Gita in brief according to my understanding-2

The second fundamental question that arises after this is if the body is the Khetra then who really is Arjuna and who is Krishna? 

Is Arjuna a particular mortal being or does he represent something else.  Before answering the question let us look at the following slokas.

Antabanta ime deha nityasokta saririna,

Anasino prameyasya tasmat yudhasaya bharata….Chapter 2 verse 18.

Which literally means “Fight, O Bharat (Arjun), because while the bodies which clothe the Soul are said to come to an end, the embodied Spirit itself is forever, indestructible, and boundless.’’

Krishna says to Arjuna “Fight o Arjuna as all bodies are mortal”. He goes on to add that "for a Khatriya (Click on highlighted khatriya to know more) there is no such thing as more rewarding as a fight for dharma (lawful)”(Chapter 2, sloka 31).

He also says that “If you lose the war you will win a place in heavens and if you win you will rule over earth” (Chapter 2, sloka 37) although Arjuna had already proclaimed that “Even if I am given the empire of entire earth and the coveted seat of the ruler of heaven, I am not ready to fight this war” (Chapter 2, sloka 8).

Now returning to the question who is Arjuna?

I feel that Arjuna does not represent a man in particular. The word Arjuna represents divine love (anurag) for the god which is born out of piousness (Pandu). Because if he had been a mere mortal then there would have been no point in Krisna standing as guard for him in the battle field when he (Krishna) himself says that the body is mortal and the soul is immortal.  

Now the question that arises is who is Krishna?

If we believe that Krishna is god then we have to look at the portion of Gita which says “There is no such thing as other God. But whenever a man influenced by desire worships any other God then I myself posing as other God satisfy his desire”(Chapter 7, sloka 21). He also says that “all the species upto Brahma is bound by the cycle of life and death” (Chapter 8, sloka 16).

If we believe that he is incarnation stemmed by these sloka of Gita “Whenever there is an increase in ungodliness and unlawfulness over holiness, I manifest myself and come to destroy evil” (Chapter 4, sloka 07) then one should look at the sloka that follows this sloka more carefully. “My Birth and death are divine which can’t be seen through the mortal eyes and only can be seen by a yogi who knows the reality and thus experiencing the divine phenomenon the yogi is saved from the cycle of life and death”(Chapter 4, sloka 8).

So from the above discussion it becomes clear that Krishna is neither god nor an incarnation. Then who is he?

Krishna himself defines who he really is when he says “only by worship carried on through innumerable births does a sage gain identity with him.” (Chapter 6, sloka 45)There is then not even the least distance between them. He says again that “among all who worship him the wise man of realization is I believe identical with me” (Chapter 7, sloka 18). So it is clear that Krishna is a yogi. One who has become one with godhead or the one and only god, Paramatma. Through his mouth it is now that God himself speaks. It is the same state where Prophet Muhammad had reached through yogic practices and so through him was the Quran revealed.

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What is the message that the characters of Mahabharata war (Pandavas) give through blowing their conch shell?

Tatahsvetairhayairyukte,mahatisyandanesthitau;
madhavahpandavascaiva,divyau sankhau pradadhmatuh

                                         ….. B.G.CHAP 1 VERSE 14

After the Kaurav, Krishna and Arjun, riding in their magnificent, sacred chariot drawn by flawlessly white horses (“white” symbolizes purity), also blow their “celestial” conches. “Celestial” means beyond the material world. Yogeshwar Krishna’s transcendental message is a promise to render unto souls the most auspicious, unworldly existence that is beyond the worlds of both mortals and gods, and verily the whole universe (Brahmlok), which is all afflicted with the fear of birth and death. If the words in this verse are carefully looked at they indicate something…It says the chariot is celestial (not made of gold or silver) conch is celestial, everything is pure and celestial so the poet wants to state that their message is also celestial.

Beyond these worlds there is only the one unique and indescribable God. Krishna’s message is of establishing a direct contact with this Supreme Being. But how will he affect this state?

Pancajanyamhrsikeso,devadattamdhananjayah;
paundramdadhmaumaha-sankham,bhima-karma vrkodarah

                                              ….. B.G.CHAP 1 VERSE 15

So Hrishikesh (lord of the senses), who knows all the mysteries of the human heart, blows the conch PANCHJANYA. This is a declaration of his intent to restrain the five organs of perception which correspond to word, touch, form, taste, and smell, and to transmute their inclinations into devotion.

