भगवद्गीता
BHAGAVADGITA SIMPLIFIED
AS
‘WHEN
SANG AGAIN’
NOTE
TO THE READERS
Bhagavad-Gita – the Song
Divine is presented here in the most simplified form of an informal dialogue, a
conversation, between two close friends which is an almost accurate
representation of the actual events that might have occurred.
-
Narayanalakshmi
PRAARTHANAA
SALUTATION TO THE GREAT
AUTHOR
नमोऽस्तु ते व्यास विशालबुद्धे फुल्लारविन्दायतपत्रनेत्र
येन त्वया भारततैलपूर्णः प्रज्वालितो ज्ञ्नानमयप्रदीपः ॥
Salutations O Vyaasa of extensive
intellect!
Your eyes are wide like the fully
blossomed lotus-petals
(by the bliss of the Self enjoyed
within).
For, you have lighted the lamp of
Knowledge filled with the oil of (Mahaa) Bhaarata.
SALUTATION TO THE GREAT TEACHER
वसुदेवसुतं देवं कंसचाणूरमर्दनम्
देवकीपरमानन्दं कृष्णं वन्दे जगद्गुरुम् ॥
Salutation to Krishna
the Supreme Teacher of the world,
who is the supreme delight for Devaki
(mother);
who is son of Vasudeva;
who killed Kamsa and Chaanoora (the
wicked ones).
BHAGAVADGITA- THE SONG DIVINE!
PROLOGUE
What need of an introduction to this great scripture which
has been acclaimed in countries all over the world as the most wonderful divine
dialogue ever written! Yes! It is a written version of the conversation we have
now! In no way it is in the exact format as delivered by Sage Vyaasa to his
disciples. The original was just a story of King Bharata in a very short form
–comprising about just 8 to 9000 verses. Now it has taken the gigantic form of MahaaBhaarata
comprising of 74000 verses. The one in heaven is supposed to contain more than
one lakh verses.
This was a story told long ago in the Vedic times. It has
made its own time travel and on the way picked up a lot of outside material; discarded
some original pieces; and what we now have is just diluted milk or
milk-flavored water!
There are also supposed to be many versions of this
Mahabharata story which vary according to the listener’s aptitude. If one is
philosophically molded he will get only the philosophic version; if one is war
oriented, he will get the war-version and so on. The present one we have is
supposed to be a war-version which was delivered to King Janamejaya who was
more interested in the eighteen days of the Great War between his forefathers
than in any Upanishadic philosophy! Unfortunately even this one is a
time-corrupted version.
As this story was highly popular, every person who retold
the story added his or her own ideas into it.
That is how we even get the caste-system divisions described
in a philosophical treatise like Gita. The verses decrying women as sinful
creatures also might have been a recent addition to the sacred text.
Coming to Bhagavad-Gita as such, we do not have the exact
version here also. In the MahaaBhaarata epic, this Gita occupies a very tiny
portion of the whole book. It is just one of the dialogues buried in countless
such philosophical dialogues in the book. Actually there are mre excellent
philosophical dialogues more informative than this Gita, in the main text. But
this particular portion of the epic was extracted by Sri Shankaraachaarya and
titled as ‘Bhagavad-Gita’ - ‘the Song of God’; he raised it to the level of
Upanishads and Brahma Sutras; and wrote detailed commentaries about all the
three. His purpose might have been to make ‘Krishna
the Vaishnavite God-head’ into an ‘Upanishadic teacher’. Anyhow we have to take
only his version as the most authentic.
Apart from these historical mess-ups what is Gita? It is
just a dialogue between two friends.
One of them was a great royal personage - Arjuna!
He was a prince of the greatest dynasty ever at those times;
and was the most cherished hero among all. Cheated out of the royal comforts he
had to spend his entire childhood in forests with his widowed mother and four
brothers. A fire of revenge was lit there which found its culmination only in
the great battle of Kuru Kshetra!
