The Science of Religion for Mankind Shreemad Bhagwad Geeta Yatharth Geeta

8/13/2019 The Science of Religion for Mankind Shreemad Bhagwad Geeta Yatharth Geeta

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The Science of Religion for Mankind-Shreemad Bhagwad Geeta-Yatharth Geeta

Swami Adgadanand

Published By: Shree Paramhans Swami Adagadanandji Ashram Trust at Smashwords

Copyright 1998 Swami Adgadanand

Smashwords Edition, License NotesThank you or downloading this ree ebook! Although this is a ree book" it remains the

#opyrighted property o the author" and may not be reprodu#ed" #opied and distributed or

#ommer#ial or non$#ommer#ial purposes! % you enjoyed this book" please en#ourage your

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works by this author! Thank you or your support!


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'eeta in its True Perspe#ti&e

Compiled and %nterpreted through the Blessings o Parampoojya Shree Paramhansji (aharaj By

Paramhans Swami Adgadanand

)*++ years long inter&al Shreemad Bhagwad 'eeta in its authenti# and e&erlasting e,position

-hat were the inner eelings and emotions o Shri .rishn when he prea#hed the 'eeta/ All inner

eelings #annot be e,pressed in words! Some #an be told" some are e,pressed through the body

language" and the rest are to be realised whi#h #an only be understood by a seeker through

e,perien#es! 0nly ater attaining the state whi#h Shri .rishn had been to" an a##omplished

tea#her knows what 'eeta says! e simply does not reiterate &erses o the 'eeta but" in a#t"

gi&es e,perien#es to the inner eelings o the 'eeta! This is possible be#ause he sees the same

pi#ture whi#h was there when Shri .rishn prea#hed the 'eeta! e thereore" sees the real

meaning" #an show it to us" #an e&oke the inner eelings and would lead us on the path o

enlightenment! 2e&! Shri Paramhansji (ahraj was also an enlightened tea#her o su#h a le&eland the #ompilation o his words and blessings to grasp the inner eelings o the 'eeta itsel is

the 34atharth 'eeta5!!!Swami Adgadanand

Published By:

Shree Paramhans Swami Adagadanandji Ashram Trust

*9A" %st 6loor" 7r! Atmaram 2angnekar (arg"

Abo&e Brij (andal all" 'irgaum Chowpatty"

(umbai ++ ++" %ndia

Tel: 91 ** )) );++

6a,: 91 ** *; ;1+9

-ebsite: www!yatharthgeeta!#om


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'>2> ?A@7A@A

Salutations to the guru

7


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?A@7A@A

DD Bha&sagar$taran karan he"

ra&inandan$bandhan$khandan he

sharnagat kinkar bhit mane"gurude& daya kar din jane

ridi$kandar$tamas$bhaskar he"

tum &ishnu prajapati shankar he

parbrahma paratpar &ed bhane"

gurude& daya kar din jane

man$&aaran$kaaran ankush he"

nar tran kare hari #hakshush he

gun$gaan$paraayan de&gane"


kul$kundalini tum bhanjak he"

hridi$granth &idaaran kaaran he

mahima ta& go#har shuddha mane"


abhiman$praabha&$&imardak he"

ati hin jane tum rakshak he

man$kampit$&an#hit$bhakti$ghane"


2ipusudan mangalnayak he"

sukh$shanti$&araabhai daayak he

bhay$taap hare ta& naam gune"

gurude& daya kar din jane ll

Ta& naam sada sukh$saadhak he"

patitaadham$maana& paa&ak he

mam maanas #han#hal raatri dine"


ai sadguruF %sh&ar Praapak heF

Bha&rog$&ikaar &inaashak hel

man lin rahe ta& shri #harne"

'urude& daya kar din janell

0m Shree Sadguru 7e& Bhagwan .i ai DD


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'panishad is 'eeta" whi#h was eli#ited by .rishn and pro&ided sustenan#e to distraught

humanity o reasoned do#trine and approa#h to per#ei&e the Supreme Being! This has endowed

the humanity o the ultimate means o Pea#e! The sage" rom among all his works" earmarked

'eeta as the treatise o knowledge and remarked that" the 'eeta is suitable or being earnestly

taken as the dri&ing philosophy" o oneIs a#ti&ities o the lie! -hen we ha&e the treatise gi&en to

us whi#h was uttered by .rishn himsel" why e&er shall we need to store other s#riptures/

The essen#e o 'eeta is e,pli#itly #lariied by the &erse : There is only one holy writ whi#h had

been re#ited is by Gord .irshn" the son o 7e&aki! There is only one spiritual entity worth

emulating and the truth whi#h has been spe#iied in that #ommentary is $ the soul! There is

nothing immortal other than the soul! -hat #hant has been ad&ised by that sage in 'eeta / 0m F

HArjun" 0m is the name o the eternal spiritual being! Chant 0m and meditate upon me! There is

only one 7harm$to ser&e the spiritual being des#ribed in 'eeta! Pla#e him in your heart with

re&eren#e! Thereore" 'eeta has remained your own s#ripture!

.rishn is the messenger o the holy sages who ha&e des#ribed the di&ine #reator as the >ni&ersal

truth o&er the thousands years o age! (any sages ha&e said that" one may e,press their

#orporeal as well as eternal desires rom the 'od" be awed by the 'od and not to belie&e in other

deities$ has already been pro#laimed by many sages" but only the 'eeta e,pli#itly shows the way

to attain spirituality and athom the distan#e on the way o attaining it $ reer to H4atharth

'eetaJ! 'eeta not only gi&es spiritual pea#e" it also makes it easier to attain eternal and enduring

alle&iation! %n order to per#ei&e it please reer to the uni&ersally a##laimed #ommentary$

H4atharth 'eetaII!

Although 'eeta is uni&ersally a##laimed" it has not been able to take pla#e o do#trine or

literature o any religion or se#t" be#ause religious se#ts are always #in#hed by one or the other

di#tum or ordain! The 'eeta published in %ndia is a lega#y o the >ni&ersal -isdom! The 'eetais the ethereal heritage o %ndia" the spiritual #ountry! As su#h" it should be treated as national

literature$an eort may be dire#ted at alle&iating the humanity rom the pathos o the tradition o

#lass dis#rimination" #onli#ts and alter#ation and a##ord pea#e!


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7%?%@< (


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Swami 7ayanand Saraswati *++ years ago$

Pray only to the e&erlasting" immortal one 'od! The #ardinal name o this Almighty is 0m

Swami Shri Paramanandji 191* $ 199 A! 7!$

-hen the Almighty bestows bene&olen#e" the enemies turn riends and ad&ersities be#ome

6ortunateness! The 'od is omnipresent!


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>@%602( 7A2( P2%@C%PG


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#onseKuen#e" e&en a partial obser&an#e o this dharm liberates one rom the dire terror o

repeated birth and death!J

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7ri&en by the properties o their nature" they who all rom knowledge desire worldly pleasures

and in imitation o the pre&ailing #ustoms" worship other gods instead o one single 'od!5

Those whose intelle#t has been robbed through enjoyment o worldly #omorts" su#h oolish

persons tend to worship other gods than the Supreme Being!5 81

5Although e&en #o&etous de&otees indeed worship me in worshipping other gods" their worship

is against the ordained pro&isions and thereore en&eloped by ignoran#e! 5Those who worship

other gods" are worshipping Supreme Being under inluen#e o ignoran#e and their eorts go in&ain!

5(ark you that they who undergo terrible sel mortii#ation without spiritual san#tion and are

ali#ted with hypo#risy and arrogan#e besides lust" atta#hment" and &anity o power and who

wear out not only the elements that #onstitute their bodies but also me who dwells in their souls

are ignorant men with e&il disposition!5


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(A@>S(2%T%

.nowledge deri&ed rom 'eeta is the pure (anusmriti R'eeta appeared e&en beore the original

man (anu RQ%mam &i&aswatehyogam prokta&anaham&yayamI!1+ ArjunF % told about this

indestru#tible happening to Sun at the beginning o time and Sun told it to (anu! (anu listenedto it and #arried it in his memory be#ause what he heard #ould be #arried only in (anuIs smiriti

memory! (anu told the same thing to .ing %kshwaku! The 2ajarshi rom %kshwaku knew it

and during this important period this indestru#tible happening disappeared rom this earth!

%nitially there was a tradition o listening and memoriMing! %t was not e&en thought that it #ould

be do#umented! (anu (aharaj #arried it in his psy#hologi#al memory and #reated the tradition

o memory! Thus this knowledge deri&ed rom 'eeta is the pure (anusmriti!

The Gord had imparted this knowledge to the Sun e&en beore he ga&e it to (anu" so why donIt

we #all it Suryasmriti/ %n a#t the Sun is that part o the Gight" the Almighty that is the #reator o

this uni&erse! Gord Shri .rishna says" Q% ma the ather o the ultimate lie stream sperm" and the

nature is the womb that nurtures itI! The Sun is the originator! Sun is that ultimate power o theGord that designed the humans! %t is not a personality and where the enlightened power #reated

the humans the same power was transerred the knowledge based on 'eeta that is it was

transerred to the Sun! Sun told the same to his son (anu thus it is #alled (anusmriti! Sun is not

a person" it is the sour#e!

Gord Shri .rishna says R Q% am going to say that same an#ient 4oga or you now! 4ou are my

belo&ed dis#iple" true riend! Arjun was intelligent" true worthy! e reeled out a #hain o

Kuestions like you were born justO the Sun was born ages ago! ow do % a##ept that Q4ou told

this to the SunI/ e asked some twenty twenty$i&e Kuestions o this type! By the time 'eeta

#ame to #on#lusion all his Kuestions were answered" at that jun#ture the Gord imsel raised the

Kuestions Arjun #ould not muster up and were in his beneit and #lariied the same! At the end o

it all the Gord said" Q ArjunF 7id you listen to my ad&i#e in #on#entration/ -as your ignoran#e

raised out o desire has &anished/ Arjun said" @ashto moha smritirlabdha

twatprasadanmaya#hyut D Sthitohsmi gatasandehah karishye &a#hanam ta&a DD 18;

ey Gord" my desires ha&e subsided! % ha&e gotten memory! % ha&e not only listened but % am

#arrying it as part o system now! % will abide by your orders" and will hold the war! e pi#ked

up his bow" warred" won" and established an empire o the pure dharma and in the orm o a

religious s#ripture that original 7harmashastra 'eeta again #ame in #ir#ulation!