ARJUNA or Dhananjay (the victor of wealth) is the affectionate devotion that attains to the state of divine exaltation. This devotion is a feeling of tenderness for the desired object, which includes within itself all the experiences of devotees, even pangs of separation and occasional disenchantment and tears. There should be nothing for a devotee except the longed-for God. If the devotion to him is perfect, it embraces the virtues (DEVDATTA) that provide access to the Supreme Spirit.

BHEEM of awesome deeds blows his great conch PAUNDR, which denotes sentiment. The heart is the spring as well as the habitat of feeling. This is why Bheem is called Vrikodar, the large-hearted. Sentiment is fathomless and mighty, and this sentiment is Bheem’s great conch that is now blown. The affection that he represents is embodied in sentiment. That is why Bheem blows the conch named Paundr.

Anantavijayamraja,kunti-putroyudhisthirah
nakulahsahadevasca,sughosa-manipuspakau

                                     ….. B.G.CHAP 1 VERSE 16

King Yudhisthir blows the conch Anantvijay (endless conquest). Kunti is the very image of dutifulness; and Yudhisthir, the embodiment of dharm (natural piety). If one’s adherence to dharm is steady, Anantvijay will bring about the absorption of the Self in the boundless God.

Nakul, who is a symbol of restraint, blows the conch named Sughosh. As restraint grows firmer, evil is subdued and the dominance of righteousness is proclaimed. Sahdev, the adherer to truth, blows on the conch which bears the name of Manipushpak. Sages have described each breath as a precious ruby. “What a pity that we squander the jewels of our breath on idle gossip!” One kind of satsang is the moral discourse we hear from noble men, but the real spiritual discourse is internal. According to Krishn, the Self alone is true and eternal. True satsang comes about when the mind reins itself in from all externals and dwells with the Self. This adherence to truth is cultivated by incessant reflection, meditation, and samadhi. The more joy one feels in dwelling with the one reality, the more restraint one gains over each breath, the mind, and the instruments by which objects of sense affect the Self. The day they are totally restrained is the day when we are absorbed in the ultimate essence. Providing, like a good instrument, harmonious accompaniment to the song of the Self is true satsang. The physical ruby is hard, but the jewel of breath is even more tender than a flower. Flowers fall and wither soon after they bloom, and we can never say that we shall live until the next breath. But if there is true adherence to the Self, it leads us to realize the highest goal through providing control over each breath. There is nothing to proclaim beyond this, although each device is helpful in traversing a certain stretch of the path of spiritual perfection….OM TATSAT

What does Gita say about caste system prevalent in the hindu society?

In Bhagabat Gita lord krishna first brings the topic of caste in chapter 2 when he says

              sva-dharmam api caveksya na vikampitum arhasi
             dharmyad dhi yuddhac chreyo ’nyat kshatriyasya na vidyate
                                                        ...B.G.CHAPTER 2 SLOKA 31    

English translation-  “In view of your own dharm, too, it is unworthy of you to fear, for there is nothing more propitious for a Kshatriya than a righteous war.’’


It has been repeatedly said by lord krishna that “the Self (Atma) is immutable,” that “the Self is eternal,” and that “the Self is the only real dharm.” Now what is this dharm of the Self (swadharm)? The Self is the only dharm, although the capacity to engage in this dharm varies from individual to individual. This ability arising from one’s disposition has been named swadharm or the inherent dharm.

To make matters clear around this subject of caste let us go to chapter 4 of Bhagabat Gita where lord krishna says..
                         catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah
                 tasya kartaram api mam viddhy akartaram avyayam 
                                                  ...B.G.CHAPTER 4 SLOKA 13    

English translation- “Although I have created the four classes (varn )-Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudr-according to innate properties and actions, know me the immutable as a nondoer.’’

In this sloka lord krishna clearly says that I have created the four castes (or classes) i.e. Brahman, Khatriya, Baishya and Shudra. Does this mean that the great lord has divided men into four rigid categories determined by birth? The truth is rather that he has divided actions into four classes on the basis of inherent properties. All the same, as he tells Arjun, he-the imperishable God-is a non-agent and should be known as such. The innate property (gun) of a being or of a thing is a measure, a yardstick.