The other friend was ‘Krishna
the dark one’! Dragged out of the adopted parentage he was forced into royalty
by circumstances. Branded as a cowherd who dealt with cow dung and milking, he
had to prove every moment of his life that he was not less in intelligence or
prowess to anybody else out there. He mastered all Vedas, all weapons, all
learning so much so that he was titled ‘Bhagavaan’ – ‘One who excels in all
learning’ by the very committee of Sages. He built a port-city making the ocean
itself as a moat and safeguarded his Yaadava kingdom. The city was acclaimed as
one of the engineering marvels. He amassed enormous wealth through merchandise
with foreign countries. He married many princesses and formed many powerful
kings as his ally. Though he was insulted many a times by many an arrogant
royal personage, Arjuna, the renowned Kuru prince guarded him against all these
onslaughts and saw that due respect was given to this Yaadava prince.
Both were victims of circumstances; both nourished lots of
wounds from the society; and both supported each other against the unfair
world. Their friendship was unique. Their closeness was an envy of their many
wives. There was no distinction of class or wealth. They played together, ate
together, studied together, fought together, slept together; in fact they were
two bodies with one soul. All secrets were shared; all mistakes were confided;
all thoughts were exchanged. Both knew each other like one’s own self. They
were so much together that people addressed them as ‘Two Krishnas’ rather than
call them by separate names! If one was called the other one was sure to pop
up! As ‘Krishna’ also means ‘attractive one’ Arjuna the fair one was also a Krishna !
The only secret Krishna Vaasudeva hid from his friend, was
his love for Raadhaa. Maybe he thought that this childhood fascination of his
for an elderly country girl would have been a topic of ridicule even for
Arjuna, a hero who excelled in romantic episodes. Krishna had also never told
him that he was a realized Sage in the guise of a prince; that he had mastered
all the ‘Siddhis’- ‘magical powers’; that he had studied all the Vedas and was
an ardent disciple and assistant of Sage Vyaasa; that he never ever touched his
wives but had always managed to please them with hallucinatory experiences. He
thought maybe Arjuna was not mature enough to understand all these things.
Other than that there was no barrier between these two great men! This other
side of Krishna was revealed to Arjuna only at
the battlefield of Kuru Kshetra!
When Arjuna saw his own kith and kin standing there to give
up life for a puny kingdom, his heart trembled. He was unable to reconcile to
the idea that he was going to pierce with his arrows the very bodies which bred
him and taught him.
If not this war, which was fought according to strict rules,
they would have fought mindlessly in any way they liked and killed each other.
Better fight in a war than have chaotic conflicts. Here at least there was the
glory of patriotism and heavens hereafter. So Krishna
had watched all the events leading up to the war like a ‘witness’. He had also decided
not to be an active partner in the war and also not to wield any weapons. But
as a close friend of Arjuna he had taken the horse reins in his hands to veer
Arjuna safely in the war-field. He did not mind being called a charioteer;
after all his cowherd-name ‘Gopala’ still lingered in all the mouths reminding
every one, of his humble beginnings; one more name to get ridiculed in future
he did not mind.
But Arjuna was not a realized yogi. His mind faltered at the
most crucial hour. An agitation also arose at the extreme unattached attitude
of his dark friend. He was envious maybe of his calm disposition. Whatever the
reason – he had decided to play the rebel. All the pent up anger at everyone
there - including his own brothers – especially his own elder brother whose
unearthly patience had brought this state of utter damnation – burst out of the
depths of his mind. But for his brother’s command, he and Bheema would have cut
the heads of those damned cousins at that very hour Draupadi was dragged to the
court and got humiliated. But Yudhishtira was always a big barrier to all their
emotions. Because of him he and his brothers and their wife had to undergo
untold suffering all these years. Now the battle was ready to be fought.
Because of his elder brother, now thousands of families are going to lose their
fathers and brothers.
So many bodies are going to shriek in pain as arrows pierced
them; as maces cracked them; as horses trampled them; as chariots crushed them;
as elephants smashed them to pulp! Arjuna knew his sharp arrows would spare
none on the enemy side. Surely all the elders standing there now would be no
more after the war. They would get a kingdom filled with widows and orphaned
children cursing all the kings and emperors who brought destruction to the
land. What happiness can be reserved for even the five valiant brothers also
after the war? Everyone will be in tears. After all, the youthful phase of
their life was already gone. Now after half the life was over why bring about
destruction to one and all! Forest life was
not new to them. They can leave the kingdom to their cousins and return to the
forests; maybe seek Knowledge from the Sages and attain ‘Moksha’! At least the
people of the country would be safe and alive! What mattered to them whether
Kauravas were the rulers or Paandavas!
