Krishna’s role as Sadguru
In the war field of Kurukshetra, the Bhagavad Gita episode stands paramount for the exceptional notes it strikes and the unique spiritual and philosophical worth it carries. Two intriguing instances stand out prominently, and the message they carry is clear and ever appealing. The first is initiated by the sudden eagerness of Arjuna to inspect the army. The second is the thoughtless fascination to see the visvarupa as well as the sudden consternation he felt on seeing it.
How skillfully Sri Krishna responded to Arjuna’s order by taking the chariot right in front of Bheeshma and Drona! The sight of the venerable elders steeped Arjuna in utter doubt, dejection and weakness. What he perhaps thought as a heroic step proved weakening. It led Krishna to the unprecedented task of dealing with the moral as well as psychological crisis of Arjuna and take the Kurukshetra mission forward.
Was it to serve this extraordinary role that Krishna, as if in forethought, had offered to Duryodhana his Narayani-sena (Army), while placing himself – alone, unarmed – by the side of Arjuna?
“Untold harm alone will befall us from this sinful war. I cannot think of killing my kith and kin, whatever may be the need or prize. Let me abandon the mission and take instead to hallowed mendicancy.” Muttering these words, did Arjuna keep his bow and arrow down and sit dejected behind Krishna in the chariot.
If Arjuna’s words spelt sorrowful dejection and doubt, Krishna’s expressions thundered forceful admonition. Krishna had to accomplish this Instructor’s role and redress Arjuna’s grief and debility. The power of his words, the inspiration and enlightenment they showered, were ineffable. The dialogue even today reveals the great magic that words of enlightenment can work on the human mind in its distress and consternation. The situation made Krishna rise to the level of a Sadguru – Universal Teacher, the Supreme.
The dialogue grew unexpectedly deep and extensive, leading to questions, answers and clarifications. With Arjuna’s receptivity turning into sustained enquiry, Krishna’s exposition also became matchingly eloquent and wholesome. This transition in a fighter from the thoughts of battle to the search for the supreme Truth, will ever remain a splendid feature of the eternal Kurukshetra dialogue. It illustrates how spiritual quest has its relevance in any vibrant situation of life. Equally so, it depicts graphically how the message of the Soul is an eternal wholesome treasure, from which any seeking or distressed mind can draw strength, confidence and freedom.
Krishna’s clarion call has been to avoid being caught in the snares of sensory enchantments. Getting enchanted by any sight, sound or other sensory perceptions is something to be sternly avoided and safeguarded against. And yet, alas, Arjuna is tantalized by the visvarupa vision! For any intelligent seeker, the boundless existence of the universe is a matter of clear perception, both sensory and supra-sensory. In this is the origin as well as the end of everything and all, is also equally apparent. One sees the birth and death of beings all around. What further needs to be seen to make the idea clear and strong?
Alas, human mind is always prone to be trapped by its emotional flair, a weakness and delusion Krishna has sternly warned about and dissuaded. Did he not emphasize the danger of being carried away by the flowery speeches of the Vedas and also about the ritualistic life and its rewards (2.42-44)? Instead, see how the visvarupa splendour entices Arjuna!
Allurement overtakes the mind. This is how devotees, even in the final stages of their sadhana, get drawn by one attraction or another – either of this world or of the other imaginary ones! Thereby, they deny themselves the supreme goal of Self-realization and fulfillment! Any extent of caution, warning and persuasion will not be excess in this regard, is a great lesson the episode offers.
As for Vyasadeva’s rendering of the theme, there are three distinct facets in the portrayal:
1. Krishna showing the whole universe as inhering in a single source – the sole theme of spirituality as well as philosophy and religion, a point that no seeker should miss at any time. In fact this is the only message of the Vedas and Upanishads – sarvam khalvidam brahma.
2. Sanjaya reporting whatever Arjuna saw, thereby indicating that he too witnessed the whole episode.
3. Then Arjuna himself stating whatever he saw before him and felt thereafter.
The whole episode thus becomes quite ‘subjective’ and ‘personal’ to the mind that experiences it. In every one what works is his own imagination and purpose. The same mind being present in all, can though rarely, bring about the same phenomena – like two or more people dreaming alike.
