3. Invocation Verses

Oṁ pārthāya pratibodhitāṁ bhagavatā nārāyaṇena svayaṁ vyāsena gratitāṁ purāṇa muninā madhye mahābhāratam I advaitāmṛtavarṁiṇīṁ bhagavatīṁ aṣṭāśdaśādhyāyinīṁ amba tvām anusandadhāmi bhagavadgīte bhavadveṁiṇīm II

Oṁ, I meditate upon you, Bhagavad Gītā the affectionate Mother, the Divine Mother showering the nectar of Advaita (non-duality) and destroying rebirth, (who was) incorporated into the Mahābhārat of eighteen chapters by sage Vyāsa, the author of the purāṇas and imparted to Arjuna by Lord Nārāyaṇa, Himself.

vasudeva sutaṁ devaṁ kamsa cāṇūra mardanam I devakī paramānandaṁ kṛṣṇam vande jagadgurum II

I bow down to you Lord Kṛṣṇa, Jagadguru (Master to the world), son of Vasudeva, Supreme Bliss of Devakī, destroyer of Kaṁsa and Cāṇūra.

Sastras, Stotras, Sutras _ _

Life will always be a mix of the Good and the bad, the Divine and the evil. Choosing one over the other does not enrich. We need to complete and go beyond both!

Arjunaviṣāda Yogaḥ

dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca dharmakṣetre kurukṣetre samavetā yuyutsavaḥ I māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caiva kim akurvata sañjaya II 1.1

1.1 Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: O Sañjaya, assembled on this righteous holy land of pilgrimage at Kurukṣetra, what did my sons and those of Pāṇḍu, eager and ready to fight, do?

sañjaya uvāca dṛṣṭvā tu pāṇḍavānīkaṃ vyūḍhaṃ duryodhanas tadā I ācāryam upasaṅgamya rājā vacanam abravīt II 1.2

1.2 Sañjaya said: O king, looking at the Pāṇḍava army in full formation, Duryodhana went to his teacher and spoke.

pasyai 'tāṃ pāṇḍuputrānām ācārya mahatīṃ camūm I vyūḍhām drupada putreṇa tava śiṣyeṇa dhīmatā II 1.3

1.3 O my teacher, behold the great army of the sons of Pāṇḍu, arrayed for battle by your intelligent disciple, the son of Drupada

atra śūrā maheṣvāsā bhīmārjunasamā yudhi I yuyudhāno virāṭaś ca drupadaś ca mahā rathaḥ II 1.4

1.4 Here in this army there are many heroes wielding mighty bows, and equal in military prowess to Bhīma and Arjuna– Yuyudhāna, Virāṭa, and the great chariot warrior Drupada.

dhṛśṭaketuś cekitānaḥ kāśirājaś ca vīryavān I purujit kuntibhojaś ca śaibyaś ca narapuṅgavaḥ II 1.5

1.5 There are courageous warriors like Dṛṣṭaketu, Cekitāna, the couragious Kāśīrāja, Purujit, Kuntibhoja and Śaibya, the best of men.

yudhāmanyuś ca vikrānta uttamaujāś ca vīryavān I saubhadro draupadeyāś ca sarva eva mahārathāḥ II 1.6

1.6 There are the mighty Yudhāmanyu, the brave Uttamauja, Abhimanyu, the son of Subhadrā and the sons of Draupadī, all of them great chariot warriors.

asmākaṃ tu viśiṣṭā ye tān nibodha dvijottama I nāyakā mama sainyasya saṃjñārthaṃ tān bravīmi te II 1.7

1.7 O best of the brāhmaṇas, let me tell you, who are the powerful warriors on our side—the generals of my army; for your information, I mention them.

bhavān bhīṣmaś ca karṇaś ca kṛ paś ca samitiṃjayaḥ I aśvatthāmā vikarṇaś ca saumadattis tathai 'va ca II 1.8

1.8 Your goodself, Bhīṣma, Karṇa, Kṛpa, who are ever victorious in battle, an even so Aśvatthāma, Vikarṇa and the son of Somadatta.

anye ca bahavaḥ śūrā mad arthe tyakta jīvitāḥ I nānā śastra praharaṇāḥ sarve yuddha viśāradāḥ II 1.9

1.9 Many other heroes there are who are prepared to lay down their lives for my sake; all are well-equipped with different weapons, and well experienced in warfare science.

