Significance of nimitani viparitani (Bg 1.30)- Lec 23/7/'73

[Cintamani]

So nimittani viparitani. This viparitani, when we are materially conscious, we see that "Without happiness of myself, my family, my society, my country, my community..." They think happiness in terms of expanded selfishness. "First of all, my happiness, personal." Just like a child. It does not think of anyone's happiness. Whatever he takes, he wants to eat. So you, as we grow, we expand our happiness little more: "My happiness, my brother's happiness, my family's happiness, my community's happiness, or my nation's happiness." So you can go on expanding the scope of happiness, but there is no happiness. There is no happiness. These foolish persons, they do not know. So Arjuna also is playing like an ordinary foolish person. Nimittani viparitani. "Where is my happiness? I came here to fight, to get happiness, and I have to kill my own kinsmen. Then where is my happiness? I cannot enjoy the property or the kingdom alone. There must be relatives, brothers. I will be very proud: 'Just see how I have become king.' So if they are dying, then who, whom I shall show my opulence?" This is the psychology. Nimittani ca viparitani pasyami. Just the opposite. This is illusion. This is illusion.
There is no happiness actually, expanding selfishness. Just like a national leader like Mahatma Gandhi in our country. He planned that "Let the Britishers go away. My countrymen will be happy. My countrymen will be happy." But when the Britishers went away, giving the responsibility of Indian empire to the Indian people, Gandhi was thinking in the morning, "Oh, I am so unhappy. Now only death will please me." And the next, the same evening, he was killed. He was so unhappy. Because everything was topsy-turvied. He wanted Hindu-Muslim unity. Now the country was divided. The Muslims became separated. The whole program was changed. There were so many things. He wanted that the government should be very simplified. But he saw that his disciples, his followers, were after office, simply for office. So nimittani. He saw that "I shall be happy, my countrymen will be happy," but at the end he saw viparitani, all opposite. Everyone will experience that. So long he will be materially attached, he will find viparitani. "I wanted to be..." Sukhera lagiya, e ghara bandhinu, agune puriya gela (?): "I constructed this nice house for living happily, but there was fire and everything finished." This is the way. You construct everything for happiness, but there will be something which will put you into the most miserable condition. This is called material world. They do not know. Therefore one who is intelligent, he thinks that "If I have to work so hard for so-called happiness, and here is Krsna is canvassing, asking me, that 'You work for Me,' so why not work for Krsna? Here I see viparitani, everything is opposite. There is no happiness." So that is intelligence. "I have to work hard. Krsna says, 'Just surrender unto Me.' " Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. So Krsna is asking to work for Him, giving up everything. That is clear, everyone knows. "Here also I am working very hard, but here I am working hard to be happy, but the viparitani, I am becoming unhappy. So why not work for Krsna?" This is intelligence. I have to work after all. Jivera svarupa haya nitya-krsnera dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109]. Constitutionally, every living entity is a servant. He's serving eternal servant of Krsna. If he does not serve Krsna, then he will have to become servant of maya. That's all.

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 1.30 -- London, July 23, 1973