Arjuna felt all these thoughts rushing through his mind, the
moment he stepped into the chariot. At least now, he wanted to disobey his
elder brother and save the lives of so many people. Maybe people will call him
a coward. But it did not matter. He would spend the rest of his life in a cave
and feel good that he had prevented all the bloodshed. He was exhausted by all
these emotions and decided to quit the scene.
This is the context of the acclaimed divine dialogue.
What conversation ensued between them – we have no audio
video recordings of the same!
Sri Shankaraachaarya has given us only the philosophical version
of the Gita!
Whether the two friends talked anything more of their own
life- we do not know!
Whether Sage Vyaasa got the whole dialogue or a censored
version- that also we do not know!
At least let us not be blind to reason and imagine that both
the armies on the battlefield stood frozen magically for two hours or so, while
the two friends posed as a God and a disciple in the centre; so that the future
generations would worship them in that posture painted on a canvas.
A battle field is a battle field; not a lecture hall.
The clangs of the metallic weapons; the neighs of horses;
trumpets of elephants; dust raising chariots; whispering murmurs of countless
soldiers; such a noisy atmosphere is definitely not conducive for a serious
conversation between a broken heart and a soothing medic.
Here is an attempt to bring the real scenes of the
conversation alive. A thorough research was done analyzing each verse of the
sacred book and a most probable scenario was brought forth. This version of the
Gita is not the verse to verse dry translation the text. Rather the whole scene
of the conversation, taking into account the closeness that was between Krishna and Arjuna and the psychological background of
both the friends, is recreated as it were here.
No personal opinions are added; no modified meanings are
presented; but this work just gives Gita as it was; a conversation between two
friends.
BHAGAVADGITA
SIMPLIFIED
[WHEN KRISHNA SANG
AGAIN]
PART ONE
THE CONTEXT
Here again begins
a story of a battle-field;
a field akin to
your house-field.
The story here is
nothing but your own story.
The war is fought
in truth not with swords;
but with thoughts
and ideas that you have stored so far!
There, on the battle-ground of ‘Kuru Kshetra’
assembled all the
warriors;
hearts trembling
with excitement; who would win, who would lose?
Nobody knew; for,
equal was their prowess!
On one side waited
the Kauravas;
ready to kill but
filled with guilt.
On the other side
stood the army of Paandavas;
ready to fight but
afraid to kill.
Their battle is
not the one seen on the T.V. serials.
For, it was too
magnificent to fill the 30” screen.
Nor did they wear costumes made of cheap plastic
but were decked in
heavy armor.
Warriors of those days were not the
puny bodies you
see on the screen;
but could reach
the roof of your house
if they ever stood
straight.
The bows and arrows held in their hands
weighed tons as
far as I know;
and had you ever
been there, you
would have fallen
under their heavy weight!
Elephants and horses filled up the scene
like the black and
white clouds floating in the expanse of the sky.
And colorful were their beautiful head-gear
like the hues of a
million ‘Bows of Indra’ thrown together!
All warriors wore a ‘Tilak’ on their foreheads
applied by the
trembling hands of their mothers and wives!
The pictures of
their little sons and daughters filled their minds;
but their reddened
eyes glared ferociously at their enemies!
Would they ever return in the evening to the lovely embraces of their
wives?
Or enter the
‘other world’ to wander aimlessly?
Or, maybe if they
fought with courage, they may end up in ‘Veera Swarga’
and enjoy the
bliss of the heaven forever!
But if they were wounded or fractured
in the ensuing
war;
they may get
trampled and crushed by the wheels of the chariots
to lie in a gory
bed of blood and flesh.
War was never pleasant
whether it was
there, or here, then or now.
The winning credit
always goes to the leaders;
not to the men who
really fought.
In the game of politics, don’t these
poor souls play
the part of the pawns
only to bleed till
death and leave
their families
forlorn?
Well, to come back to our story
of the
battle-field,
both the armies
stood facing each other
ready to fight but
afraid to begin!
The elders of the
party,
now ‘the vowed
enemies of the Paandavas’
stood still as if
they were unconcerned;
for, they were in
that ‘field’ not to kill relentlessly
but led by the
‘loyalty’ they cherished for the king.
Nor would the Paandavas
blow their conches -
so that the fight
could begin and screams tear the sky!