aparyāptaṃ tad asmākaṃ balaṃ bhīṣmābhi rakṣitam I paryāptaṃ tvidam eteṣāṃ balaṃ bhīmābhi rakṣitam II 1.10

1.10 The strength of army of ours, protected by Bhīṣma, is invincible whereas the strength of their army carefully protected by Bhīma is limited.

ayaneṣu ca sarveṣu yathā bhāgam avasthitāḥ I bhīṣmam evā bhirakṣantu bhavantaḥ sarva eva hi II 1.11

1.11 Stationed in your respective divisions on all fronts, all of you must give full protection to Bhīṣma.

tasya sañjanayan harṣaṃ kuru vṛddhaḥ pitāmahaḥ I siṃha nādaṃ vinadyoccaiḥ śaṇkhaṃ dadhmau pratāpavān II 1.12

1.12 Then Bhīṣma, the mighty patriarch of the Kuru dynasty, their glorious grandfather, roared like a lion and blew his conch, giving Duryodhana joy.

tataḥśaṇkhāś ca bheryaś ca paṇavānaka gomukhāḥ I sahasaivābhyahanyanta sa śabdas tumulo 'bhavat II 1.13

1.13 Then, conches, bugles, trumpets, drums and horns were all suddenly sounded, and the combined sound was tumultuous.

tataḥ śvetair hayair yukte mahati syandane sthitau I mādhavaḥ pāṇḍavaś caiva divyau śaṇkhau pradadhmatuḥ II 1.14

1.14 Then, seated on a magnificent chariot drawn by white horses, both Mādhava (Kṛṣṇa) and Arjuna sounded their divine conches.

pāñcajanyaṃ hṛṣīkeśo devadattaṃ dhanañjayaḥ I pauṇḍraṃ dadhmau mahā śaṅkhaṃ bhīma karmā vṛkodaraḥ II 1.15

1.15 Then, Hṛṣikeśa (Kṛṣṇa) blew His conch, called Pāñcajanya; Dhanañjaya (Arjuna) blew his conch, called Devadatta; and Bhīma blew his mighty conch called Pauṇḍra.

anantavijayaṃ rājā kuntī putro yudhiṣṭhiraḥ I nakulaḥ sahadevaś ca sughoṣa maṇipuṣpakau II 1.16

kāśyaś ca parameṣvāsaḥ śikhaṇḍī ca mahā rathaḥ I dhṛṣṭadyumno virāṭaś ca sātyakiś cāparājitaḥ II 1.17

drupado draupadeyāś ca sarvaśaḥ pṛthivī pate I saubhadraś ca mahābāhuh śaṅkhān dadhmuḥ pṛthak-pṛthak II 1.18

1.16, 17, 18 King Yudhisṭra, the son of Kuntī, blew his conch, the Anantavijaya, and Nakula and Sahadeva blew theirs known as Sughośa and Maṇipuṣpaka. The excellent archer, the king of Kāśī, the great chariot-fighter Śikhaṇḍī, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Virāṭa and the invincible Sātyaki, Drupada, the sons of Draupadī , and the mighty-armed Abhimanyu, son of Subhadrā, all of them, O king, blew their own conches.

sa ghoṣo dhārtarāṣṭrāṇāṃ hṛdayāni vyadārayat I nabhaś ca pṛthivīṃ caiva tumulo vyanunādayan II 1.19 1.19 The terrible sound echoing through the sky and the earth rent the hearts of the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.

atha vyavasthitān dṛṣṭvā dhārtarāṣṭrān kapidhvajaḥ I pravṛtte śastrasaṃpāte dhanur udyamya pāṇḍavaḥ I hṛṣīkeśaṃ tadā vākyam idam āha mahīpate II 1.20

1.20 Seeing the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra arrayed in the battle field, Arjuna, the son of Pāṇḍu, who was seated in his chariot, bearing the flag marked with Hanumān, took up his bow.

arjuna uvāca senayor ubhayor madhye rathaṃ sthāpaya me 'cyuta I yāvad etān nirīkṣe 'haṃ yoddhu kāmān avasthitān II 1.21 kair mayā saha yoddhavyam asmin raṇasamudyame II 1.22

;1.21, 22 Arjuna said: O Acyuta (Infallible One), please place my chariot between the two armies while I may observe these warriors arrayed for battle and with whom I have to engage in fight.