Destruction – Complement to Creation
Vedavyasa brings the same order here, as is found everywhere in the puranas – the mythological texts. Arjuna first perceives Brahma, the Creator, heading all the super humans, together with all the materials for creation. This is just a passing note to inaugurate the episode with a touch of creational process. Countless hands, stomachs, faces and eyes suddenly come into view. The vision becomes huge and unbounded, defying any clear assessment. Arjuna gets lost in its splendour and awed by its magnitude. It evades every dimension and is beyond any beginning or middle or end! It is altogether mystic, stupendous and ineffable!
But the main significance was the immensity of the destruction and extinction of every creature in what he saw. To highlight this aspect, the vision becomes even more vivid. Arjuna finds the world around him, namely earth, water, air, sky, etc., enfolded in the sight in front. The profundity, expanse and variety of what he sees suddenly frighten him. What was his ambition just a few moments back, and what is his reaction now! He loses all composure and self-control. Is this what he yearned for or aspired to see?
The whole sight, he is amazed, is set to instrument mass destruction. It unnerves him. The entire array of the armies was seen gushing into the wide open mouth of Destruction. Bheeshma, Drona, Karna and also all the rest were being swept in the tide, like rivers surging forward to meet the sea. All the worlds were gushing towards the fiery mouth of Dissolution, like countless moths flying into blazing fire.
Bhagavad Gita dialogue was occasioned by the dreadful consequences the war-front portended to Arjuna. Arjuna’s wish to see the visvarupa was the result of his own weakness and delusion. Consequently, in the Universal Form he saw, the destructional note featured prominently.
War is a destructive process engineered by man. But how does creation itself meet its growth and destruction? Time is the sole power and means to bring forth existence as well as to withdraw it! “Now is active this phase of destruction, and Time is going to accomplish the task, ” declares Krishna. To shift the cause and means to anything other than Time will be a sheer delusion.
Even without Arjuna and his battle, explains Krishna, the Kurukshetra soldiers are going to meet destruction. Birth, growth and destruction go together, each complementing the others. Neither their place nor the tempo can be set aside. Doubt and indecision lurk only where enlightenment lacks.
Normally Arjuna should not have had any doubt at all. But he has. So, as in dream, a bewitching display is hatched by his mind. The object causing doubt and indecision is itself led to destruction, while Arjuna stands inactive, witnessing the process. By just being a witness to the episode, there is no question of any sinfulness for him – a very effective way of dealing with the mind’s crisis!
Duryodhana-army arrayed in front, Bheeshma and Drona leading it, and Arjuna facing them, are but instruments in the whole drama, says Krishna. The fate and plight of the Kurukshetra scene in particular, is no different from the fate and plight of the whole creation. All are moving according to a cyclic course. Each fighter has come there to fight – to kill or to die. They stand, ‘causally’ slain already. Only in the ‘effectual’ front, the drama has to be enacted, says Krishna. Krishna exhorts Arjuna to rise up and perform his instrumental role and win the resulting fame – the same tune as he sang in the second chapter, tasmad yudhyasva – therefore, fight!
What greater assurance will a sincere seeker need for clarifying his doubts? So far, Krishna only spoke to explain and clarify matters. Here now he makes Arjuna visualize the impending scene, also inspiring him with marked assurance and hope. On listening to Krishna’s clear words portending the events to follow, Arjuna trembled and prostrated before him. Choked with fright, he had spoken: “Whereas all others are struck with fear by your dreadful form, only the Wise and the Sages are feeling at home with this stunning vision, praising you with divine hymns.” These words (11.21) of Arjuna are more a warning and caution to the world than a personal confession.
In the light of whatever he saw, Arjuna could not but repent and seek forgiveness for all the behavioural transgressions he had incurred till then in his dealings with Krishna. He had treated Krishna like a mere friend, confesses Arjuna! How skillfully Vyasadeva weaves this human part into the whole Divine encounter!
