Bg. 2.7

कार्पण्यदोषोपहतस्वभावः
पृच्छामि त्वां धर्मसम्मूढचेताः ।
यच्छ्रेयः स्यान्निश्चितं ब्रूहि तन्मे
शिष्यस्तेऽहं शाधि मां त्वां प्रपन्नम् ॥७॥

kārpaṇya-doṣopahata-svabhāvaḥ
pṛcchāmi tvāṁ dharma-sammūḍha-cetāḥ
yac chreyaḥ syān niścitaṁ brūhi tan me
śiṣyas te ‘haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam

kārpaṇyaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigkārpaṇya

miserly.—miserly; doṣaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigdosa

any fault; fault; fault upon Me; faults; faulty; of faults; offense; the fault; the faults; weakness.—weakness; upahataplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigupahata

being inflicted by; has been lost; overpowered.—being inflicted by; svabhāvaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsvabhavah

characteristics; eternal nature; mentality; modes of material nature; nature (under the influence of different modes of material nature); nature; space; that is Your characteristic.—characteristics; pṛcchāmiplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigpṛcchāmi

beg to inquire; I am asking.—I am asking; tvāmplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigtvam

establishment of the statement tat tvam asi.—unto You; dharmaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigdharma

activities; acts of religion; by Mahārāja Dharma, or Dharmarāja; by their pious activities; characteristic function; characteristic nature; characteristics; characteristics of age; Dharmeyu; duties; duty; factual occupation; for the right cause; in religious activities; in the form of dedication to the husband, etc; My religion; O personality of religion; O personality of religious principles; O Vidura; occupation; occupational duties; occupational duty; of Dharma, the god of piety; of religious life; of religious principles; piety; principle; principles of devotional service; principles of religion; regular activities; religion; religiosity; religious; religious practice; religious principle; religious principles; religious procedures; the character; the duty; the occupation; the occupational duty; the principles; the religion; the religious principles; vow.—religion; saṁmūḍhaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsaṁmūḍha

bewildered.—bewildered; cetāḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigcetah

by consciousness; consciousness; heart; knowledge; minds; my mind; of the heart; the attention; the heart; the mind.—in heart; yatplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigyat

which; about whom; all these; all those; although; and as; and whichever; anything; as; as a matter of fact; as it is; as its; as much as; as they are; because; because of; because of which; because of whom; by the result of which; by the Supreme Lord; by which; by which way; by whom (the Supreme Lord); by whom; by whose; by whose merciful; even though; everything that was required; fixed under Your direction; for; for which; from both of whom; from him; from which; from whom; from whose; from Yuyudha; he whose; his; His eternal form which; his son; if; in which; in whom; inasmuch as; Kṛṣṇa; now further; of him (Somāpi); of him; of Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune; of the fire-gods; of the Lord; of the Supreme Lord; of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; of which (the intermediate space); of which; of whom (of the Supreme Lord); who; who is; whom; whose; whose form; Your.—what; śreyaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsreyah

benediction.—all-good; syātplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsyāt

appears; arises; become; becomes; becomes possible; can be; can be possible; can there be; comes into being; exists; has to be taken; if it is possible; is; is made possible; is possible; it becomes; it becomes so; it had been; it is possible; it is so; it may be; it may happen; it should be done; it so becomes; it so happens; it would have been; let there be; may arise; may be; may become; may continue; may happen; may occur; may take place; must be; one becomes; one should be; remains; shall be; should be; should become; so becomes; there can be; there is; there may be; there must be; there shall be; there should be; there would be; will be spread; will take place; will there be; would adopt; would be.—may be; niścitamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigniścitam

confidently; definite.—confidently; brūhiplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigbrūhi

kindly describe; kindly explain; kindly inform us; kindly speak; please explain; please narrate; please speak; please state; please tell; please tell us; tell.—tell; tatplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigtat

establishment of the statement tat tvam asi.—that; meplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigme

about me; by me; executed by me; for me; from Me; Me; mind; mine; my; my duty; myself; of me (Hiraṇyakaśipu); of me; of Mine; of Myself; on me; to Me; unto me; upon me; with me.—unto me; śiṣyaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsisyah

a disciple; as a disciple; disciple.—disciple; teplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigte

all; all of them (the demigods and demons); all of them (the demigods and the demons); all of them; all of those; all the gopas; all the asuric ministers; all the demigods; all the demigods and demons; all the demons; all the great sages; all the Pracetās; all the sons; all the sons of Jamadagni; all the watchmen; all those; all those persons who arrived; also from you; as desired by you; by him; by them; by You; for you; for your; from you; in your possession; Lord Paraśurāma's mother and brothers; of the two divisions; of them; of you (mother Ganges); of You (O dear Lord); of you; of Your good self; of Your Lordship; of yourself; speaking to you; such; such as you; such austerity and knowledge; such household life; such persons; such pure devotees are fully satisfied; that; that is; the gopīs and gopas; the hotā, brahmā and other priests; the cowherd men and ladies; the demigods; the demons (Yakṣas and Rākṣasas); the demons; the Gandharvas; the great sages (the Kumāras); the husbands; the men of Kārtavīryārjuna; the Pracetās; the Pāṇḍavas; the sages; the sons of Kārtavīryārjuna; the Yakṣas; their; therefore; these; these sons (the Savalāśvas); they; they are; to you; unto you; with you; You; your; Your Lordship; your request; Your service; yours; yourself.—Your; ahamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigaham

as far as I am concerned; as I am; egotism; false ego; false identification (in the bodily concept of life); false identity; I ("I am this body"); I (am); I (Kṛṣṇa); I (Lord Brahmā); I (Lord Śiva); I (Prahlāda Mahārāja); I (the person desiring release from material life); I (Śukadeva Gosvāmī); I; I am; I am everything; I am independent; I am the material body; I myself; I, Lord Kṛṣṇa; I, the Personality of Godhead; I, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; I, Yamarāja; me; my existence ("I am something"); my humble self; myself (Brahmājī); Myself; the word aham; the wrong mental conception.—I am; śādhiplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsadhi

derive.—just instruct; māmplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigmām

about Me; at me; attains me; from me; Me (Kṛṣṇa); Me (Lord Kṛṣṇa); me (the earth); Me (the Supreme Lord); me (Vasiṣṭha); me; Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; My direction; Myself; of myself; to Me; unto me; upon me.—me; tvāmplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigtvam

establishment of the statement tat tvam asi.—unto You; prapannamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigprapannam

surrendered; who am fully surrendered unto You; who is surrendered (to the Supreme Personality of Godhead).—surrendered. ¶

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. ¶

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 Upaniṣad the perplexed man is described as follows: ¶

yo vā etad akṣaraṁ gārgy aviditvāsmāl lokāt praiti sa kṛpaṇaḥ

“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 ultilize 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 brāhmaṇa, or he who is intelligent enough to utilize this body to solve all the problems of life. ¶

The kṛpaṇas, 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 kṛpaṇa thinks that he is able to protect his family members from death; or the kṛpaṇa 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 ot 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 Kṛṣṇa, the supreme spiritual master, to make a definite solution. He offers himself to Kṛṣṇa 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. Kṛṣṇa is therefore the original spiritual master of the science of Bhagavad-gītā, and Arjuna is the first disciple for understanding the Gītā. How Arjuna understands the Bhagavad-gītā is stated in the Gītā itself. And yet foolish mundane scholars explain that one need not submit to Kṛṣṇa as a person, but to “the unborn within Kṛṣṇa.” There is no difference between Kṛṣṇa’s within and without. And one who has no sense of this understanding is the greatest fool in trying to understand Bhagavad-gītā. ¶