yotsyamānān avekṣe 'haṃ ya ete 'tra samāgatāḥ I dhārtarāṣṭrasya durbuddher yuddhe priyacikīrṣavaḥ II 1.23 1.23 Let me see these well wishers in this war of the evil-minded Duryodhana, who have come together here to fight.

sañjaya uvāca

evam ukto hṛṣīkeśo guḍākeśena bhārata I senayor ubhayor madhye sthāpayitvā rathottamam II 1.24 bhīṣma droṇa pramukhataḥ sarveṣāṃ ca mahīkṣitām I uvāca pārtha paśyaitān samavetānkurūniti II 1.25

1.24, 25 Sañjaya said: O descendant of Bhārata, being thus addressed by Guḍākeśa (Arjuna), Hṛṣīkeśa (Kṛṣṇa) then drew up the fine chariot to the middle of both the armies in front of Bhīṣma, Droṇa and all the kings and said, 'Arjuna, behold the Kauravas assembled here.'

tatrā paśyat sthitān pārthaḥ pitṛ-n atha pitāmahān I ācāryān mātulān bhrātṛ-n putrān pautrān sakhīṃs tathā I śvaśurān suhṛdaś caiva senayorubhayorapi II 1.26

1.26 There Arjuna saw, stationed there in both the armies his uncles, grand uncles, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, and friends, as well as his fathers-in-law and well-wishers.

tān samīkṣya sa kaunteyaḥ sarvān bandhūn avasthitān I kṛpayā parayā 'viṣṭo viṣīdann idam abravīt II 1.27

1.27 Seeing all those relatives present there, Arjuna was overwhelmed with deep pity and spoke in sadness.

arjuna uvāca

dṛṣṭvemaṃ svajanaṃ kṛṣṇa yuyutsuṃ samupasthitam I sīdanti mama gātrāṇi mukhaṃ ca pariśuṣyati II 1.28

vepathuś ca śarīre me romaharṣaś ca jāyate I gāṇḍīvaṃ sraṃsate hastāt tvak caiva paridahyate II 1.29

1.28, 29 Arjuna said: Kṛṣṇa, seeing my friends and relatives present before me, eager to wage war, my limbs are giving way, my mouth is parching and a shiver is running through my body, my hair is standing on end.

na ca śaknomy avasthātuṃ bhramatīva ca me manaḥ I nimittāni ca paśyāmi viparī tāni keśava II 1.30

1.30 My bow gāṇḍīva is slipping from my hands and my skin is burning all over. My mind is whirling as it were, and I am now unable to stand here any longer.

na ca śreyo 'nupaśyāmi hatvā svajanam āhave I na kāṅkṣe vijayaṃ kṛṣṇa na ca rājyaṃ sukhāni ca II 1.31

1.31 I foresee only evil omens, O Kṛṣṇa, I do not see any good coming out of killing one's own kinsmen [svajanam] in this battle. I do not covet my dear Kṛṣṇa, victory or kingdom or pleasures.

kiṃ no rājyena govinda kiṃ bhogair jīvitena vā I yeṣām arthe kāṅkṣitaṃ no rājyaṃ bhogāḥ sukhāni ca II 1.32

ta ime 'vasthitā yuddhe prāṇāṃs tyaktvā dhanāni ca I ācāryāḥ pitaraḥ putrāḥ tathaiva ca pitāmahāḥ II 1.33

mātulāḥ śvaśurāḥ pautrāḥ śyālāḥ saṃbandhinas tathā I etān na hantum icchāmi ghnato 'pi madhusūdana II 1.34

api trailokyarājyasya hetoḥ kiṃ nu mahīkṛ te I nihatya dhārtarāṣṭrān naḥ kā prī tiḥ syāj janārdana II 1.35

1.32—1.36 Of what use will kingdom or happiness or even life be to us? For whose sake we desire this kingdom, enjoyment and happiness, they stand in battle staking their lives

and property. Teachers, fathers, sons as well as grandfathers, maternal uncles, fathers-inlaw, grandsons, brothers-in-law and other relatives. Madhusūdana (Kṛṣṇa), even if I am killed (by them) I do not want to kill these ones even to gain control of all three worlds, much less for the earthly lordship. What pleasure will we get by destroying the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Janārdana? Only sin will overcome us if we slay these wrong doers.

