The Bhagavad-gītā is Lord Krishna’s teaching to Arjuna. This basic fact is extremely significant.

One day, a person came up to me and said, “Swamiji, I am familiar with the Gītā – the Holy Book that Arjuna taught to Krishna!

 “No,” I corrected him, “it is the other way around.”

“What difference does it make – who taught whom!” he retorted

True, as far as the knowledge is concerned, the identities of the teacher and taught, to a certain extent, are inconsequential. However, in the case of the Bhagavad-gītā, it is of the utmost importance. We cannot say Arjuna taught Sri Krishna.

Let us see why this is so and what makes the Gītā so special and unique.

A Divine Dialogue

Firstly, let us begin with the Gītā Dhyāna Ślokas that offer salutations to the divine powers and point out the relationship between the Gītā and the Upanishads. The Ślokas are normally recited before beginning a study of the Gītā. The very first verse states:

Om pārthāyapratibodhitāḿ bhagavatānārāyaṇenasvayam- ́
vyāsena grathitāḿ purāṇa-muninā madhye mahābhāratam

advaitāmṛta-v- arṣiṇīḿ bhagavatīm aṣṭādaśādhyāyinīḿ
am- batvāmanusandadhāmi bhagavad-gīte bhavadveṣiṇīm

Here, the Gita is addressed as ‘Amba’ – Mother. “O affectionate and divine Mother Bhagavad-gītā, the destroyer of rebirth…I constantly meditate on you.”

When the Bhagavad-gita, is addressed as ‘Mother’ the implication is that, above all, a mother has love for her children; she is concerned about them and continually worried about their welfare. Similarly, the Gītā has love for all of us and is only interested in our happiness and well-being.

The next line – Om pārthāya pratibodhitāḿ bhagavatā nārāyaṇena svayaḿ – categorically affirms thatNarayana Bhagwan, the Lord Himself taught the Gītā to Partha, Arjuna. Also, – vyāsenagrathitāḿ purāṇa-muninā madhye mahābhāratam – it was the great sage VedVyasa who composed the Gītā, in the form of poetry, and placed it in the middle of the great epic, Mahabharata.

 Now, here is a point of interest. In Chapter X of the Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord declares that He is the source of everything (X/8), but wherever and whenever we see something glorious, spectacular and powerful – it is His special glory; it is His very exclusive manifestation – Vibhooti(X/41). Sri Krishna points out that among the Pandavas, He is Arjuna; among the great sages, He is Vyasa; and among the Vrishnis, He is Vasudeva Sri Krishna. These are His exceptional manifestations and glories.

Who is the teacher of the Gītā? Bhagwan Himself. Who is the student? Bhagwan in another form – Arjuna – who, as already pointed out, was His own glory. Who is the composer? VedVyasa Rishi, another manifestation of the Lord’s beauty and brilliance. Bhagwan is speaking of His glory to His own glory and the whole phenomenon is narrated by Sanjaya, an eminent devotee of the Lord.

When the Gītā was first translated in English it was called ‘The Song Celestial.’ Logically, if Divinity is everywhere, the resultant song (gīta) can only be divine. This is the first speciality of the Bhagavad-gītā: since the speaker/teacher, the student, the composer and the writer were all divine, the consequent creation is, naturally, very divine. Therefore, the Gītā is divine knowledge given by Divinity Incarnate.

           The Author is the head of Chinmaya Mission Worldwide.

We have often seen how a small and weak nation attacked by a strong and apparently unconquerable enemy, seeks the aid of a ‘superpower’. Arjuna tells Sri Krishna that he has understood the might of the foe, desire – a seemingly invincible opponent. He now requests the Lord to identify a ‘superpower’ whose help he could seek.

The Mighty Enemy

Bhagwan’s response is beautiful. He draws Arjuna’s attention to the scriptures which declare: “The senses are superior to the body; greater, higher and subtler than them is the mind; superior to the mind is the buddhi, intellect; But the One who is even higher and transcends the buddhi is the Atman.” The Lord adds, “O Arjuna, mahabaho (mighty-armed) by knowing Him who is superior to the intellect and gaining mastery over your mind, kill this enemy (satrum) in the form of desire who is indeed very difficult to catch.”

Shatru is one who always persecutes and troubles you. This mighty enemy, desire appears in so many varied forms that sometimes it is difficult to even see it as your enemy; you mistake it to be a friend!

It is very interesting to note that Bhagwan has cleverly addressed Arjuna as ‘mahabaho’. Having accepted that he is powerful, Arjuna cannot, now, refuse to fight the enemy!

Conquering Desire

Let us understand the meaning of Sri Krishna’s words. Sense objects – money, power or objects – have a great sway over our minds. We are easily attracted and tempted by them and unwilling to simply give them up.

But suppose a gunman comes and threatens you, “Give me your money or I will kill you.”

You will respond “Take all of my things, but leave me please!”

What does this imply? You love your body and value your life; you identify with it and for its safety, you are ready to sacrifice money and other objects that you consider valuable.

Many parents face all kinds of hardships and privations to ensure a good education for their children. Their noble feelings (the mind) enable them to ignore the demands of their body and renounce comforts. So whether noble feelings are for the family, the community or some other higher cause, they help us undergo physical hardship and give up what we are, otherwise, not ready to renounce. This proves, as the Lord states, that the mind is superior to the senses; it can overcome their powerful demands.

