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 Chapter
1
TEXT 2
sanjaya uvaca
drstva tu
pandavanikam
vyudham
duryodhanas tada
acaryam
upasangamya
raja vacanam
abravit
SYNONYMS
sanjayah—Sanjaya;
uvaca—said; drstva—after seeing; tu—but; pandava-anikam—the
soldiers of the Pandavas; vyudham—arranged in military phalanx;
duryodhanah—King Duryodhana; tada—at that time; acaryam—the
teacher; upasangamya—approaching nearby; raja—the king; vacanam—words;
abravit—spoke.
TRANSLATION
Sanjaya said: O
king, after looking over the army gathered by the sons of Pandu,
King Duryodhana went to his teacher and began to speak the
following words.
LECTURE OF V.O.
RUZOV
In this case we
are dealing with a special subject: division of blindness. There
is physical blindness and spiritual blindness. Spiritual
blindness is more dangerous because not only the person’s eyes
are blind, his soul is blind too. This means that this person
will have a hard time building correct relationships. First of
all, such a person has a hard time coming to consent with other
people. He doesn’t agree with anything, he cannot find a
compromise. It is very dangerous to be under the direction of
such a person, who is ready to give up everything because of his
spiritual blindness.
When a person is
spiritually blind, it is especially hard for him to come into
contact with wise people. Wisdom, a high state of consciousness,
spirituality and soft-heartedness will irritate this person and
cause him to become jealous. It is like a cat or a dirty child
that doesn’t want to get washed and yells and bites, when he is
put into water. Similarly, purifying communication has a
negative effect on spiritually blind people. But even in this
case, a spiritually blind person has several moments in his
life, when he is able to get out of this vicious state. There
are no hopeless people, everyone gets a chance. In this
situation this chance was the battlefield of Kuruksetra, which
was considered to be a holy place, a place of pilgrimage.
The Battle Field
of Kuruksetra
Before this field
was named Kuruksetra, it had the name “Samanya-panchaka”.
Many-many centuries before the battle on Kuruksetra, King Kuru
started performing great penance for the prosperity of his
country. Before, kings knew how to bring their people to a new
level of prosperity. He had to plough this field without
stopping, and the result - justice itself (good karma) was
supposed to be born from the earth. However, Indra (the King of
Heaven) appeared before him and cut off his hand. Kuru could not
be stopped by this; he thanked Indra and continued to plough. He
wanted justice to appear on the earth so much, that he didn’t
even notice this problem and continued to plough with one hand.
Therefore, the
battlefield that is described in this verse is not ordinary – it
is a very famous holy place of pilgrimage. People say that even
if a person simply inhales dust from this field, his life
becomes successful. Bhagavad-Gita carries the dust from this
holy place in itself. Bhagad-Gita is also our holy battlefield.
When we study it, we have to conquer our inner enemy – our own
selfish character. If we conquer our character with the help of
Bhagavad-Gita, our life will end in victory, not in defeat. As
people say in the East – we only have one choice: we can die
either a winner or a looser.
The Edge of the
Razor
Bhagavad-Gita is
a book that brings enlightenment if it is properly studied. When
it is not properly studied it brings disappointment. Therefore,
this way is called – The Edge of The Razor. A person can either
understand everything or become disappointed in everything. In
this world there is no opportunity to just sit still. Fate
offers us only two ways. The first is the edge of the razor,
and, if we want to follow it we need to become fearless. The
second is the way through the swamp, where every step is a
danger of falling into a black hole and staying there forever.
Each of these ways has an according motto. The first one is –
good always conquers evil. The second is – to hell with
everything. Only we can choose under which flag all our life is
going to pass.
When a person
isn’t studying Bhagavad-Gita he is like a viewer, who is
watching a boxing competition, but when he starts studying
Bhagavad-Gita consistently and thoroughly, he enters the boxing
ring. This is a book that tests us, and we need to treat it like
an exam. “The edge of the razor” way is not just knowledge; it
is a knowledge that is like a weapon. If it is sharp, it is able
to defend us on the way of self-realization, but if it is not
sharp, it is more of a burden, than a defender. Bhagavad-Gita is
a universal weapon. With its help we can solve all our problems
and overcome all the obstacles on our way.
When we read a
verse from this literature, we understand 1% of what the author
wanted to say. This is the first thing that a reader needs to
understand: behind each verse there is a whole world of
philosophy. Bhagavad-Gita is like a labyrinth, we need to go
through it under the direction of an experienced instructor.
Otherwise, a person simply gets tired, becomes confused, and
comes back to the place where he started from, tired and
disappointed. The commentary to Bhagavad-Gita says: in
Bhagavad-Gita there is everything that is in any other sacred
tractate, but also in it we can find something that can not be
found anywhere else. It is that magical book that everyone is
looking for. It is universal and infinitely deep.
Bhagavad-Gita is
the ABC-book of spiritual life
In the process of
studying Bhagavad-Gita, its world is supposed to gradually open
to us. It is like studying a language. If we know the language,
we understand the hidden meaning of speech. However, if we don’t
understand, we need a dictionary. Studying each verse is like
using a dictionary. It is a new language for us – the language
of spiritual literature. This language has to become native to
us.
