Gautam Saha: LORD KRISHNA CLEARS THE DOUBTS OF ARJUNA <\/p>\n
OR<\/p>\n
A PRECIS OF THE SRIMAD BHAGAVAD-GITA ( based on chapter 1 and 2 only )<\/p>\n
Five thousand years ago, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra
\nKrsna the All Merciful Karuna Sindhu, became the charioteer of Partha
\nKrsna, the friend, philosopher and guide of Arjuna, his persona grata
\nThe Lord is therefore Parthasarthy, the charioteer of Partha <\/p>\n
Arjuna wished to see who had come to the battlefield and desired to fight
\nWho were his friends or relatives who wished to test their might ?
\nWho were the warriors and soldiers who desired to be his enemies ?
\nArjuna requested Krsna to draw up his chariot between the two armies <\/p>\n
Arjuna saw different grades of friends, relatives, associates, juniors
\nSons, nephews, uncles, grandfathers, teachers and respectable seniors
\nSeeing them all on the battlefield, Arjuna was filled with compassion
\nHow could he aim his arrows at them and kill so many kith and kin ?<\/p>\n
O Govinda, even if I emerge victorious, how can I possibly be happy if I survive ?
\nWhat good are kingdoms, riches and comforts, if others are dead and I am alive ?
\nI am not prepared to kill, though I may live and enjoy material luxury
\nI would rather be killed, than be overtaken by vengeance and fury <\/p>\n
Let those who are evil try to kill us for material benefit
\nThey may be ignorant, avaricious, and morally bereft
\nBut why should we, with knowledge of the sin
\nDo likewise and engage in this heinous action ? <\/p>\n
Alas, how strange it is that we are preparing to commit greatly sinful acts
\nDriven by the desire to enjoy royal happiness and creature comforts
\nI consider it better to let the sons of Dhrtarashtra kill me, unresisting
\nThan to raise my weapons and kill those before me, with ire and sting<\/p>\n
My hair is standing on end, my body is trembling
\nMy bow is slipping from my hands, my skin is burning
\nMy helmet is slipping from my head, O Madhava !
\nI shall not fight, O Keshava ! <\/p>\n
It is better to live this life by forsaking royal claims and by begging
\nThan to taint our hands with the blood of seniors who taught us everything
\nEven though they are greedy, they are worthy of respect
\nI shall dwell in hell if I kill them even after fair combat <\/p>\n
I do not know what is my duty, and I have become weak and am in lamentation
\nI am now surrendered fully to you, O Govinda, and look to you for clear instruction
\nThis grief is drying up my senses and I will not be able to destroy it
\nEven though I might win the greatest kingdom and the chance to enjoy it <\/p>\n
At this, the Supreme Lord Krishna smiled and spoke thus :
\nMy friend, whilst speaking such learned words
\nYou are lamenting for what is not worthy of lamentation
\nThis weakness of heart does not belie your reputation <\/p>\n
Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor for the dead
\nFor never was there a time when you nor I nor any of these warriors had not existed,
\nO Arjuna, nor shall any of us ever cease to be, in any yuga, eon, or age
\nJust as the embodied soul passes in this body from childhood to adulthood to old age<\/p>\n
In the same way, the soul passes into another body at death
\nAs we give up old garments and put on new ones, as simple as that
\nA self realized soul is not bewildered by this transition
\nWhich is inevitable and part of the Lord\u2019s grand disposition <\/p>\n
Honour and dishonour, success and failure, happiness and distress,
\nAre like the passing of summer and winter, inevitable and relentless
\nThey arise from our sense perceptions, O Arjuna
\nAnd one should accept them with grace, O Partha <\/p>\n
Know that which pervades the entire body having life and senses
\nIs indestructible and imperishable, and eternally conscious
\nFor the soul, there is no birth or death or time unfulfilled
\nFor one who knows this truth, the self kills not nor is ever killed <\/p>\n
O Partha, how can a person who knows very well
\nThat the soul is indestructible, unborn, eternal and immutable,
\nKill anyone or cause anyone else to kill ?
