“That very ancient science of the relationship with the Supreme is today told by Me to you because you are My devotee as well as My friend; therefore you can understand the transcendental mystery of this science.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.3)

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स एवायं मया ते ऽद्य
योगः प्रोक्तः पुरातनः
भक्तो ऽसि मे सखा चेति
रहस्यं ह्य् एतद् उत्तमम्

sa evāyaṁ mayā te ‘dya
yogaḥ proktaḥ purātanaḥ
bhakto ‘si me sakhā ceti
rahasyaṁ hy etad uttamam

“Pardon the brief diversion. Let me go off on a tangent, for a moment. I was recently recalling how in the days prior to smartphones, but after the proliferation of the internet, the worldwide web, and email, some of us would have the awful privilege of being on the receiving end of a forward email. Something one person saw and decided to share with several other people, all at once. It is similar to sharing something on social media, today. Instead of sending out the same message, individually, you just make one comment and everyone who needs to see it will be able to.

“Anyway, I just wanted to say that I absolutely hated those messages. The content was never worthy of the email in the first place. Then, there was something that rubbed me wrong about being included in a list of other people. Why didn’t my so-called friend send the message just to me? It is like they were performing for a crowd or something. They wanted to show off how many friends they have. They wanted to make everyone see just how important they were.

“Hello? Of course you are important. You are my friend! That never should be in doubt. Please do the kind thing and treat me like a friend, by not including me in these nonsense forward chains. And the worst ones of all, of course, were the emails cursing you with bad luck for failure to pass the message along. Better send it to like ten other people in the next hour or you are a horrible person. Nope. Sorry, you are the horrible person for ever threatening me like that.

“Naturally, after revisiting that dark time I came back to reality by contemplating the Vedic tradition. I think there is nothing similar found within sacred texts. Rather, everything passes along through individual conversations. The parties in question might be seated in an assembly, but it is not like people go around the table telling stories. Shukadeva Gosvami teaching Maharaja Parikshit. Sanjaya relaying information to Dhritarashtra. Even my personal favorite, Ramacharitamanasa, has like three conversations going simultaneously. Does this highlight the kindness of the individuals in question? I think it speaks to their character, that they would take the time to talk to someone else individually, to settle their doubts.”

We can consider Shri Krishna to be the kindest of all. He delivered the timeless wisdom of Bhagavad-gita in the strangest of settings, at the most unexpected moment, to someone who was not your typical student of Vedanta study. Arjuna was a bow-warrior by occupation. The Sanskrit word is kshatriya. The literal meaning refers to someone who protects others from harm. It is a noble profession. We can only continue in our life in comfort, in peace, in tranquility because there are others who will step up to defend against aggressors. These protectors risk their lives in the process. The aggressors are often violent. They employ weapons of destruction. The kshatriyas know the risk. They still proceed, without hesitation.

Except that in one moment Arjuna did hesitate. This did not bode well for the upcoming military conflict. There is the saying, he who hesitates is lost. Arjuna appeared to be so lost that his amazing bow known as Gandiva slipped from his hand. At that moment of deliberation, Arjuna made the fateful decision to petition the highest court of all. The judgment would be made by Krishna, who happened to be seated nearby, ready to work that day as the driver of the chariot.

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

“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)

Arjuna was qualified to make the approach because of something he lacked: envy. Since he was not envious of Krishna, Arjuna could ask questions and receive appropriate responses. He could then process those responses and either proceed with a satisfactory understanding or ask follow-up questions. Krishna happened to explain more than just the particulars of the upcoming fight. Krishna explained the meaning to life itself, in how there is a distributed presence across the entirety of known space, and why there is confusion to begin with. Anger, sadness, resentment, remorse, and hostility have a root cause. In fact, every misery can be traced to one factor.

That factor can be cured through the association of Krishna. The friend to Arjuna is actually a friend to all of humanity. To all of the population of creatures, in fact. Krishna is the greatest well-wishing friend. Though that message was spoken to Arjuna, it was simultaneously relayed by Sanjaya, retained in memory by Vyasadeva, and later physically recorded by the kind efforts of Ganesha, who is the revered son of Shiva and Parvati. This means that though Krishna spoke directly to his friend, any person can repeatedly experience the thrill of a lifetime in recalling that wondrous and holy dialogue.

राजन् संस्मृत्य संस्मृत्य
संवादम् इमम् अद्भुतम्
केशवार्जुनयोः पुण्यं
हृष्यामि च मुहुर् मुहुः

rājan saṁsmṛtya saṁsmṛtya
saṁvādam imam adbhutam
keśavārjunayoḥ puṇyaṁ
hṛṣyāmi ca muhur muhuḥ

“O King, as I repeatedly recall this wondrous and holy dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna, I take pleasure, being thrilled at every moment.” (Sanjaya, Bhagavad-gita, 18.76)

In Closing:

Not in an assembly to keep,
But rather in closeness to speak.

Not recipient you would expect,
But Arjuna receiving direct.

Wisdom relevant to shine,
Where even today can find.

All because envy lacking,
His friend fully backing.

Categories: questions

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