'eeta is sour#e religious s#ripture! This is the (anusmriti that was embedded in memory byArjuna! There is a reeren#e to two 'eeta in ront o (anu R 0ne gotten rom the 6ather" the

se#ond" the ?edas whi#h appeared in ront o (anu! There was no third thing that appeared

(anuIs time! Those days do#umentation was not a way" paper L pen were not #ommon thus

there was the tradition o listening to the knowledge and making it part o the memory! (anu

(aharaj" the sour#e human kind" the irst human ga&e the honor o shruti listening to ?edas

and memory to 'eeta!

?edas appeared in ront o (anu" listen to them" they are meant or listening!


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e,ist" that it the one who disrespe#ts the ad&i#es o 'eeta will be#ome e,tin#t! %n the last psalm

o episode iteen the Gord said 1)!*+H%ti guhyatamam shastramidamuktammayanaghaDJQ% ha&e

uttered the most #onidential o the #onidential s#ien#eI! By learning it you will a#Kuire all the

knowledge and ultimate #redit!I %n the last two psalms o episode si,teen it is said"

$H4ahshastra&idhimritsrijya &artane kaamakaaratahDJQThe ones whoshun these s#ien#es by

getting e,#ited with the &i#es and pray other operations will not get happiness" prosperity and

will neither rea#h abode!I

So Arjun"HTasma#h#hhaastram pramanam tekaryaakarya&ya&asthitouhDJthis is the standard

s#ien#e behind management o your tasks and untasks! Study it well and a#t a##ordingly! 4ou

will be my part" rea#h that indestru#tible position and will attain lie ore&er and e&erlasting

pea#e and prosperity!

'eeta is the (anusmriti and as per Gord Shri .rishna 'eeta is the religious s#ien#e" there is no

other s#ien#e" no other memory! e &arious memories pra#ti#ed in so#iety today is the allba#k

o orgetting 'eeta! The memories are the solution or ma#hinations o the royalties and a

weapon to build walls in the so#iety! They neither paint a #orre#t pi#ture o (anuIs thoughts

neither do they des#ribe (anuIs times! 0riginal (anusmriti 'eeta a##epts 0ne Gord theAlmighty the Truth" and proposes being one with it but #urrently a&ailable about 1 memories

do not e&en talk about the 'od nor they dis#uss the ways to rea#h the Almighty! They limit

themsel&es only to get reser&ation in the hea&en and en#ourage those who are not there! They

donIt e&er e&en reer to (oksha!


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A umble Appeal

7


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%? ust be#ause Sanskrit or indi words are trans#ribed in


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P2


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0n the #ontrary he e,horts worshippers to seek ha&en under a seer and imbibe knowledge rom

him by an inno#ent" guileless ministering to his needs! So .rishn has but pro#laimed the &erities

that ha&e also been dis#o&ered and witnessed to by other sages o true a##omplishment!

The" Sanskrit in whi#h the 'eeta is bodied orth is so simple and lu#id! % we but make a patient

and #areul perusal o its synta, and the etymology o its words" we #an understand most o the

'eeta by oursel&es! But the dii#ulty is that we are disin#lined to a##ept what these words reallysigniy! To #ite an instan#e" .rishn has de#lared in unambiguous terms that true a#tion is the

undertaking o yagya! But we yet persist in asserting that all the worldly business in whi#h men

are engaged is a#tion! Throwing light upon the nature o yagya" .rishn says that while many

yogi undertake it by oering pran inhaled breath to apan e,haled breath" and many sa#rii#e

apan to pran" yet many others regulate both pran and apan to a#hie&e pere#t serenity o breath

pranayam!(any sages resign the in#lination o their senses to the sa#red ire o sel$restraint!

Thus yagya is said to be #ontemplation o breath o pran and apan! This is what the #omposer o

the 'eeta has re#orded! 7espite this" howe&er" we adamantly hold that intoning swaha and

#asting o barley grains" oil seeds" and butter into the altar$ire is yagya! @othing like this has

been e&en suggested by 4ogeshwar .rishn!

ow to a##ount or this all too #ommon ailure to #omprehend the true meaning o the 'eeta/


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or time! %t is rather a s#ripture or the entire world and or all times! % is or all" or e&ery nation"

e&ery ra#e" and or e&ery man and woman" whate&er be their spiritual le&el and #apa#ity!

%rrespe#ti&e o this" howe&er" just hearsay or someoneIs inluen#e should not be the basis or a

de#ision that has a dire#t bearing upon oneIs e,isten#e! .rishn says in the last #hapter o the

'eeta that e&en just hearing its mysterious knowledge is indeed salutary! But ater a seeker has

thus learnt it rom an a##omplished tea#her" he also needs to pra#tise it and in#orporate it into his

own #ondu#t and e,perien#e! This ne#essitates that we approa#h the 'eeta ater reeingoursel&es rom all prejudi#es and pre#on#ei&ed notions! And then we will indeed ind it a pillar

o light!

To regard the 'eeta as just a sa#red book is not enough! A book is at best a sign$post that guides

readers to knowledge! %t is said that one who has known the truth o the 'eeta is a knower o the

?ed$whi#h literally means knowledge o 'od! %n the >panishad Brihadaranyak" 4agn&alkya

#alls the ?ed Hthe breath o the


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#onseKuen#e get their work done by pretending to be intimate with wielders o power" whereas

as a matter o a#t they may not be really e&en known to them! Gikewise" #odiiers o rules or

so#ial lie and #ondu#t also hide behind great sages and e,ploit their &enerable names to win

subsisten#e! The same has happened with the ?ed! 6ortunately" howe&er" what may be deemed

the essen#e o the ?ed$the di&ine re&elations o saints and seers who li&ed thousands o years

ago$is enshrined in the >panishad! @either dogma nor theology" these meditations #on#ern

dire#t" o&erwhelming religious e,perien#e in the midst o lie" and re#ord insights into eternaltruths! They are uniied by their #ommon sear#h or the true nature o reality" and in the #ourse

o this sear#h pro&ide glimpses into sublime states o the soul! And the 'eeta is an abstra#t o

this essen#e that the >panishad #ontain! 0r" as it might be said" the 'eeta is the Kuintessen#e o

the immortal substan#e that the >panishad ha&e #hurned rom the #elestial poetry o the ?ed!


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.2%S@/E e was a 4ogeshwar" an adept in yog" an a##omplished tea#her

T2>T/E The Sel or Soul alone is true!

SA@ATA@/E The word means Heternal!J The Soul is eternalO 'od is eternal!

SA@ATA@ 7A2(/E %t is the #ondu#t that unites with 'od!

-A2/E H-arJ is the #onli#t between the ri#hes o di&inity and the de&ilish hoard that

represent the two distin#t" #ontradi#tory impulses o the mind and heart! %ts inal #onseKuen#e is

the annihilation o both!

.S


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'od$gited intuition in a sageIs heart" per#eptible only when the Supreme Being stands as a

&ision within the worshipper!

T< 2


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the 'eeta are no geographi#al lo#ations! As the poet o the 'eeta has made .rishn re&eal to

Arjun" the physi#al" human body itsel is the sphere$the pat#h o earth$on whi#h the sown seeds

o good and e&il sprout as sanskar! The ten organs o sense" mind" intelle#t" sensibility" ego" the

i&e primary substan#es" and the three nature$born properties are said to be #onstituents o the

whole e,tension o this sphere! elplessly dri&en by the three properties$sattwa" rajas" and

tamas$man is #ompelled to a#t! e #annot sur&i&e or e&en a moment without undertaking

a#tion! .urukshetr is the sphere where" sin#e times immemorial" we ha&e been undergoingrepeated birth" repeated death" and repeated #on#eption in the motherIs womb! -hen" through

the agen#y o a noble tea#her$pre#eptor" the seeker embarks on the true way o worship and

meditation and begins gradually to make his way towards the Supreme Being$embodiment o the

most sublime dharm" .urukrhetr sphere o a#tion is transormed into 7harmkshetr sphere o

righteousness!

-ithin this human body" in its mind and heart$the innermost seats o thought and eeling$there

ha&e always dwelt the two distin#t" primordial tenden#ies$the di&ine and the de&ilish! Pandu" the

image o &irtue" and .unti" the type o dutiul #ondu#t" are parts o the treasure o di&inity!

Beore the awakening o righteousness in a manIs heart" with his dei#ient understanding he

regards whate&er he does as an obligation! But" in truth" he is in#apable o doing what isworthwhile be#ause there #annot be an awareness o proper duty without the ad&ent o moral

&irtue and goodness! .arn" who spends all his lie ighting the Panda&" is the only a#Kuisition o

.unti beore she is wedded to Pandu! And the most ormidable enemy o her other sons$the

Panda&$is this .arn! .arn is thus the type o a#tion that is hostile to the essentially di&ine

#hara#ter o the Sel! e stands or traditions and usages whi#h bind and hinder men rom getting

rid o alse" misguided rites and #eremonies! -ith the awakening o &irtue" howe&er" there is the

gradual emergen#e o 4udhisthir" the embodiment o dharmO

Arjun" the image o ae#tionate de&otionO Bheem" the type o proound sentimentO @akul" the

symbol o regulated lieO Sahde&" the adherer to truthO Satyaki" the repository o goodnessO the

.ing o .ashi" an emblem o the san#tity that abides within manO and .untibhoj" the symbol o

world$#onKuest through earnest undertaking o duty! The total number o the Panda& army is

se&en akshauhini! HAkshJ is another word or &ision! That whi#h is made up o lo&e and

awareness o truth is the treasure o di&inity! %n a#t" the se&en akshauhini" whi#h is gi&en as the

total strength o the Panda& army" is no physi#al re#koningO the number &erily represents the

se&en steps$the se&en stages o yog$that the seeker has to tra&erse in order to rea#h the most

sublime 'od" his supreme goal!