\nOne who is in knowledge has no will to kill <\/p>\n
The soul cannot be cut by any sword or weapon
\nNor dried by the wind, nor moistened by water
\nNor burnt by fire, nor aged with time
\nIt is eternal, everlasting, immutable, and sublime <\/p>\n
For one who has taken his birth, death is certain
\nAnd for one who has died, rebirth is equally certain
\nTherefore, in the unavoidable discharge of your duty
\nYou should not grieve for the temporary body<\/p>\n
As a kshatriya, it is your duty to fight on religious principle
\nDo not hesitate, O Partha, to test your mettle
\nIt does not befit you to leave the battlefield
\nLeaving your comrades in the lurch, to be mercilessly killed <\/p>\n
All the great fighters and generals will speak of your infamy
\nConsider you a coward and scorn your ability
\nFor one who has been honoured, dishonour is worse than death
\nFight with determination and do your duty as an act of faith<\/p>\n
Raise your weapons for the sake of the fight
\nWithout looking at victory or defeat
\nHappiness or distress, loss or gain
\nIn this way, you shall never incur sin <\/p>\n
Yoga is working without looking for gain or loss
\nThose who are on this path are resolute in purpose
\nThose who are in yoga do not look for sense gratification
\nTo satisfy the Supreme Lord is their true determination <\/p>\n
Be steadfast in yoga, and perform your duty as a warrior
\nAbandon all attachment to success or failure
\nRid yourself of all fruitive work
\nFor yoga is the art of all work <\/p>\n
Be engaged in devotional service to the lotus feet of the Lord
\nAnd free yourself from the cycle of life and death in this material world
\nRenounce the fruits of all action
\nAnd come out of the dense forest of delusion<\/p>\n
You might restrict your senses from enjoyment
\nBut the senses will perpetually seek fulfillment
\nSo engage your senses in experiencing a higher taste
\nAnd thus fix your mind in divine consciousness <\/p>\n
Just as a boat on the water is swept away by a strong wind
\nEven one of the senses, if left uncontrolled
\nCan carry away the intelligence of a man of discriminance
\nAnd compel him to act in a manner devoid of intelligence <\/p>\n
A person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires
\nOnly can attain peace, not the one who seeks to satisfy these desires
\nHe who has given up all desire for proprietorship and sense gratification
\nAnd false ego, he alone can attain real tranquility and imperturbation <\/p>\n
This is the way of the spiritual and godly life
\nAfter attaining which one leaves behind all miseries and strife
\nBeing thus situated, even at the time of death, one can remember the Lord
\nAnd enter into Vaikuntha, the eternal spiritual kingdom of the Supreme Lord <\/p>\n
THE QUALMS OF ARJUNA<\/p>\n
Five thousand years ago, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra
\nKrsna the All Merciful Karuna Sindhu, became the charioteer of Partha
\nKrsna, the friend, philosopher and guide of Arjuna, his persona grata
\nThe Lord is therefore Parthasarthy, the charioteer of Partha <\/p>\n
Arjuna wished to see who had come to the battlefield and desired to fight
\nWho were his friends or relatives who wished to test their might ?
\nWho were the warriors and soldiers who desired to be his enemies ?
\nArjuna requested Krsna to draw up his chariot between the two armies <\/p>\n
Arjuna saw different grades of friends, relatives, associates, juniors
\nSons, nephews, uncles, grandfathers, teachers and respectable seniors
\nSeeing them all on the battlefield, Arjuna was filled with compassion
\nHow could he aim his arrows at them and kill so many kith and kin ?<\/p>\n
O Govinda, even if I emerge victorious, how can I possibly be happy if I survive ?
\nWhat good are kingdoms, riches and comforts, if others are dead and I am alive ?
\nI am not prepared to kill, though I may live and enjoy material luxury
\nI would rather be killed, than be overtaken by vengeance and fury <\/p>\n
Let those who are evil try to kill us for material benefit
\nThey may be ignorant, avaricious, and morally bereft
\nBut why should we, with knowledge of the sin
\nDo likewise and engage in this heinous action ? <\/p>\n
Alas, how strange it is that we are preparing to commit greatly sinful acts
\nDriven by the desire to enjoy royal happiness and creature comforts
\nI consider it better to let the sons of Dhrtarashtra kill me, unresisting
\nThan to raise my weapons and kill those before me, with ire and sting<\/p>\n
My hair is standing on end, my body is trembling
\nMy bow is slipping from my hands, my skin is burning
\nMy helmet is slipping from my head, O Madhava !
\nI shall not fight, O Govinda ! <\/p>\n
LORD KRISHNA PLAYS HIS FLUTE <\/p>\n
Lord Krishna plays His transcendental flute
\nThe music is timeless, the melody is absolute
\nTime stands still, moments stop ticking
\nThe cows and lively calves stop frolicking <\/p>\n
The blowing winds stop still
\nThe flowing waters stand still
\nThe trees pause in their lazy undulations
\nThe birds and beasts are stunned into silence <\/p>\n
His tunes float through the air
\nAnd mesmerize the bold and the fair
\nThey stop the householder in his tracks
\nAnd Kamsa\u2019s soldiers in their barracks <\/p>\n
The gopis run distraught, hither and thither
\nKnowing not which winds bear the music hither
\nThey have lost sense of themselves
\nThe time, their clothing, and everything else <\/p>\n
Some stop breastfeeding their babies
\nSome stop serving their families
\nSome stop looking after their children
\nThey cease all activites, of a sudden <\/p>\n
Why are the gopis so agitated ?
\nWhy are their bodies so dissipated ?
\nWhy are their dresses in disarray ?
\nIn the midst of their working day <\/p>\n
Are the melodies coming in from the East ?
\nFrom the green vales of Govardhan, sunkissed
\nOr are they wafting in from the west ?
