Understanding Gita

Health and Happiness -  Dr. Dwarakanath

 ‘To understand Gita, we must understand Krishna!’

In Gita, Krishna says, ‘Be immaculately yourself’. He says us, ‘Find your self-nature, our intrinsic individuality, our primal being, our authentic face and to be it’. He does not mince his words even when he advises Arjuna, “It is better to die upholding your true nature than to live on a borrowed life, which is nothing less than horror. You die as a warrior, rather than live as a renegade. Then you live a dead life. And a living death is better than a dead life”. This statement of Krishna is extraordinary and of tremendous significance. No Guru, master can have the courage to say this. Only a true friend can say this, “Be immaculately yourself!”

Krishna was a friend to Arjuna, an equal. Though Arjuna thought of Krishna as his teacher some times, Krishna felt just friendship - nothing more and nothing less. We must remember no Guru will be a charioteer to his disciple, only a friend will. The whole of Gita is to remind us who we are. Some misinterpret Mahabharata, thinking Krishna imposed his will on Arjuna. This is travesty of the truth. Krishna has no desires of his own; he is totally desireless. His desirelessness is superb and self-evident. In Mahabharata, Krishna is with Pandavas and he allowed his whole army with the opposition (Kauravas) fighting against Pandavas. This type of incident never happened, in the history of war. A belligerent’s mind does everything to see that all of his resources are used to help him win the war. This is an extraordinary situation in which Krishna puts himself, his structure of make-up, his individuality, is unique. And what is most amazing is that Krishna sends, Pandava brothers the victorious ones to the enemy general, Bhishma, at the end of the war to take a lesson on Peace. That is the reason Krishna calls this war in Gita as ‘Dharma Yuddham’ - the righteous war. Entire Gita is just a process of uncovering. It reveals the pristine possibilities of us- human.

The other greatest misunderstanding about Krishna’s birth has to be corrected in us to understand Gita fully. We always think, Krishna was born to respond to the needs of the times, because the times were terrible. It is as if a flower blooms by the wayside and a passerby thinks it has bloomed for his sake and its fragrance is meant for him. No awakened person, an enlightened soul takes birth in a time which he may call his time. On the contrary, he moulds time in his own way. Time follows him and he does not follow the time. Krishna is such an enlightened soul. Krishna does not come under the cause & effect; we must come out of utilitarian thinking to understand this. Flowers bloom for the sheer joy of blooming. Krishna like enlightened ones, are born out of their own joy and bliss and for the love of it. It is different if others like to and partake joy out of the fragrance.

Krishna also says, ‘I will incarnate when there is need’. He alone can make a promise who has attained the supreme freedom. Krishna has the courage to make such a promise for the reason that he lives without the cause & effect of karma, he lives with abandon, he lives just for the joy of living. And anything can spring out of this cause less bliss. Only a free consciousness is capable of giving such an assurance. And when Krishna comes, he comes, not because of a particular situation, but because of his freedom. It is very difficult understand language of freedom, because, we don’t know what the real freedom is. It will be paradoxical to read the words of Krishna, in Gita, if we try to see it superficially. (Analysis on Krishna and Bhagawat Gita continues…..)

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