In the starting stage of any yogi when he begins the journey to unify with paramatman the dominant property is that of ignorance or darkness (tamas), it will result in an irresistible inclination to laziness, excessive sleep, wantonness, aversion to work, and compulsive addiction to evil in spite of the realization that it is evil. At this stage the yogi is shudra. (This is not determined by birth. Even if the yogi is born into a family of brahmin he will still be shudra when he starts the journey to unification).

 Later with the service to wise men which is the work that should be done by shudras he cultivates and develops there is the growing sway of the quality of rajas, and a partial awakening of the property of good and moral virtue (sattwa) as well, because of which the worshipper’s ability is elevated to the Vaishya level. Then the same worshipper begins spontaneously to imbibe qualities such as control of the senses and to accumulate other virtuous impulses.


Proceeding further on the path of action, he is endowed with the wealth of righteousness. The property of
rajas now grows faint and tamas is dormant. At this stage of development the worshipper steps on to the Kshatriya level. Prowess, the ability to be immersed in action, unwillingness to retreat, mastery over feelings, the capacity to carve his way through the three properties of nature-are now the inherent features of the
worshipper’s disposition.



With yet further refinement of action, sattwa makes its approach, at which there is the evolution of virtues
such as control of the mind and senses, concentration, innocence, contemplation and abstract meditation, and faith as well the capacity to hear the voice of God-all qualities that provide access to Him. With the emergence of these qualities the worshipper comes to belong to the Brahmin class.

This, however, is the lowest stage of worship at this level. When ultimately the worshipper is united with God, at that point-the highest point-he is neither a Brahmin, nor a Kshatriya, nor a Vaishya, nor a Shudr. So in 2nd chapter lord krishna advices arjun..
                 trai-gunya-visaya veda nistrai-gunyo bhavarjuna
            nirdvandvo nitya-sattva-stho niryoga-ksema atmavan
                                                                      ...B.G.CHAPTER 2 SLOKA 45    

English translation- “Since all the Ved, O Arjun, only illumine the three properties, you should rise above them, be free from the contradictions of happiness and sorrow, rest on that which is constant, and be unconcerned with getting what you do not have as well as with protecting what you have, in order to dedicate yourself to the Self within.”


Krishna tells arjun The Ved only illumine the three properties of nature; they know nothing of what is beyond them. So Arjun should go beyond the sphere of action laid down by the Ved. How to do this? Krishnadvises Arjun to liberate himself from the conflicts of joy and sorrow,concentrate on the one changeless reality, and desire neither the unobtained nor the obtained; so that he may devote himself singlemindedly to the indwelling Self. This is how he can rise above the Ved. But is there any precedence of anyone going beyond them?
Krishn says that as a man transcends the Ved, even so he comes face to face with the Supreme Spirit, and that the man who is aware of him is a true Vipr, a Brahmin. Arjuna is a khatriya ..but lord krishna says him to become brahman. So it is clear that the caste or class is not determined by birth but are determined by the state of gunas. 


Now the question arises what is the work that needs to be done by people belonging to different castes ?

Who are the main characters of Mahabharata war according to Gita?

In the opening sloka of Gita Dhitarashtra asks sanjay

                                      Dharamashetr kurushetr samabeta yuyutsava
                                      Mamakah Panadavaschaiva kim kurvat sanjaya..B.G..CHAP.1..SLOKA..1


The war that has been talked about in Gita is actually the war that is fought within the body of the yogi  (explained in detail in another post. Click on the hyperlink )between good and evil forces when he goes forward in his spiritual quest.Dhitarashtr represents a mind that has been filled with ignorence. So, he is represented as blind from birth because he can't see what is good and what is evil. But he also comes to know about God through the epitome of self control (represented by sanjay). But as long as as long as his infatuation for Duryodhan born from ignorance lasts, his inner eye will be focused on the Kaurav, who symbolize the ungodly forces of negative, sinful impulses.
Sanjay says as reply
                                  Dristwa tu panwanikam byurang duryodhanostada
                                  Acharya mup sangyamya raja bachana ma brabit....B.G..CHAP.1..SLOKA..2

  Dual conduct itself is Dronacharya. When the awareness dawns that we are alienated from God there arises in the heart an acute hunger for the attainment of that exalted Spirit. Only then do we set out to seek an accomplished teacher, a realized sage (Guru). Between the two opposed impulses, this awareness is the first
initiator into wisdom, our first teacher. So Dronacharya has been referred to as acharya or guru.   


