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SCIENCE OF RELIGION
« on: February 15, 2007, 07:46:36 AM »
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  • By—Swami Chinmayananda

    THE CRISIS

    Duryodhana now commands: (1-11) "All of you assume positions in your respective divisions and protect Bhishma alone by all means ". These instructions put in other words come to this : " Since you all have no initiative and are even undependable at least take direcitons from me and protect Bhishma ". Bhishma was considered by Duryodhana as the heart of his army, not only because of the grandsire's power and wisdom, but because all the kings and warriors who had joined the Kaurava's side had all done so due to their reverence for Bhishma.

    There is no statesmanship whatsoever in the impudent remarks of the unimaginative Duryodhana. He brags impertinently and drifts towards damping the zeal of his allies and comrades as they were all put into an uncomfortable mood of revolt and despair. " The prudent Field-marshal, Bhishma, standing not too far away must have overheard the childish prattle of Duryodhana, and observed the pitiable confusion of the tyrant. The revered grandsire noticed the rising revolt in the eyes of the officers, which is an unhealthy sign. Bhishma never failed to notice through Drona's cold silence, the out-raged tempo of a man of knowledge and action. Taking note of this deteriorating situation he promptly comes to the rescue of the tyrant king. The situation could be saved only if all those assembled there were jerked out of their present mental pre-occupation. (1-12) He then takes up his conch and blows it, indicating that the war is declared. This sent forth waves of roaring confidence into the hearts of the people manning the Kaurava array. This act though calculated to induce spirit in the mind of Duryodhana, according to the codes of warfare, amounted to an act of aggression by Kauravas. With this first " bullet shot ", Mahabharata war was actually started and for all historical pur­poses the Kauravas have literally become the aggressors—who started the first " act-of-war ".

    Pandava forces were left with no other alternative but to reply to this challenging " call". Each of the noted warriors gets up and blows his conch. The wealth of detail that has been so lavishly squandared in expressing a simple fact that from the Pandava side Krishna and Arjuna answered the battle cry, clearly shows where Sanjaya's sympathies were. Here are the descriptions such as : sitting on the " magnificient " chariot harnessed with " white " horses Madhava and Arjuna blew their conches " divine " are all deliberately used. Sanjaya feels that perhaps in the apparent contrast in the two descriptions the blind old king Dhritarashtra may be persuaded, even at this late moment, to order, his sons to come to a truce. To preserve a country forever in peace or to involve it in ruinous warfare is in the hands of the ruling power. Now the die is cast and the stage set. Events are heading towards a catastrophe. " What is going to be your, decision "? This seems to be the implied question. (1-19) The sound raised by the Pandava battle-cry resounded in the battle-field and roared up to echo in space rending the hearts of the Kauravas. Those who feel their cause just, will be inspired, will have courage, and can readily muster up for action. The Pandavas' uproar seems to be penetrating into the hearts of Kauravas because of their guilty conscience. Even the reprimand of a child is bound to touch an offender to the quick. That Sanjaya's scales of sympathy leans towards the Pandava side is again seen here, if one compares the description of the war-cries of both forces.

    It was a poignant moment, the shooting has not yet started— but it was imminent. The crisis has arisen to the highest pitch of its wave. Arjuna now suggests to Krishna to place his chariot in between the two armies, so that the Pandava can see who are the champions of adharma lined up against him in war. Krishna like a true charioteer places it in between the two armies and facing up to Bhishma and Drona says, "Behold, Oh! Partha, the Kurus gathered together ", These are the only utterances of the Lord in the first chapter and in fact they are the sparks that set fire to the egoistic edifice of Arjuna. The word "Be-hold " (pashya) has volumes to speak. Krishna is forcing Arjuna to get involved in the problem by asking him to " see " the army-array. Human mind for the purposes of study, can be considered as constituted of two aspects. One facing the world-of-stimuli that reach it from the objects-of-the world, and the other facing the within which reacts to these impulses. Through our sense-organs of perception all of us experience the world around us- The stimuli that reace our sense organs, create impulses which are received first by the objective-mind, and these impulses filter deeper down to the subjective-mind through the intervening layers of our individual ego-centric desires. These impulses react there with the existing impressions of our own past, that are stored in the subjective-layer of the mind, and get themselves expressed in the world outside through the five organs-of-action. Arjuna's objective mind under the impact of stimuli, could not find any response from its subjective-aspect. The greatest hero of his times, Arjuna, suddenly became a despondent neurotic patient.

    —Courtesy ;- Geeta office

    GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY TO SAI DEVOTEES
    An auction of Gold ornaments, donated by the devotees, to Sri Sai Baba Sansthan, Shirdi, will be held on Saturday, the 15 th December 1973 at 3-00 p. m. in Sai Niketan, 804-B, Dr. Ambedkar Road, Dadar, Bombay 400 014.

    All Sai Devotees are requested kindly to attend and take part in the auction.

    I

    GURU'S GRACE

    Shri Narasimha Swamiji

    Everything needs Guru's Grace. Where Guru's Grace descends' the heart blossoms forth like a lotus when the sun shines upon it. When thus opened, he feels that his heart encompasses the whole world of his relationships and shapes his conduct and destiny through the promptings of his heart. A kind heart is a spring of joy to all within its reach. So let everyone allow his or her heart to speak and tread in the paths of spiritual life refreshing in the shade of Truth and Love.

    I feel forlorn in Sai-Love. He has possessed me and I have surrendered my all to that " Living Chaitanya ".

     


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