“It is better to live in this world by begging than to live at the cost of the lives of great souls who are my teachers. Even though they are avaricious, they are nonetheless superiors. If they are killed, our spoils will be tainted with blood.” (Arjuna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.5)

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गुरूनहत्वा हि महानुभावान्
श्रेयो भोक्तुं भैक्ष्यमपीह लोके
हत्वार्थकामांस्तु गुरूनिहैव
भुज्ज‍ीय भोगान्‍रुधिरप्रदिग्धान्

gurūn ahatvā hi mahānubhāvān
śreyo bhoktuṁ bhaikṣyam apīha loke
hatvārtha-kāmāṁs tu gurūn ihaiva
bhuñjīya bhogān rudhira-pradigdhān

“I don’t blame people for trying it. The governments in the modern day are corrupt, from top to bottom. You should never deal honestly with a liar or a thief. If the higher ups pass laws that are unjust, that force people into doing something, it is completely reasonable for the wise people to respond with their cleverness, in trying to skirt the rules. In this case, they apply for exemptions, using whatever maneuvers they can that have the best chances of succeeding.

“I think the case with Arjuna is a little different. He comes up with this sort of fake morality as the justification for avoiding unpleasant behavior. His timing could not be worse, either. People are counting on him. They have assembled on the battlefield. They took the time to get properly dressed. They have their uniforms on. Arjuna is supposed to lead the way. He has the most skill, and there is no ambiguity as to what needs to be done.

“Except Arjuna suddenly changes his mind. He hesitates. He considers a different option. It is like deep down he knows there is something wrong with his logic, but he proceeds to voice the concerns, anyway. He is fortunate in that there is a trusted arbiter nearby. It is like taking your problems to your local pastor. In a confidential session, where you can lay out the issues without embarrassment, Arjuna asks Krishna for help.

“Something about it rubs me the wrong way, though. It is like that student who comes into school the next day, not having completed their homework assignment. They not only fail to follow through on what was asked, but they try to justify their omission through some conjured up system of morality. It was more important to take care of the dog, you see. Or perhaps there was a sudden illness that only started after school ended yesterday and then dissipated once the current day began.

“Why would Krishna indulge this kind of behavior? I understand that He accurately characterized it as anarya, which signals a lack of culture. Krishna’s first response was to smile. He thought the proposal to drop the weapons was foolish. He wondered how Arjuna could have fallen from the standard of high culture. Nevertheless, Krishna still helped Arjuna. He carefully explained matters, when I think a simple slap to the side of the head would have sufficed.”

Another way to view things is to say that if someone like Arjuna is vulnerable to losing rational thought, albeit for a brief moment, how widespread must the danger actually be? How safe are any of us? A degree earned from a prestigious university is insufficient. A steady track record of success tied to sober thought is no safeguard. Having decided properly in the past is no guarantee for always deciding properly in the future.

At the heart of the matter of the impetus for the Bhagavad-gita conversation is the difference between the highest being of all and everyone else. That highest being is always infallible. The name Achyuta is appropriate. His features are so amazing that no instrument can report a proper measurement; hence the name Adhokshaja. He is both all-pervading in nature, Vishnu, and the topmost as an individual being, Purushottama.

In the course of their subsequent conversation, Krishna explained that the teachings presented therein were once transferred thousands of years prior. Krishna was the teacher in both cases. But how could that be? The timeline of the creation is thousands and thousands of years.

श्री-भगवान् उवाच
बहूनि मे व्यतीतानि
जन्मानि तव चार्जुन
तान्य् अहं वेद सर्वाणि
न त्वं वेत्थ परन्तप

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
bahūni me vyatītāni
janmāni tava cārjuna
tāny ahaṁ veda sarvāṇi
na tvaṁ vettha parantapa

“The Blessed Lord said: Many, many births both you and I have passed. I can remember all of them, but you cannot, O subduer of the enemy!” (Bhagavad-gita, 4.5)

Krishna then revealed that both He and Arjuna had appeared in the manifest realm before. The difference is that Krishna could remember those past experiences, while Arjuna could not. This simple yet significant truth should not be overlooked. Memory cannot be the sole basis for establishing fact. I do not remember so many things, including my time in the womb of my mother. This does not mean I appeared in this world out of nowhere, like a spontaneous spark of fire. The same lack of memory precedes us, from our past births. Krishna does remember. He vouches for this principle of the eternal existence of the individual, which is explained as reincarnation for the less intelligent.

यं यं वापि स्मरन् भावं
त्यजत्य् अन्ते कलेवरम्
तं तम् एवैति कौन्तेय
सदा तद्-भाव-भावितः

yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ
tyajaty ante kalevaram
taṁ tam evaiti kaunteya
sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ

“Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 8.6)

Should Krishna have punished Arjuna for applying for an exemption from performing his occupational duties, at the last moment, with a flimsy justification? Should Krishna have repeatedly revisited the affair, after the fact, as a way to embarrass His dear friend and cousin? Should Krishna have held the blemish against that celebrated bow warrior, to remind the population of the fallibility of even the greatest competitors on the battlefield?

As the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna is free to do as He desires, but just see the amazing level of kindness. The compassion is off the charts. Krishna was driving the chariot prior to the conversation with Arjuna. He went back to driving the chariot at the conclusion of their conversation. He is fine with taking orders from His devotees. How can one person be so kind? This is more worthy of contemplation and endless study than any of the particulars of the so-called dilemma that Arjuna faced.

In Closing:

One thing keep in mind,
How amazingly kind.

Despite silliness to hear,
Rooted in Arjuna’s fear.

And justification fake,
Seriously words to take.

That disciple uplifting too,
Bond holding strong and true.

Categories: questions

Tags: dailyprompt, god, hare krishna, hinduism, life, poem, poems, poetry, religion