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Bg 01-07 LON 1973-07-11 Vaisnavism Is Not Cowardism
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ANNOUNCER: The following is a class on
the Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, 1st chapter,
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text number 7, given by His Divine Grace
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda,
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recorded on the 11th of July, 1973, in London, England.
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PRADYUMNA: O best of the
brāhmaṇas, for your information,
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let me tell you about the captains
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who are especially qualified to lead my military force.”
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PRABHUPĀDA: So formerly, five thousand
years ago, the same system, military—
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ordinary soldiers, then the captain, then
the commander, the commander-in-chief—
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as there are gradations in the modern
age, the same thing was there.
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But mahā-ratha, they had good qualification.
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Mahā-ratha means alone he could
fight with many other charioteers.
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They are called ati-ratha, mahā-ratha.
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There are different grades of fighters.
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So, so far Pāṇḍavas are concerned, their son.
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Saubhadra… Saubhadra means
Abhimanyu, Subhadrā’s son.
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Because he was Subhadrā’s
son, his name was Saubhadra.
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Draupadī’s sons, they are called Draupadeya.
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In Sanskrit, just like bhaginī, sister, bhaginī,
her son is called bhāgineya, nephews.
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So there is link.
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As soon as we speak Saubhadra,
that means Subhadrā’s son.
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Subhadrā’s son, he was only
sixteen years old at that time.
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He was married with Uttarā, the
daughter of Mahārāja Virāṭa.
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So they were all mahā-rathas,
ordinary, not ordinary fighters.
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This Abhimanyu was killed by conspiracy
by seven commander-in-chief.
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Bhīṣma, Karṇa, Droṇācārya, Aśvatthāmā,
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they all surrounded him, and they
did not allow him to come out.
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They were very experienced commanders.
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So this is kṣatriya spirit.
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He was simply a boy,
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sixteen years old and he had to be killed
by the combined efforts of very, very,
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big commander-in-chiefs.
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He was so great fighter, Abhimanyu.
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Abhimanyu-vāda.
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So Saubhadra, Draupadī… Similarly,
Draupadī’s sons also there.
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Sarva eva mahā-rathāḥ [Bg. 1.6].
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Mahā-ratha means one who could fight
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with one thousand chariots on the other side.
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They were called mahā-rathāḥ.
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Then Duryodhana,
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first of all he pointed out the military
strength of the opposite side.
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This is intelligence.
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One should take calculation of the
opposing elements or the enemy’s side.
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In fighting the first thing is to take
estimation of the enemy’s side,
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how much they are strong, how they have arranged.
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Then one should calculate how to
counteract, how to fight with them,
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this is intelligence.
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Without taking any calculation of the
other side, if you are not prepared,
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then how you can become victorious?
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This is sane proposal, that is, Upayan
cintayet prajño apayan ca cintayet [?].
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A prajña, an intelligent man,
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not only think of the bright side
on this business, or this fight,
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or this any…, so many things we have to deal with.
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Simply we should not calculate the brighter side.
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There is darker side also.
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We should always think, “If there is some
thief, if there is some rogue, they cheat us,
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then what precaution I am going to take?”
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This is intelligence.
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If I simply calculate that “In this
business I will make so much profit.”
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In the meantime, somebody comes and
cheats me and go away, then… Therefore,
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Upayan cintayet prajña apayan ca cintayet [?].
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Darker side also should be thought.
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That is intelligence.
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Just like they are… After calculating the darker side—
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enemy means darker side—they
can defeat me at any moment.
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That is darker side.
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So after calculating their strength,
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then Duryodhana is speaking about his own strength.
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Asmākaṁ tu viśiṣṭā ye [Bg. 1.7].
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Viśiṣṭā.
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Not to speak of the ordinary soldiers.
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They’re viśiṣṭā.
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Viśiṣṭā means who are specifically
to be mentioned, high officers.
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Asmākaṁ tu viśiṣṭā ye tān nibodha dvijottama [Bg. 1.7].
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He was in commander-in-chief.
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For eighteen days there was
fight, and one after another,
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a commander chief was killed.
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And sixty-four crores of men were
killed in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra.
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And the battle was finished within eighteen
days, not lingering for some years.
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No.
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Fight to the best capacity and finish the business.
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So everyone, both the sides, Pāṇḍava’s
side and Kaurava’s side, all were killed.
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This Saubhadra, Draupadeya, everyone was killed.
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And the other side also.
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Only the five brothers they remained,
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and the one grandchild who was in
the womb of the mother, he remained.
