BHAGAVAD GITA
Unveiling Bhagavad Gita’s the Secret of the Secret Doctrine of the Avataric Path
THE GITA
As Taught by an Ancient Yogi
“May the fire of your Kundalini rise in your spine,
May your heart burn with Divine light,
May your consciousness be illuminated in brilliance, upon reading these Gita.
For those who have yet to arrive, let them evolve.
For those who recognize, let them dissolve. ”
DEDICATION
I dedicate this humble book to my loving teacher, the ancient one from the Himalaya, as a modest token of deep gratitude for the immense affection and care which he had favored and honored me with. I am grateful to this luminary being who have been watching over my life and the development of my spiritual path through the shifting sands of time.
I would also like to dedicate this book to my fellow spiritual companions, my brothers around our Sri Guru who were known as ‘Sages whose faces are always on fire’
“Whenever there is a decline in righteousness and an increase in unrighteousness, O Arjun, at that time I manifest myself on earth.”
“To protect the righteous, to annihilate the wicked, and to reestablish the principles of dharma I appear on this earth, age after age.’ (4:7-8)”
Krishna
The Purna Avatar of the East
Among the Avatars who made a huge impact in the East was Krishna. If we study the events in the life of Krishna without any prejudice and by sieving facts from fiction, we can appreciate his role in his own geographical location in an objective manner.
Biographical Sketch of Krishna
Emperor Kamsa was the despotic ruler of the Vrishni kingdom which capital lay at Mathura, the present state of Uttar Pradesh India. He belonged to the invincible Yadava clan. In order to seize power, he imprisoned his own father and installed himself as the emperor. When Kamsa reached the peak of his power and the heights of tyranny, he received news of a prophecy that the eighth child of his sister or cousin Devaki, would kill him and thus end his regime. Hearing that, Kamsa wanted to behead Devaki, but Devaki’s husband Vasudeva made a pact with Kamsa promising to deliver all their children to be killed by him if he would just spare her life. Kamsa agreed to the pact and imprisoned Devaki and her husband for life with tightened security.
Kamsa did not spare any child of Devaki. He smashed the heads of every infant in their presence. The apparent cruelty caused some dissention within his Kingdom, and this fell in favour for Vasudeva and Devaki. On the birth of their seventh child, Vasudeva managed to smuggle the baby boy out of the prison through their aid and across the river Yamuna to Gokula replacing it with a still born baby for Kamsa instead. This seventh child was Balram, Krishna’s elder brother .
Finally, the awaited moment for the prophecy came. Kamsa did everything to secure himself from the dreadful prophecy. He personally oversaw this period with heightened security especially on the night Krishna was about to be born. He wanted to see for himself this prophesied child before crushing it with his bare hands.
Devaki went through prolonged labour that continued all night. This worn out the prison guards who soon could not wrestle the sleep spell. Unable to resists, they soon plummeted into deep sleep. It was at this time a great miracle occurred. Through Divine intervention the shackles gave way and all the prison doors became wide opened as if there was a power cut that caused all security access control systems to become disarmed by default. Vasudeva seized this propitious moment to smuggle out Krishna from the prison and across the swelling river Yamuna to reach Gokula. He arrived at the house of Nanda whose wife just gave birth to a baby girl. Vasudeva saw this as a sign of Divine grace. He informed everything to Nanda and coaxed him to exchange Krishna for his new-born baby girl believing that Kamsa would not kill her because it was not the prophesized one. Vasudeva then immediately returned to the prison cell with the baby girl. Everyone including Kamsa believed that the eight child was indeed a baby girl. Nevertheless, Kamsa smashed the head of the infant killing it too. But he was later informed by his astrologers or advisors that there was some kind of conspiracy surrounding the female infant. In fact, according to their predictions, they believed that the prophesied child had already been born and was safe somewhere. Kamsa enraged by this new information, ordered his army to massacre all children born in that month leaving no stones unturned in order to annul the prophecy. However, Krishna remained safe and grew up in Gokula.
As a kid, Krishna was very playful. At that tender age, he would lead ‘high profile organized crimes’ in order to steal butter from neighbours. He would also take away the cloths of his Gopis when they were busy bathing, leaving them stark naked
while he calmly played his flute in the midst of the pandemonium. These were important lessons in the Divine scheme of things because one day Krishna will organize and lead an army to vanquish evil. He will lead and rule a country. Such innocent games in his youth made Gopala Krishna, a cowherd in a remote village to evolve into a military genius, a war strategist and a politician. Krishna also learnt to be calm and compose in any situation. Playing the flute at critical instances had taught him the art of disassociating himself from the situation as if he is a witness, in order to be on top of any game so that he can see clearly and make appropriate decisions wisely, which need not be always advantageous to him as we witnessed throughout his career. Playing flute while the world is moving also symbolizes the constant connection and communion with The Divine at all times.