Bhagavad-Gita
contains a unique analysis of the five main subjects of
knowledge: the knowledge of matter (material), time, activity,
living beings, and Eternal Truth. Within these five subjects,
the following things are discussed: delicate questions of
consciousness and super-consciousness, yoga, the universal form,
the eight first-elements of matter, perfect construction of
society, different versions of beliefs and religion, different
characters of personality, the nature of the Absolute and the
ways of reaching Him.
Through the
history of studying the theological and philosophical heritage
of India by western scientists, more than 600 translations of
the Gita were made. In our country (in Russia) it was first
published in 1788. That was the year when the Russian
“Bhaguat-Gieta, or the conversation between Krishna and Arjuna”
was printed in the printing house of Nikolay Novikov. It was
translated by A. Petrov from the first European (English)
translation of Ch. Wilkins, which was made in the year 1785. It
is interesting that the Gita was published by the order of
Ekaterina the II and with the approval of the Synod. In the USSR
in the years of stagnation Bhagavad-Gita was considered
forbidden and was distributed illegally.
“Katha Upanishad”
says:
uttishthata
jagrata
prapya varan
nibodhata
kshurasya dhara
nishita duratyaya
durgam pathas tat
kavayo vadanti
“Wake up! Don’t
miss the rare chance that was given to you because you were born
in a human body. Until it is too late, start your spiritual
life, follow the spiritual way. But remember, this way is sharp
like the edge of a razor. Great wise men, which followed it to
the end, warn us that it is hard.”
At the battle of
Kuruksetra in 18 days 640 million warriors were killed. It is
like a town, to which millions of pilgrims come every year,
especially at the time of lunar or solar eclipses. They have a
wash in the big lakes and visit the famous field, where the
battle between the Pandavas and the Kauravas had been fought.
Mystical
perfection
At the start of
this battle, the great saint Vyasadeva appears and offers the
king Dhritarashtra the opportunity to see the battle, i.e.
restore his vision. However, the king declines this, because he
hadn’t seen his children all his life and he didn’t want to
remember only the scenes of battle, which his own children were
a part of.
Then Vyasadeva
gave the king’s secretary the ability to see from a large
distance and not get tired. He not only saw what was happening
far away, he also heard all the dialogues and knew all the
thoughts that warriors on the battlefield had. He never became
hungry or thirsty. Modern special services would have given a
lot for such abilities…
This is called
guru-siddha. It appears when a student retells the words of his
teacher as he had heard them, without adding anything. This
siddha makes the heart of the person, who is listening, start
changing. The primary sound enters the body of the one who is
talking through Adjna chakra and leaves through sound. Yoga
tractates describe this process in this way. This is real
opening of the third eye. This means we see through our ears,
when we listen to what our teacher is saying.
In yoga there is
also matra-siddha. Mantra-shastra says that we can achieve
matra-siddha (perfection in a certain Vedic mantra) when we
repeat it one thousand times, times the amount of syllables in
this mantra. For example, you will be able to achieve perfection
in a mantra that has eighteen syllables if you repeat it 18000
times. A mantra with 24 syllables needs to be repeated 24000
times and so on. But the Hare Krishna mantra does not depend on
this rule, because if we repeat Hare Krishna purely (without
offenses) one time, we can achieve the greatest perfection of
love for God.
What does it mean
to achieve matra-siddha? It means that a person achieves
perfection in one certain mantra and quickly receives the
blessings and results of this mantra. Usually “siddhi” means
achieving that which the mantra offers. For example, Hanuman
mantra-siddhi gives a meeting with Hanuman himself and
blessings, such as power. In Brahmanda Purana there is another
example of mantrasiddhi: “Repeating Nrisimha Kavachi 32000 times
with a pure heart gives the most favorable of all favorable
things. It is considered that such a person has already achieved
material pleasure and liberation.
Brahma – the
architect of our world – achieved perfection in mantra-siddhi
after reading Gopala-mantra several thousand times. He achieved
perfection listening to the transcendental flute – the primary
sound of this universe. After that, in the trance of meditation,
Brahma saw the spiritual world, which is called Goloka
Vrindavana.
There are several
primary siddhas in yoga: anima – when one becomes smaller than
the smallest; mahima – when one becomes bigger than the biggest;
laghima – lighter than the lightest; prapti – when one gets what
he wants; ishitva – when one can create something unusual or
destroy simply by his will; prakamya – when a person can grant
any wish; vashitva – when a person can control all the material
elements; kamavasayita – when one is able to do the impossible.
Secondary siddhas
are: anurmimattvam – immunity to cold, heat, thirst and so on;
durashravana – the ability to hear something very far away;
duradarshanam – the ability to see something that is very far
away; manojavah – the ability to move with the speed of light;
parakayapraveshanam – the ability to enter the bodies of other
living this; svachhanda mrityu – the ability to die at will;
devanam sahakridadarshanam – the ability to see the pastimes of
the half-gods and apsaras; sankalpa samsiddhi – the ability to
use one’s determination to the maximum; apratihatagatih – the
ability to rule over others freely; kamarupam – the ability to
take any form that one likes. Akasha-pradil – the ability to be
warmed from any source of heat that is far away.