King Duryodhan, an embodiment of excessive attachment to worldly objects. Attachment is at the root of all griefs, indeed their King.So Duryodhan is the king of Kauravs (the evil side). It tempts one away from the spiritual treasure and so it is named Duryodhan. Only the Soul property is the stable property and it is attachment which generates impurity in it. It draws one to the material world. But it also provides the primary motive for enlightenment.

The army of Pandavs is led by Dhristdyumn, the son of Drupad, is the steadfast mind that treasures faith in the universal, immutable reality. He is thus the master, the type of righteous impulses that lead to selfless activity
in a spirit of egoless reverence to spiritual divinity.(B.G. Chap..1..sloka 3)

This army is composed of those who can guide souls to the Supreme Spirit, like Bheem who is an embodiment of resolute sentiment, the image of tender devotion Arjun, and many other valiant warriors such as Satyaki embodiment of satwikta(purity & piousness), Virat (believer of godliness in everything) and the great warrior leader Drupad, symbolizing consistency and steadfastness on the path of spirituality, and Dhrishtketu, the steadfast-in-duty, Chekitan, who can rein in his straying thought and concentrate it on the Supreme Spirit. The King of the holy city of Kashi (Kashiraj), an emblem of the sacredness that resides within the world of the body. Purujeet, the one who obtains victory over matter in all its forms-gross, subtle, and instrumental. Kuntibhoj, who conquers world life by doing what is worthy of doing. ThenShaibya, of virtuous conduct. The heroic Yudhmanyu of warlike temper; Uttmauj with the spirit of abandon that flows from sacred excellence; Abhimanyu (Saubhadr), Subhadra’s son, with a mind without fear because it is propped up by righteousness, and the five sons of Draupadi who herself is a form of discernment of the divine, all are great warriors named tenderness, beauty, compassion, spiritual repose and consistency. All of them are noted for their ability to traverse the path of spiritual fulfillment with perfect skill.(B.G.chap..1 sloka 4, 5 and 6)

Now the kaurava are detailed ...

The commander-in-chief is Dronacharya himself, symbolizing dual conduct. And then there is the grandsire Bheeshm, the very image of delusion. Delusion is the fountainhead of deviation from the ideal state. Since it survives till the very end, delusion is the grandsire. The whole army has perished, but Bheeshm yet lives on.He lies unconscious on his bed of arrows and still continues to breathe. Like Bheeshm, too, are Karn, a betrayer of the sacred character of Self, and the conquering warrior Kripacharya. Kripacharya represents the act of compassion by the seeker in the state before Self-realization.Ashwatthama is an image of inordinate attachment, Vikarn of indecision, and Bhurishrawa of perplexity and confusion. They are all chiefs of the outward flowing current of life.Then there is Duryodhan who has been described earlier.(B.G..CHAP1..SLOKA 8)


These are the characters from two side who take part in the war.The war that goes on actually in the body of the yogi when he tries to meditate to attain unification with supreme God. Actually at that time there goes on awar between his good and evil qualities and these characters of war are merely the representation of those qualities.What is the message that the characters of Mahabharata war (Kaurav)give through blowing their conch shell?

          

Where is Kurukshetra (the place where Mahabharata war was fought) according to GITA ?

In the first sloka of Gita Dhitarashra asks Sanjay
                       
                                  Dharmakhetre kurushetre samaveta yuyutsava
                                  Mamakah pandavaschaiva kim kurvat sanjaya...B.g.Ch-1.Sloka-1


Dhritrashtr said, ‘‘Assembled at Kurukshetr, at Dharmkshetr, and eager for combat, O Sanjay, what did my and Pandu’s sons do?”

Dhritrashtr is the very image of ignorance; and Sanjay is the embodiment of self-restraint. Ignorance lurks at the core of the objective, the outward-looking, mind. With his mind enveloped in darkness, Dhritrashtr is blind since birth, but he sees and hears through Sanjay, the epitome of self-control. He knows that God alone is real, but as long as his infatuation for Duryodhan (the form of worldly illusion) born from ignorance lasts, his inner eye will be focused on the Kaurav.