Krishna will have his way with those who complained about him to his dear mother. Not a day passed by without him getting into some trouble. But it was those pranks that constantly kept the village bursting with new breath of life and adventure, taking them to the heights of craziness at times and at the same instance, it was also the melody from his flute that kept the village sane and compose pegging them to a quietude state of which everyone was thankful for.
As a teen, Krishna enjoyed much attention. Nearly all women of his age wanted to marry him. But he was like the breeze, that can be felt but cannot be owned. However, there was one woman who captured his heart but even then, she too could not possess him due to the Divine scheme at play for Krishna. Radhe, was the woman who left an indelible mark in the heart of Krishna for whom not only his heart broke but he also broke the flute and gave up playing it forever.
Krishna became a cowherd in his teen. He would tend and take care of all the cows in his village. He would bring them to his favourite spots at the Govardhan Hills to graze while he would seize that moment to plunge into deep contemplation. The solitude in those Hills provided him with the right atmosphere to be alone with his soul. It was here, Krishna would hear an unstruck inner Divine calling that made him ponder intensively over the ultimate questions of life. The intensity of those moments of contemplation was reflected from the tune of his flute which would snappishly terminate into long pauses between the notes only to abruptly continue sometimes in erratic tones and in other times as pleasant melodies that would suddenly terminate again. Those hallow and sometimes ghastly haphazard melodies somewhat shrouded the entire village into a hypnotic state, and its sudden thrust into silence made the masses aware of the sound of silence in the atmosphere and in themselves. All these mysterious enchantments in the air seem to reverberate not only his mood but also his deep thought. Those were the only moments when the playful carefree Krishna would become serious. One could trace the struggle and cry in his soul by those tunes from the flute and sudden silence, which exchanges goes on in continuum for sometimes half a day, at other times till sunset and then would frequently go on for days. Everyone knew something was going on with Krishna but nobody knows what was it. Krishna spent more days, to weeks after weeks alone in the Govardhan Hills.
Krishna attained manhood and secured for himself a peaceful and a contented life full of joy and excitement. But all of it came to an end when he was informed of the truth about his background. One fine day, he was summoned to Govardhan Hills where he was reminded of who he was and what his purpose of life was. The impact of that revelation hit him so hard that when he came down from those Hills, he was no more the same Krishna he used to be. He not only left the community he was grateful to; he not only left his adopted mother who brought him up and his brother as her own, but he also gave up his love of his life Radha, in order to fulfil the prophecy and establish Dharma (Divine Law) in the land. Krishna could no way refuse the Divine call and nothing not even Radha could stand in his way. We believe that Krishna and his brother Balram returned to Mathura with an army to overthrow Kamsa. Krishna then established Dharma (Divine Law) in the land. He became the emperor or leader of the invincible Yadava Clan.
After playing a pivotal role in a massive war that wiped out millions, Krishna led his clan on an exodus to the newly built city of Dwaraka located near the sea at present day Gujurat. Dwaraka became the ‘golden city’ built by Krishna and his Yadava clan. However, the invincible Yadavas became drunk in worldly luxuries and further drowned in power and arrogance. They soon lost their ways and deviated from Dharma. Dwaraka was destroyed by a tsunami and became submerged under the sea after Krishna’s passing. The entire city and the invincible Yadava clan were wiped out in that terrible ordeal.[1]
Taking a cue from west, we understand that when the inhabitants of a city do not heed the warnings and advice of its Prophet to live a life governed by Dharma (Divine Law), God will destroy that entire city and its inhabitants for their evil after its Prophet’s departure. This seems to be the case with Dwaraka and the invincible Yadava clan.
Enlightenment and the Sacred Tree of Krishna
Krishna who revealed to Arjuna the Bagavad Gita in the midst of an ongoing massive war was considered to be a Purna Avatar among Avatars in India. He had his complete awakening and reminder of his task at the Govardhan Hills when he was a cowherd in Gokula.[2] His Scared Tree was an upside-down Fig Tree akin to the appearance of a Baobab tree.[3]
“‘Behold in their ranks are many powerful warriors, like Yuyudhan, Virat, and Drupad, wielding mighty bows and equal in military prowess to Bheem and Arjun. There are also accomplished heroes like Dhrishtaketu, Chekitan, the gallant King of Kashi, Purujit, Kuntibhoj, and Shaibya—all the best of men. In their ranks, they also have the courageous Yudhamanyu, the gallant Uttamauja, the son of Subhadra, and the sons of Draupadi, who are all great warrior chiefs”
Setting the Stage
Kurukshetra War
The war between the Pandavas and Kauravas were brewing. It soon became clear that this war was inevitable. Word travelled far and wide about this coming terrible war. The Pandavas and Kauravas were campaigning to secure support from other states and nearby kingdoms in order to expand their military strength, gain manpower support, increase fundings to advance machineries and weapons of mass destruction.
Krishna, a Divine personality who himself led numerous military expeditions was well known among kingdoms around the region as a military genius and as someone who was specialized in combat. Furthermore, he was the leader of the invincible, exceptionally tough and aggressive Yadav Clan known as Narayani Sena. The Yadavas were warriors who could carry out a lone, all-out assault against larger number of soldiers. They were the cream of the crop among warriors of their time like the navy seals or special forces within commandos.