\nThe lush meadows on the Jamuna\u2019s crest <\/p>\n
In everyones breast there is excitement
\nA vague uneasiness, an undefined ferment
\nThe birds stop chirping, with heads cocked
\nThe cows and the deer listen, jaws locked <\/p>\n
His tunes waft through the entire creation
\nFilling the air with a divine vibration
\nThey capture our minds and our hearts in full
\nHow else can one explain this intense pull ? <\/p>\n
What transcendental pleasure does the Lord receive ?
\nWhat ecstatic love does He wish to give ?
\nThe wonder of creation, the universe\u2019s magnificence
\nThe infinite variety of life, the goodness of Providence <\/p>\n
Are all hidden inside the Lord\u2019s flute
\nIn no small measure, in total absolute
\nThe Lord sends forth His love to each and every creature
\nWithout bias or favour, that is His special feature <\/p>\n
He is the musician unequalled, par excellence
\nThe greatest composer, unequalled in eminence
\nThe Lord is the Pied Piper of the entire creation
\nThe Master of Divine Pleasure and Recreation ! <\/p>\n
THE PASTIMES OF BALKRISHNA<\/p>\n
When joyous sounds emanated from the chieftain Nandbaba\u2019s house
\nThe folks of Brindavan knew that a child was born to Yashoda, his spouse
\nThey flocked to the headman\u2019s home in hordes
\nWearing jewellery, large turbans and colourful clothes <\/p>\n
Baby Krishna had been placed in His cradle
\nCherubic, for everyone a joyous bundle
\nThe folks who had come to this place
\nEach longed to see and touch His smiling face<\/p>\n
Lord Shiva also came upto Nandbaba\u2019s dwelling
\nHe was most eager to see the Baby Lord smiling
\nBut seeing Him scantily dressed and covered with ash
\nThe ignorant doorkeepers turned Him away in a flash<\/p>\n
Lord Shiva went a little afar and sat under a tree
\nHe wondered when He could get a looksee
\nHe had come to see the Lord in His new avatar
\nNever mind that He had to travel from afar <\/p>\n
The baby Krishna suddenly cried out and bawled
\nHe kicked at the cradle and would not be consoled
\nMother Yashoda and all the ladies present tried to pacify Him in vain
\nAt last they made enquiries and sent for the ash covered figure again <\/p>\n
When Lord Shiva came face to face with Lord Vishnu
\nHe marveled at this new \u201cleela\u201d of Lord Vishnu
\nTears of joy rolled down His ascetic face
\nThe baby Krishna smiled in cherubic innocence <\/p>\n
Lord Shiva was satisfied with this touching meet
\nHe departed for Kailash, happily contented and replete
\nBaby Krishna was soothed and gurgled liveliness
\nWhile the folks gathered around in gay happiness<\/p>\n
The she demon Putana, dressed as a nursemaid, came to kill Baby Krishna
\nShe had killed many babies at the behest of the demon Kamsa
\nShe offered Balkrishna milk from her poison covered breast
\nThe baby Krishna happily gurgled and snuggled upto her chest <\/p>\n
He sucked so hard that she screamed in pain
\nBut the Lord would not let go and she screamed in vain
\nPutana fell to the ground in a deathly swoon
\nThe life was drained from her body, all too soon
\nWhen baby Krishna began to crawl on all fours
\nHe scuttled hither and thither all over the floors
\nHe crawled over the cowdung and clay
\nWhich made mother Yashoda sigh with dismay<\/p>\n
He would crawl upto a calf and try to stand up
\nHe would catch hold of the tail and try to pull himself up
\nThe frightened calf would run all over the place very hard
\nBalkrishna would hang on, and be dragged all over the yard <\/p>\n
He would present a comic sight to Yashoda, His fond foster mother
\nWho would call all the gopis and enjoy this funny spectacle all together
\nThe Lord Balkrishna thus enjoyed His babyhood
\nFrom the simple rustic life He thus grew into childhood <\/p>\n
Mother Yashoda caught baby Krishna eating mud
\nShe yanked open His mouth and fainted with a thud
\nBecause she saw the entire universe within that tiny mouth
\nSomething she had scarcely known anything about<\/p>\n
The Supreme Lord remains always supreme
\nIn whatever physical form He appears to be
\nHe is eternal, all powerful and omniscient
\nLord Krishna as the original Narayan is omnipotent <\/p>\n
To understand the Lord in this glorious manifestation
\nWe need to have eyes that are anointed with devotion
\nAs stated in the Bhagavad \u2013 Gita, bhakti is the highest form of yoga
\nThe Lord is also known as Yogeshwar, the supreme master of all yoga <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Gautam Saha: Five thousand years ago, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra
\nKrsna the All Merciful Karuna Sindhu, became the charioteer of Partha
\nKrsna, the friend, philosopher and guide of Arjuna, his persona grata
\nThe Lord is therefore Parthasarthy, the charioteer of Partha <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9528","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-poetry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9528","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9528"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9528\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9528"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9528"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}