Spiritual Musings - Bhagwad Geeta

 

Today, I found myself reflecting on the profound metaphor at the heart of the Bhagavad Gita: Krishna and Arjuna standing suspended between two massive armies on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. To me, this is one of the most striking visual narratives in spiritual literature because it contains deeply layered, seemingly contradictory truths. In this musing, I want to try my best to decode these hidden messages.

 

The scene itself is deeply intriguing. The final battle of the Mahabharata is about to begin, and both armies are eagerly awaiting the final call to charge. It is at this exact moment that a perplexed Arjuna asks to be driven into the middle of the field to observe both sides. Suddenly, he gets cold feet at the prospect of fighting his own kinsmen. As Arjuna sinks into dejection on his chariot, casting aside his bow and arrow, a monumental dialogue ensues between him and Krishna—giving birth to the Bhagavad Gita (The Song of God).

 

This unique setting holds profound lessons for humanity. Here is my interpretation of those core messages:

 

1. Watching Equidistant (The Neutral Observer)

The Gita explicitly mentions that Arjuna requested Krishna to position his chariot precisely in the middle of the battlefield so he could observe both armies from an equal distance. What is the deeper meaning behind this? It is a powerful lesson on becoming a Witness or Observer of life. To stand equidistant is to view our circumstances from a completely neutral perspective, without leaning toward bias or attachment. The Bhagavad Gita essentially begins with this foundational reminder: master the art of a witnessing state of mind.

 

2. The Fluidity of Krishna’s Role

At first glance, it is difficult to reconcile how Krishna—an incarnation of the Divine—is actively guiding Arjuna to fight a war that will claim millions of lives. This becomes even more perplexing when we recall that just months prior, Krishna went as a diplomat to broker peace between these very factions.

 

However, if we look closer, Krishna is operating with perfect consistency: he is living entirely in the present moment and executing the duty it demands. When he acted as a peacemaker, his role was to bridge the divide. When he entered the battlefield as the guide for the Pandavas, his role was to help them secure victory. When we look deep down, the contradiction disappears; it reveals the beauty of an enlightened mind that responds flawlessly to the present reality.

 

This explains why he could confidently take a vow before the war began promising never to pick up a weapon—knowing there was no need to do so if the five brothers fought with complete honesty and dedication. Yet, later in the battle, he unhesitatingly breaks that very oath, raising his Sudarshan Chakra to strike down Bhishma the moment he witnesses Arjuna holding back and failing to fight to his true potential.

 

3. The Significance of the Setting

The location of this spiritual discourse speaks volumes. Typically, a dialogue between a Guru and a Disciple takes place in the serene quiet of an ashram or a secluded forest. The Bhagavad Gita stands out as perhaps the only instance where the ultimate truth is revealed right in the middle of a chaotic battlefield.

During this conversation, Arjuna tries to escape the war, while Krishna continually pulls him back into it. If we interpret this metaphorically:

 

² The battlefield represents life itself.

² The two warring armies represent the challenges, conflicts, and adversities we face.

² Arjuna’s urge to flee represents the human mind trying to escape its problems.

² Krishna’s insistence to fight represents the inner Guru urging the disciple to face life's challenges head-on rather than running away.

² Arjuna even contemplates taking Sannyas (renunciation) and living as a beggar to avoid killing his "own" people. Krishna’s refusal to let him walk away is a clear message: we cannot escape life. The physical world encompasses everything; an ashram, a mountain, or a forest is just as much a part of this world as the battlefield. True renunciation is not about running away, as many escapists believe. The only path to spiritual evolution is to confront life’s challenges directly.

 

4. The Paradox of the Armed vs. the Unarmed

Another fascinating contrast unfolds here. Arjuna, a legendary warrior who prepared his whole life for battle, develops cold feet when the moment finally arrives. On the other hand, Krishna, who consistently opposed the war, becomes the one motivating Arjuna to fight.

Life is inherently full of these contradictions, and our stances naturally shift based on the context of the moment. Krishna does not feel divided within himself because he recognizes the distinct need of the present hour. Ultimately, all the opposing forces and contradictions we encounter in life are merely counterparts designed to help us grow and evolve.

 

5. The Illusion of Death

The message that mesmerizes me the most is one of the foundational truths of the Gita: "No one kills, and no one is ever killed in this existence."

 

This truth perfectly explains the physical postures of Krishna and Arjuna. Krishna possesses the absolute realization that life is eternal and death is an illusion. Because he knows he cannot truly destroy anyone, he chooses to enter the battlefield completely unarmed and unshielded, vowing not to lift a weapon. We only attempt to do what we believe is possible; since Krishna knows death is impossible, carrying a weapon would be redundant.

