“Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me clearly what is best for me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me.” (Arjuna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.7)

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कार्पण्यदोषोपहतस्वभावः
पृच्छामि त्वां धर्मसम्मूढचेताः
यच्छ्रेयः स्यान्निश्‍चितं ब्रूहि तन्मे
शिष्यस्तेऽहं शाधि मां त्वां प्रपन्नम्

kārpaṇya-doṣopahata-svabhāvaḥ
pṛcchāmi tvāṁ dharma-sammūḍha-cetāḥ
yac chreyaḥ syān niścitaṁ brūhi tan me
śiṣyas te ’haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam

1. To guide him on what to do

This is the basic premise of Bhagavad-gita. Arjuna is ready to start fighting in a war. Everyone is already on the battlefield. This is the worst possible time to have cold feet, but Arjuna cannot help it. He knows that someone can help him, though. The access to that assistance is not difficult; as close by as the seat of the chariot upon which Arjuna is standing.

2. To tell him what is most beneficial to do

Shri Krishna is the guide relied upon by Arjuna. The subsequent conversation delves into much more broader topics than the basics of military conflict. Krishna explains life and death, the influence of time, the true position of the living being, and the relationship that living being has to the life of everything that lives.

पुण्यो गन्ध: पृथिव्यां च तेजश्चास्मि विभावसौ
जीवनं सर्वभूतेषु तपश्चास्मि तपस्विषु

puṇyo gandhaḥ pṛthivyāṁ ca
tejaś cāsmi vibhāvasau
jīvanaṁ sarva-bhūteṣu
tapaś cāsmi tapasviṣu

“I am the original fragrance of the earth, and I am the heat in fire. I am the life of all that lives, and I am the penances of all ascetics.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.9)

On occasion, the principles appear to contradict. Though Arjuna is the student, we are also de facto audience members. We are told that renouncing work is a bad idea and that at the same time the person who is in knowledge has no obligation. They do not have to work. Leaders like King Janaka were fully realized in the self, but they still followed obligations to set a good example for others.

कर्मणैव हि संसिद्धिमास्थिता जनकादयः
लोकसङ्ग्रहमेवापि सम्पश्यन्कर्तुमर्हसि

karmaṇaiva hi saṁsiddhim
āsthitā janakādayaḥ
loka-saṅgraham evāpi
sampaśyan kartum arhasi

“Even kings like Janaka and others attained the perfectional stage by performance of prescribed duties. Therefore, just for the sake of educating the people in general, you should perform your work.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 3.20)

Arjuna asks Krishna to clarify the contradictions. Arjuna asks for further specifics on other topics, such as purusha and prakriti. Arjuna feels no shame in asking these questions. He is close to Krishna, both in friendship and in family.

3. To see the universal form

At one stage Arjuna asks to see the universal form. This is like a single image containing the entire cosmic manifestation. It is one viewpoint into the Almighty. Someone may foolishly deny the existence of a central controlling authority figure, but they cannot deny the sum total of everything. The virat-rupa is one way to put an image to that concept.

4. To excuse his prior offenses

Upon seeing the universal form, Arjuna was vividly reminded of the supreme standing of his otherwise dear friend and cousin. Based on that reminder, Arjuna felt compelled to ask for forgiveness. Arjuna viewed the previous lack of formality in their dealings as offensive, and he asked Krishna to overlook those mistakes.

5. To see the four-handed form

The vision of the universal form was but a brief aspect of the Bhagavad-gita conversation. To remind everyone that God is a person, Arjuna asked to see the four-armed form of Narayana, who perpetually resides in the spiritual realm of Vaikuntha. Krishna happily obliged. He subsequently returned to the two-handed form, which is the way the conversation originally began.

…

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada explains that the pure devotee does not view the Supreme Personality of Godhead as an order supplier. This is one of the notable distinctions. It is a way to distinguish pure devotion from mixed devotion. The impurity ties to the presence of desire. The desire is for fulfilling some kind of personal ambition.

If quantified, that desire is too large to count, but if we are having a mental block in understanding, shastra provides general categories of the impurities. We have karma, jnana, and yoga. Karma relates to fruitive activity. Doing something for a purpose, with the expectation of a particular outcome. Karma can be something as basic as eating breakfast in the morning for energy and something as complex as modifying exercise and diet for a long-term improvement in health.

Jnana is acquiring knowledge. Jnana specifically relates to the difference between matter and spirit; that is the foundation of lasting and relevant knowledge, which can also be described as wisdom. I may have desires in jnana for standing out within society as a learned scholar, as a person who knows things as they are, as a wise man who should be consulted by others.

Yoga in this context refers to mysticism. Desires in yoga relate to siddhis. These are perfections in mysticism. Sort of like learning new magic tricks, except without the reliance on external objects. I may follow devotion to the Supreme Lord while maintaining desires in any of these three categories. That kind of devotion is impure.

An example of a pure devotee is Arjuna. His only desire is to follow Krishna, who represents dharma and more. In other words, Arjuna wants to do the right thing, always. The right thing is not always the easy thing. It is also not always the straightforward move, as if highlighted on a stage. There are mitigating factors to consider. There are breaches of etiquette, harm imposed to others, and conflicts in principles. Arjuna wants to be above the contradictions. He does not want to follow papa [sin], if even accidentally.

From the above reviewed list of exchanges found in Bhagavad-gita, we see that Arjuna is not shy in asking things from Krishna. The difference here is that there is no laziness in filling gaps. Things that Arjuna could do on his own, he would. He asks Krishna for clarification and for certain transitions in order that the cause of dharma may be furthered.

Arjuna specifically does not ask for something that would be entirely relevant to that particular situation. Arjuna does not ask Krishna to fight for him. That would indeed be supplying an order. It would be like asking the Supreme Lord to turn off the television since I am too lazy to get up from the sofa. Make it rain when I am in need of water. Make a cloud suddenly appear in the sky to block the scorching rays of the sun.

The pure devotion shown by Arjuna highlights the continuation of an existence involved with liberation. It is not that we follow dharma in order to attain a kind of salvation that stops everything. The existence continues, but in a completely blissful way, with an ideal engagement corresponding to the vibrancy of spirit. Arjuna proceeded to fight valiantly in defense of dharma, with the full protection of Krishna.

In Closing:

Choosing fighting direction,
Supported by full protection.

Not asking for Krishna to do,
Fight in war and shoot arrows too.

But still with some things to request,
Like with vision of virat-rupa blessed.

Means in liberation still an existence to be,
The eternal vibrancy of spirit to see.

Categories: discussing bhagavad gita, the five

Tags: bhagavad-gita, dailyprompt, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry