Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Reading the Bhagavad Gita, Chapters 11-12

Chapter 11: The Cosmic Vision
“Arjuna said: My Lord! Thy words concerning the Supreme Secret of Self, given for my
blessing, have dispelled the illusions which surrounded me.
O Lord, whose eyes are like the lotus petal! Thou hast described in detail the origin and
the dissolution of being, and Thine own Eternal Majesty.
I believe all as Thou hast declared it. I long now to have a vision of thy Divine Form,
O Thou Most High!
If Thou thinkest that it can be made possible for me to see it, show me, O Lord of Lords,
Thine own Eternal Self."(p.30)

Krishna is willing, and reveals himself to Arjuna:


"Arjuna said: O almighty God! I see in Thee the powers of Nature, the various creatures of
the world, the Progenitor on his lotus throne, the Sages and the shining angels.
I see Thee, infinite in form, with, as it were, faces, eyes and limbs everywhere; no
beginning, no middle, no end; O Thou Lord of the Universe, Whose Form is universal!
I see thee with the crown, the sceptre and the discus; a blaze of splendour. Scarce can
I gaze on thee, so radiant thou art, glowing like the blazing fire, brilliant as the sun,
immeasurable.
Imperishable art Thou, the Sole One worthy to be known, the priceless Treasure-house of
the universe, the immortal Guardian of the Life Eternal, the Spirit Everlasting.
Without beginning, without middle and without end, infinite in power, Thine arms all embracing,
the sun and moon Thine eyes, Thy face beaming with the fire of sacrifice,
flooding the whole universe with light."(p.30-31)

But Krishna is terrible as well as beautiful:

"Seeing Thy stupendous Form, O Most Mighty, with its myriad faces, its innumerable eyes
and limbs and terrible jaws, I myself and all the worlds are overwhelmed with awe.
When I see Thee, touching the Heavens, glowing with colour, with open mouth and wide
open fiery eyes, I am terrified. O My Lord! My courage and peace of mind desert me.
When I see Thy mouths with their fearful jaws like glowing fires at the dissolution of
creation, I lose all sense of place; I find no rest. Be merciful, O Lord in whom this universe
abides!
All these sons of Dhritarashtra, with the hosts of princes, Bheeshma, Drona and Karna, as
well as the other warrior chiefs belonging to our side;
I see them all rushing headlong into Thy mouths, with terrible tusks, horrible to behold.
Some are mangled between thy jaws, with their heads crushed to atoms."(p.31)

Krishna acknowledges this:

"Lord Shri Krishna replied: I have shown myself to thee as the Destroyer who lays waste the
world and whose purpose is destruction. In spite of thy efforts, all these warriors gathered
for battle shall not escape death.
Then gird up thy loins and conquer. Subdue thy foes and enjoy the kingdom in prosperity.
I have already doomed them. Be thou my instrument, Arjuna!
Drona and Bheeshma, Jayadratha and Karna, and other brave warriors – I have
condemned them all. Destroy them; fight and fear not. Thy foes shall be crushed.”(p.32)

Arjuna does not argue, merely begs forgiveness of any insult he might have given addressing Krishna more familiarly in the past and begs Krishna to return to his previous appearance.

"Lord Shri Krishna replied: It is hard to see this vision of Me that thou hast seen. Even the
most powerful have longed for it in vain.
Not by study of the scriptures, or by austerities, not by gifts or sacrifices, is it possible to
see Me as thou hast done.
Only by tireless devotion can I be seen and known; only thus can a man become one with
Me, O Arjuna!
He whose every action is done for My sake, to whom I am the final goal, who loves Me
only and hates no one – O My dearest son, only he can realize Me!”(p.33)

Okay.  I prefer the straight-up acknowledgement that Krishna is not all-beneficent, but at this point I think Arjuna should refuse and tell Krishna to do his own dirty work.  And if Krishna could force Arjuna to be his instrument, why is Krishna spending all this time talking?  If mortals were really powerless before the gods, why do we see only the work of mortals on this earth?

Stand up Arjuna, put down your weapons and lead the resistance against your bloodthirsty god!  (Part of me regrets that American theater has no strong tradition of shouting encouragement to the hero and booing the villain.)

End chapter 11.  Chapter 12:  The Path of Love
“Arjuna asked: My Lord! Which are the better devotees who worship Thee, those who try
to know Thee as a Personal God, or those who worship Thee as Impersonal and
Indestructible?"(p.34)

Krishna replies that both attain to him, but that the abstract approach is more difficult.  Then he reiterates somewhat more concisely his points in preceding chapters concerning non-attachment, renunciation of responsibility, and total devotion to Krishna:
 
"Knowledge is superior to blind action, meditation to mere knowledge, renunciation of the
fruit of action to meditation, and where there is renunciation peace will follow.
He who is incapable of hatred towards any being, who is kind and compassionate, free
from selfishness, without pride, equable in pleasure and in pain, and forgiving,
Always contented, self-centred, self-controlled, resolute, with mind and reason dedicated
to Me, such a devotee of Mine is My beloved.
He who does not harm the world, and whom the world cannot harm, who is not carried
away by any impulse of joy, anger or fear, such a one is My beloved.
He who expects nothing, who is pure, watchful, indifferent, unruffled, and who renounces
all initiative, such a one is My beloved."(p.34)
End Chapter 12.  Next time, chapters 13-14.

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