Here The human body is a field for combat. When there is abundance of divinity in the realm of the heart, the body is transmuted into a Dharmkshetr ( field of dharm ), but it degenerates into a Kurukshetr
when it is infested with demoniacal powers.

The sphere of birth and death, of that which is evolved from a previous source or prakriti (nature) is Kurukshetr, whereas the sphere of righteous impulses which guide the Self to God, the highest spiritual reality, is Dharmkshetr.

The two forces that are fighting in this shetr are the

1. Pious or good things which are born from pandu (symbol of piety; he is the one in whom virtue is awakened) who are called Pandavs

2. The kauravs who represent the demonic qualities present in the human like moha(craving for earthly joys) etc who are born from Dhitarastra (who represents ignorance, that is why he is presented as blind from birth).


So, The body itself is a field, a ring or an arena. The forces that clash on this field are twofold, the godly and the ungodly, the divine and the devilish, the offspring of Pandu and those of Dhritrashtr, the forces that are congenial to the essentially divine character of the Self and those which offend and demean it.

That the body is the shetr that Gita is talking about becomes more clear from 13 th chapter where lord Krishna says
                           Idam sarairam kaunteya shetr mityavidiyate
                           Etad yo vetti tang prahu shetragya iti tatvida....B.G..CHAP 13...SLOKA.1


The Lord said, This body is, O son of Kunti, a battlefield (kshetr) and the men who know it (kshetragya) are called wise because they have grown spiritually dexterous by perceiving its essence. When the body is only one, how can there be two spheres- Dharmkshetr and Kurukshetr-in it? In truth, within the one body there exist two distinct, primeval instincts. There is first the pioustreasure of divinity that provides access to the Supreme Spirit who stands for the most sublime dharm. On the other hand, there are the demoniacal impulses made up of impiety which lead a man to accept the mortal world as real. When there is abundance of divinity

in the realm of the heart, the body is transmuted into a Dharmkshetr (field of dharm), but it degenerates into a Kurukshetr when it is dominated by devilish forces.

In the 5th and 6th sloka of the same chapter he goes on to descrive the constituents of the shetr
                         
                                “Speaking briefly, mutable physical body is the aggregate of the five elements, ego, intellect, even the unmanifest, the ten sense organs, mind and the five objects of sense, as well as desire, malice, pleasure and pain, and intelligence and fortitude.”..B.G...CHAPTER13..SLOKA 5 & SLOKA 6

The enemy that Arjuna has to actually slay is clearly stated in the 42nd sloka of 4 th chapter

                               “So, O Bharat, dwell in yog and stand up to cut down this irresolution that has entered into your heart because of ignorance with the steel of knowledge.’’...B.G...CHAPTER 4...SLOKA...42


Arjun has to fight. But the enemy-irresolution-is within his own heart, not outside. When we proceed on the way of devotion and contemplation, it is but natural that feelings of doubt and passion will arise as obstacles before us. These enemies launch a fearful assault. To fight them and overcome them, through the destruction
of uncertainties by the practice of the ordained yagya, is the war that Arjun has to wage, and the result of this war for him will be absolute peace and victory after which there is no possibility of defeat.

The the battle is fought inside is also clear when Arjuna says that
                     
                                   ‘‘I do not see that obtaining an undisputed and profitable dominion over the whole earth or, (for that matter) even lordship over the gods, can cure the grief that is wearing out my senses.’’
.......B.G...CHAPTER 2...SLOKA...8.

And krishna replies

                                   “Rise up with determination for the war because if you diein it you will attain to heaven and, if you win, you will attain to the most exalted glory.’’.......B.G...CHAPTER 2...SLOKA...37.

By this statement lord  Krishn, the accomplished teacher, tells him that even if the time allotted to his
body expires in the course of the war and he does not succeed in reaching his goal, imbued with divine riches he will gain an existence in Swar, the changeless and eternal. If, on the other hand, he succeeds in the struggle while his temporal body is still alive, he will achieve the sublimity of God and thus attain to the state of the
highest glory.

So. Its is clear from the verses that the war is to fought within the body where one has to fight the demons within to enjoy the state of brahman and then union with the paramatma........om tatsat.