pāpam evāśrayed asmān hatvaitān ātatāyinaḥ I tasmān nārhā vayaṃ hantuṃ dhārtarāṣṭrān svabāndhavān I svajanaṃ hi kathaṃ hatvā sukhinaḥ syāma mādhava II 1.37

1.37 Therefore, it is not proper for us to kill the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra and our relations, for how could we be happy after killing our own kinsmen, Mādhava?

yadyapyete na paśyanti lobhopahata cetasaḥ I kulakṣayakṛtaṃ doṣaṃ mitradrohe ca pātakam II 1.38

1.38 O Janārdana, these men, blinded by greed, see no fault in killing one's family or being treasonable to friends, incur sin.

kathaṃ na jñeyam asmābhiḥ pāpād asmān nivartitum I kulakṣaya kṛ taṃ doṣaṃ prapaśyadbhir janārdana II 1.39

1.39 Why should we, who clearly see the sin in the destruction of a dynasty, not turn away from this crime?

kulakṣaye praṇaśyanti kuladharmāḥ sanātanāḥ I dharme naṣṭe kulaṃ kṛ tsnam adharmo 'bhibhavatyuta II 1.40

1.40 With the destruction of the dynasty, the age-old family traditions die and virtue having been lost, vice overtakes the entire race.

adharmābhibhavāt kṛṣṇa praduṣyanti kula striyaḥ I strīṣu duṣṭāsu vārṣṇeya jāyate varṇasaṃkaraḥ II 1.41

1.41 When non-righteous practices become common, O Kṛṣṇa, the women of the family become corrupt, and with the degradation of womanhood, O Descendant of Vṛṣṇi, ensues intermixture of castes.

saṃkaro narakāyaiva kulaghnānāṃ kulasya ca I patanti pitaro hyeṣāṃ lupta piṇḍodaka kriyāḥ II 1.42

doṣair etaiḥ kulaghnānāṃ v arṇa saṃkarakārakaiḥ I utsādyante jātidharmāḥ kuladharmāś ca śāśvatāḥ II 1.43

1.42, 43 A mixture of blood damns the destroyers of race and the race itself. Deprived of offering of oblations of rice and water the departed souls of the race also fall, the age-long caste traditions and family customs of the killers of kinmen become extinct.

utsannakula dharmāṇāṃ manuṣyāṇāṃ janārdana I narake 'niyataṃ vāso bhavatītyanuśuśruma II 1.44

1.44 O Janārdana, we hear that those who have lost family traditions dwell in hell for an indefinite period of time.

aho bata mahat pāpaṃ kartuṃ vyavasitā vayaṃ I yad rājya sukha lobhena hantuṃ svajanam udyatāḥ II 1.45

1.45 Alas, we are prepared to commit greatly sinful acts of killing our kinsmen, driven by the desire to enjoy royal happiness.

yadi mām apratīkāram aśastraṃ śastrapāṇayaḥ I dhārtarāṣṭrā raṇe hanyuḥ tan me kṣemataraṃ bhavet II 1.46

1.46 It would be better if the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, armed with weapons, killed me in battle while I am unarmed and unresisting.

sañjaya uvāca

evam uktvārjunaḥ saṃkhye rathopastha upāviśat I visṛ jya saśaraṃ cāpaṃ śokasaṃvignamānasaḥ II 1.47 1.47 Sañjaya said: Arjuna, whose mind was agitated by grief on the battle field, having spoken thus, cast aside his bow along with the arrow and sat down at the rear portion of the chariot.

iti śrī mad bhagavadgītāsūpaniṣatsu brahmavidyāyām yogaśāstre śrīkṛṣṇārjuna saṃvāde arjuna visāda yogo nāma prathamo 'dhyāyaḥ II

In the Upaniṣad of Śrimad Bhagavad Gītā, the scripture of yoga dealing with Brahmavidyā Yogaśāstra, the science of Brahman, in the form of Śrī Kṛṣṇārjuna saṁvād, dialogue between Śrī Kṛṣṇa-Arjuna, this is the first chapter named, Arjunaviṣāda Yogaḥ**,** 'The Yoga of Arjuna's Dilemma.'

