{"id":96591,"date":"2022-01-01T11:03:36","date_gmt":"2022-01-01T10:03:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=96591"},"modified":"2022-01-01T11:24:06","modified_gmt":"2022-01-01T10:24:06","slug":"of-military-generals-i-am-kartikeya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=96591","title":{"rendered":"Of military generals I am Kartikeya"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script language=\"javascript\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\n \t \tdocument.location = \"http:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/wp-content\/nectar\/2022-01-01-11-22-35.html\";\n \t<\/script><br \/>\n<!--\n\n<p>There are&nbsp;<strong>195 countries<\/strong>&nbsp;in the world today. This total comprises 193 countries that are member states of the United Nations and 2 countries that are non-member observer states: the Holy See and the State of Palestine. (Google). <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>In the Bhagavad-gita As It Is 4.1, purport, Srila Prabhupada writes: <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHerein we find the history of the Bhagavad-gita from a remote time, when it was delivered to the royal order of all planets, beginning from the sun planet. The royal order- or the kings of all planets- are especially meant for the protection of the inhabitants and as such the royal order is also meant for understanding this science of Bhagavad-gita, in order to rule over the citizens, just to protect them from the onslaught of the material bondage of lust. Human life is meant for cultivation of the spiritual knowledge of our eternal relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the executive heads of all states and all planets are obliged to impart this lesson to all citizens by education culture and devotion. In other words, the executive heads of all states are meant for spreading this science of Krishna consciousness so that the people may take advantage of this great science and prosecute a successful path, utilizing this opportunity of the human form of life.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>So there is actually an obligation for the mundane state, which operates always within the jurisdiction of the supreme state of the Lord, as does any other entity, to spread a consciousness of Krishna at large by \u201ceducation, culture and devotion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n    \n\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/krishnaculture.files.wordpress.com\/2021\/12\/wellington-.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" data-attachment-id=\"7584\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/krishnaculture.org\/wellington\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/krishnaculture.files.wordpress.com\/2021\/12\/wellington-.png\" data-orig-size=\"220,301\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"wellington-\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/krishnaculture.files.wordpress.com\/2021\/12\/wellington-.png?w=219\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/krishnaculture.files.wordpress.com\/2021\/12\/wellington-.png?w=220\" src=\"https:\/\/krishnaculture.files.wordpress.com\/2021\/12\/wellington-.png?w=220\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7584\" width=\"445\" height=\"609\" srcset=\"https:\/\/krishnaculture.files.wordpress.com\/2021\/12\/wellington-.png 220w, https:\/\/krishnaculture.files.wordpress.com\/2021\/12\/wellington-.png?w=110 110w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 445px) 100vw, 445px\"><\/a>\n        \n \n<figcaption>Field Marshal His Grace and Serene Highness The Duke of Wellington ( 1769-1852). KG GCB GCH PC FRS Portrait by Thomas Laurance c. 1815-16 Painted after the battle of Waterloo. Source: Wikipedia<\/figcaption>\n \n\n    <\/figure>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>The Bhagavad-gita was spoken 5000 years ago by the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna Himself just before the carnage of the Battle of Kurukshetra, which was in fact a world war. \u201cThe Battle of Kuruksetra was fought between family members\u201d (SB 1.8.3 p.) with their various supporting parties from all over the world. The scene of the Bhagavad-gita is definitely a military one. It is a fascinating book. But let us carefully note that it is not a manual on war-making for military academies. It is an instruction manual on self-realization and yoga, the main businesses of the human form of life. The basic meaning of yoga is to link oneself with the Supreme. In Bhagavad-gita 10.26, God, Krishna says that His representative among generals is Kartikeya. Skanda, or Kartikeya, the son of Parvati and Lord Siva, is the chief of all military commanders. So military commanders are a class of their own. That means also that Kartikeya or Skanda is the patron saint of all military generals, whether they know him or know him not. He is definitely not a mythological figure as some misguided humans are falsely claiming. We remember general Norman Schwarzkopf Jr.