They were afraid
they might be wrong.
How could they
kill their kith and kin
even if their
stupid cousins had done something wrong?
A deathly silence
pervaded the whole ‘field’.
Nobody breathed
for fear of getting heard.
Even the animals understood these anxious vibrations
and they also
stood still as if painted on a canvas!
Duryodhana, who was the cause of all these affairs
nervously glanced
from side to side.
Neither could he
escape, nor could he face the family elders;
he knew he was
wrong;
but he held his
head high as if nothing was wrong.
Unobserved by any
he glanced at Bheema, his sworn enemy;
whose rugged face
was swollen with fury.
In his hearts of hearts, the son of the blind king knew
that his own heart
would be ripped apart by those strong hands
and his thighs
would be broken with that mace of his.
Had he not done an action against Dharma
when he had
forced the ‘chaste lady’ to the court?
Too arrogant at that time was he
and was blind to
the results of his action
like his father;
the old senseless emperor of Kuru dynasty
whose inner eyes
were also as non-functional as his outer ones!
A deed was done
and gone with;
but the
consequences arose here
in this great ‘Battle-field
of Kuru Kshetra’!
And, his furious foe, the tall and handsome Bheema
was absorbed in
his own thoughts for that moment.
He had left his
tent in a confused mood;
the morning
incidents had disturbed his mind!
There, his pretty
wife Draupadi,
pretty even after
all these years,
had held his hands
secretly behind a tree!
Nothing had she
spoken;
but her eyes had
said everything he wanted to know!
Tears were up to the brim
but held back by
her long eye-lashes.
All the insults she had borne shone in those eyes
pleading with him
to avenge their plight.
A scene from a
woman’s life flashed forth there;
a slave of an
‘evil man’ once she was;
even with five
magnificent husbands,
the envy of the
three worlds!
Though she had
fought tooth and nail;
though she had
quoted all the scriptures and argued;
nobody had listened!
Wasn’t she a ‘woman’
branded forever as
the weaker sex?
Her plight in the court of Kauravas
has been sung by
devotees
to extol the
praises of Krishna ;
has been paraded
on the screen
as the most decent
rape-scene;
has increased the
sales in the textile shops
to be advertised
as the ‘Draupadi-Sari’!
But did even one, at least one person
feel the cold
blood dripping from her heart?
Did one woman cry and
feel the angry
throbs of her wounded heart?
No! Nobody! Nobody but Bheema
understood
her silent cry;
and, Bheema had
sworn that the
accursed
Dusshaasana would be torn apart;
and, with his
blood would her
unwound hair would
be oiled
and combed with
the broken bones of that idiot!
Draupadi felt a
‘drop’ of joy in that accursed life;
where one husband
at least of all the five
was her ‘true
love’ and bled for her in his heart!
And that joy trickled down to form
a fountain at the
cherished thought of
the dark-hued hero
who had always come to her rescue
at a mere call
from her heart!
She had adored that charming form
all through her
youth
and would have
worshipped those lotus feet
till death claimed
her body!
By the play of fate she had been married to the fair-hued hero
and became a
reward for his prowess in archery!
A woman even if she be a maiden born out of the sacred fire
enjoyed no freedom
in this accursed world!
Bheema as he stood
behind the ‘peepul’ tree;
holding in his
embrace - his dearest queen,
knew all this; yet
smiled with pretended fury
and he promised in
that smile all that his queen wanted.
This time, it was not the white
‘Paarijaata’
flower she wished for;
but the reddened
bones of that senseless wretch
and an embrace
from his blood-soaked hands
wet from the blood
of the other brother!
Bheema walked towards Arjuna’s tent
in a pensive mood.
‘Paartha’ had sent a message to him
to meet him there.
Bheema felt a shiver in his heart
as if the end of
the world was near!
Arjuna, the
fair-hued hero had confused him again.
All the
forest-life and preparation for the battle;
and now, he lectured about the evilness of the war
as if he was a
saint straight coming down from a forest.
If war was evil, then
why did that
handsome hero please all the Gods
and collect all
the weapons powered with ‘hymns’
if it was only to
stop the war at the beginning itself?
Bheema had been too tired to argue
and just treaded
like a robot
towards the ‘Great
-Field’ nick named
as
‘Dharma-Kshetra’;
What was Dharma, his
mind questioned!