0pposed to the Panda& army" embodiments o pious impulses that are beyond #ounting" is the

army o .urukshetr$o the .aura&$with a strength o ele&en akshauhini!


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nature as real and thus ee#ts his degradation to birth in lower orms" the other #on&in#es him o

the reality and all$per&ading domination o the Supreme Being and so pro&ides a##ess to him!

-hen the seeker takes reuge in a sage who has per#ei&ed the essen#e" there is a gradual but

steady as#ent o &irtuous impulses on the one hand while" on the other" there is a de#line and

then the inal destru#tion o e&il impulses! -hen there remains no malady and the mind is

pere#tly restrained" e&en the restrained mind at last #eases to be and there is no longer any needo e&en the treasure o di&inity! Arjun has the &ision that ollowing ater the .aura& army" e&en

the Panda& warriors are hurling themsel&es into the iery mouth o the 0mnipresent and getting

annihilated!


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in your heart like a #harioteer!J -hen our Sel has be#ome one with the orm o the

a##omplished tea#her" he dwells as intimately with us as our own limbs! e begins to guide e&en

beore the emergen#e o &irtuous in#linations within the mind! And when he abides in the

de&oteeIs heart" he is e&er awake and inseparably with this dis#ipleIs Sel!

Ater &iewing 4ogeshwar .rishnIs maniold glories in Chapter 11" Arjun #ringes with ear and

begins to apologiMe or his petty improprieties! As an ae#tionate riend and #onsiderate tea#her".rishn readily orgi&es him and re$assumes his pla#id" benign orm! e then tells Arjun that

neither has anyone seen this maniestation o his in the past nor #an anyone see it in the uture! %

it is so" &ision o the Supreme Spirit was meant or Arjun alone" and the 'eeta then is apparently

o no use or us! But doesnIt Sanjay ha&e the same &ision along with Arjun/ And hasnIt .rishn

gi&en the assuran#e earlier that" enlightened and redeemed by the yagya o knowledge" many

sages ha&e been blessed with a dire#t per#eption o him/ -hat ater all does 4ogeshwar .rishn

intend to #ommuni#ate/ Arjun is a personii#ation o ae#tion and dedi#ation" and these are

eelings shared by all mankind! @o man de&oid o these sentiments has seen the #o&eted 'od

beore and no man de&oid o these sentiments #an see him in the uture! %n 'oswami TulsidasIs

words" 2am #annot be realiMed without lo&ing aith despite endless re#itation" yog" and

relinKuishment! So Arjun is a symboli# igure! And i it is not so" it would be wiser o us to keepthe 'eeta aside" or in that #ase Arjun alone was entitled to per#eption o 'od!

At the end o the same #hapter i!e!" 11" .rishn assures his riend and de&otee" H0 Arjun"

s#or#her o enemies" a worshipper #an know this orm o mine dire#tly" a#Kuire its essen#e" and

e&en be#ome one with it by total and unswer&ing de&otion!J H%ntent de&otionJ is only another

e,pression or Htender ae#tion!J And that is the distinguishing mark o Arjun! e is also a

symbol o seeking! An a&atar" too" is symboli#al and so are also all the other #hara#ters o the

'eeta so that we may be enabled to see in the great war o .urukshetr Hthe battle$ield o the

Soul!J

%rrespe#ti&e o whether there were a#tual histori#al personages su#h as Arjun and .rishn" and o

whether there was an a#tual war #alled the (ahabharat" the 'eeta is by no means a portrayal o

physi#al warare! Standing on the brink o that histori#al war" it was not his army but Arjun who

was unner&ed! The army was ully in readiness to ight! 7oesnIt it imply" then" that by prea#hing

to Arjun" .rishn had only #onerred on his belo&ed riend and dis#iple the ability to be worthy o

his army/ %n a#t" the whole o the means or spiritual a##omplishment #annot be put down in

bla#k and white!


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CAPT


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Supreme Spirit that trans#ends it! This is the only #onKuest in whi#h there is no prospe#t o

deeat! This is true sal&ation ater whi#h there are no etters o birth and death!

The mind lying in the abyss o ignoran#e per#ei&es through one who has mastered the mind and

the senses" and thus knows what has transpired on the battleield" where ighters in#lude e&en

those who ha&e known its reality! ?ision is e&er in proportion to mastery o the mind and the

senses!

*! HSanjay said" QAt the time" ater ha&ing seen the Panda& army standing in battle array" .ing

7uryodhan approa#hed his tea#her 7rona#harya and spoke thus!I II

7ual #ondu#t itsel is 7rona#harya! -hen the awareness dawns that we are alienated rom 'od

there arises in the heart an a#ute hunger or the attainment o that e,alted Spirit! 0nly then do we

set out to seek an a##omplished tea#her" a realiMed sage 'uruU)V! Between the two opposed

impulses" this awareness is the irst initiator into wisdom" although the tea#her o ultimate

e,#ellen#e will be 4ogeshwar .rishnUV! himsel" an adept in yogUV!

U)VThe Sanskrit eKui&alent here is guru: an ideal tea#her! The un#tion o su#h a tea#her" as itis understood in indu thought" is twoold! e" o #ourse" elu#idates the s#riptures" but" what

is more important" he also tea#hes by the e,ample o his lie!

UVTo grasp the spirit o the 'eeta it is important to keep in mind that .rishn is a mortal as

well as 'od ?ishnu" eKui&alent to Brahm$ the Supreme Spirit" in his eighth in#arnation!

UV4og : that whi#h unites the Sel with the Supreme Spirit! 4ogeshwar is an adept in yog!

.ing 7uryodhan" an embodiment o e,#essi&e atta#hment to worldly obje#ts" goes to his tea#her!

Atta#hment is at the root o all gries" indeed their so&ereign! %t tempts one away rom the

spiritual treasure and so it is named 7uryodhan! 0nly the Soul property is the stable property and

it is atta#hment whi#h generates impurity in it! %t draws one to the material world! But it also

pro&ides the primary moti&e or enlightenment! %nKuisiti&eness is possible only as long as there

is atta#hment" or else only the impe##able Spirit remains!

So" ater ha&ing seen the Panda& army arrayed" that is" ater ha&ing glimpsed the righteous

impulses that are in tune with the Sel" 7uryodhan" a &i#tim o atta#hment" goes to his tea#her

7rona#harya and says:

;! HBehold" 0 master" this massi&e army o PanduIs sons marshalled in battle ormation by your

wise pupil" the son o 7rupad 7hristdyumn!II

7hristdyumn" the son o 7rupad" is the steadast mind that treasures aith in the uni&ersal"immutable reality! e is thus the master" the type o righteous impulses that lead to selless

a#ti&ity in a spirit o egoless re&eren#e to spiritual di&inity! H@ot means but the determination o

mind needs to be irm!II

Get us now re&iew the Panda& army at length!

! Here in the army are many &aliant ar#hers" 4uyudhan" ?irat and the great martial #ommander

7rupad" who are a worthy mat#h or the bra&e Arjun and Bheem" andE II

This army is #omposed o those who #an guide souls to the Supreme Spirit" like Bheem who is

an embodiment o resolute sentiment" the image o tender de&otion Arjun" and many other&aliant warriors su#h as Satyaki" endowed with goodness" ?irat and the great warrior leader

7rupad" symboliMing #onsisten#y and steadastness on the path o spirituality" andE


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)! H7hrishtketu" Chekitan" and the mighty .ing o .ashi" as well as Purujeet and .untibhoj" and

Shaibya" the unparalleled among men andE II

7hrishtketu" the steadast$in$duty" Chekitan" who #an rein in his straying thought and #on#entrate

it on the Supreme Spirit! The .ing o the holy #ity o .ashi" an emblem o the sa#redness that

resides within the world o the body! Purujeet" the one who obtains &i#tory o&er matter in all itsorms$gross" subtle" and instrumental! .untibhoj" who #onKuers world lie by doing what is

worthy o doing! Then Shaibya" o &irtuous #ondu#t!

! HThe &alorous 4udhmanyu" the mighty >ttmauj" Saubhadr" and 7raupadiIs i&e sons" all great

warriors!II

The heroi# 4udhmanyu o warlike temperO >ttmauj with the spirit o abandon that lows rom

sa#red e,#ellen#eO Abhimanyu Saubhadr" SubhadraIs son" with a mind without ear be#ause it

is propped up by righteousness" and the i&e sons o 7raupadi who hersel is a orm o

dis#ernment o the di&ine" all are great warriors named tenderness" beauty" #ompassion" spiritual

repose and #onsisten#y! All o them are noted or their ability to tra&erse the path o spiritualulillment with pere#t skill!

7uryodhan thus enumerates to his tea#her about a s#ore o names rom the side o the Panda&"

whi#h represent some &ital prin#iples o di&ine e,#ellen#e! Although the monar#h o impulses

that are alien to the essentially spiritual #hara#ter o the Sel" it is ignoran#e atta#hment that

irst moti&ates us to stri&e or the realiMation o the treasure o di&inity!

As or his own side" 7uryodhan dwells on it but briely! ad it been an a#tual" e,ternal war" he

would ha&e gi&en an elaborate a##ount o his army! But only a ew per&ersions are #ited" or they

ha&e to be #onKuered and they are destru#tible! There are mentioned only about hal a doMen o

these" at the heart o all o whi#h there yet dwells an unworldly propensity!

! HBe it known to you" 0 the worthiest o the twi#e$bornU8VBrahmins" the names o those who

are most eminent amongst us" the #hies o our armyO these % now name or your inormation!J

HThe worthiest o the twi#e$born!J That is how 7uryodhan addresses his tea#her 7rona#harya

beore he introdu#es to him the #hies o his army! HThe worthiest o the twi#e$bornJ would

hardly be an appropriate term o address or a #ommander$in$#hie i the war were a physi#al"

e,ternal war! %n a#t" the 'eeta dwells upon the #onli#t between #ontradi#tory innate impulses"

upon the dual #ondu#t whi#h is 7rona#harya! The world o matter e,ists and there is duality i

we are e&en in the least isolated rom 'od! owe&er" the urge" too" or o&er#oming this dualityo obje#t$spirit is deri&ed irst rom the tea#her 7rona#harya! %t is impere#t knowledge that

indu#es the hunger or enlightenment!

