"He who sees, sees"

The Epic of Faith:

By Sivanandini DURAISWAMY

Illustrations from Bhgavat-geeta

Swami Krishnathmanandaji of the Chinmaya Mission of Salem, South India is be in Sri Lanka and will be guiding us through his many lectures into the Epic of Faith the 'Bhagavad Gita'.

"First the battle of life. Let the virtue in you vanquish the vice. Lead a dharmic life true to your nature or svadharma based on self-control and complete surrender to the Lord. The Divinity within is your ever-available guide. Attuning yourself to It, do your job as splendidly as you can. Every one is obliged to wage the Mahabharata war in and through his life."

This the succinct theme of the Bhagavad Gita, which prompted Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda to choose the Gita as an important text for his Jnana Yagnas. Materialistic tendencies overpower humanity and the refreshing teachings of the scriptures help us to regain the glory of being human. "Let us spread peace, joy and love through the study of our great scriptures and selfless services towards humanity," was his aim.

"Yield not to unmanliness, O son of Partha" it does not become you a man of prowess. Cast off this faint heartedness and wake up," was the message to Arjuna when he was in a dilemma whether to fight the Kurukshetra war or flee the battlefield. This is the great battle for an inner victory and the yearning cry of the embodied Soul ready to give up the battle of life. It is afraid of the annihilation of its desires and its near and dear ones. It is heard trembling and doubting.

In times of crisis when man is tortured by doubt and conflict of duties, he becomes helpless. It is then that he turns to God for light and guidance as Arjuna did when he was torn between winning the war and killing his own people. This is not merely an incident where a lesson is taught; it is an allegory referring to the eternal struggle that man faces between the righteous aspirations and his unrighteous desires.

Tradition has it that the Pandavas lost all their properties to their Kaurava cousins at a game of dice and were banished to the forest. The period of exile was over and they returned to get back their lost property but the Kauravas refused to part with the land that was lawfully their cousins.

The great battle for the Kingdom between the Pandavas and Kauravas was declared. Lord Sri Krishna was Arjuna's Charioteer who in the beginning drove up to the battle lines so that they may survey the battle array. On seeing his own kinsmen poised for battle on the enemy ranks Arjuna was deeply disturbed - was he to fight and kill his relatives or was he to flee the battlefield, was his dilemma. It was at this crucial moment that Lord Sri Krishna inspired Arjuna with the teaching immortalised as the Bhagavad Gita.

Life is full of problems and is a veritable battlefield where man often faces Arjuna's dilemma. He is unable to discern his course of action and is unequal to the challenges of the situation. He realises his inadequacy and prays for knowledge and strength. Now comes the Eternal Voice of the Lord, which speaks of the imperishable nature of the Soul and the perishable nature of the body.

Swami Krishnathmanandaji

 In this body, we pass from childhood to youth, old age and death; finally, death that begins another cycle creates a new residence for the Soul. This is the inevitable cycle of birth and re-birth. But in this changing cycle, the Soul is unchanging and Real.

 "It is Unborn, Eternal, Changeless, and Ancient," says the Lord and adds that just as one discards old clothes and changes into new ones, the embodied Soul sheds its useless body only to take a new one. "When this is the truth, Arjuna, who kills whom?" asks the Lord.

Having convinced Arjuna of the immortality of the Soul, the Lord calls him to action. "Perform your duty renouncing the fruits of action with your heart fixed on the Supreme Lord. You have the right to work but for work-sake only. You have no right to the fruits of work."

The Lord now calls him to another form of action, an action in the form of a deep prayer and meditation - a prayer of silence.

In silence the vision of God as seen in all things in creation, especially so, in whatever is beautiful and good, is revealed. He has now been blessed with the Vishvarupa Dharishnam - the Cosmic Form of the Lord. Initially seeing this form he felt frightened but later on realization he felt calm and composed with an infinite love and adoration to God.

From now onwards the dialogue between the Lord and Arjuna becomes more friendly. Arjuna surrenders fully to the Lord saying, "Tell me what I should do for now since I have taken refuge in You." This is the symbolic companionship of Arjuna and Lord Sri Krishna. God appears as man, as the friend of the struggling Soul - the Charioteer Sri Krishna steering Arjuna through turbulent times. "Dedicate all your action to Him and worship Him and Him alone," are the ineffable words to Arjuna.

In difficult times and situations when man is harassed and is in a dilemma, Lord Krishna's words of practical wisdom and calm collectedness stand him in goodstead. In the serene and unruffled Krishna, we see an ideal, which should be emulated. In the midst of the opposing forces, the din of the war drums and with a deeply perturbed Arjuna, the Lord remains calm and collected holding the reins of his horses. This is a beautiful example which shows us how we should live in this strife torn world, face life calmly and be unattached like the lotus leaf on water.

The Kurukshetra war is constantly taking place in each one of us. It is not just a war that was fought several millennia ago but in the subtle form - the sukshma rupa, the war rages within us all the time. The five Pandavas and the hundred Kauravas fought for the kingship of Hastinapura, where they were born, nurtured and trained. In life, the five good qualities of satya, dharma, shanti, prema and ahimsa are constantly at war with the many evil qualities numbering perhaps around hundred or more. Both these qualities are related to each other because of their common origin but being opposed to each other, they become the disputants for the kingship of the Heart and the Atman is the Charioteer helping to eradicate unrighteousness.

The sublime concepts in the Gita have given poetic articulation to those timeless problems man encounters and the answers to those will fascinate the spirit of man until the end of time. Thus, we see that the choice is ours to let the Lord lead us as he did Arjuna on the path to perfection, peace and happiness. We owe this to ourselves to find these values and not evaluate mere material gains, and, make the world a better place to live by tapping the real source of peace and harmony, epitomizing the spiritual background and efficacy of human existence.