In the first chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, we meet the hero of the story, Arjuna, the great archer, leading an army to fight against an army which includes his stepbrothers, uncles and other relatives, teachers, guru, many other respected elders, allied kings and many warriors who are his equals and with whom he had various close relationships. In his own army are his brothers, cousins, uncles, and other allied kings. Driving his chariot, and giving him guidance, is the Avatar Lord Krishna. The armies gather on the battlefield of Kurukshetra.
The story is being told by Sanjaya, who is the charioteer of the blind king Dritharastha. Sanjaya is also Dhritarashtra's advisor and has the gift of seeing events at a distance granted by the sage Vyasa. He narrates to Dhritarshtra the action in the climactic battle of Kurukshetra.
Arjuna asks Lord Krishna to drive his chariot into the centre of the battlefield so he can see whom he is facing in battle. As he recognizes so many familiar faces, his feelings get the best of him, his whole body reacts and he is overcome with sorrow.
He loses his will to fight, saying even if they wish to kill him, he does not wish to kill them. He sees no point in the battle - if it is gaining rulership of the earth, it is not worth it and if it is to gain glory in heaven - it is also not worth killing his own kinsman. He cites the destruction that comes to family and society in the aftermath of war, and even to the ancestors whose descendents will no longer be able to make offerings on their behalf. Arjuna becomes confused, discouraged and lays down his weapons saying he will not fight. He would rather remain unarmed and let the other army kill him.
Rather than this
It is an epic story - for some, it is history and for some it is spiritual allegory and for some both. Each of us will read the text differently. The symbolism of the great archer, the Avatar, the battle between brothers makes this a universal classic and gripping tale through which deep religious, philosophical and spiritual truths are conveyed.
Discussion: If we see the setting as a way of staging human existential dilemmas, psychological challenges and spiritual truths, we can find in this epic tale, answers for our personal modern life, guidance for conduct in society, encouragement in the face of despair, solace in the depths of grief and ongoing questions and answers about the nature of life, death and rebirth.
For most of us, the battlefield is not a physical war, but symbolic of the challenges of living one's life. We are, in a way, on a battlefield, where we are faced with our positive ambitions and desires, duties and obligations to self, family and society and poised against us, are negative characteristics and temptations.Each of us has our own cultural and family environment in which we are embedded and through which our minds, our personality are conditioned. Our lives are a classic battle between good and evil, a mystery we have difficulty comprehending. Why are we here? What purpose and meaning does our life have? What happens to us and our loved ones when we die? Existential questions, if not directly on the surface, run like a river beneath our busy daily lives. We get confused about how to live and we seek answers that will make sense out of the sorrow of life.
And many times, like our hero Arjuna, we are overwhelmed by the array of problems standing against us. We get confused, paralyzed when we have to make decisions, weighing our own interests, those of others whom we love, our duties, possible outcomes, possible consequences of our actions or the actions of others with whom we have struggles. The dilemmas are often within ourselves or they could be both within and without. We reach a point where we just want to give up or we want someone to tell us what to do, because we are at a loss; what we are facing seems beyond our capacity to comprehend or solve wisely.
The story is being told by Sanjaya, who is the charioteer of the blind king Dritharastha. Sanjaya is also Dhritarashtra's advisor and has the gift of seeing events at a distance granted by the sage Vyasa. He narrates to Dhritarshtra the action in the climactic battle of Kurukshetra.Arjuna asks Lord Krishna to drive his chariot into the centre of the battlefield so he can see whom he is facing in battle. As he recognizes so many familiar faces, his feelings get the best of him, his whole body reacts and he is overcome with sorrow.
What is this crime
I am planning, O Krishna
Murder most hateful,
Murder of brothers!
Am I indeed so greedy for greatness
He loses his will to fight, saying even if they wish to kill him, he does not wish to kill them. He sees no point in the battle - if it is gaining rulership of the earth, it is not worth it and if it is to gain glory in heaven - it is also not worth killing his own kinsman. He cites the destruction that comes to family and society in the aftermath of war, and even to the ancestors whose descendents will no longer be able to make offerings on their behalf. Arjuna becomes confused, discouraged and lays down his weapons saying he will not fight. He would rather remain unarmed and let the other army kill him.
Rather than this
Let the evil children
Of Dritarashtra
Come with their weapons
Against me in battle:
I shall not struggle,
I shall not strike them.
Now let them kill me,
That will be better.
Sanjay:
Having spoken thus, Arjuna threw aside his arrows and his bow in the midst of the battlefield. He sat down on the seat of the chariot, and his heart was overcome with sorrow.
It is an epic story - for some, it is history and for some it is spiritual allegory and for some both. Each of us will read the text differently. The symbolism of the great archer, the Avatar, the battle between brothers makes this a universal classic and gripping tale through which deep religious, philosophical and spiritual truths are conveyed.
Discussion: If we see the setting as a way of staging human existential dilemmas, psychological challenges and spiritual truths, we can find in this epic tale, answers for our personal modern life, guidance for conduct in society, encouragement in the face of despair, solace in the depths of grief and ongoing questions and answers about the nature of life, death and rebirth.
For most of us, the battlefield is not a physical war, but symbolic of the challenges of living one's life. We are, in a way, on a battlefield, where we are faced with our positive ambitions and desires, duties and obligations to self, family and society and poised against us, are negative characteristics and temptations.Each of us has our own cultural and family environment in which we are embedded and through which our minds, our personality are conditioned. Our lives are a classic battle between good and evil, a mystery we have difficulty comprehending. Why are we here? What purpose and meaning does our life have? What happens to us and our loved ones when we die? Existential questions, if not directly on the surface, run like a river beneath our busy daily lives. We get confused about how to live and we seek answers that will make sense out of the sorrow of life.
And many times, like our hero Arjuna, we are overwhelmed by the array of problems standing against us. We get confused, paralyzed when we have to make decisions, weighing our own interests, those of others whom we love, our duties, possible outcomes, possible consequences of our actions or the actions of others with whom we have struggles. The dilemmas are often within ourselves or they could be both within and without. We reach a point where we just want to give up or we want someone to tell us what to do, because we are at a loss; what we are facing seems beyond our capacity to comprehend or solve wisely.
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