U8VTwi#e$born be#ause o the spiritual birth or awakening attainments that #omes through

sel$study and #ontemplation!

%t is now time to ha&e a look at the leaders o the impulses whi#h are hostile to the essentially

sa#red #hara#ter o the Sel!

8! H4our &enerable sel" Bheeshm and .arn" and also .ripa$&i#tor in wars" Ashwatthama and

?ikarn" as well as Saumdutti Bhurishrawa" son o Somdutt!II

The #ommander$in$#hie is 7rona#harya himsel" symboliMing dual #ondu#t! And then there is


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the grandsire Bheeshm" the &ery image o delusion! 7elusion is the ountainhead o de&iation

rom the ideal state! Sin#e it sur&i&es till the &ery end" delusion is the grandsire! The whole army

has perished" but Bheeshm yet li&es on! e lies un#ons#ious on his bed o arrows and still

#ontinues to breathe! Gike Bheeshm" too" are .arn" a betrayer o the sa#red #hara#ter o Sel" and

the #onKuering warrior .ripa#harya! .ripa#harya represents the a#t o #ompassion by the seeker

in the state beore Sel$realiMation! 'od is the mine o #ompassion and the sage attains to the

same state ater ulillment! But during the period up to a##omplishment" so long as theworshipper is remo&ed rom 'od and 'od is remo&ed rom him" when the un#ongenial impulses

are still ali&e and strong" and he is besieged by delusion$i the seeker eels #ompassion at this

stage" he is destroyed! 6or a#ting with pity" Sita U9Vhad to undergo penan#e in Ganka or years!

U9VSita was the wie o Gord 2am" who was the main #hara#ter o the epi# 2amayan! (other

.aikayi banished him as a re#luse to the orests! 0beying the order o his mother Gord 2am

stayed in the jungles! Sita appealed to Gord 2am to bring her a 'olden 7eer! 2am in order to

ulill his wie3s desire" went ater the deer but instru#ted her or her prote#tion not to lea&e

the saety o her meditation hut no matter what the temptation" while she was alone" until he

returned! 0n#e 2am had let" seeing Sita alone and unprote#ted" 2a&an$


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his sake e&en at the #ost o their lie! But there is no pre#ise enumeration o them! 7uryodhan

then points out the innate Kualities with whi#h ea#h o the two armies is ortiied!

1+! H0ur army deendedU1+Vby Bheeshm is un#onKuerable" while their army deended by

Bheem is easy to &anKuish!II

7uryodhanIs army" HdeendedJ by Bheeshm" is in&in#ible" whereas the opposing army o thePanda&" HdeendedJ by Bheem" is easy to #onKuer! The use o ambiguous puns su#h as a

paryaptam and aparyaptamU11Vis itsel a sign o 7uryodhanIs doubtul state o mind! So we

ha&e to look #areully at the power that Bheeshm represents on whi#h all the .aura& hopes rest"

as well as the Kuality symboliMed by Bheem whi#h the Panda&$endowed with the treasure o

di&inity$rely upon! 7uryodhan then gi&es his inal estimate o the situation!

U1+V%n the an#ient indu art o warare" ea#h army had o #ourse a #ommander$in$#hie" but

it had also a #hampion" a man o &alour$#ourage and intelligen#e" who a#ted as its deender!

U11VTwo #ontradi#tory interpretations are possible be#ause aparyaptam means both

insui#ient or unlimited and paryaptam both adeKuate and limited!

11! HSo" while keeping to your respe#ti&e stations in the se&eral di&isions" all o you should

doubtlessly prote#t Bheeshm alone on all sides!J

7uryodhan #ommands all his #hies to keep to their posts and yet prote#t Bheeshm on all sides!

The .aura& #annot be deeated i Bheeshm is sae and ali&e! So it is obligatory or all the .aura&

#hies to deend Bheeshm rather than ight with the Panda&! This is intriguing! Ater all" what

kind o HdeenderJ is this Bheeshm who #annot e&en deend him sel/ -hat #ompli#ates the

matter e&en more is that the .aura& are also wholly dependent on him! So they ha&e to de&ise all

possible measures o deen#e or him! This is #ertainly no physi#al warrior! Bheeshm is delusion!

So long as delusion is ali&e" unrighteous impulses #annot be &anKuished! H%n&in#ibleJ here

means Hdii#ult to &anKuishJ rather than Himpossible to &anKuish!J As 'oswami Tulsidas has

said" HThe most dii#ult to #onKuer is the hostile world o matter and the one who subdues it is

indeed heroi#!II

% delusion #eases" ignoran#e too #eases to e,ist and the residues o negati&e eelings su#h as

e,#essi&e atta#hment hasten to a Kui#k demise! Bheeshm is blessed with death by wish! So the

death o desire and death o delusion are one and the same! This idea has been so lu#idly

e,pressed by Sant .abir: HSin#e desire is the maker o birth and illusion" and it is desire that

#reates the material world" he who abandons desire is the one who #annot be #onKuered!II

That whi#h is ree rom delusion is eternal and unmaniest! 7esire is illusion and progenitor othe world! %n .abirIs &iew" Hthe Sel whi#h a#hie&es reedom rom desire is united with the

athomless" eternal" boundless reality! 0ne who is ree rom desire dwells within the Sel and

ne&er alls rom gra#e" or he has his being in the Supreme Spirit!J At the beginning there are

numerous desires" but e&entually there remains only a longing or the realiMation o 'od! The

ulillment" too" o this wish also marks the end o desire! ad there been something higher"

greater" or more pre#ious than 'od" one" would surely ha&e #ra&ed or it! But when there is

nothing beyond or abo&e him" what else #an be desired/ -hen all things that #an be had are

a#hie&ed" the &ery roots o desire are destroyed and delusion perishes utterly! This is BheeshmIs

death by wish! Thus" deended by Bheeshm" 7uryodhanIs army is in&in#ible in e&ery respe#t!

%gnoran#e is present as long as there is delusion! -hen delusion is dead" ignoran#e also dies!

The Panda& army" on the #ontrary" deended as it is by Bheem" is easy to #onKuer! Bheem is the

&ery image o sentiment! H'od dwells in eeling!II .rishn has des#ribed it as de&otion! %t lays


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hold on e&en 'od! The sentiment o de&otion is a pious impulse o lawless pere#tion! %t is a

prote#tor o righteousness! 0n the one hand so resour#eul that it brings about realiMation o the

Supreme Spirit" on the other hand it is also so deli#ate and ragile that this dayIs idelity and

adheren#e oten turn into nothingness and e&en outright pri&ation on the ne,t day! Today we

admire a sage or his &irtue" but the &ery ne,t day we grumble and #a&il be#ause we ha&e seen

him relishing deli#a#ies! 7e&otion is shaken by suspi#ion o e&en the slightest law in the lo&ed

one! The impulse o righteousness is undermined and the ties with the obje#t o ae#tionatede&otion are broken! So it is that the Panda& army deended by Bheem #an be #onKuered with

ease! (aharshi Patanjali has gi&en e,pression to a similar &iew! H0nly meditation pra#tised or a

long time with #onstant de&otion and re&eren#e #an be irm!II @ow let us listen to the lourish o

the warriorsI #on#hes!

1*! HTo 7uryodhanIs delight then" his mighty grandsire and the eldest o the .aura& Bheeshm

blew his #on#h to blare orth a lion$like roar!II

Con#hes are blown ater the .aura& ha&e taken sto#k o their strength! The trumpeting o

#on#hes is a de#laration o the intention" o ea#h o the #hies" o what he #an oer ater

#onKuest! The mighty grandsire Bheeshm" the eldest o the .aura&" blows his #on#h to produ#e alion$like roar whi#h gladdens 7uryodhanIs heart! The lion represents the terrible" tooth$and$

#law" aspe#t o nature! 0ur hair stands on end and our hearts beat &iolently when we hear the

roar o a lion in a still" solitary orest e&en though we are miles away rom the beast! 6ear is a

property o nature" not o 'od! Bheeshm is the &ery image o delusion! % delusion pre&ails" it

will enwrap the material worldIs orest o ear whi#h we inhabit in yet another shroud o ear to

make the e,isting dread e&en more rightening! 7elusion #annot oer anything else e,#ept this!

So renun#iation o the material world is the right step or one who Kuests or Sel$realiMation!

-orldly in#linations are like a mirage$a mere shadow o ignoran#e" and the .aura& ha&e nothing

to de#lare against this! @umerous #on#hes rom their side are trumpeted simultaneously" but they

altogether inspire no other eeling e,#ept ear! 6ear" although in &arying degrees" is born out o

ea#h per&ersion! Similar is also the message o the #on#hes o the other .aura& #hies!

1;! HThen there abruptly arose a tumult o #on#hes and kettledrums" tabors" drums" and #ow$

horns!II

Ater BheeshmIs blowing o his #on#h" numerous other #on#hes" drums" and trumpets are

sounded together" and they make an awesome noise! The .aura& ha&e no message other than

that o ear! %nto,i#ated with a sense o alse su##ess" the outward$looking impulses that oend

and demean the human Soul render the bonds o inatuation yet stronger!

@ow the Panda&" representing righteous impulses that are in harmony with the di&ine #hara#tero the Sel" respond to the .aura& #hallenge with their own de#larations" the irst o whi#h is

made by 4ogeshwar .rishn himsel!

1! HThen" too" (adha& .rishn and PanduIs son Arjun" seated in the magnii#ent #hariot to

whi#h white steeds were yoked" blew their #elestial #on#hes!II

Ater the .aura&" .rishn and Arjun" riding in their magnii#ent" sa#red #hariot drawn by

lawlessly white horses HwhiteJ symboliMes purity" also blow their H#elestialJ #on#hes!