Duryodhana, the eldest of the Kauravas was well aware that Arjuna was the intimate friend of Krishna and therefore, it was crucial for him that Krishna must either be coaxed into becoming their ally of which the chances are slim, or he must be disqualified from participating in the war altogether; but at the same time the Kauravas must secure his military support of the invincible Yadavas because with the Yadavas support victory will be assured. Hence, Duryodhana approached Krishna cautiously as he knew that victory will be cemented if Krishna and his forces were on his side or if he could disqualify Krishna from the war somehow and seize at least some support from the Yadavs. This must be strategically executed without offending Krishna. Arjuna too approached Krishna for support as a friend. Krishna knew the damage his army could do to the Pandavas if they entered the war. But it was of a strategic significance that Krishna too must enter the war at all cost to be on Arjuna’s side. So, Krishna offered a counter proposal to Duryodhana and Arjuna. He offered them a choice between his army or himself. Duryodhana seized the opportunity to secure Krishna’s army while Arjuna sought his friend to be at his side. However, the Yadavas had some contention against Krishna ’s proposal. It was a matter of dispute between their conscience and obeying orders. Eventually only one or two sections of his army decided to obey his orders. Now, Duryodhana had secretly secured the first part of his plan for he knew that even thou he can’t get the entire support from the army, he could still make a huge difference in the war with some support. He then moved his next step to disqualify Krishna from the war. Duryodhana projected to be dissatisfied because an entire army was promised by Krishna and not a portion. Furthermore, Krishna was now on the side of Arjuna. Duryodhana then proposed to Krishna that Krishna should disqualify himself from the war instead in order to be fair. Krishna accepted Duryodhana proposal and disqualified himself from the war. He will not take up any arms except to function as a charioteer and a military advisor for his friend Arjuna. Thus, the matter was settled. Duryodhana secured a portion of the military support from Krishna and believed that the pie of victory was his to cut but what he didn’t know was that Krishna had just beaten him in his own game.
The Kurukshetra war was a battle between two great armies, Pandavas and Kauravas that involved many kingdoms like Panchala, Dwaraka, Kasi, Kekaya, Magadha, Matsya, Chedi, Pandyas, and Telinga, and some other clans that took side with the Pandavas while the allies of the Kauravas included the kings of Pragjyotisha, Anga, Kekaya, Sindhudesa (including Sindhus, Sauviras and Sivis), Mahishmati, Avanti in Madhyadesa, Madra, Gandhara, Bahlika people, Kambojas and many others. Krishna, even thou according to the treaty with Duryodhana did not take up a single arm in the war nonetheless played a pivotal role in manoeuvring the war towards Pandava’s favour. He remained as an advisor for his friend Arjua throughout the war.
Arjuna the Brave Heart
The Gita was revealed by Krishna to Arjuna in the midst of an ongoing massive war. Arjuna, the military strategist and famed warrior, was the only one at that point of time in that Iron Age civilization who was not only ready but fit to receive the revelation and the grand Divine unitary vision from Krishna. Let us take a moment to ponder on this.
Arjuna was the only one out of the millions to receive it! Being fit to receive grace from the Divine is not exactly what humans understand from the word fit. In fact, it’s not about one’s material status, or chivalry reputations or even intellectual standings. Arjuna a renowned warrior famed for being a skilled archer or sharp shooter of their time became the weakest man in the battle field even before the war could start. He became so weak that he refused to fight and would not lift up any arms. He was prepared to be slain than to slay. But the Divine did not see that as a weakness. Contrary to that, it saw Arjuna as the only one among the millions out in the battle field fit to receive Divine Grace at that moment. It saw Arjuna’s heart ready to carry the message from the revelation at that point. The Divine saw his heart and not his state. It saw its essence and not the appearance. It did not see weakness but saw compassion and mercy in that heart. It did not see cowardice but saw truth and keenness to keep and honour relationship ties. It saw in the brave heart of Arjuna truth, mercy, kindness, sympathy, love and discipline. It saw a heart that was ready and willing to listen and most importantly open to learning.
The Divine did not care whether there was one person receiving the revelation in the entire civilization or an entire community or an entire nation because, the Divine is outside the scope of space and time and thus, the sight of the Divine stretches to all time frames at once. It only sees the humble heart. Numbers are not a matter of importance for the Divine because it knows that the revelation to this one man will one day reach the masses. That’s Divine power and it has the power to protect the essence of that message throughout time. The essence of the Divine words can withstand the test of time no matter how much it had become blended with scholarly interpretations over interpretations or with additions, interpolations, plagiarism, or being expunged and expurgated. The message remains as codified information. Unlocking that code will give us the system of meaning. This is one of the greatest Divine miracles. But since this interpretation of Gita is going to be on high mystical grounds, we have to look deeper by turning inwards. We have to realize that these characters outside are all inside us as well.