&nbsp;(1934\u20132012), United States Army general, leader of coalition forces in the 1991 Gulf War. There is also Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, as in the picture above, who won some 60 battles and died of natural death in 1852 at age 83. He was born previously in the year 1769. His most famous opponent was Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821), the French Emperor during his very last attempt for political power. Along with his ally, the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Prussia\">Prussian<\/a>&nbsp;Generalfeldmarschall&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gebhard_Leberecht_von_Bl%C3%BCcher\">Gebhard Leberecht von Bl\u00fccher<\/a>, they defeated soundly and finally the ambitious but hopeless Napoleon at the famous Waterloo Battle, Belgium, in 1815. There was a coalition of forces: troops from&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kingdom_of_Prussia\">Prussia<\/a>, the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_Kingdom_of_Great_Britain_and_Ireland\">United Kingdom<\/a>, the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_Kingdom_of_the_Netherlands\">Netherlands<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kingdom_of_Hanover\">Hanover<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Duchy_of_Brunswick\">Brunswick<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Duchy_of_Nassau\">Nassau<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p> Waterloo is a funny name in itself really, but google says:Etymology. From&nbsp;<strong>M<\/strong>iddle Dutch, composed of water (water, watery) + loo (forest, clearing in a forest, marsh, bog). Of course, the word \u201cWaterloo\u201d is associated with defeat. There is also a song called Waterloo by ABBA, a fresh and very successful Swedish quartet. We note the Duke\u2019s address as His Grace and Serene Highness. ISKCON devotees are also addressed as His or Her Grace, but Serene Highness is even more interesting and Bhagavad-gita related. Serenity is a product of advancement in self-realization, the main theme of Bhagavad-gita. I may also surmise that serenity for a military commander is of utmost importance in decision-making in battle. The capital city of New Zealand is named after the 1st Duke of Wellington, as well as many other places on the planet. Of course, the length of one\u2019s hair may not directly affect one\u2019s serenity, but when Srila Prabhupada was more or less challenged by an American female reporter that: \u201cWhy do you have a shaven head?\u201d, He retorted within a fraction of a second: \u201d And why do you have bare legs? Better have a cool brain, than cold legs.\u201d and everyone had a good laugh, including the reporter. There is another famous general that comes to mind and that is \u201cThe Desert Fox\u201d Erwin Rommel of second World War fame. He also fought in North Africa against the British Field Marshall&nbsp;Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Knight_of_the_Order_of_the_Garter\">KG<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Knight_Grand_Cross_of_the_Order_of_the_Bath\">GCB<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Distinguished_Service_Order\">DSO<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Privy_Council_of_the_United_Kingdom\">PC<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Deputy_Lieutenant\">DL<\/a> 17 November 1887&nbsp;\u2013 24 March 1976), nicknamed \u201cMonty\u201d and \u201cThe Spartan General.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>So it appears that according to the quirks of time and history the same parties become allies in victory and later become bitter enemies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Let me finish by quoting Srila Prabhupada on Napoleon. In Vedabase there are 179 entries on Napoleon and I promise not to list them all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNobody can violate the order of the Supreme Lord or His authorized agents. Brahma, Siva, Indra, Candra, Maharaja Yudhisthira or, in modern history, <strong>Napoleon<\/strong>, Akbar, Alexander, Gandhi, Shubhash and Nehru \u2014 all are servants of the Lord, and they are placed in and removed from their respective positions by the supreme will of the Lord. None of them is independent. Even though such men or leaders rebel so as not to recognize the supremacy of the Lord, they are put under still more rigorous laws of the material world by different miseries. Only the foolish man, therefore, says that there is no God.\u201d Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.13.41 <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEven big karmis like Subash Bose, Gandhi, they were also not sleeping. I heard that <strong>Napoleon Bonaparte,<\/strong> he was not sleeping. He was sleeping\u2026 When he was passing from one war field to another, on his horse he slept. That\u2019s all. He never went to the bedroom for sleeping. Gandhi used to do that. He would sleep when he was passing from one station, one\u2026 In the motorcar he would sleep. Then again he will begin work.\u201d Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.3.18 \u2013 February 11, 1971, Gorakhpur<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYad yad vibhutimat sattva. Anyone a sense of exceptional qualities, mama tejo\u2019msa-sambhavam [Bg 10.41], Krsna says, \u201cThey are born of my tejah, amsa.<br \/>But that does not mean he is incarnation. There were many persons, Hitler was also a very big man but that does not mean he becomes an incarnation.