HCelestialJ means beyond the material world! 4ogeshwar .rishnIs trans#endental message is a

promise to render unto souls the most auspi#ious" unworldly e,isten#e that is beyond the worlds

o both mortals and gods" and &erily the whole uni&erse BrahmlokU1*V" whi#h are all ali#tedwith the ear o birth and death! The #hariot under his #harge is not made o gold and sil&er and

woodO e&erything about him is #elestial" the #hariot" the #on#h and" thereore" also his message!


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Beyond these worlds there is only the one uniKue and indes#ribable 'od! .rishnIs message is o

establishing a dire#t #onta#t with this Supreme Being! But how will he ae#t this state/

U1*V0ne o the three worlds o indu thought: (rityulok the earth$the world o mortals"

7e&lok hea&en$the world o gods" and Brahmlok the world o Brahma who is the most

hoary and the grandsire o all gods" yet not eternal!

1)! QQ-hile rishikesh .rishn blew his #on#h Pan#hjanya and 7hananjay Arjun the #on#h

named 7e&dutt" ?rikodarU1;VBheem o awesome deeds blew the great #on#h Paundr!II

So rishikesh lord o the senses" who knows all the mysteries o the human heart" blows the

#on#h Pan#hjanya! This is a de#laration o his intent to restrain the i&e organs o per#eption

whi#h #orrespond to word" tou#h" orm" taste" and smell" and to transmute their in#linations into

de&otion!


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o the sphere o a#tion has been re&ealed! e is enabled e&entually" by 'od who alone is real"

#easeless" and immutable" to o&er#ome all the #ontradi#tions!

@akul" who is a symbol o restraintU1V" blows the #on#h named Sughosh! As restraint grows

irmer" e&il is subdued and the dominan#e o righteousness is pro#laimed! Sahde&" the adherer to

truth" blows on the #on#h whi#h bears the name o (anipushpak! Sages ha&e des#ribed ea#h

breath as a pre#ious ruby! H-hat a pity that we sKuander the jewels o our breath on idle gossipFJ0ne kind o satsang is the moral dis#ourse we hear rom noble men" but the real spiritual

dis#ourse is internal! A##ording to .rishn" the Sel alone is true and eternal! True satsang #omes

about when the mind reins itsel in rom all e,ternals and dwells with the Sel! This adheren#e to

truth is #ulti&ated by in#essant rele#tion" meditation" and samadhiU1)V! The more joy one eels in

dwelling with the one reality" the more restraint one gains o&er ea#h breath" the mind" and the

instruments by whi#h obje#ts o sense ae#t the Sel! The day they are totally restrained is the

day when we are absorbed in the ultimate essen#e! Pro&iding" like a good instrument"

harmonious a##ompaniment to the song o the Sel is true satsang!

U1V%n yog philosophy" restraint o the mind is a##epted as the se#ond o the eight prin#ipal

steps o meditation!U1)VSamadhi$ pere#t absorption o the mind and heart in the one #ontemplated obje#t" i!e!

'od!

The physi#al ruby is hard" but the jewel o breath is e&en more tender than a lower! 6lowers all

and wither soon ater they bloom" and we #an ne&er say that we shall li&e until the ne,t breath!

But i there is true adheren#e to the Sel" it leads us to realiMe the highest goal through pro&iding

#ontrol o&er ea#h breath! There is nothing to pro#laim beyond this" although ea#h de&i#e is

helpul in tra&ersing a #ertain stret#h o the path o spiritual pere#tionU1V! Sanjay urther speaks

on the subje#t:

U1VState o deta#hment rom the material uni&erse and renun#iation o worldly desires!

1$18! HThe .ing o .ashi" a great bowman" Shikhandi who dwells in the Supreme Spirit" the

un&anKuished 7hristdyumn" ?irat and Satyaki" 7rupad and the sons o 7raupadi" and

SubhadraIs son o powerul arms Abhimanyu" all blew" 0 lord o the earth" their own

#on#hes!II

The sa#red #ity o .ashi is an emblem o the sa#redness that resides in the physi#al body! -hen

a man withdraws his mind and sense organs rom all physi#al things and #on#entrates on the Sel

within his body" he is pri&ileged to merge with and dwell within 'od! The body whi#h is #apable

o su#h a union is .ashi! The Supreme Spirit dwells in and per&ades e&ery single body! SoHparmeshwasahJ here means dwelling in the Supreme Spirit rather than a Hmighty warrior!II

Shikhandi represents the reje#tion o shikha$sutrU1Vsa#red signs traditionally worn by indus!

There are people who belie&e they ha&e a#hie&ed renun#iation just be#ause they ha&e got their

heads sha&ed #lean" #ast away their sa#red threads" and stopped lighting ire! But they are

mistaken" or" as a matter o a#t" shikha symboliMes a goal whi#h has to be attained" and sutrU18V

the merits o a#tion in a pre&ious e,isten#e sanskar! The #hain o sanskar is inta#t so long as

'od has yet to be realiMed! ow #an there be true renun#iation till the moment o that

ulillment/ Till then we are only wayarers! 7elusion subsides only when the desired 'od is

attained and the merits o pre&ious deeds are redu#ed to nothing! So it is Shikhandi who pro&es

to be the undoing o Bheeshm" the image o delusion and sel$de#eption! Shikhandi representsthe uniKue Kuality that is essential or the man who #hooses the path o rele#tion" a truly mighty

ighter on his side!


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U1VShikha is a lo#k o hair grown on the #rown and sutr is the sa#red or sa#rii#ial thread

worn by indus! A##ording to the (ahabharat" in order to a&ert the #alamity o her ather$in$

law iranya&armans" to whose daughter she was married as an a#t o de#eption" in&ading the

kingdom o her ather 7rupad" Shikhandi managed$by se&ere austerities$to e,#hange her se,

with a yaksh! Thus transormed in se," Shikhandi aterwards in the (ahabharat war

su##eeded in killing Bheeshm" who de#lined to ight with a woman!U18VThe word has se&eral other meanings" too" su#h as pere#tion " sa#red rites" et#!

7hristdyumn" the steadast mind that treasures aith in the uni&ersal" immutable di&inity" and

?irat" #apable o per#ei&ing the omnipresen#e o the great 'od" are the main #onstituents o

sa#red e,#ellen#e! Satyaki is truthulness! There #an ne&er be a all rom piety as long as there is

truthulness or the desire to ponder o&er truth" it always prote#ts us rom being routed in the war

between spirit and matter!

7rupad" representing the ideal o #onsisten#y and steadastness in the perorman#e o duty" the

i&e sons o meditation$like 7raupadi" symbols o #ompassion" tenderness" beauty" and spiritual

repose" who are all great warriors pro&iding assistan#e to the Kuest or the desired goal" and thelong$armed Abhimanyu" all blow their separate #on#hes! HArmJ is a symbol o the sphere o

a#tion! -hen the mind is reed rom ear" its rea#h is immensely enlarged!

So Sanjay addresses 7hritrashtr and a#Kuaints him with how the #hies o the Panda& army ha&e

made their pro#lamations with their #on#hes!


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'i&ing up lust or material obje#ts whi#h ha&e been heard or seen" o worldly obje#ts and sensual

pleasures" is renun#iation! So" ater ha&ing seen 7hritrashtrIs sons arrayed just when missiles are

about to be laun#hed" Arjun" whose distin#ti&e motto is renun#iation" lits his bow and speaks to

rishikesh" the lord o senses and knower o the mysteries o the heart" addressing him as the

Hinallible!J e reKuests his #harioteer to station the #hariot between the two armies! is words"

howe&er" are not words o #ommand to a #harioteer" but a prayer by a de&otee to the worshipped

one" an a##omplished tea#her! But why does he want .rishn to park the #hariot/

Arjun wants to as#ertain well who the warriors intent upon battle are" whom he has to ight in

this business o warare!

*;! HSin#e % wish to obser&e those who ha&e assembled here to ight or pleasing 7hritrashtrIs

wi#ked$minded son 7uryodhan in the battle!II

Arjun wants the #hariot to be parked in ront o the .aura& so that he may see the kings" desirous

o battle" who ha&e joined the e&il$minded 7uryodhan or the sake o his happiness$or

7uryodhan who represents e,#essi&e atta#hment! Arjun wishes to obser&e well the kings who

ha&e assembled to ight in the war or the #ause o inatuation!

*$*)! QQThus addressed by 'udakeshU19V" 0 des#endant o Bharat 7hritrashtr" rishikesh

parked the uniKue #hariot between the two armies" in ront o Bheeshm" 7ron" and all the other

kings" and said" QBehold" 0 son o PrithaU*+VArjun" the assembled .uru!I II

Sanjay inorms 7hritrashtra how on being reKuested by Arjun" who has mastered sleep" .rishn"

who knows all that is to know o the mind and heart" parks the #hariot o une,#elled beauty in

the midst o all the kings who ha&e staked out #laims on the earth whi#h is the body in

ma#ro#osm" and asks Parth to behold the assembled .aura&! The He,#ellentJ #hariot in Kuestion

is made o neither gold nor sil&er" nor o any material substan#e!


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sees that he has to ight his own amily!

U*1V%n the >panishad .atha" the .ing o 7eath says to @a#hiket" 5.now that the body is the

#hariot" the Sel the rider" the intelle#t is the #harioteer" and the mind the reins!5

*8$;+! HArjun said" ISeeing these kith and kin" mustered with the purpose o waging war" 0.rishn" my limbs grow weak" my mouth is dry" my body trembles" my hair stands on end" the

'andee& ArjunIs bow slips rom my hand" my skin is burning all o&er" % am unable to stand"

and my mind is bewildered!II

Gooking at the gathering o his kinsmen" Arjun is unner&ed! is body grown inert" his mouth is

par#hed" his limbs tremble" and his hair stands ere#t! The 'andee& alls rom his hand and his

skin is hot! e is sorely distressed by the prospe#t o a war in whi#h his own kinsmen a#e him!

e is #onused! e bewails that he #annot e&en stand properly and look ahead!