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Otherwise everyone is finished within eighteen days.
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Such a great fight it was.
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And people from all parts of the world,
they joined the Battle of Kurukṣetra.
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Somebody was criticizing me that “Swamiji,
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you are introducing this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement.
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People are becoming coward.
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They simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.”
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So I replied
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that “You will see the power of Hare
Kṛṣṇa movement in due course of time.”
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He required… Because there were two battles in India:
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the battle between Rāvaṇa and Rāma, Rāma-Rāvaṇa,
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the battle of Rāmāyaṇa; and another
battle was Battle of Kurukṣetra.
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And in these two battles the
hero was Vaiṣṇava and Viṣṇu.
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In the Rāma-Rāvaṇa battle
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Lord Rāmacandra was there and His devotee Hanumān,
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Vajrāṅgajī.
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Similarly, in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra,
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Kṛṣṇa was there and His devotee Arjuna was there.
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So Vaiṣṇavas, they do not simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.
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If there is need, they can fight under the
guidance of Viṣṇu and become victorious.
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A Vaiṣṇava’s one qualification is…
Out of the twenty-six qualifications,
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one qualification is dakṣa, expert.
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If there is need of fighting,
they can fight like very expert.
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That is also needed.
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Kṛṣṇa consciousness does not mean one-sided.
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Kṛṣṇa as all-pervading,
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the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement
also should be all-pervading.
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It should touch everything, even politics,
sociology, everything, if required.
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That is the aim.
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Because Kṛṣṇa’s mission is:
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yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata [Bg. 4.7]
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Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām [Bg. 4.8].
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There is two mission: not only to
give protection to the devotees,
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but also to kill the demons.
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Kill the demons.
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That is one side.
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So the devotees of Kṛṣṇa
should be trained up both ways:
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not only to give protection to the devotees.
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To give them encouragement.
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But if need be, they should be
prepared to kill the demons.
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That is Vaiṣṇavism.
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It is not cowardism.
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It is not cowardism.
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When need be.
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Generally, a Vaiṣṇava is non-violent.
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Just like Arjuna.
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In the beginning, he was non-violent, Vaiṣṇava.
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He said, “Kṛṣṇa, what is the use of this fighting?
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Let them enjoy.”
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So by nature he was non-violent, but he
was induced by Kṛṣṇa to become violent.
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“Your non-violence will not help.
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You become violent.
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You kill them.
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I want.”
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So if Kṛṣṇa wants we shall be
prepared to become violent also.
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And Kṛṣṇa, that is open secret,
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that paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ
vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām [Bg. 4.8].
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Two business of Kṛṣṇa, two side.
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So those who are devotees of Kṛṣṇa,
they should be trained up both ways,
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they should be prepared.
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But generally, there is no question
of becoming violent, unnecessarily.
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As the modern politicians,
unnecessarily they declare war,
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a Vaiṣṇava does not do so.
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No.
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Unnecessarily, there is no need of war.
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When it was completely
impossible to settle up the things
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between the Pāṇḍavas and the Kauravas,
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then Kṛṣṇa said, “All right, then there must be fight.”
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When Duryodhana declined to spare even
a portion of land holding the sūcyagra,
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the point of a needle…
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He refused that “I cannot spare even so much land
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which can hold the point of a needle.”
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Then the war was declared.
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There is no question of settlement.
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Otherwise, Kṛṣṇa requested that: “These
five Pāṇḍavas: They are kṣatriyas.
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They cannot become merchant or brāhmaṇa.
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Brāhmaṇa’s profession is Paṭhana pāṭhana
yajana yājana dāna pratigrahaḥ [?].
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Brāhmaṇa can take charity from others.
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A sannyāsī can take charity from others.
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Not a kṣatriya or a gṛhastha.
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No.
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That is not allowed.
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“So they are kṣatriyas; they cannot
take the professions of a brāhmaṇa,
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neither they can take the profession
of a mercantile man, business man.
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They must have some land so
that rule over, take taxation.
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And that is their living means.
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So spare only five villages to
these five brothers and settle up.”
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But Duryodhana replied, “No, Sir.
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What to speak of five villages,
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we cannot spare even so much land
which can hold the point of needle.”
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Then the war was… So Vaiṣṇava, they are non-violent.
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But if need be, they can
become violent for Kṛṣṇa’s sake.
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This is the Battle of Kurukṣetra.
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So any more?
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Or end here?
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All right, end here.
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Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.
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