Intense Dialogue Between Krishna And Arjuna
Krishna s exhortation to Arjuna in K his moment of moral dilemma on the battlefield at Kurukshetra is perhaps the turning point in Vyasa's Mahabharata. What did Krishna's call mean-was it merely a call to arms to Eight a righteous war, as seen contextually, or was it a call to action and clarity, when viewed metaphorically? Either way, the situation triggers an intense dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna, on the nature of reality and mind, and the meaning of karma. In the Kurukshetra of the mind, Arjuna becomes Everyman, the confused seeker-soul, caught between his sensitivities and the need to do the right action, at the right time. Krishna shows him a way out of the labyrinthine confusion of the mind, unfolding before him, higher dimensions of Self, which would clear Arjuna's mind. Whose Krishna? Vyasa presents him personification of the Self a theme which Ramanujan would later pick up in his exposition of the Bhagwad Gita that flows from his Vishishtadvaita analysis of Vedanta. According to this, the manifest universe and individual souls are as real as God, a 'real' manifestation of Brahmn, though completely dependent on it, since it originates from Brahmn, as an effect. Arjuna's moment of crisis, his seeking, and his total surrender to Krishna, and the vision of Krishna's Vishwarupa (cosmic) form, is viewed as the fullest proof of this perspective, in that the search for the Self must originate in contemplation of the Supreme Being, and culminate in the love for this personal god, where jnana, knowledge, is actually bhakti, adoration of God. Arjuna, as an ideal seeker, moves from confusion and scepticism to attempting to understand the mystery of the nature of things, putting his faith completely in Krishna. Arjuna may have had self-doubt, but at no point does he doubt Krishna, even as Krishna unravels his real persona and the greater scheme of things to his friend. Arjuna is seen as being worthy of the glimpse into greater dimensions of knowledge-but this knowledge, as Ramanujan states, is actually bhakti, love and adoration and vision of God. Vishishtadvaita extends this argument to say that complete surrender is a prerequisite to all kinds of forms of seeking, for other. wise, karmic duty runs the risk of selfish motivations, and the path of jnana could itself be trapped in intellectual abstractions. So Krishna in the Gita is God-Brahmn, revealing himself toa disciple capable of great enquiry, which tradition sees as an attribute of surrender to the Divine will. Arjuna's surrender is not an absurrender of will to another, but thegradual recognition of the limitatioof his mind even as Krishna unfolds higher, untapped dimensions, to whArjuna was not privy to, till that poiHis trust in Krishna is the result of along friendship, prior to that momerRamanuja sees this transcend envision of Krishna as a sign of the gr=of God for his bhakta, and both the concepts of surrender and grace liethe heart of his Vishishtadvaita position. This sthitaprajna state ofmind, which Krishna encourages Arjuna to attain, of equanimity, canachieved only through recognition God alone is at work, and each moracin is to be viewed from His perspective, just as Arjuna is giventhis knowledge by Krishna.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Pranav Khullar and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Pranav Khullar and Speaking Tree,Times of India
Intense Dialogue Between Krishna And Arjuna
Krishna s exhortation to Arjuna in K his moment of moral dilemma on the battlefield at Kurukshetra is perhaps the turning point in Vyasa's Mahabharata. What did Krishna's call mean-was it merely a call to arms to Eight a righteous war, as seen contextually, or was it a call to action and clarity, when viewed metaphorically? Either way, the situation triggers an intense dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna, on the nature of reality and mind, and the meaning of karma. In the Kurukshetra of the mind, Arjuna becomes Everyman, the confused seeker-soul, caught between his sensitivities and the need to do the right action, at the right time. Krishna shows him a way out of the labyrinthine confusion of the mind, unfolding before him, higher dimensions of Self, which would clear Arjuna's mind. Whose Krishna? Vyasa presents him personification of the Self a theme which Ramanujan would later pick up in his exposition of the Bhagwad Gita that flows from his Vishishtadvaita analysis of Vedanta. According to this, the manifest universe and individual souls are as real as God, a 'real' manifestation of Brahmn, though completely dependent on it, since it originates from Brahmn, as an effect. Arjuna's moment of crisis, his seeking, and his total surrender to Krishna, and the vision of Krishna's Vishwarupa (cosmic) form, is viewed as the fullest proof of this perspective, in that the search for the Self must originate in contemplation of the Supreme Being, and culminate in the love for this personal god, where jnana, knowledge, is actually bhakti, adoration of God. Arjuna, as an ideal seeker, moves from confusion and scepticism to attempting to understand the mystery of the nature of things, putting his faith completely in Krishna. Arjuna may have had self-doubt, but at no point does he doubt Krishna, even as Krishna unravels his real persona and the greater scheme of things to his friend. Arjuna is seen as being worthy of the glimpse into greater dimensions of knowledge-but this knowledge, as Ramanujan states, is actually bhakti, love and adoration and vision of God. Vishishtadvaita extends this argument to say that complete surrender is a prerequisite to all kinds of forms of seeking, for other. wise, karmic duty runs the risk of selfish motivations, and the path of jnana could itself be trapped in intellectual abstractions. So Krishna in the Gita is God-Brahmn, revealing himself toa disciple capable of great enquiry, which tradition sees as an attribute of surrender to the Divine will. Arjuna's surrender is not an absurrender of will to another, but thegradual recognition of the limitatioof his mind even as Krishna unfolds higher, untapped dimensions, to whArjuna was not privy to, till that poiHis trust in Krishna is the result of along friendship, prior to that momerRamanuja sees this transcend envision of Krishna as a sign of the gr=of God for his bhakta, and both the concepts of surrender and grace liethe heart of his Vishishtadvaita position. This sthitaprajna state ofmind, which Krishna encourages Arjuna to attain, of equanimity, canachieved only through recognition God alone is at work, and each moracin is to be viewed from His perspective, just as Arjuna is giventhis knowledge by Krishna.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Pranav Khullar and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Pranav Khullar and Speaking Tree,Times of India