“The Supreme Lord said: My dear Arjuna, because you are never envious of Me, I shall impart to you this most secret wisdom, knowing which you shall be relieved of the miseries of material existence.” (Bhagavad-gita, 9.1)

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श्री-भगवान् उवाच
इदं तु ते गुह्यतमं
प्रवक्ष्याम्य् अनसूयवे
ज्ञानं विज्ञान-सहितं
यज् ज्ञात्वा मोक्ष्यसे ऽशुभात्

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
idaṁ tu te guhyatamaṁ
pravakṣyāmy anasūyave
jñānaṁ vijñāna-sahitaṁ
yaj jñātvā mokṣyase ‘śubhāt

1. Didn’t you used to steal butter?

“I get it that you want to instruct me. You supposedly have the highest wisdom. You instructed the sun-god, Vivasvan. This, in turn, began something like the disciplic succession. No need for fancy mechanisms to access ancient wisdom. Just find the latest link in the chain, the guru who aligns with sadhu and shastra, and it is like you are travelling back in time to that first safe transfer of knowledge from the origin to the student.

“I hate to bring up embarrassing incidents, but weren’t you known as a thief during childhood? I heard that you would sneak into the homes of the neighbors in Gokula-Vrindavana. The purpose was to cause trouble. You were like the greatest mischief maker. How can you stand here now and teach principles of dharma when you could not respect the property of other, innocent people?”

2. Didn’t you used to run around with young girls?

“Many of them were married. It was literally adharma for them to meet with you, in the middle of the night, in the forests alit by the brightest moon of the year. They were making a huge gamble in expecting the benefit of seeing you in person. Yes, they were the ones hankering for your association. They were the ones ready to risk personal reputation in order to see you. They never forget you, in fact. They are like the greatest transcendentalists, far surpassing the mystic yogis in their attention.

“I hate to bring up embarrassing truths, but you still could have politely declined. You could have maintained their chastity. They were caught in the swoon of conjugal desire, but since you are this great teacher you are supposed to remain sober, dhira. How can you now stand before me and teach about kama and the need to control it when you have been known to indulge the desires of others?”

3. Didn’t you run away from the battlefield?

“We are preparing for military conflict. I am in difficulty. I am so much in doubt that I had to drop my weapon. But thus far I do not think I have done anything which comes close to resembling your brazenly coward act of fleeing the battlefield. You did that with the antagonist known as Jarasandha.

“Yes, that enemy had previously been defeated. I think you conquered him something like twenty-one straight times. You would think Jarasandha would have felt some embarrassment. He should have realized the mercy you showed him by sparing his life. But still, like the demon persistent in their atheistic ways, he tried to attack again. He had no shame.

“Ordinarily, if a king leaves the battlefield without fighting he is called a coward, but when Krishna enacts this pastime, leaving the battlefield without fighting, He is worshiped by the devotee. A demon always tries to measure the opulence of Krishna, whereas the devotee never tries to measure His strength and opulence, but always surrenders unto Him and worships Him.” (Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 1, Ch 51)

“You decided to simply run away. This was the excuse needed to erect the city of gates known as Dvaraka. That would put a halt to the nuisance of such attacks, which are just like flies buzzing around, causing a disturbance for no reason. Still, I don’t see how you are qualified to instruct me on the proper way to proceed in a military conflict.”

4. Aren’t you a driver?

“I hate to demean someone based on what they do for a living, but seriously, you are the one taking orders. You should be listening to me; not the other way around. Don’t get me wrong. I am glad you are here, but it is not like you are in the most respected occupation. It would be better to know your place. Simply sit down and don’t talk back. That would set a better example.”

5. Haven’t you been keeping this knowledge from me?

“I am grateful for the help, but why did you have to wait until dire circumstances before rescuing me? I have been without this knowledge my entire life. You have been keeping it all to yourself. You almost let me proceed without proper direction. That really isn’t cool. How could you be so selfish? Your cruelty extends to the entire world, if you ask me. You should be giving this knowledge away for free, to any and all.”

…

We see from the actual conversation that took place on the battlefield of Kurukshetra that Arjuna did not follow any of these lines of argument. Rather, there was no argument. There was humble submission, in a mood of service, as recommended by Krishna Himself.

तद् विद्धि प्रणिपातेन
परिप्रश्नेन सेवया
उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं
ज्ञानिनस् तत्त्व-दर्शिनः

tad viddhi praṇipātena
paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ
jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ

“Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.34)

If we are looking for faults, they are not difficult to find. If we want to pick out flaws, in the manner of the crow rummaging through garbage, then there is ample material to study. After all, every person is both doing something and not doing something. The potential for criticism is there from either side. I can mock someone for what they failed to do. I can find fault with what they have been known to do.

We see that Arjuna received the sacred wisdom because he was not envious. The Sanskrit word is anasuyave. As His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada explains, the entire world today is filled with crow-like characters. This is due to a degradation of culture. There is practically no culture, in imitating the life of the animals, and so there are barely any swans to lift others up.

Through an implementation of genuine spiritual life, following regulative principles, vaidhi, there is the chance to turn the crows into swans. Then the message will resonate. The non-envious can understand Krishna, who is God. The envious cannot.

Those who understand Krishna realize that even the so-called blemishes from His Divine lila are transcendental in nature. The supposed deviations from the standard of dharma serve various purposes. As one door must close for another to open, the Supreme Lord is always working for the welfare of the saints. He arrives in this world to rescue them, and so they continue to honor Him.

In Closing:

Butter in the homes to find,
Gopis keeping Him in mind.

From the battlefield to run,
All these by Krishna done.

But blemish not for the wise,
Because mercy of extraordinary size.

Anything for the saints without sin,
Who never envious of Him.

Categories: the five

Tags: bhagavad-gita, dailyprompt, envy, life, poem, poems, poetry