got the weapon and got himself decked up for the fight and he came and Arjuna shot the first two arrows, he shot and that arrow actually came and fell at Dronacarya’s feet so in this way he offered his obeisances to Dronacarya he shot the arrow and the arrow just came and fell at Dronacarya’s feet and he did the same thing to Bhishma so these two were directed to them and in this way Bhishma could recognize that this is Arjuna and the third arrow that Arjuna shot that is called the sleeping arrow and due to that arrow all the enemy soldiers fell asleep in this way they were defeated and when they came back to their senses then they could recognize that this must be Arjuna. And Duryodhanaa became very excited and said finally we found them but Bhishma calculated just a few hours ago one year was over so now that is you recognized Arjuna it’s after one year.
So in this way the Pandavas were actually brought back to the kingdom and at that tome Duryodhana refused to get an even Pandavas finally they wanted ok give us half of the kingdom the one that you have taken from us they refused Duryodhana refused to give it then finally Yudhisthir said ok give us five villages because we are Kshtriyas our occupation is to rule so we don’t mind ruling only five villages and Duryodhana responded by saying without fight without war I am not going to give you a piece of land that the size of a tip of a needle. The land that is a size of a tip of needle that much land also I will not give you that’s why Kurukshetra war became inevitable. After that Krishna tried to stop that there is saying that when someone wants to die nothing can stop him.
That’s actually happened to Duryodhana and his allies because when Krishna went to mediate them then Duryodhana decided to arrest Him he sent his army and said get Him now and without Krishna the Pandavas became powerless and when they came to tie to arrest Krishna in the assembly Krishna showed His universal form and although Duryodhana saw that Krishna is the Supreme personality of Godhead still he didn’t want to listen to his words or make any compromise with the Pandavas therefore finally the battle of Kurukshetra became inevitable and the Kshtriyas were once again annihilated excepting these five Pandavas and Draupadi is telling Arjuna here that all these martial arts you have learnt from Dronacarya and in Dronacarya’s absence his son is representing so you can’t mistreat him you can’t mistreat your spiritual master.
So in this way we can see that how noble Draupadi actually was and sometimes people say or people think that in the International Society for Krishna Consciousness women are treated as second class or third class but actually in the Vedic culture the women were treated with great respect and their position was very very elevated and they were not illiterate fools in the Vedic time the women in the Vedic time were very wise as we can see from Draupadi’s statements they were very very noble similarly in Krishna consciousness movement the women are actually treated with the same way and they are actually treated with same way and they are trained to develop that kind of nobility and Prabhupada also said that when the mothers are very chaste and noble then their children became very good, good child comes from a good mother and in this way through the Krishna Consciousness movement this world will again be filled with noble personalities like Arjuna, Parishit Maharaja, Bhima, Yuddhishthir Maharaja.
This Krishna consciousness movement has appeared to change the face of this world to change the appearance of this world. The hellish condition that has developed in the world today gradually with the propagation of this Krishna consciousness movement that condition will be removed and once again very noble Vedic culture will be established where men will be heroic and women will be wise, affectionate and broad-minded mothers and that’s the perfect human society. And now a days in modern society what is happening things are changing in the modern society men are becoming like women and women are becoming like men but Krishna consciousness has come to establish actually the human society and culture. Therefore, the members of our society have to play their respective roles. The Brahmans must act like a brahmana, Kshtriyas must act like Kshtriyas, Vaishyas must act like a Vaishyas and Sudras must act like a Sudra and in this way acting in their natural propensity everyone will be happy and a men should behave like a man and a woman should behave like a woman. We must develop our inherent characteristics.
Every individual has specific characteristics and those characteristics must be developed. If a woman wants to be a man and a man becomes like a woman then that’s very very unfortunate and as a result of that the whole society collapses and that’s why the human society today is not a human society it’s an animal society. So, it is very very important that this Krishna consciousness movement spreads all over the world and the responsibility to spread Krishna consciousness movement lies on the members of this society. Therefore, every member of the society must take up this responsibility very very seriously. In this society everybody should try to become a perfect example for others by accepting the teachings of Srila Prabhupada perfectly and leading his life accordingly. Hare Krishna. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Does anybody have any question or comments?
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Question unclears
A: I see well He was acting in that way like lila means it’s like a drama. Like a drama on a stage the way things are arranged is to convey certain message or to convey certain teaching and in order to do that the drama is arranged in a certain way and similarly Krishna was through His pastimes teaching a lesson and that lesson was that one must surrender unto Him. Now if Krishna came and just told that look surrender unto Me, He did tell that surrender unto Me and I will take care of you in all aspects.
Now some people understand just by hearing one word of Krishna but some people do not understand less intelligent people take more time to understand bigger arrangement need to make them understand. Therefore, for less intelligent people Krishna had to play this drama and through the drama Krishna taught surrender unto Me I will take care of you if you don’t surrender nobody whoever you are, you are going to be finished.
So that’s why Krishna made this play like He acted although everything was set. When Krishna showed Arjuna His Universal form Arjuna could see and Krishna told Him look everyone is finished, everyone is dead by my arrangement but I want you to fight and get the credit for that because even if you don’t fight, they are finished so you fight on behalf of me and get the credit for that.
Similarly in Krishna consciousness movement one thing we can also consider that this movement is going to spread all over the world in every town and village Caitanya Mahaprabhu said it, like He made the arrangement now those who will work for that preaching, spreading Krishna consciousness movement they will get the credit for that just as Krishna gave credit to Arjuna for winning the battle of Kurukshetra.