;1! H% see" 0 (adha& .rishn" inauspi#ious portents" and % #an per#ei&e no prei, in the idea o

slaughtering kinsmen in the battle!II

Arjun sees ad&erse signs o the impending war! e does not see anything propitious in the

slaying o his own amily! ow #an any good result rom su#h killing/

;*! QQ% aspire" 0 .rishn" ater neither &i#tory nor a realm and its pleasures or o what a&ail is

so&ereignty to us" 0 'o&ind .rishn" or enjoyment" or e&en lie itsel/J

ArjunIs whole amily is on the brink o war! So he does not wish or either &i#tory or the

kingdom that this &i#tory may bring him" or e&en the pleasures o that kingdom! 0 what use will

be a kingdom or enjoyment or lie to him/ e then states the reasons or his relu#tan#e to ight in

the war:

;;! HThey or whose sake we #ra&e or a kingdom" pleasures" and enjoyments are ormed up

here" putting at stake both their li&es and wealth!II

The amily" or whose sake Arjun has desired the happiness o a kingdom and other pleasures" is

now mustered on the battleield despairing o its lie! % he had desired a kingdom" it was or

them! % he had hungered or the pleasures o wealth and indulgen#e" it was be#ause he wanted to

enjoy it along with his kith and kin! But he now desires neither a kingdom nor pleasures" nor

enjoyment" be#ause he sees his kinsmen standing against him without any hope o lie! -hate&er

he had desired was dear to him or their sake! But he does not need these things i he has to getthem at the #ost o his kinsmen! 7esires remain as long as there are amily ties!


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The people to be slain are ArjunIs own lesh and blood! As he tells .rishn sorrowully" he does

not wish to harm his kinsmen although in doing so he might lose his own lie at their hands" e&en

or ruling o&er all the three worlds!

U**VAn epithet o ?ishnu" the irst deity o the indu Trinity" meaning .iller o the demon

(adhu and also destroyer o arrogan#e!

%n an army ormed o appro,imately )+ million men Arjun #an see only his own amily! -ho

really are these innumerable kinsmen/ Arjun &erily is an image o tender de&otion! is dilemma

is the one that a#es e&ery de&otee when he sets out on the path o worshipul adoration bhajan!

%t is e&eryoneIs desire that he should attain the highest reality by re&eren#e and worship! But he

is illed with despair when" under an e,perien#ed and a##omplished tea#herIs tutelage" he #omes

to understand the undamental nature o the #onli#t between the material body and the di&ine

Sel" and realiMes against whom he has to wage his war! e wishes that his atherIs amily" his

wieIs amily" his maternal un#leIs amily" people who lo&e him" riends" and tea#hers should all

li&e with him in happiness" and that" while pro&iding or all o them" he should also attain 'od!

So he is #onused when #onronted with the a#t that in order to orge ahead in his task o

worship he has to abandon his amily! Be#ause o his atta#hment" the prospe#t o se&ering thebonds o kinship #onuses and unner&es him!

(y noble tea#her" the re&ered ParamhansU*;VParmanand i used to say" HTo be a sadhu as#eti#

is the same as to die!J


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7hritrashtr/ 0nly sin will all to our lot i we kill e&en these wi#ked men!J

-hat happiness #an Arjun gain rom killing 7hritrashtrIs sons/ 7hritrashtrU*)Vdenotes the

Hinsolent or proligate nation"J and born rom it is 7uryodhan" the image o inatuation! But shall

e&en the slaying o su#h an e&il kinsman make Arjun and .rishn happy/ The .aura& are

unrighteous" but the Panda& will be only guilty o sin i they kill them! -e #all men e&ildoers i

they adopt impious ways or their li&elihood! %n a#t" howe&er" the worst elons are those whoput obstru#tions in the way o the Sel! The gra&est oenders in this respe#t are lust" wrath"

a&ari#e" and inordinate atta#hment whi#h obstru#t oneIs realiMation o the Sel!

U*V4et another epithet o .rishn" meaning one who is worshipped$soli#ited or prosperity

and eman#ipation!

U*)V7hrisht proliga#yW rashtr nation X 7hritrashtr!

;! HSo it is not or us to kill 7hritrashtrIs sons" or how indeed #an we be happy" 0 (adha&

.rishn" i we slaughter our own kinsmen/J

%s it not surprising that the .aura& are at this moment seen as kith and kin/ 7idnIt they #ome tothe battleield as oes/ %n truth" physi#al relationship arises rom ignoran#e! e is my maternal

un#leO here is my wieIs amilyO this is the #ommunity o my own people! -hat are all these" but

ignoran#e/ -e ha&e people who are ae#tionate to us and we ha&e our amily" and we ha&e our

world" but all these we ha&e only as long as there is atta#hment! All su#h ties are demolished

when there is no atta#hment! That is why e&en sworn enemies now appear to Arjun as kinsmen!

e asks .rishn how they #an be happy by killing their kinsmen! -ithout ignoran#e and

atta#hment the idea o amily #annot e,ist! Parado,i#ally" howe&er" it is this ignoran#e that also

pro&ides the initial urge or knowledge! Some great men like Bhartrihari and Tulsidas were

dri&en to renun#iation by their spouses" whereas there are e,amples o many others who ha&e

gone the same way be#ause o their disillusionment with the #ondu#t o a stepmother!

;8$;9! HAlthough" with their minds &itiated by greed" they the .aura& ha&e no awareness o the

e&il they do in destroying amilies and in being trea#herous to riends" why should we" 0

anardan" who know that it is e&il to destroy amilies" not turn away rom the sinul a#t/J

Straying rom righteousness be#ause o their arrogan#e and a&ari#e" the .aura& are blind to the

sin they #ommit by destroying amilies and pra#tising trea#hery against riends! This is their

error! But why" Arjun wishes to know rom .rishn" should they themsel&es" knowing the e&ils o

destroying amilies" not desist rom the #rime/ -hat deser&es spe#ial noti#e here is ArjunIs

belie that not only he" but .rishn" too" is about to make the same error! So he also indire#tly

a##uses .rishn!


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-hen unrighteous ways dominate a amily" its women lose their #hastity and there arises an

intermingling o dierent #lasses" o in#ompatible #ultures and ways o li&ing! A##ording to

Arjun" this sinul intermingling o##urs when women lose their &irtue! But .rishn #ontradi#ts

this: H% am ully #ontented in the Sel and there is nothing more pre#ious whi#h is beyond my

rea#h! 4et % #ontinue to pra#tise meditation and renun#iation" and urge others to the same! But

these are only means and not the goal" and when the goal is a#hie&ed who #ares or the means/So i the a#hie&er su#h as % negle#ts the means" his ollowers o an inerior merit will emulate

him and they" too" will gi&e up the reKuired means! Conused and misled rom the path o Sel$

realiMation" they then perish!J Ga#king in true a#hie&ement" they only swagger emptily as i they

were pere#t! This imitation #reates a #haos! There remains no distin#tion between the deser&ing

and the undeser&ing! This #onusion is &arnsankar and the tea#her himsel is held responsible or

this disorder! That is why an ideal tea#her always tea#hes by his own #ondu#t!

6or a while" howe&er" he #hooses to remain silent" and Arjun goes on with his elaboration o the

e&ils o &arnsankar!

*! HThe unholy intermingling o #lasses #ondemns the destroyer o the amily as well as theamily itsel to hell" or their an#estors" depri&ed o the oerings o obseKuial #akes o ri#e and

water libations" all rom their hea&enly abode!II

%t is a Kuality o &arnsankar to dispat#h amilies and their destroyers to hell! 7i&ested o

obseKuial gits o ri#e #akes" their oreathers also lose their hea&enly home! The present is

destroyed" the an#estors o the past all" and the posterity to #ome will also des#end to hell! @ot

only this" but$

;! HThe sin #ommitted by destroyers o amilies" whi#h #auses an intermingling o #lasses" puts

to an end the timeless dharm o both #aste and amily!II

A##ording to Arjun" the e&ils o &arnsankar destroy the traditions o both amilies and their

destroyers! e holds the &iew that amily traditions are #hangeless and eternal! But .rishn

reutes this later by asserting that Sel alone is the #hangeless and eternal Sanatan 7harmU*V!

Beore a man has realiMed the essen#e o this Sanatan 7harm" he gi&es #reden#e to some

tradition or the other! Su#h is ArjunIs belie at the moment" but in .rishnIs &iew it is a mere

delusion!

U*VSanatan is the eternal! Sanatan 7harm may thus be interpreted appro,imately as that

immutable shashwat" eternal" di&ine prin#iple that animates all things and beings" and

whi#h enables them to realiMe themsel&es! Sanatan is also the 'od almighty and &irtues thatre&eal him! ?alues that re&eal him within the heart are Sanatam 7harm!

! H-e ha&e heard" 0 anardan" that hell is indeed the miserable habitat" or an ininite time" o

men" the traditions o whose amilies ha&e been destroyed!J

(en whose amily traditions are destroyed ha&e to dwell in hell endlessly! -hat is signii#ant

though is that Arjun has only heard so! As he belie&es" with the destru#tion o a amily" not only

its traditions but also its #hangeless" e&erlasting dharm is destroyed! e thus eKuates traditions

with Sanatan 7harm! %t is well known" he says" how a man has to suer in hell or the loss o his

dharm! But he has only heard so: not seen" but only heard o it!

