BHAGWAD GITA CHAPTER 1

 Bhagwad Gita- 1 - Bhagwad Gita- 1 BHAGWAD GITA :-

CHAPTER 1

ARJUNA VISHADA YOGA

Sri Sri :

dharma-ksetre kuru-ksetre samavetet yuyutsavah mamakab pändavai caiva kim akurvata sanjaya (1.1)

"Sanjay, my dear son, please tell me what is happening on this Dharma Kshetra (the land of dharma, the land of action). This is a land of action. This universe, our world is a place where law governs, dharma governs. If our actions are in accordance with dharma, there is always harmony. If our actions are against the law, against dharma then we face disharmony or conflict. Knowing this, he asked Sanjay, "Tell me, what is happening? You can see it, but I can't. You tell me what is happening in Kurukshetra, between my children and the Pandavas?" It's my-ness, the limited belongingness blinds a person. A limited understanding of what is mine, what is not mine makes a person miserable.

Dhritrashtra asked Sanjay, "What is happening?" Sanjay was intuitive; his inner eye was open. He was a sort of psychic. He didn't watch any-crystal ball, but he was so intuitive, that sitting in the palace he saw what was happening out there in the battle field. In those days there were no cameras, so the people had to use their inner faculties. There was no conference calling, no television stations. However, some people had great inner vision, an inner ability to cognise, to recognise, to comprehend things happening far away. Even today there are many people who can see things, who can predict, who can visualise what's happening elsewhere. Sanjay was an expert in that, and the king sought an expert's help to see what is happening. That is the beginning of Gita. When you don't have the ability, take the help of those who have the ability – the very first lesson. You can't do everything by yourself. So take help from those who can do it, and then do it. See that they too are part of you.

When Duryodhana saw the strength of the Pandavas, with whom he was going to fight, he straight away went to his teacher, Dronacharya 4 to complain. A weakness in a person is that he/she doesn't
recognise his/her strength. Duryodhana looked at the others and when he found that the others are stronger than him, that is when he saw himself becoming weaker and weaker. If your sight is stuck on the other, it's never on yourself; you are bound to be weak. Duryodhana didn't see himself, his own massive army that he had with him, his eyes were fixed on the others. When you keep eyes on others, you can't but complain. And he did just that, he went and just complained and complained, "See what you have! Look at them, they have so much talent, they have so much power, they have so many people there, with me there is nobody..." he started his off-tune music. Duryodhana's music went on like that, as an accusation: "All of you, what have you done for me? You have done nothing!" He went on accusing and feeling weaker. So by the hour, he was feeling frustrated, angry, and tensed as he accused his own men. The height

4 Dronatharya had taught the military arts to both the Kaurava and Pandava brothers.

of ignorance was that he was accusing the teacher who taught him. Strength comes from gratefulness. Strength comes from recognising one's strength.

Duryodhana, was singing his own tune, complaining about, `How they are strong and we are weak: When such complaining went on non-stop, his grandfather Bhishma blew a big conch. Blowing a conch, making a loud sound can shift ones awareness, consciousness. Every instant in the Gita is universal in nature, it is not just a phenomenon which just happened once, long time ago. It's a perennial phenomenon, it is happening every day continuously. That is the beauty of this knowledge, its not limited to time and space. It's eternal. The eternal song (Gita), because its values hold good for all generations, for all people all over. So when the mind starts groaning and complaining, what a wise man would do is - he would blow a conch. Bhishma made a sound and that sound energy uplifted the whole atmosphere, uplifted the spirit of Duryodhana. To make him happy, the grea