| Listen to Prabhaata-rashmih Audio |
Harih Om Tat Sat. Jai Guru.
Last evening in the satsang, I spoke giving a lot of emphasis on how the mind is very important and the sole focus of our life, all its activities, interactions, interactional consequences and the art and process of meeting them. I cannot get away from this subject in whichever manner I think about spiritual wisdom and its role in actual life.
Bhagavad Gita is a very singular gospel. It is always considered to be a war dialogue, a war-ground dialogue that transpired about 5154 years back. In Kurukshetra, which is about 140 kilometers away from the capital of India, New Delhi, the place is even now identified and people do visit the place in large numbers on several occasions particularly. So it has all the historicity that we can think of.
This dialogue transpired because Arjuna even after thirteen years of preparation for the impending war came to the battlefield, expecting to show and display his unparalleled valor. In spite of it, suddenly on looking at the commanders-in-chief of the opposing army, he suddenly lost everything. The body started shivering, his bow slipped from his hand, his mouth went dry, his intelligence was baffled; there was nothing left in him which could restore Arjuna to any kind of stability, memory and poise. Unable to stand, he sat where he should normally be standing and fighting with vigour.
Imagine this kind of a plight which the heroic fighter met in the very battlefield of his choice and on the much awaited occasion of the Mahabharata war. If a hero sat like this with no help or hope, at the same time obstinately saying, “I will not fight. I will become a mendicant and go and beg for my food. This war is notorious, sinful. I will not fight.” Now what can anybody do – can you think? Even today, if such a situation arises? And this happened after Arjuna had done very protracted austerities and penance as a preparation to the war and he got some of the mighty weapons like Pāśupatāstra.
Normally austerity reinforces a man. It gives him undaunted strength, inner strength particularly. Anyone doing austerity before a great venture gets more and more equipped for meeting all eventualities and achieves success. But this is what happened, the reverse. The only person who was close to Arjuna was Krishna and he was a charioteer. He was not supposed to take weapons or fight. But it was always upto him to speak to the master of the chariot, the fighter and give him timely enthusiasm, vigour, even direction. Depending upon his own skill, his own knowledge, the charioteer can be even greater than the master of the chariot. Very big fighters sometimes become charioteers.
Just see, Arjuna wanted Krishna to be a charioteer and he simply agreed! And actually, it was Krishna’s dexterity that made Arjuna so despondent and say, “I will not fight and sit.” Krishna had only access to what - He did not want to physically lift up Arjuna and somehow pat him and then make him fight. Remaining in his own position as a charioteer holding the horses of reins and the whip in his hand, he turned back and started talking to Arjuna.
Arjuna’s body was thoroughly enfeebled. He only had his ears and eyes to hear and see, his mind to think, his intelligence to understand. Making use of all these, Krishna started speaking to him. A few words uttered by Krishna made Arjuna think and rethink his position and he immediately understood that he was under the spell of an unjustified weakness. So he said, “Give me the right instruction so that I will attain the best of life’s aim in this very war.” So the distressed and aggrieved Arjuna became an enquirer and seeker by the magic words of Krishna. This is something that I would like you to remember.
For anybody at anytime, the mind and the intelligence are the only instruments which will be of help. Arjuna’s questions were met, answered, the dialogue prolonged itself and ultimately Krishna finally tells him, “This is the one that I want you to understand.” He ends it up with a devotional note.
“Arjuna, God is seated in the heart of everybody. He turns the entire wheel of life remaining within the heart of all creatures. What you have to do is, “Tam-eva śaraṇaṁ gaccha sarva-bhāvena bhārata.” My dear souls, please mark these words. The first proposition is God is seated in the heart of all people, all creatures.
You have to seek refuge under this indwelling Lord who holds all the power of creation, preservation and destruction. You seek refuge under him using all your attitudes, emotions and objectives. Exclude none. Let there be a total, wholesome attunement in your mind where the inner Lord, the dweller of your heart becomes the sole focus. Then what will happen?
Tat-prasādāt parāṁ śāntiṁ sthānaṁ prāpsyasi śāśvatam, you sought for śreyas, the supreme everlasting abode. That supreme abode as well as peace and quietitude you will get. By what? By the blessing of the inner Lord whom you have to seek refuge under. Tell me now, what is this gospel? This gospel is a message for all times for all people to recognize the worth, the potential of the mind and the intelligence, make use of it to access the supreme power, Godly power which animates and activates your personality.
Now this approach can be made only by the mind and intelligence. It cannot be done by flowers, by rituals, by climbing up and down, by travelling, going around in the hill, nothing like that. All these exercises are welcome as preliminaries. But the actual course is worked by the mind and the intelligence. Please understand this.
Harih Om Tat Sat. Jai Guru.