 

For Arjuna, however, death is terrifyingly real. Consequently, he arrives heavily armed, shielded, and anxious. In this dynamic, Arjuna represents the Human Mind, which is plagued by the fear of loss, while Krishna represents Pure Consciousness, which is eternally alive.

 

6. The Nature of Intention

A poignant question was once posed to the mystic Osho: If Krishna’s message that "no one truly dies" is taken literally, why is killing considered a sin?

 

Osho explained that the physical act of killing is not the ultimate sin, as nature takes only moments to manifest a new birth, bringing the mind, body, and soul back together to resume the evolutionary journey. Instead, the true "sin" lies in the egoistic thought or intent—the profound ignorance of believing that you actually possess the power to destroy another life. Existentially, the spiritual transgression occurs the exact moment the malicious intent enters the mind, regardless of the external outcome.

 

Therefore, our primary focus must always be on our internal state of mind rather than just the external events.

 

7. Resolving Common Doubts Surrounding the Discourse

People often point out certain logical inconsistencies or puzzles regarding the narrative context of the battlefield. Looking at these through a metaphorical lens offers profound clarity:

 

² How could both armies wait for a 700-verse dialogue to finish?

 

Osho explains that this entire exchange was telepathic and experiential in nature. It operates much like a five-minute nap where you experience decades' worth of complex, major life events in a dream. The dialogue transcended linear time.

 

² Why did no one else hear this discourse?

 

Mythology states that time stopped for Krishna and Arjuna, which is why the surrounding armies heard nothing. In reality, this points to a law of human psychology: we are only receptive to things that match our deep interests. Out of everyone present, only Arjuna asked these burning existential questions. Leaders like Dharmaraj Yudhishthira and revered teachers like Dronacharya and Krupacharya saw nothing fundamentally wrong with the war taking place. Because the dilemma wasn't their concern, they wouldn't have been tuned in to receive the answers.

 

² The Classroom Analogy:

 

Imagine a teacher conducting a class of twenty students. If only one student asks a highly specific question, the other nineteen who have no interest in the subject will completely tune out the answer. They hear the noise, but they do not listen.

 

² The Paradox of Distance and Willingness:

 

Aside from Krishna and Arjuna, the only two individuals who benefited from the Gita were King Dhritarashtra and his visionary guide, Sanjay. How could they perceive this discourse from miles away in a distant palace, while thousands standing right next to the chariot missed it completely? The answer lies in willingness. Dhritarashtra had an intense, burning desire to know everything happening on that field, allowing Sanjay to channel it. The soldiers on the field had no such desire.

 

² The Final Lesson on Seeking:

 

This highlights that the only prerequisites for receiving knowledge, awareness, and spiritual awakening are your personal intent and desire. If you possess that genuine yearning, wisdom will find you across any distance of time and space. Without it, you can completely miss the truth, even if Lord Krishna is standing right in front of you.

 

8. Dispelling the Notion of "War-Mongering"

Many critics argue that the Bhagavad Gita promotes war-mongering, suggesting that the catastrophic Mahabharata war could have been avoided if Krishna hadn't urged Arjuna to fight.

 

To clear this misconception, it helps to look at a profound excerpt from Osho's Gita Darshan:

 

"When Ralph Waldo Emerson first read the Mahabharata and reached the Bhagavad Gita, he was so unsettled that he closed the book. Henry David Thoreau experienced a similar discomfort, finding it hard to believe that a divine incarnation like Krishna would instigate Arjuna to fight and kill. Even Mahatma Gandhi, a staunch proponent of non-violence, viewed the narrative of the Gita as purely allegorical, unable to reconcile his concept of God with a figure who favored war over peace.

However, this is precisely where the distinction between a traditionally religious person and a truly awakened soul becomes clear.

 

Formalists often side with Arjuna, viewing his arguments for world peace, non-violence, and respect for elders as noble. They conclude that Krishna unnecessarily dragged him into battle. But the truth is, Arjuna never fundamentally opposed war. He was a seasoned Kshatriya (warrior) who spent his entire life fighting and killing on various battlefields. His sudden moral crisis was not triggered by an aversion to violence, but by the fact that he was facing his own relatives and teachers.

Krishna saw through this hypocrisy immediately. He knew Arjuna lacked the spiritual maturity of a Buddha or a Mahavira; if he walked away from this battle, he would simply fight another one later against strangers. Arjuna wasn't becoming non-violent; he was merely mixing selfishness with violence—deeming it acceptable to kill outsiders but wrong to kill his own blood. This selective morality was heading toward an even greater spiritual decay. Krishna’s entire effort was to rescue Arjuna from this delusion, guiding him to perform his duty selflessly as a warrior for society, free from personal attachment." — Inspired by Osho's Gita Darshan

 

Gratitude!!