But the most
important siddha is Siddha-lalasa – striving for spiritual
perfection.
Story
There once lived
a person named Valmiki. He robbed and killed people without even
thinking, if they resisted. At the same time there lived a
musician, poet and saint by the name of Narada. His instrument
was always with him. It had one string and was called ektara. It
is well known that the simpler the instrument is, the higher the
talent of the musician has to be.
Once Narada
decided to go to the nearby village, but the road went through
the forest, where Valmiki lived. People started persuading him
not to go by this way because it was very dangerous. However,
Narada really wanted to see the famous bandit and test the power
of true talent on him.
Narada said: “I
want to look at the person, who made you all cowards. He is only
one person, but all traffic on the road has stopped because of
him.”
Valmiki heard
pleasant music and went to the road. To his amazement, he saw a
person without any weapons. He felt uncertain for the first time
in his life.
“Don’t you know
this road is dangerous?” he asked the musician.
Narada continued
to play his music. He walked toward the bandit and then sat near
him. The robber was sharpening his knife. When Narada finished
playing his melody, he said: “You are a very great person. But
what are you doing in the dark forest alone?”
“I rob people.
And I will take away all your riches now.”
Narada said: “My
riches are of a different quality. They are inside and I would
be happy to share them with you.”
“I am only
interested in material values,” answered Valmiki.
The musician
asked: “Why do you do this?”
“I do it for my
family: for my mother, wife and children. If I don’t bring them
money, they will starve. I am not able of getting money any
other way other than robbing people,” answered Valmiki.
Narada asked: “Do
they need such a sacrifice? Did you asked them about it? Are
they ready to share the consequences of your sins with you
before God?
For the first
time in his life, Valmiki started thinking. “I didn’t think
about this before,” he said “but now…”
Narada said:
“Then go and ask them. I will wait for you.
Valmiki went home
and asked his mother. She answered: “Why do I have to share the
consequences of your sins with you? I am your mother. Your
responsibility is to feed me.”
His wife said:
“Why do I have to pay for your sins? I didn’t do anything bad
and I am pure before God. I don’t know how you get bread - that
is your business.”
Valmiki came back
and said: “Nobody wants to divide the consequences and
responsibility with me. I am alone. What ever I do for my
family, I will answer to everything and pay for everything
myself. I want to understand myself. Guide me so I will be able
to feel the same music and joy that I see on your face.”
They went away
together… After repenting his sins, Valmiki expiated the sins he
had done by harsh penance. The name Valmiki means “like an ant”.
This name was given to him because he had stood without moving
several years and ants were all over him. After purifying
himself, Valmiki became a legendary poet. It is considered that
he invented the epic poetic size – shloka. He is also the author
of the famous poem “Ramayana”.
Good always
conquers evil
So, Dhritarashtra
called his secretary Sanjaya, who had received mystical vision,
and Sanyana started telling the king about all that what was
happening on the battlefield. At this moment we hear the first
verse – it a question that Dhritarashtra is asking Sanjana. From
the first to the last verse, Bhagavad-Gita tells us from
different points of view, that victory is predetermined and it
is on the side of good! This is the main theme of Bhagavad-Gita.
Why is this theme
proclaimed to be the most important? Because it is the main
condition of spiritual progress: the understanding that Truth
itself will protect us on the way. What doesn’t allow a person
to practice self-realization? It is the fear that we can loose
something on the way. Bhagavad-Gita is meant to destroy this
fear. The principle of illusion is to rely only on ourselves,
but the way of self-development teaches us to rely on this way.
Bhagavad-Gita releases us from this fear. The way itself will
give us everything, so we have nothing to fear. Therefore, the
one who understands Bhagavad-Gita gets rid of all fears. This is
talked about from the beginning of Bhagavad-Gita. Dharma-ksetre
– is a place of righteousness. It is a battle for actions of
justice and those who are on the side of truth will win.
Bhagavad-Gita is
like a shield for a person, who started on his way toward
spiritual development. We need to use this shield everyday, the
Vedas recommend us to do this by reading at least one verse of
this literature. A person, who hadn’t read at least one verse,
is considered to be unprotected and in great danger.
Story
Once, Lakshmi
came toward Vishnu when he was sleeping. It seemed to her that
he was having a bad dream, so she woke him up. Vishnu woke up
and explained that he was meditating on the material world. He
was amazed because of the fact that this material world is
constructed so perfectly. Everything works very precisely and it
is very hard to understand it. “How is that possible?” asked
Lakshmi “is there no one who can understand this world and a way
to get out of it?” “All right,” answered Vishnu, “I will give
them a chance: the one who studies Bhagavad-Gita will be able to
understand the whole meaning of this world.” If a person reads
at least one chapter a day, or at least one verse, or half a
verse, or one fourth of a verse, achieves complete understanding
of everything that happens in the material and the spiritual
world… |