S rimad Bhagavad Gītā is the ultimate spiritual book that has penetrated human consciousness so deeply. No other book has prepared so many Enlightened Beings on Planet Earth. Gītā is directly from Bhagavān, God Himself, Pūrṇāvatār – the perfect, complete Incarnation, Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Spiritual literature can be classified into three categories: Śāstras, Śtotras, Sūtras.

Śāstras give us clarity about the goal of human life and the Truth of man and God. Śāstras are the scriptures that guide us to have the right cognitions of life. Stotra is the expression of one who had the glimpse of divine love. When such a person expresses his joy, the expression is stotras. Śāstras give us intellectual understanding, stotras give emotional feeling connection, sūtras give the being level experience. Our cognition is not complete cognition till the śāstras of integrity, authenticity, responsibility and enriching become the basis of our cognition.

Learning śāstras means bringing integrity and authenticity to our mind. Going around and practicing śāstras is living authenticity and being responsible. Being in integrity with the Master or God is feeling connection and being enriched with Enlightenment.

Bhagavad Gītā is the only book that is a combination of śāstras, stotras and sūtras, and something more! Gītā is śāstra; it gives a clear intellectual understanding about life, death, soul, about the 'great why of life' as well as the 'what of life.'

Kṛṣṇa, the Pūrṇāvatār

Among the Incarnations, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is pūrṇa, complete Incarnation. Still He is the one being ruling the whole Hindu consciousness and the largest worshipped being!

An Incarnation is someone who descends from Divine to express the bliss of that Divinity. Great Incarnations come down to Earth to make people realize that—they too are Divine, God.

Why is Kṛṣṇa a perfect Incarnation? He has all the qualities to push human beings to Divinity, to the space of completion. The science of living life out of completion and joy, without renouncing, this science is introduced to the world for the first time by Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The person who can push human beings to Divinity, to the space of completion is called Jagadguru, Guru who awakens. This science of completion is the most sacred secret revealed by Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Let me define Completion.

Completion is nothing but reclaiming the bits and pieces you threw away in unconsciousness. Listen. The parts, pieces of you that you shared or threw into so many things and people in your life unconsciously; reclaiming all those parts back and becoming complete with you, is Completion.

Arjuna's Dilemma and Four Identities

We see Arjuna, the most courageous fighter amongst the Pāṇḍava princes, the close friend of Kṛṣṇa, in deep dilemma, deep incompletion.

Arjuna is both the yogi and the kṣatriya. As a yogi, he is deeply spiritual, centered within himself, integrated to his ethical obligations. As the kṣatriya, Arjuna is the warrior leader, empowered with responsibility, ready to avenge for protecting and upholding dharma.

Arjuna's dilemma is such that he is now unable to be either a yogi or a kṣatriya; he loses his detachment as a yogi. He loses his space of completion and falls into deep grief. He sees his enemies and identifies himself with them. In front of him are his mentors, family and friends, his svajanam. They are his extension, his lineage, his inner identity. He can no longer pretend with his outer identity, that he is the ultimate warrior, kṣatriya, who can dispassionately dispatch them to death.

Arjuna's dilemma is the dilemma of humanity. It represents the collective root patterns of humanity. It is an internal conflict between what we feel as us, our inner identity–mamakāra; what we project as us to others, what we feel we want to do, our outer identity or outer image– ahaṁkara; what others think and perceive as us–others' image or anyakāra; and what we think about life and others–our life image, svānyakāra.

Please listen. You don't have just one identity, as you imagine. You have four identities. Living in your peak capacity in all the four identities– inner image, outer image, others' image and life image**, and aligning your life to all the four dimensions, and expressing your peak potential in all these four, is Authenticity,** Śraddha!

It is the confusion, non-alignment between all these identities that is responsible for all our dilemmas, our inauthenticies, our sufferings.

Arjuna understood his kṣatriya responsibility very well. This code demanded that he cannot turn down a righteous challenge to fight. This kṣatriya code was not only his ahaṁkāra or outer image—how he showed himself to others, but also the anyakāra or others' image also how his clan expected him to be. However, his own feeling about him, his mamakāra was based on his deep-rooted attachment to his lineage that proved stronger than his ahaṁkāra, what he projected to be his responsibilities. These doubtful feelings were far stronger than code of his conduct, and overpowered even his outer image, which he projected as the most powerful warrior on the face of Earth!

