The Story so far:
Arjuna, the representative of Pandavas is arrayed for battle against his cousins Kauravas. Lord Krishna is his charioteer and so his victory is assured. Neverthess Arjuna is plagued by all kind of doubts and even considers a life of Sanyas as better than fighting against his own kinsmen. But Lord Krishna is nudging him on saying as a ksatriya he needs a kingdom which is realizable only if he fights and wins the battle. The Lord further advances the argument that in any case the souls of his cousins will live on even if they are dead. Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, (but strangely) Arjuna had a blood relationship with Him. It also appears that Krishna has a teacher and a grandfather! One is often attached to family life, namely to wife, children and other members, on the basis of “skin disease.” A scholarly brähmana, expert in all subjects of Vedic knowledge, is unfit to become a spiritual master without being a Vaiñëava, or expert in the science of Kåñëa consciousness. But a person born in a family of a lower caste can become a spiritual master if he is a Vaiñëava, or Kåñëa conscious. Enlightened, perfect knowledge of self-realization, or Kåñëa consciousness, would make Arjuna fight.
Since Chapter 2 very long , I thought it best to present it in portions for (relatively) easy consumption. I hope you can bite, digest and assimilate it. We are in 2d, dealing with Texts 31-40.
Lets’s dive in. (my remarks are given in red. As before, they spring from a normal human view; however the biblical perspective is also given where relevant). The Text in black is my condensed version of the Purport as given in the book of Gita and it is mostly verbatim.
evolutionary process from one form to another.” Animal becomes human!! Strange indeed! Darwin resurrected?
the heavenly king. But if he abandoned the battle, he would not only neglect his specific duty as a kñatriya, but he would lose all his fame and good name and thus prepare his royal road to hell. In other words, he would go to hell, not by fighting, but by withdrawing from battle.
It is clearly explained by Him that the Puruña, or the Supreme Lord, is active and that He
creates by looking over the prakåti. This is accepted in the Vedas and in the Gétä. The description in the Vedas indicates that the Lord glanced over the prakåti, or nature, and impregnated it with atomic individuals souls. All these individuals are working in the material world for sense gratification, and
under the spell of material energy they are thinking of being enjoyers. This mentality is dragged to the last point of liberation when the living entity wants to become one with the Lord. This is the last snare of mäyä or sense gratificatory illusion, and it is only after many, many births of such sense gratificatory activities that a great soul surrenders unto Väsudeva, Lord Kåñëa, thereby fulfilling the search after the ultimate truth.
creates by looking over the prakåti.” Another Supreme Lord!! It’s getting a bit crowded, what?
works for the satisfaction of the Lord only, however difficult such work may be, is working under the principles of buddhi-yoga and finds himself always in transcendental bliss. By such transcendental engagement, one achieves all transcendental qualities automatically, by the grace of the Lord, and thus his
liberation is complete in itself, without his making extraneous endeavors to acquire knowledge. There is much difference between work in Kåñëa consciousness and work for fruitive results, especially in the matter of sense gratification for achieving results in terms of family or material happiness. Buddhi-yoga is therefore the transcendental quality of the work that we perform.
There is a widely held belief that Mahatma Gandhi did not view the Bhagavad Gita as a historical text. However, it’s important to note that Gandhi’s views on the Bhagavad Gita were complex and evolved over time. While he may not have accepted it as a purely historical text, he did find great spiritual and ethical value in its teachings.
Gandhi’s interpretation of the Bhagavad Gita was deeply influenced by his own philosophical and moral framework, which emphasized non-violence, truth, and selfless action. He saw the Gita as a guide for moral and spiritual development, emphasizing the importance of self-discipline, renunciation of desires, and the pursuit of truth.
It is challenging to pinpoint a specific reference where Gandhi explicitly stated that he did not consider the Gita a historical text. However, his writings and speeches reveal his emphasis on the practical and moral aspects of the Gita rather than its historical context. He focused on the Gita’s teachings on selfless service, duty, and the struggle against inner temptations rather than engaging with its historical narrative.
Gandhi’s interpretation of the Bhagavad Gita played a significant role in shaping his philosophy of Satyagraha (nonviolent resistance) and his approach to social and political change. While he may not have viewed the Gita in purely historical terms, he regarded it as a valuable spiritual and moral guide for individual and social transformation.
It’s important to approach Gandhi’s views on the Bhagavad Gita with nuance and recognize that his understanding of the text was multifaceted, drawing from various aspects of its teachings rather than strictly adhering to a historical interpretation.
This needs to be probed further. The emphasis in this section seems to be all about Lord Krishna’s persuading Arjuna to fight. Whence then is the non-violence moral that Gandhi derives?
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