Welcome to the Purely Prabhupada YouTube channel. This video series is called “Reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all.” My name is Kamra devi dasi, and I am a disciple of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada.
This is the fifth video of the series called, “Bhagavad-Gita, correcting the mundane misunderstanding.”
I recently saw a post on social media criticizing “Bhagavad-gita,” a “religious book,” as being a book of war, while extoling “Mein Kampf,” written by Adolf Hitler, as a “book of peace.” Even though it can be acknowledged that the mainstream historical representation of Adolph Hitler may not be accurate, the point of the social media post was to ridicule Bhagavad-gita and the followers of this scripture as supporting violence in the name of religion. I was sad to see the misunderstanding and misrepresentation of this great literature. Bhagavad-Gita As It Is has been duly given to us by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada. He has presented it in its pure essence, without compromise, adulteration, or speculation, transmitting this great literature for the benefit of all humankind. I was looking for a way to address the misrepresentation of the Bhagavad-gita, and I saw this verse and purport from Srimad-Bhagavatam, also presented by Srila Prabhupada. I have no intention to answer the social media post as it would be preaching to the faithless. But, if you have seen the post, here is the transcendental understanding.
ŚB 3.14.5 In this section, the great sage Maitreya was speaking to Vidura about some of the fighting pastimes of the Lord after he had inquired from him on that subject matter.
The great sage Maitreya said: O warrior, the inquiry made by you is just befitting a devotee because it concerns the incarnation of the Personality of Godhead. He is the source of liberation from the chain of birth and death for all those who are otherwise destined to die.
Purport- The great sage Maitreya addressed Vidura as a warrior not only because Vidura belonged to the Kuru family but because he was anxious to hear about the chivalrous activities of the Lord in His incarnations of Varāha and Nṛsiṁha. Because the inquiries concerned the Lord, they were perfectly befitting a devotee. A devotee has no taste for hearing anything mundane. There are many topics of mundane warfare, but a devotee is not inclined to hear them. The topics of the warfare in which the Lord engages do not concern the war of death but the war against the chain of māyā which obliges one to accept repeated birth and death. In other words, one who takes delight in hearing the war topics of the Lord is relieved from the chains of birth and death. Foolish people are suspicious of Kṛṣṇa’s taking part in the Battle of Kurukṣetra, not knowing that His taking part insured liberation for all who were present on the battlefield. It is said by Bhīṣmadeva that all who were present on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra attained their original spiritual existences after death. Therefore, hearing the war topics of the Lord is as good as any other devotional service.