Arjuna's progress on this path of dharma**, unto his self-discovery to re-establish himself in the space of Completion is the path of Bhagavad Gītā.** That can also be our path of dharma, if we internalize the message of the Gītā. We can then be established in the space of completion, Living Advaita.

The science of completion and creation is the process of yoga, the Yogaśāstra, that Kṛṣṇa takes Arjuna through, in these eighteen chapters of Bhagavad Gītā. These teachings are meant not just for Arjuna, but for us also, so that we complete with our dilemmas, self-doubts and surrender to Existence, and experience liberation, mokṣa.

On The Sacred Land of Creation, Dharmakṣetra

Dhṛtarāṣṭra refers to Kurukṣetra, the site of this world war, as a holy land of righteousness, dharmakṣetra.

Listen! Mahābhārat beautifully says, 'Let the fight be in kurukṣetra!' In Saṃskṛit, kurukṣetra means space of creation. Kuru means doing. The whole place of fight should not be with the lowest realm, but with the highest realm!

Listen. Life is a fight till you are enlightened. But, let your fight be in kurukṣetra, the field of creation, not in the field of losing. Let kurukṣetra be the battlefield, dharmakṣetre kurukṣetra (1.1). If the fight in your life, is in the field of creation, you are living in dharma. If it is in the field of failure, you are living in adharma. This is the meaning of this first śloka (verse) of the Gītā.

Shifting the battlefield itself is victory! The moment you change the battlefield from adharma to dharma, you may even become enlightened; because you are Enlightened! You just need to reclaim it. Enter the energy-field of dharma, controlled by Kṛṣṇa, immediately you will experience completion. Kṛṣṇa is the epitome of dharma and He was on the side of the Pāṇḍavas, then how could they lose? Wherever Kṛṣṇa is, that is where dharma prevails. Even in his confused state of self-doubt, Dhṛtarāṣṭra's knew the supremacy of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Kauravas were always fighting with their insecurities and lost everything. Pāṇḍavas were always fighting to create Indraprastha, the land of creation. So, Pāṇḍavas were living dharma. Kauravas were living in their self-denial, self-hatred and self-destructive mentality, adharma.

Before the War...

Duryodhana was the crown prince, and for all practical purposes the king as well, since his father, Dhṛtarāṣṭra was both blind and powerless to stop him. Duryodhana saw the soldiers of the Pāṇḍava army arrayed in front of him.

Listen. Duryodhana is embodiment of self-denial. Duryodhana's inner identity, mamakāra was rooted in deep fear and insecurity born from self-denial. Self-denial was Duryodhana's root pattern. And his outer identity, ahaṁkāra, the image he projected to others, was greed to possess, which led to anger, hatred, violence, and ultimately his destruction.

Understand, I am defining incompletions. Incompletions are nothing but not looking at the fact and trying to pervert it, interpret it, manipulate it. All your plans to manipulate, pervert and exploit is incompletion.

Duryodhana was a coward by nature. Duryodhana's pattern of self-doubting, ātma saṇdeh led to self-denial, ātma droḥa, leading to his self-destruction, ātma hatyā. Duryodhana tried to pervert, manipulate, push and pull as he wanted to possess and conquer everything. But victory remains as victory wherever dharma is, wherever Kṛṣṇa is.

The War Begins...

Kaurava Commander-in-Chief and Duryodhana wanted to make sure that the entire Kaurava army was committed to Bhīṣma's leadership. Bhīṣma, the greatest warrior either side had known, was leading the Kaurava army.

Bhīṣma is the embodiment of dharma, righteousness; his integrity and authenticity were the standard for his era. He is Pitāmaḥ, the greatfather of Mahābhārat, the grand sire of the Pāṇḍavas and Kaurava clan. Bhīṣma was of pure origin, born to Gaṅgā as Devavṛata. It is one of the greatest ironies of Mahābhārat that wise men like Bhīṣma and Droṇa chose to be on Duryodhana's side, knowing well that Duryodhana's path was against dharma, the cosmic law.

Bhīṣma and Droṇa were not ordinary people, they were highly matured souls, adept in living the scriptural truths. Moreover, they were fully aware that Kṛṣṇa is a Divine Incarnation. In response to exaggerated claims of Duryodhana, Bhīṣma blew his conch. Bhīṣma's conch sounded like the roar of a lion, coming from the oldest, bravest warrior, affirmating the war to begin.