Exclusive devotion alone leads to Universal vision
To overcome his delusion, Arjuna had initially sought refuge under Krishna, calling Krishna as his Teacher and making himself a humble student. He now suddenly extends the scope. He beseeches Krishna that like a father his son, a friend his friend, a lover his beloved, Krishna should bear with all the excesses and shortcomings he might have inflicted on Krishna earlier by his wrong behaviour.
Finally, unable to stand it anymore, Arjuna beseeches Krishna to revert to His more human and charming form – that of the beautiful, gentle, four-armed form of Vishnu, wielding mace, wheel, lotus and conch, about which he had heard so much. Another sudden turn of his mind!
Krishna is ever what he is asked to be: “By virtue of spiritual power was this Universal Form revealed to you. Neither by Vedic scholarship, ritualistic merits, grace of charities, nor even by noble deeds and severe austerities can this Vision be gained. Do not fear or be deluded, O Arjuna. See me in my normal human form, ” were Krishna’s words in answer. Arjuna became composed and stable.
“Even gods of the heaven aspire to see this Universal Vision”, adds Krishna:
ज्ञातुं द्रष्टुं च तत्त्वेन प्रवेष्टुं च परन्तप ।।
But only by dint of exclusive devotion, one can understand this universal magnitude, visualize it, realize it in essence and finally enter into it.
The three steps he lays down here are quite suggestive. Seekers should not miss their message and relevance. One gets to think of the universal dimension or magnitude only when rightly exposed by the Teacher. This is what Krishna did for Arjuna all along. Gaining the right perception on the basis of the words imparted by the Teacher, the seeker will be able to visualize it in essence. The vision provided by the senses is always limited. However, that will help us to think further and evolve to the universal magnitude.
Giving the Supreme the supreme pedestal
The entry into the Supreme, or to the universal magnitude, is not a physical process. What therefore takes place is that the seeker comes to know of the supreme Truth and that knowledge inaugurates the final entry into the Supreme and its universal magnitude. The important point is that there is nothing like a physical entry into Godhood. The entry is only the emergence of the seeker’s understanding and realization about it. Krishna emphasizes it quite distinctly.
Krishna does not stop at this. He comes back to the thread of his discussion. His intention is to enlighten Arjuna as well as the others like him. He emphasizes the purity and wholesomeness the mind should achieve, if the seeker aims at something great and immortal:
निर्वैरः सर्वभूतेषु यः स मामेति पाण्डव ।।
Work for the sake of the Supreme, consider the Supreme as the highest in a wholesome manner, be devoted to the Supreme in all ways and at the same time do not foster any attachment of any kind. Be free of all intolerance or hatred to anything of creation. One, purified and enriched by this, will attain the Supreme.
To regard the supreme Reality with all the comprehensiveness and supremacy is the first factor to count. True spirituality or devotional life commences from here alone. Once the seeker displays such a depth and wholesomeness, each and every act of his becomes an unreserved dedication to the Supreme.
By this, any dividing note between the Supreme and himself vanishes forever. A feeling of greatness and expanse takes over. That verily marks the essence of devotion. A devotee will then have an all-fold attunement in whatever he does. But it will not be possible unless he gets away from all his attachment to the ephemeral world and its contents, be it his body or the family, relatives and friends.
Simultaneously, the mind should also outgrow all kinds of hatred and intolerance towards anything in the world. Such a level of purity, piety and devotional expanse is verily the goal of spiritual life. Krishna calls such fruition as attaining the Supreme.
Man will no more then be a mere mortal individual. He feels his being is immortal, supreme and unassailable. The ego with all the constrictions it forges, will simply flee, and in its place will shine the universal expanse and freedom. It is no more seeking or seeing any kind of visvarupa, as Arjuna sought and did. On the other hand, it is a clear instance of growing into the universal dimension.
The difference between the two should be clearly borne in mind. This is the summary message with which Krishna ends the chapter. To miss this will be to miss the whole import of the visvarupa darsana.
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(From Essential Concepts in Bhagavad Gita - Volume 4)