)! HTempted by the pleasures o temporal power" alas" what a heinous #rime ha&e we resol&ed

to #ommit by killing our own kith and kinFJ


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ow regrettable that although possessed o wisdom" they are yet determined to #ommit a gra&e

sin by being intent upon killing their own amily be#ause o greed o regal power and its

pleasures! At this point Arjun regards his knowledge as in no way less than that o .rishn! All

seekers" as it has already been said" eel thus at the outset! A##ording to (ahatma Buddh" so long

as a man has only partial knowledge he regards himsel as a repository o great wisdom" but as

he begins to learn the se#ond hal o the knowledge he has to a#Kuire" he regards himsel as agreat ool! Arjun #onsiders himsel a wise man in the same way! e takes the liberty o

persuading .rishn that it is simply not possible that their sinul a#t #an ha&e any propitious

out#ome" and also that their resol&e to destroy their amily is moti&ated by sheer greed o

so&ereignty and its pleasures! They are really #ommitting a terrible error! Con&in#ed that the

error is not only his" he has a dig at .rishn when he remarks that the error is also his! And" at

last" he deli&ers his inal &iew o the matter:

! H% shall indeed preer the prospe#t o being slain by the armed sons o 7hritrashtr while % am

mysel unarmed and unresisting!II

is death at the hands o 7hritrashrIsIs armed sons" while he himsel is unarmed and unresisting"will be a##ording to Arjun a ortunate e&ent! istory will then remember him as a magnanimous

man who had a&erted a war by sa#rii#ing his own lie! People orsake their li&es or the

happiness o tender" inno#ent #hildren so that the amily may thri&e! People go abroad and li&e in

lu,urious mansions" but ater two days they begin to pine or their dis#arded ho&els! Su#h is the

strength o atta#hment! %t is behind ArjunIs eeling that it will be propitious e&en i he is killed

unresisting by the armed sons o 7hritrashtr" or it will ensure the #hildren o the amily a

prosperous and happy lie!

! HSanjay said" ISpeaking thus and smitten by grie" in the midst o the battleield" Arjun put

aside his bow and arrows" and sat down in the #hariot!I II

%n other words" Arjun withdraws rom the #onli#t between the physi#al body$the sphere o

a#tion$and the Sel within with his awareness o 'od!

Y Y Y

The 'eeta is an in&estigation o the war o kshetr$kshetragya: o the #onli#t between the

material body" engaged in a#tion" and the a##omplished Soul that is e&er #ons#ious o his

oneness with the Supreme Spirit! A song o re&elation" it stri&es to demonstrate what 'od must

be in all his di&ine splendour! The sphere that the song #elebrates is a battleield: the body with

its dual" opposed impulses that #ompose the H7harmkshetrJ and the H.urukshetr!

The irst #hapter" as we ha&e seen" elaborates the respe#ti&e stru#ture and base o the strength

that #hara#teriMe the ad&ersaries! The sounding o #on#hes pro#laims their &alour as well as

intentions! There is then a re&iew o the armies that are" to ight in the war! Their numeri#al

strength is estimated at appro,imately )+ million" but the number is really ininite! @ature

embodies two points o &iew" rele&ant to the opposed impulses that #lash on the ield o a#tion!

There is irst the inward looking mind that always aims at realiMation o the Sel and looks up to

the adored 'od! 0n the other hand" there is the outward looking mind" preo##upied with the

material world and dominated by unrighteous impulses! The irst enables the sel to be absorbed

in the most sublime dharm that is embodied in 'od" whereas the se#ond #ontri&es illusion

maya by &irtue o whi#h the material world is taken as really e,istent and distin#t rom theSupreme Spirit! The initial step o the spiritual wayarer is to seek moral e,#ellen#e so as to

subdue unrighteous impulses! SubseKuently" with the per#eption o and union with the


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immutable" eternal 'od" e&en the need or righteousness is done away with and the inal

out#ome o the war between matter and spirit is re&ealed!

Gooking at the armies on the battleield o lie we see our own amilies" and they ha&e to be

destroyed! The world is but an e,tension o atta#hments! Atta#hment to the amily pro&es an

obsta#le in the primary stage o the worshipperIs de&otion to the desired goal! e is shaken when

he dis#o&ers that he shall ha&e to part with his near and dear ones and treat them as though theyhad ne&er e,isted! e inds nothing but unpropitious harm in his a#t o destroying his own

people! Gike Arjun he" looks or an es#ape into pre&ailing traditions! Arjun says that amily

traditions are the Sanatan 7harm! 7estru#tion o amily and #aste traditions by war is thus

destru#tion o the eternal dharm itsel! And when dharm is lost" women o the amily grow

un#haste and there is a sinul intermingling o #lasses whi#h must dri&e both the amily and its

destroyers to hell or an indeinite time! -ith his limited knowledge and wisdom" Arjun is

desperate to prote#t the amily traditions whi#h he regards as Sanatan 7harm! So he pleads with

.rishn and wishes to be enlightened on why they .rishn and he" men o saga#ity" should be

bent upon #ommitting the heinous sin o destroying their amily! A##ording to his &iew o the

issue at hand" e&en .rishn is about to be#ome an a##essory to the #rime! 6inally" he asserts

adamantly that in order to sa&e himsel rom the sin he shall not ight! Saying this he sinksdespairingly in the rear o the #hariot! %n other words" he turns his ba#k on the pre#ious enterprise

o the perennial #onli#t that rages between matter and spirit" between godly and ungodly

impulses" between or#es that drag a man down to gross nature and or#es that ele&ate and inally

take the Soul to the Supreme 'od!

Commentators ha&e #alled this irst #hapter o the 'eeta HArjun ?ishad 4og!J H?ishadJ is grie!

Arjun is a symbol o tender" ae#tionate de&otion! 'rie is the moti&e as well as instrument o

the de&otee who is #on#erned about the preser&ation o the Sanatan 7harm! Su#h was the sorrow

o (anu" whom indus belie&e to be the representati&e man and ather o the human ra#e!

'oswami Tulsidas has said" QI6ull o grie is my heart sin#e % ha&e only led my lie without lo&e

o 'od!J A man sinks into grie be#ause o irresolution! Arjun is apprehensi&e o &arnsankar" o

intermingling o #lasses" or su#h hybridiMation only leads to damnation! e also grie&es be#ause

he ears or the saety o Sanatan 7harm! So the title HSanshay ?ishad 4og"J is appropriate or

the #hapter!

Thus #on#ludes the 6irst Chapter" in the >panishad o the Shreemad Bhagwad 'eeta" on the

.nowledge o the Supreme Spirit" the S#ien#e o 4og" and the 7ialogue between .rishn and

Arjun" entitled:HSanshay ?ishad 4ogII" or QQThe 4og o %rresolution and 'rieII

Thus #on#ludes Swami AdgadanandIs e,position o the 6irst Chapter o the Shreemad Bhagwad

'eeta in QQ4atharth 'eeta!II

A2% 0( TAT SAT

YYY

@ote: The te,t o the Book" 4atharth 'eeta is a&ailable in &arious %nternational


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The '


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CAPT2%0S%T4 AB0>T ACT%0@

%n the nature o a prea#e" Chapter 1 presents the seekerIs doubts and #onusions! The

parti#ipants in the war in#lude all o the .aura& and Panda&" but Arjun alone is subje#t to

misgi&ings! owe&er" Arjun is the &ery embodiment o de&otion as a wayarer on the path o

spiritual Kuest! %t is his lo&e or 'od that inspires him to get ready or the war between matterand spirit! The initial stage is thus o lo&e" adoration! (y re&ered tea#her used to say" HBelie&e

that adoration o the Supreme Spirit has #ommen#ed when" e&en while one is leading the lie o a

householderU*V" there are signs o weariness and tears" and sentiment so powerul that it #hokes

the throat!II (aniold strands are entwined in lo&e: o dharm" pre#ept" restraint" pious

asso#iation" and sentiment!

U*V'arhastya : the se#ond o the our stages in the traditional indu lie" the other three

being brahm#harya" &anprasth" and sanyas!

%n the irst stage o spiritual seeking" atta#hment to the amily looms as an obsta#le! At the outset

e&eryone wishes to a#hie&e the ultimate reality" but the worshipper is o&ertaken by despair whenhe realiMes that ater going a #ertain length o the way he will ha&e to se&er all his ties o

atta#hment to the amily! So he learns to be #ontented with whate&er #ustoms he had ollowed

earlier! e e&en #ites pre&ailing #ustoms to justiy his inatuation" just as Arjun does when he

insists that amily rites are Sanatan 7harm! The war will #ause the e,tin#tion o the Sanatan

7harm itsel and" along with that" destru#tion o amilies and loss o #i&iliMed ways! 6ar rom

being an independent &iew o Arjun" his ideas only rele#t some inherited #reeds he had a#Kuired

earlier beore approa#hing an a##omplished tea#her su#h as .rishn!

(ired in these traditions" men de&ise numerous religions" se#ts" groups small and large" and

#astes beyond re#koning! Some press the nose while others pier#e their ears" while yet others

lose their dharm be#ause they are tou#hed by someone" or be#ause their ood and drink are

deiled! %s it just to blame the so #alled Huntou#hablesJ or non$indus or this state o aairs/ By

no means! The blame should rather be apportioned among those who propagate delusions in the

name o dharm! As or us who listen to them" we are blind &i#tims o what are but misguided

#ustoms" and so we" too" ha&e to bear part o the blame!

%n (ahatma BuddhIs time there was a se#t #alled .esh$.ambalU*8V" the members o whi#h

regarded the pra#ti#e o growing hair" so that it #ould be used like a blanket" as a standard o

pere#tion! There ha&e been some who thought it pious to li&e like #ows" while others ha&e li&ed

and #ondu#ted themsel&es in the manner o dogs! But all these were only stupid #ustoms that

ha&e nothing to do with awareness o 'od! There were s#hisms and oolish #ustoms in the past"and they are with us e&en today! There were also di&isions and stupid #ustoms in .rishnIs time"

and Arjun is a &i#tim o some o them! This is seen rom his our arguments" namely that war

destroys the eternal Sanatan 7harm and that it produ#es &arnsankar" an unholy intermingling o

disparate #lasses and ways o lie! 0bseKuial oerings o diseased an#estors will #ease and that

we shall by being engaged in destroying our ra#e" in&ite great #urses on us! Thereupon"

4ogeshwar .rishn speaks to him!

U*8VGiterally translated" .esh$.ambal is blanket o hair!