Kṛṣṇa sounded His Pāñcajanya, the conch of Viṣṇu, which drowned out all other sounds. It was the victorious announcement for all that the Divine was already present with the Pāṇḍava army.

It is significant that Bhiṣma's conch, sounded by him as the Commander-in-Chief of Kaurava army, to signify the war opening, was responded to by Kṛṣṇa, and not by Dṛṣṭadyumna, the Pāṇḍava Commander-in-Chief, or any of the other Pāṇḍava princes. Kṛṣṇa's was a response of victory, not a reaction to the challenge issued by Bhiṣma.

Law of Cosmos is Responsibilism

If you feel that you are not responsible, you react. If you feel that you are responsible, you respond. When all your actions are responses and not reactions, you are a karma yogi; no karma binds you. The cosmic vibrations of Kṛṣṇa's Pañcajanya conch were a declaration of His responsibility for everything in and around Him; a declaration that whatever was thrown at the Pāṇḍava army was being accepted by Him, Divinity Incarnate. Kṛṣṇa, as the Superconscious guide of the Pāṇḍavas, the five embodiments of dharma, absolves them of any incompletions, any guilt or wrongdoing, by taking upon Himself, the responsibility for everything.

Responsibility means living and responding to life from the truth that you are the Source of, and therefore responsible for all happenings in and around you. Listen. Cosmos functions on 'responsibilism.' The law of Cosmos, the natural law of Existence, dharma is responsibilism. Kṛṣṇa leads the whole war with this one truth, satya of 'responsibilism.'

The whole Mahābhārat war is Kṛṣṇa's expression of the power of His responsibilism, Īśvaratva. Even though Kṛṣṇa is responsible for the war, He takes the responsibility even for others' inauthenticity and irresponsibility and reestablishes dharma, the cosmic law of responsibilism. This is the job of an Incarnation.

The rest of the Pāṇḍava army, including Arjuna, follow Kṛṣṇa's lead by blowing their divine conches.

Planet Earth Is A Battlefield

For the first time, Arjuna speaks. Arjuna is not the mere hero of Mahābhārat in this Gītā scripture. He is the embodiment of humanity. He is Nara, the human aspect of Nārāyaṇa, Lord Viṣṇu, who in turn is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, as Nārāyaṇa and Nara, as the Divine and human, is the theme that runs throughout Bhagavad Gītā and Mahābhārat. Kṛṣṇa is Arjuna's charioteer.

'Achyuta, O Infallible One,' said Arjuna to his friend and mentor,

'Please take me to a vantage point between the two armies so that I can see for myself who I am fighting with,' he says.

Kṛṣṇa drew up the chariot between the two armies so that Arjuna could have a good look at all those who had gathered. Arjuna is being called Guḍakeśana Bhārata, the one who has transcended sleep or the need to sleep.

Arjuna's Integrity, the power of words

Let me define Integrity, the first spiritual principle. Integrity is the key which unlocks the power of words, or vākśakti.

Integrity is you fulfilling the word or thought you give to yourself and to others, and experiencing a state of completion, pūrṇatva with yourself and with life.

Integrity has two dimensions–honoring the words you give to yourself and honoring the words you give to others. When you honor the words you give to yourself, your confidence in yourself grows and your self-doubt melts away. You become powerful! When you honor the words you give to others, others' confidence in you grows. Your relationship with that person becomes powerful!

The words you utter are YOU! You become the words you speak to yourself and to others. By bringing integrity to his thinking and words, Arjuna had conquered his tiredness, his boredom. When we have integrity, when we give our life to fulfill our words, Cosmos intervenes to fulfill our words and makes them into reality. Because of Arjuna's integrity, the power of words or vākśakti became available to him. To fulfill the words of Arjuna, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Cosmos Himself becomes his charioteer, leading him to his total surrender to Divine.

Kṛṣṇa has been called Hṛṣīkeśa, one who controls the senses from His powerful space of completion.