Was it not right
to fight the wicked,
whatever be the
end, good or bad?
His mind answered; ‘yes’; for, it was not like
the ‘untrained
mind’ of his younger brother;
but ever kept
under vigilance
in the state of
the ‘Witness’!
Krishna, his
darling friend,
though young in
age was wise beyond years;
and he had taught
him the techniques of getting ‘True Bliss’.
And whatever he
said was indeed right.
And Krishna - the dark-hued warrior was
jumping around
like a young boy;
hopping from tent
to tent;
filling all with
words of hope!
Not only were the
magnificent leaders visited;
but even
foot-soldiers did not escape his glance!
For, Krishna had heard in his ‘vision’,
the piercing
screams of their wives
withering on the
ground drenched with blood
beating their
chests in untold agony!
All battles ended only in tragedies
and nobody had
given a thought to these nameless men
who for the sake
of the king were ready to kill ruthlessly
and shed their
blood too, if needed!
They never knew
‘words of quotes’;
nor could they
give a high-sounding speech;
nor did they have
names famed enough
to echo in the
quarters!
They knew only one thing and believed only one thing;
that their king
was right!
Was their king
right, by any chance?
Their ‘King of Might’
the
‘righteous’ Yudhishtira
a
king ‘without a kingdom yet’
was also troubled
at heart!
He also wondered
whether this war
was right!
His heart shuddered at the very thought of
piercing his
grand-pa with a sharpened arrow!
The entire battlefield was tense and tired!
The two sons of
Maadri fidgeted in their chariots.
Time was running out and
the auspicious
moment might be lost!
The deadly silence was then broken
by the mighty
voice of the Kaurava king!
Duryodhana had somehow gathered up his courage
and encouraged by
the ‘knowing glances’ of his brothers
had walked with a
majestic gait and
approached the
golden chariot of his Guru,
as the only
possible step in starting the ‘fight’!
He gave a big
discourse
on the prowess of
his army
and mentioned
loudly
the names of all
those who made up his army!
As each name was
mentioned,
those honored souls
stood up straight
and felt their
ice-cold hearts
warming up with
courage!
Drona glanced uninterestingly at his poor disciple!
He hated all this;
yet he was here!
Oh! Why did he ever get employed in the ‘Royal Chambers’
he wondered!
He had lost the
peace enjoyed in his ‘poverty-stricken life’!
Now he was rich
and famous; but where was his ‘peace’?
Duryodhana’s words
just brushed past his ears.
His mind was
elsewhere nursing his own wounds.
His heart longed
to embrace his dearest student Arjuna;
but he just
stood there like a statue, bound by the
‘cords of duty’!
He had indeed blessed that wonderful son of Paandu
and embraced him
in the morning
when he had
visited him!
Arjuna had walked straight towards his Guru
and had held his
feet for long
as if afraid to
let it go!
‘Was there fear or confusion in his eyes?’-
Drona wondered!
Drona had hurriedly moved away to attend to his own duties!
He had no time to
spare even Arjuna, a moment of advice!
He had to get
ready to fight along with the ‘commander of the army’!
He could not
resist the bubbling ‘excitement of war’!
This day was a
‘special day’,
when he could
really see
all the prowess of
his students
even if they
fought each other
craving blood for
blood!
Drona’s mind woke up to the present scene of battle
at the mention of
the venerable Bheeshma,
another honored
elder caught in the trap of duty!
‘What went on in
the old man’s mind?’- nobody knew!
his face was
always wooden
and never betrayed
his inner-most thoughts!
But, he had not missed the quick exchange of glances
between the
venerable old man
and the dark hero
of Dwaaraka!
What they smiled
at, Drona wondered!
Always these two talked not with words but with eyes!
‘And why shouldn’t
they smile?’ - Drona concluded;
Theirs was a world
beyond the ‘humdrum’ of this unreal world;
and everything was
a ‘play’ which they thoroughly enjoyed!
His reverie was suddenly broken by the sound of the conch
majestically blown
by the grand old sire Bheeshma!
The ever-alert old
man, on seeing the ‘lost look’ on Drona’s face,
had immediately
rescued the situation by the blow of his conch!
The sudden conch sound was enough to wake up the ‘sleeping’ crowd!