1! HSanjay said" QTo him Arjun" whose eyes were brimming with tears o grie be#ause he was

o&er#ome by pity" (adhusudan spoke thus!III

To Arjun" his eyes illed with tears o sorrow and proound agitation" (adhusudan" the destroyer


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o arrogan#e" speaks:

*! QQThe Gord said" Q6rom what #ause" 0 Arjun" does this unmanly un$Arjun$like" hea&en$

barring" and shameul despair #ome o&er you at this perilous spot/III

.rishn uses the term H&ishamJ or the pla#e where Arjun and he are at the time! Besides meaning

Hdii#ultJ or Hdangerous"J the word also means HuniKueJ or HuneKualled!J So .rishn reallywishes to know that whi#h has #aused spiritual ignoran#e agyanU*9Vin Arjun in this unusual"

unparalleled setting! The setting is one" the like o whi#h" #an be ound nowhere else in the entire

world" be#ause it is the sphere o spiritual stri&ing towards an unworldly" #elestial goal! %n su#h a

uni&ersal and undisputed setting" how has spiritual ignoran#e #ome o&er Arjun/ -hy does

.rishn #all ArjunIs &iews spiritual ignoran#e/ as Arjun not said #ategori#ally that it is his

heartelt wish to deend Sanatan 7harm / %s it spiritual ignoran#e to be resol&ed" body and soul"

to prote#t what Arjun belie&es to be the immutable" eternal dharm/ A##ording to .rishn it is so"

or it has not been the pra#ti#e o those who truly deser&e to be #alled men! @either does it

pro&ide a##ess to hea&en! %t is also not #ondu#i&e to glory! The one who keeps irmly to the path

o righteousness is an Arya! %n indu s#riptures" instead o reerring to any ra#e or sto#k" HAryaJ

denotes an e,#eptionally #ulti&ated man who adheres s#rupulously to dharm! % dying or oneIsamily were not an instan#e o ignoran#e" .rishn adds" sages would ha&e pra#tised it! ad amily

traditions been the ultimate reality" they would ha&e been used as a ladder or #limbing up to

hea&en and sal&ation! -hen (eera sang her songs o di&ine adoration" people de#lared her

insane and her mother$in$law #ondemned her as a destroyer o the amily! But no one today

remembers the mother$in$law or shedding #opious tears o #on#ern about the well$being o her

amily and saety o its honour" while the whole world #herishes the memory o (eera! Ater all"

how long #an we remember the man who is #on#erned only about his amily/ %s it not e&ident

then that #ustoms whi#h bring neither glory nor sublime happiness" and whi#h ha&e at no time

been a##epted by an Arya a man o dharm" must be a kind o ignoran#e/ .rishn says to Arjun:

U*9VAgyan: the ignoran#e whi#h makes a man #onsider himsel as distin#t and separate rom

the Supreme Spirit and the material world as truly e,isting!

;! H7onIt gi&e in" 0 Parth" to unmanliness or it does not be#ome you! So" 0 Parantap" stand up

and dri&e away this disgra#eul weakness o your heart!II

.rishn e,horts Arjun not to yield to impoten#e klaibyam! %s Arjun impotent$la#king in &irility/

Are we &irile men/ An impotent man is one who is de&oid o manliness! All o us" a##ording to

our wisdom" do what we belie&e to be manly! A peasant who sweats day and night in his ields"

tries to pro&e his manliness by his labour! Some demonstrate their manliness in #ommer#e and

yet others try to pro&e that they are real men by abusing their powers! %roni#ally" howe&er" e&enater this lielong display o manliness" we depart but empty$handed at the end! %s it not ob&ious

then that all this is not true manliness/ True manliness is Sel$knowledge: awareness o the Soul

and its di&ine origin! To #ite yet another e,ample rom the Brihadaranyak >panishad" 'argi tells

4agn&alkya that a man" though endowed with se,ual prowess" is yet unmanly i he has no

awareness o the embodied Soul! This Sel is the real man Purush" radiant and unmaniest! The

endea&our to know this Sel is true manliness paurush! %t is be#ause o this that .rishn asks

Arjun not to surrender to impoten#e! %t is unworthy o him! e is a s#or#her" a ormidable

&anKuisher" o oes! So he ought to reje#t his gro&eling eebleness and stand up or battle! e

should gi&e up his so#ial atta#hments" or they are mere railties! At this Arjun raises his third

Kuestion:

! HArjun said" Qow" 0 (adhusudan" slayer o enemies" shall % shoot arrows in the battle against

men like Bheeshm and 7ron who deser&e only honour/III


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Arjun addresses .rishn as (adhusudan" destroyer o the demon o ego" and wants to know rom

him how he #an ight with his grandsire Bheeshm and tea#her 7ron! Both are deser&ing o only

re&eren#e! 7ual #ondu#t" as we ha&e seen" is 7rona#harya: the #ondu#t that arises rom the

eeling that 'od is separate rom us and we are separate rom him! But the #ons#iousness o this

duality is also the initial urge or spiritual a##omplishment! This is 7rona#haryaIs e,#ellen#e as a

tea#her! And then there is Bheeshm" the &ery image o delusion! So long as we stray rom theright path and are under the sway o delusion" #hildren" amily" and kinsmen all appear as our

own! The eeling that they belong to me$are mine" is the medium through whi#h delusion works!

The deluded man regards them as worthy o worship and #lings to them" or that one is ather"

the other one grandather" and still another the tea#her who has taught him! But ater spiritual

attainment there is neither tea#her nor pupil" and the Sel who has gained awareness o the

essen#e" o the Supreme Spirit" is let all alone!

-hen the Sel is absorbed in 'od" neither is the tea#her a pre#eptor nor the dis#iple a re#epta#le!

This is the state o the most e,alted e,#ellen#e! Ater assimilating the tea#herIs e,#ellen#e the

dis#iple shares it" and the distin#tion between the tea#her and the pupil is obliterated! .rishn

says" HArjun" you shall dwell in me!J Arjun will be#ome identi#al with .rishn" and the same istrue o e&ery sage who has known attainment! %n su#h a state the tea#herIs e,isten#e merges into"

and his magnii#en#e lows spontaneously like a #rystal stream through" the dis#ipleIs heart!

But Arjun is yet ar rom that state and at present he e,ploits e&en the tea#herIs oi#e as a shield

to ward o parti#ipation in the war!

)! Hpanishad! The >panishad Taittiriya says"

Those who worship ood as 'od Brahm gain all material obje#ts! 6rom ood are risen all

beings" whi#h born" li&e and grow by ood! All beings subsist on ood" and" when they die"

ood partakes o them!

%n the H7hamnadayad SuttJ o (ajjhim @ikaya" (ahatma Buddh has also de#lared the ood

obtained by begging inerior be#ause it is like lesh re#ei&ed as alms!

ow will he proit" Arjun asks" by killing his tea#hers/ -hat else #an the world reward him with

or this #rime but the unnatural enjoyment o bloodstained pleasures o sensual gratii#ation andmaterial prosperity/ %t appears rom this that he perhaps belie&es that lo&ing adoration o 'od

will augment his worldly happiness! So his only a#hie&ement e&en ater the most strenuous


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struggle" he belie&es" #an be nothing more than enjoyment o ri#hes whi#h sustain the body and

sensual pleasures! e goes on to make yet another reasoning:

! H% hardly know whi#h is better" their the .aura&Is #onKuering us or our #onKuering them $

e&en 7hritrashtr Is sons $who are our enemies" and yet ater killing whom we may not wish to

li&e!J


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perorman#e thereo! %n these works" hea&en is the ultimate goal: but .rishn later enlightens

Arjun that this line o thought is mistaken!

U;1V0ne o the se&eral names o .rishn" meaning 5a keeper o #ows5 or 5a herdsman!5

U;*V@ame o #ertain an#ient sa#red #ompositions" eighteen in number and belie&ed to ha&e

been written by ?yas! These works #ontain the whole body o indu mythology!

1+! Hrishikesh then" 0 Bharat 7hritrashtr" with a smile as it appeared" spoke thus to him

Arjun who sat mournully between the two armies!II

.rishn" knower o se#rets o the innermost heart rishikesh" speaks smilingly to the grie&ing

Arjun:

11! HThe Gord said" Although sorrowing o&er those who ought not to be grie&ed or" you yet

speak wise wordsO but the dis#riminating mourn o&er neither the li&ing nor those who are

dead!III

.rishn tells Arjun that while he grie&es or those who are unworthy o su#h grie" he also speakswords o wisdom" but men o dis#ernment mourn neither or those whose souls ha&e departed

nor or the ones who are li&ing! They do not grie&e or the li&ing be#ause they shall also die!

That means that Arjun only talks like a wise manO he does not know the reality" sin#e$

1*! H%t is not that either you or %" or all these kings" did not e,ist in the past" nor is it that our

being will #ome to an end in the uture!II

%t is not" .rishn e,plains" that he" the a##omplished tea#her" or Arjun$the de&oted pupil" or all

these kings with the &anity that is #hara#teristi# o rulers o men" did not e,ist at any time in the

ages to #ome! The a##omplished tea#her is or e&er" and so are ae#tionate dis#iples as well as

rulers who symboliMe the per&ersions o passion and moral blindness! ere" besides throwing

light on the permanen#e o 4og in general" 4ogeshwar .rishn has parti#ularly stressed its

e,isten#e in the uture!


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is subje#t to death" and so unreal and none,istent at all times!

.rishnIs injun#tion to Arjun is" H6ight be#ause the body is mortal!J But it is not e&ident rom the

e,hortation whether Arjun is reKuired to kill only the .aura&! ArenIt the men on the side o

Panda&" too" HbodiesJ/ Are the Panda& immortal/ % physi#al bodies are mortal" who is .rishn

there to deend/ %s Arjun not a body" too/ %s .rishn there to deend that body whi#h is unreal"

without being" and un#easing/ % it is so" may it not be assumed that he too is ignorant andla#king in dis#rimination" the power that distinguishes between the &isible world and the

in&isible Spirit! 7oesnIt he himsel say later that the man who thinks o and toils only or the

physi#al body ;!1; is ignorant and wanting in dis#ernment/ Su#h a wret#hed man li&es in &ain!

There is also another problem! -ho really is this Arjun/

As it was said in Chapter %" Arjun is an embodiment o ae#tionate de&otion! Gike a aithul

#harioteer" the re&ered 'od is always with his de&otee! Gike a riend" he guides him and shows

him the ri

Documents

The Science of Religion for Mankind Shreemad Bhagwad Geeta Yatharth Geeta