The relationship between Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna is the highest form of interaction between the Divine and the human. And The conflict between Arjuna and Duryodhana is the conflict that all humans face within themselves—a conflict between their possibility and patterns, their deep unconscious desires, and the possibility of completion. Which part wins depends on one's ability to complete and surrender to the Superconscious Divine, Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Arjunaviśāda, Root pattern of a thinking man

Kṛṣṇa parked the chariot between the two armies and said to Arjuna, 'Here are the people you wished to see, Pārtha.' Assembled in front of Arjuna were compatriots of his father Pāṇḍu, grandfathers, great grandfathers such as Bhīṣma, his own teachers such as Droṇa and Kṛpa, extended family, friends and well wishers. Arjuna's dilemma starts here. The theme of Gītā is the story of Arjuna's dilemma, his incompletion and its completion by Kṛṣṇa.

Our Four Great Inner Powers

The four spiritual principles of integrity, authenticity, responsibility and enriching are the four Vedas, caturveda to experience surrender to the Cosmos and to have the power to simply manifest the reality of your choice!

Listen! Whether you know it or not, believe it not, you have four giant powers sitting inside you. These powers are related to the four major dimensions of your life—your words, your thinking, your emotions, and your living. When you awaken your peak possibility in each of these dimensions, it becomes a great power and support in your life.

Each of the four powers is guided by a spiritual principle known as tattva. The tattva is the key to unlock the corresponding power in you.

First tattva is Integrity. When you practice integrity, the power of words or vāk śakti will be available to you.

Second tattva is Authenticity. When you practice authenticity, the power of thinking or mano śakti will be open to you.

Third tattva is Responsibility. The power of feeling or prema śakti will be possible when you practice responsibility.

And the fourth tattva is Enriching. You will have access to the power of living or ātma śakti the moment you decide to enrich others.

The foundation for these tattvas is pūṛṇatva–Completion of all the patterns we carry.

When we live these spiritual principles and express these four great powers, the individual self merges with the Universal Self, and true compassion happens out of completion with the Cosmic Consciousness.

Arjuna now started expressing his doubts with clarity. Doubts need to be clear if they are to be resolved. Thoughts need to be integrated if they need to be complete.

Listen. A clearly expressed word is fulfillment. The word which constantly keeps you in completion and expands you is Integrity.

Though Arjuna was in a dilemma, it was a dilemma born out of intelligence, not out of ignorance. If you just keep this one question alive, 'Why am I doing what I am doing?' and are able to take this one question to the logical conclusion, I tell you, you will be enlightened.

'What is the purpose of my life, Kṛṣṇa?' wailed Arjuna.

Rigors Of Incompletions

There are two incompletions central to Arjuna's dilemma.

The first incompletion is that of relationship. The problem that Arjuna faced is one that we all face when asked to do unpleasant things to people we know. To be faceless is to be fearless. To face this incompletion in one's relationships, one must first develop detachment that allows action without worrying about the consequences. This detachment only comes from completion with every relationship–with oneself and with others. One follows the path of completion and drops the results. As long as the path is right, destination will also be right.

Let me define Completion.

Completion is removing the delusion of incompletion, which makes you cognize that the other is separate from you. Incompletion has no existence; it is only a delusive cognition that stands between you and the

Whole. Complete with everything.

The other incompletion that Arjuna faces is the problem of directness of action. In this war, Arjuna faced transparent results of his action. Arjuna did not have the luxury of remote destruction. He had to look the victim in the eye before releasing his arrow. He felt the destruction within himself when he killed someone else. Arjuna was affected by the combination of these two delusory incompletions: that of being connected by kinship to his enemies and the fact that he had to kill them directly and personally.

The Breakdown Into Powerlessness

Now, Arjuna was ready to give up on himself. He had collapsed both psychologically and physiologically. He was all set to run away from the battlefield and escape from the reality of his responsibility. He had convinced himself through his illusory arguments that what he had embarked upon was nothing but evil. He said, 'I am ready to lay down arms and be defenseless. Let Duryodhana and his men kill me.'

Arjuna, now being human, was a true example of mankind. He was torn between darkness and light, between patterns and possibility. The clarity that would come about with the grace of the Master, would be his Enlightenment, his complete Completion. He then would become a spiritual warrior, a pure instrument of Kṛṣṇa and go about powerfully radiating responsibility, enriching himself and the world with Divine purpose.

Listen. The process of Inner Awakening at the hands of the greatest Master was about to begin. If we become integrated and authentic to that process, and internalize it carefully over the eighteen chapters that the Master takes His disciple through, we too can become awakened, complete and blissful.

The Gitopaniṣad, the science of Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, is the science of completion, pūrṇatva, which is the science of Eternal Bliss, Nityānanda.