Various war-drums
echoed forth as a single wave of sound
inviting the ‘Lord
of Death’ to come and dance there at once!
Krishna took the cue from Bheeshma
and blew his
mighty conch- ‘Paanchajanya’-
a hard earned
treasure of his, reminding everyone there
of the daring
adventures of his past life!
Bheema followed forth! He had a satisfied look!
He had managed to
fill his belly with Krishna’s help!
He had swallowed all the ‘offerings’
given by the
adorers to their ‘Dark-God’ !
Whenever he had a chance he never missed any act
that could show
out his own gratitude to the cowherd-king!
He submerged all other sounds of the war-field
with a ‘mighty
puff’ at his own conch-‘Poundra’!
Arjuna did the same! But his conch sounded a little hollow!
He had felt like
crying; but couldn’t somehow do it!
He waited for a
few minutes till all the tumult was over.
As the echoes of
all the conches subsided,
the clangs and
clutters of the weapons blasted his
ears!
He spoke
hurriedly, looking at Krishna,
as if he would
understand the plight he was at.
“Station my
chariot in between the two armies, my friend,
so I can glance at
the warriors with whom I am about to fight”!
Arjuna tried his
best to sound majestic,
but failed
miserably!
He didn’t miss the
quizzical smile of his friend,
flashing forth
like a lightning!
Like an obedient charioteer, the Yaadava King
stationed the
chariot exactly in front of the
vehicles adorned
by his cousins, Guru, and his grandfather;
and watched Arjuna
with an amused look!
Little did he know what went on in Arjuna’s mind!
Or, did he know
and yet pretend ignorance?
Who has been able to fathom his mind at any time
except his
‘precious’ Raadhikaa,
who now smiled as
his very ‘thought’ every moment!
Failing to draw
his friend out, choking in the throat,
the best archer
glanced at the enemy army in front.
The clangs and clatters had stopped as if in reverence
to the best warrior
the world ever saw!
But our hero was
in the least mood for heroic acts;
for his mind was
now shattered like glass!
In each of the broken piece of glass- shone forth-
his countless
confused thoughts!
His mind was now a
jumble of questions,
the answers for
which never could be
found in his
weapons!
In one of the shattered pieces his heart held
smiled his
majestic queen of dark hue!
So majestic was she in her looks
that he never had
felt comfortable in front of her.
The knowledge that shone forth in her eyes
always made him
tremble when he held her hands.
‘Was she truly in
love with him’ he wondered,
or married him to
save the face of her father’?
He never knew and
never had the courage to ask her;
‘Was it right for
all the five brothers to marry her?
Shouldn’t they have asked her permission
before they did
anything with her?’
How pretty and innocent her smile was
in that grand Svayamvara
hall of King Drupada;
but never did he
see that smile again,
once she had
entered their house
as a ‘fruit’ to be
shared by all!
Was she really
happy or not, nobody knew;
for- their own
guilt had made their mouths silent he knew;
only in the
company of the ‘flute-player’ did she ever smile so joyously
like a flower
bloomed forth in spring;
but rest of the
time she smiled like a flower in a vase
rudely removed
from the creeper!
He had indeed
married many a queens;
but none he knew
equaled the Paandava Queen!
Yet, Subhadraa, a
charming beauty, like her brother,
had filled his
heart with love supreme for ever!
‘My own son Abhimanyu is here now, to bring my name into clear’
so thought the
unfortunate father, as the face of the young boy
smiled in his
mind-mirror!
Little did he know
the fate of his dearest son was sealed forever!
The mischievous
friend of his, though he knew all,
would lead his
cousin silently through the dark tunnels of this war!
Like his own brave son Abhimanyu
stood many a young
lad arrayed on that day;
many would return;
but more would die
never to see their
mothers’ faces again!
Arjuna’s heart trembled at the thought
that his son might
meet the same fate;
but his warrior’s
heart brushed away
all those thoughts
with force!
His hand was itching
to take the Gaandiva
bow
and blast forth
those demons
who stood there
facing him!
He- the greatest
archer in the whole world;
he- who had
amassed various weapons by the power of penance;
he- who had fought
with the Great Shiva;
he- the favorite
student of the Great Guru Dronaachaarya;
he- the holder of
Gaandiva;
he- who had
refused the amorous embraces of even Urvashi,
the heavenly
damsel;
he- by the mention
of whose name the entire earth trembled;
he- the Great Arjuna
-
what was this army
for him?