Superior to the mind is the buddhi, the intellect. The buddhi has great ideals – freedom of the nation, prosperity of the country, the well-being of the people and so on. Inspired by these higher ideals, a person is able to forgo comforts and luxury, his family, individual problems and even sacrifice his life. Lokmanya Tilak said “I do not have tears to shed for my personal problems when the whole nation is suffering.”

Therefore, Bhagwan counsels us that if we identify ourselves to a higher and nobler cause, it becomes possible to give up the identification and attachment to the lower.

Indentify with the Higher

The highest is the Atman. Even kings and emperors have renounced their kingdoms and the trappings of power for the deep urge for spiritual realization. They rise above all those desires and nothing of this world or the other world has any attraction for them.

The same thing is expressed beautifully in the language of bhakti (devotion) – one should divinise desires. As long as desire is only for material pleasures and comforts, it will become binding. But when the desire is for God and realization, it liberates you.

In Tulsi Ramayana, Sugriva requests Sri Rama, “I want to overcome desire, anger and greed. I am trying, but without Your grace it will not happen.”

Bhakti shastras advise us to divinise our desires and invoke God’s grace. The path of knowledge (jnana), tells us to identify with the higher and higher, so that desire for the lower disappears.

This concludes the topic which began with Arjuna’s asking about the power that makes people commit sin.

The Bhagavad Gita exhaustively deals with issues which are relevant to all of us and proves that so long as we are alive, act we must. The only exception is the man of Realisation who revels in the Self; for him there is nothing more left to do. At the same time, though he is free from this compulsion, he still continues to work. The Man of Realisation alone knows what true selflessness is; he alone is able to identify with all. His acts are selfless.

In this chapter, Sri Krishna has pointed out the type of actions that are to be performed and the attitude with which they should be carried out. He drew our attention to the wheel of action and directed us to contribute to its smooth functioning by acting in the yajna spirit. The essentials of leadership are also elaborated. Finally, Sri Krishna dealt with the factor which propels man to commit sin – desire. He concluded by revealing how to gain victory over this mighty enemy.

Let us invoke the grace and blessings of Bhagavan and Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda for our spiritual unfoldment and for empowering us to serve the society around us to the best of our ability and knowledge.

Shree Krishna Sharnam Mamah.

The Author is the Head of Chinmaya Mission Worldwide.

Having pointed out that desire is the constant enemy of the wise man, how it operates by veiling our discrimination and the places where it resides, Sri Krishna now reveals the strategy by which this mighty foe can be conquered.

The first thing one has to do is to bring the senses under your control. At present, they are taking you for a ride. We find some people restraining their organs of action, but their mind goes on brooding over sense objects and pleasures. That is deceptive conduct. However, other people keep their senses under their control and act in the world in an attitude of karma yoga. They purify themselves.

Misunderstanding ‘Control’

It is very important to correctly understand the word ‘control’. Controlling the senses does not mean that you do not see, hear, taste or touch anything. Just as some TV programmes are not meant for children and they are told to refrain from watching them, we, too, must be vigilant about what we watch, read, hear and so on. We must be aware that certain things are very harmful to our spiritual growth and renounce such unfavourable objects and activities.

On the other hand, we should engage in positive actions such as reading, listening and reflecting on the Bhagavad Gita. That is the meaning of control over sense organs. Many people let loose all their senses and do not wish to control their mind. How, then will it be possible to purify it?

Thus, by exercising control over the senses, this great ‘sinner’ – desire – can be destroyed. ‘Sinner’ is to be understood as that which makes you commit sin. Desire is a destroyer of your knowledge and wisdom – jnana-vijnana-nasanam. Jnanam refers to what one has learnt from teachers, parents, the scriptures and so on. Vijnana (wisdom) is direct realization of the Truth taught by the scriptures and the Guru.

It often happens that another person’s desire may appear to be strange or ridiculous. One wonders how a person can be so bound by desire. But, at the time, it does not seem absurd. That person is in the throes of desire. All he knows is, “I want this and only this now!”

Later, he may realise his folly. But at that moment, his knowledge and wisdom were not available to guide him.

Guarding Peace of Mind

I would like to ask you a simple question, “Do you want peace of mind?”

You answer would be an emphatic, “Yes, of course, I certainly do.” So peace of mind is a great treasure, is it not? Do you not guard that which is valuable? Do you allow another to take it away from you?

This is exactly what desire does. It robs us of our treasure of knowledge; it robs us of our wisdom and peace. It leaves us shattered. Left in pieces, we lament, “kya ho gaya, kya ho gaya – what happened to me?”

We put so much energy, effort and resources into continuously fulfilling desires. Somehow, we satisfy one and in no time another arises; we struggle to exhaust it and in no time, another arises. This is the story of our life – a constant and relentless pursuit of happiness through gratification of desires.

Therefore, Sri Krishna advises us to be always aware and alert as to what we see, hear, taste, think, feel, talk, act and react. If we are ever vigilant, we cannot be overpowered by desire; we will not act contrary to our knowledge and wisdom.

The Author is the Head of Chinmaya Mission Worldwide.