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I am Arjuna! Why Everyone finds an Echo in the Bhagavad Geeta

July 31, 2012

There is a very effective point made in lesson 1 of the Chinmaya International Foundation's  e-Gita course. It was brought up again by Swamini Vimalanandaji while introducing the context of the Bhagavad Gita at the Dharma Sevak program in Chinmaya Gardens, Coimbatore last week.


Reading chapter 1 of the Bhagavad Geeta, one should never be surprised if we find ourselves nodding at Arjuna's arguments. After all who wants war? As someone said, "War never settles what is right. Only what is left!"

Yet, there are many other reasons why Arjuna reminds us of ourselves.
  1. Like me, Arjuna is an accomplished individual who likes to win. He is ambitious. Frequently, we do not consider ourselves spiritual and are only seeking an answer to a topical problem.This contrasts to the Upanishads where the student is usually a spiritual person who has set out to seek the Truth.  
  2. We have all been through a situation which has taken an unexpectedly fearful turn. Or where my  emotions have clouded my understanding. Strangely, these problems  arise at the most inconvenient time. If only, Arjuna could have sorted these issues our when he was in exile and Śrī Kṛṣṇa seemed to pop in and out of their lives.
  3. Arjuna demands answers from Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the midst of a battlefield.  In war, it is kill or be killed. Everyday, in my own life, I am often faced with decisions that make the difference between success and failure. I want answers immediately. On the other hand in an Upanishadic setting, the student approaches a Rishi, a wise man who has discovered truth in a setting that appears far removed from the chaos that everyday life is. 
  4. At the beginning, Arjuna is thoroughly convinced about the strength of his arguments. It is only when he bursts into tears that he slowly realizes that he is धर्म सम्मूढचेताः "my mind is confused as to duty" (2-7). 
  5. In my case, the self deception is at its worst when in the guise of looking for answers, I simply want the world to confirm our analysis. As Pujya Gurudev says, about Arjuna: "He wants the moral support of his friend and charioteer to come to the conclusion that what he is feeling in his own mind is acceptable and just. But the endorsement and the intellectual sanction are not forthcoming from either the look of Krishna or the Lord's words."
  6. Arjuna's questions could as well have been asked by an intelligent person today: It is my choice to make, I have the right to 'not fight' this battle. 
  7. Even as he comes under the sway of Śrī Kṛṣṇa's teaching, his questioning does not stop. Is there really a Man such as the one you describe - who has transcended his ego? (chapter 2-54). What happens if one dies in the midst of seeking the Truth - is everything lost? (Chapter 8) Which is better - seeking the unmanifest, formless Ishwara or the manifest Ishwara as a deity I love? (Chapter 12) How can I seen Bhagavān? (Chapter 11). All of these have occurred to me at sometime or another.




Hari Om and Namaskaar until the next post

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