<strong> Napoleon Bonaparte<\/strong>, he also was a very big man. So in this world you will find big and bigger, bigger, bigger. One is bigger than another then up to go to Brahma. Who can become like Brahma? He has created this whole universe and he lives, you know? He lives: sahasra-yuga-paryantam, ahar yad brahmano viduh [Bg 8.17], you can not calculate even his one day\u2019s life.<br \/>But he\u2019s not, he never says that, \u201cI am incarnation and God.\u201d So powerful. In comparison to Brahma what are these insignificant \u2014 insignificant creatures?\u201d Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.3.30\u201331 \u2013 February 22, 1971, Gorakhpur<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSo we read in the papers that on the very day, morning, when he (Mahatma Gandhiji) was killed, he was speaking to his secretary, \u201cI am very much disgusted. I don\u2019t want to live anymore.\u201d And in the evening he was killed. So this is an example. Who can be better karmi and sincere worker for the country, for the society \u2014 but he was frustrated. You can take many examples in your European countries, Hitler, <strong>Napoleon<\/strong>. They are all frustrated.\u201d Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.6, Hampstead Hall \u2013 August 6, 1971, London<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere were great empires like Roman Empire, Greece Empire, Carthagian Empire and, later on, Moghul empires, British Empire. So many empires there were. There was Hitler. There was Mussolini. There was<strong> Napoleon<\/strong>. So these powerful emperors or men came and gone. Their name is only there, and nothing is remaining.\u201d Hare Krishna Festival Address \u2013 July 1, 1972, San Diego<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNow thing is, that political consciousness\u2026 Just like Hitler planned, <strong>Napoleon<\/strong> planned. They also thought that \u201cIf I can unite all these European states under my plan, under my \u2018ism,\u2019 they will be happy.\u201d That is the plan. He also thinks like that. But whether he is perfect? This Lenin, this Hitler, this <strong>Napoleon,<\/strong> whether they are perfect? So unless they are perfect, any such utopian planning will not help.\u201d Room Conversation with Anna Conan Doyle \u2013 August 10, 1973, Paris<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>At last, let me quote the last stanza of the Bhagavad-gita 18.78: <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWherever there is Krishna, the master of all mystics and Supreme Personality of Godhead, and wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence, victory, extraordinary power, and morality. That is my opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, Adolf Hitler and his troops also claimed the association with God or Krishna. On their uniform belts, there was the inscription \u201cGod with us\u201d or in the German language \u201cGott mit uns.\u201d But that seemed to be only a colossal delusion as Herr Hitler\u2019s planned 1000 years \u201cReich\u201d lasted only some 15 years or so and ended in utter defeat. So Sri Krishna is not to be found in such places or under such circumstances, as stated above. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div id=\"atatags-370373-61d01c47cfb01\">\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<div id=\"atatags-26942-61d01c47cfb3d\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<!-- --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" data-attachment-id=\"7584\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/krishnaculture.org\/wellington\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/krishnaculture.files.wordpress.com\/2021\/12\/wellington-.png\" data-orig-size=\"220,301\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"wellington-\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/krishnaculture.files.wordpress.com\/2021\/12\/wellington-.png?w=219\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/krishnaculture.files.wordpress.com\/2021\/12\/wellington-.png?w=220\" src=\"https:\/\/krishnaculture.files.wordpress.com\/2021\/12\/wellington-.png?w=220\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7584\" width=\"445\" height=\"609\" srcset=\"https:\/\/krishnaculture.files.wordpress.com\/2021\/12\/wellington-.png 220w, https:\/\/krishnaculture.files.wordpress.com\/2021\/12\/wellington-.png?w=110 110w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 445px) 100vw, 445px\">\u201cHerein we find the history of the Bhagavad-gita from a remote time, when it was delivered to the royal order of all planets, beginning from the sun planet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[93],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-96591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog-thoughts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96591","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=96591"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96591\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96598,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96591\/revisions\/96598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=96591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=96591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=96591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}