He could destroy
all the enemies at a moment’s notice;
make these
Kauravas vanish from this earth forever;
save Draupadi’s
honor by sweet revenge;
but yet, why did
his stupid heart tremble now?
He glanced at the
dark-hued charioteer.
That cow-herd
looked least bothered;
he was busy looking
at an eagle flying afar!
Where his thoughts
were, who can fathom?
He had never
understood that flute-player till now!
How could he
remain so cool and calm,
was beyond his
sphere; he wanted to confide;
but something in
his heart stopped him;
was it pride, was
it his royal blood,
or was it his own
built-up courage?
No! He could not fight this war!
He could not bear
to kill these elders!
To hell with his
brother, his wife, with everything!
Let anything
happen; he would not fight!
How can he kill so many people and
yet call it
Dharma?
Let these idiots
have the kingdom;
who wants this
blood-stained throne?
How could he
ruthlessly cut his Guru’s neck;
the Guru who had
blessed him affectionately
just at dawn the
same day?
And the great
grand father;
how can he pierce
that old worn out body
with sharp deadly
arrows and kill?
Those boys, who
were mounted on the steeds -
yes; next to
Duryodhana; they..; yes..;
they had once sat
by his side and
learnt all about
archery from him.
Even now their
innocence shone forth on their faces!
And all these men
who were standing here,
didn’t they have
families, kith and kin?
Would their wives
be left to mourn their deaths?
And the little
flowers that adorned their houses;
the little boys
and girls playing around in their gardens;
would they be left
fatherless and become orphans?
What would their city be like after the war?
Arjuna’s mind
shuddered at the very thought;
a city filled with
wails and screams;
widows left alive
to be consumed by the lustful vultures;
morals flying away
at the touch of the passion;
Dharma thrown to
dogs, as a result of this blood-thirsty war!
No, No! Never should this happen!
I will stop the
war - so he thought
and felt that he
could convince somehow
the wise cow-herd
with his speech!
And on and on he talked; arguing vehemently!
He lectured well
about the evils of war,
and all that
Dharma would have to face;
but as he spoke,
and as he choked,
his friend’s face
remained unchanged.
Not one single
word of that well-worded discourse
convinced him and
his eyes were laughing as it were
at the great
warrior’s plight!
Arjuna felt that
he could stand it no more.
He was slightly
irritated too!
This flute-player had been so calm
and had not
reacted,
even when he had
said that he will give away his kingdom
to his own wicked
cousin brothers.
What did he know
of this poor man’s plight?
The Yaadava Prince
had just brushed all his comments away,
and had advised
him harshly to get up and fight.
Failing to
convince him by his sociology lecture,
the fair prince at
last confided his innermost fears to his friend
and said that he
could never fight his elders.
He would be rather
in a forest as a mendicant;
but never would he
lift a finger against his fathers!
Seeing the
expressionless face of the charioteer,
Arjuna understood
that his argument led him nowhere!
His eyes were
filled with tears.
Nobody understood his righteous fears, he thought -
neither his
brothers, nor his friend Gopala!
Arjuna threw away his bow in disgust!
He sat down as if
burdened by his own guilt!
He announced firmly to his amused friend -
“I will not
fight”, and remained silent,
holding his chin
with his hands!
Before the situation went out of hand
Krishna signaled
Bheeshma with his eyes
and rode the
chariot to the corner of the battle-field
away from the
curious glances of the onlookers!
He of course knew the plight of his cousin!
But, was this the
time to break down like this?
Kith and kin!
Didn’t he have any?
Wasn’t his uncle
his own enemy?
Hadn’t he
strangled his neck and forced the life out of him,
to avenge the
imprisonment of his parents?
‘Well, this Arjuna needs a lesson’, he thought
and got ready to
blast him to senses.
He knew Bheeshma
would manage for a few minutes
the confusion that
had risen fresh at this hour!
“The battle will
begin after some time; everybody relax.”
was the command
of the Grand-sire!
And relieved as it
were, everybody waited.
Yet curious
whispers spread like waves,
about what serious
talks went on between the dark and fair friends!
Stopping the chariot away from the din,
Krishna chided his friend with a smile!
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