Devotee: "O son of Kuntī, the non-permanent appearance of heat and cold, happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer season. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed." (BG 2.14)
Prabhupāda: Now the question is that, "Yes, I understand that my grandfather is spirit soul and this body is material. Still, by nature I'll be unhappy if my grandfather is killed and my teacher is killed. I'll be unhappy." So Kṛṣṇa is instructing Arjuna that this kind of unhappiness, distress, is this world. You cannot avoid it. These are necessary distresses.
The example He's giving that severe cold. In the winter season, in the month of January or some month, the winter is very severe, intolerable. Sometimes somewhere it is below 30 degrees zero. But what is to be done? The people in such part of the world who live . . . just like in Canada it goes sometimes 30 degree below zero. Does it mean that they'll close their offices and work and everything? No. Everything is going on as usual. One has to tolerate. That's all.
In India also, in India and other parts of the eastern countries, just like Arabia, Iraq or . . . during summertime, the temperature is 135. You cannot imagine 135. In India we have experienced temperature . . . I have experienced up to 118 degree. Not always, unusually. But 110 degree is usual during summertime, 110 degree. Usual temperature. So does it mean . . . the scorching heat, you cannot get out on the street. But still, one has to go to office, one has to go to work. There are some cases of heat stroke. Still, nobody can stop his duty.
"Similarly, even if you think that by discharging your duty as a warrior, as a kṣatriya, your grandfather will be killed or . . . of course, there is no cause of lamentation, he'll get another new body. But even if you think . . . if your bodily concept is so strong, if you are sorry, so you have to, I mean to say, tolerate, just one has to tolerate extreme heat and extreme cold."
There is no cause of crying, "Oh, there is extreme heat, extreme heat." What you'll do? That is nature's law. Extreme heat—everyone is cooking. Nobody says: "Oh, today is extreme heat. I cannot cook." No. Everybody is cooking, although there is suffering. Similarly, there is extreme cold, but everyone is taking bath in the Ganges. Nobody says: "Oh, I'll not take bath."
So duty has to be done. There may be some suffering, temporary. Even though . . . Kṛṣṇa never says: "Oh, My dear Arjuna, you are My friend. All right, you are feeling so much sorry. All right, I shall do it for you. You sit down, silent." No. Kṛṣṇa never says that. "You have to do it." Although He says that, "This battle is arranged by Me. They're already killed. Nobody is going back. Still, you have to do it."
So our duty, persons who are Kṛṣṇa consciousness, engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they should always know that everything is to be done by Kṛṣṇa. We cannot do anything without Kṛṣṇa's sanction. But still, we have to do our own duty. Not that, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa will do everything. Therefore we shall not try for a storefront or we shall not go to see this man or . . . Kṛṣṇa . . ." No. That is lethargy.
You have to do your own duty. But result, depend on Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa conscious. You don't be sorry if there is failure, you don't be unhappy if there is success, uh, you don't be too much, I mean to say, jubilant if there is success. Everything is done by Kṛṣṇa. This is the attitude of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They have to do their own duty, never mind whether it is suffering or happiness. It doesn't matter.