In the heart of the battlefield, amidst the clamor of impending war, stood Arjuna, a warrior of unparalleled skill and renowned valor. But this wasn’t a hero surveying his domain; it was a soul in the throes of dejection, distress, and grief.
As the conch shells heralded the commencement of war, Arjuna’s eyes beheld not just an opposing force but a gathering of his own flesh and blood—teachers, mentors, revered elders, and cherished relatives. Their faces, once etched with familiarity and affection, now bore the grim determination of warriors prepared to shed blood. His limbs trembled, his mouth dried and his skin burned as if every fiber of his being recoiled from the impending carnage. The sight of his own kin, standing ready for battle, struck a chord deep within him, causing his eyes to well up with tears.
The thought of raising his bow against his own kinsmen filled Arjuna with dread. The Gandiva, the mighty bow that had never failed him, slipped from his grasp, as if protesting the impending bloodshed. The weapon that had conquered foes and won kingdoms now seemed a burden too heavy for his troubled soul.
The matriarchs who had cradled him in their arms, the patriarchs who had imparted wisdom and knowledge, and the cousins who had shared laughter and played by his side—all now assumed the guise of adversaries in the theater of war. Arjuna’s heart, typically steadfast in the face of adversity, now wavered like a flickering flame in the wind.
“I do not foresee any good in killing my own relatives in battle,” he confessed to Lord Krishna, his charioteer and confidant. The prospect of victory, the promise of power, and the allure of pleasure seemed insignificant in the face of the impending bloodshed. His turmoil mirrored the clash of conflicting emotions and the weight of the impending decisions that hung heavily on his shoulders.
What purpose, he pondered, would a kingdom or enjoyment serve when those for whom such desires were harbored stood ready to be vanquished? Arjuna grappled with the question of how happiness could emerge from an act that obliterated the very fabric of familial bonds. The impending conflict not only threatened to sever familial bonds but also promised to extinguish the very traditions and customs that defined their lineage.
Arjuna recognized the destructive nature of war, the way it tore apart families, communities, and the very fabric of society. He understood the human cost of war, the profound emotional scars that linger long after the battlefield falls silent. His mind, caught in the whirlwind of moral dilemmas, grappled with the inescapable truth that their pursuit of power would lead them to commit the gravest of sins – killing one’s own family. The prospect of such transgressions weighed heavily on his noble heart, and his voice trembled with the agony of a soul in torment.
As the realization of the impending sin washed over him, Arjuna’s resolve crumbled. He cast aside his bow and arrows and sank into the chariot. The weight of his familial love and empathy bore heavily on his conscience. The tears that had welled up in his eyes flowed freely as he surrendered to the overwhelming helplessness that engulfed him.
As Arjuna sank deeper into his dejection, he surrendered to the guidance of Lord Krishna, his charioteer and confidant. In Krishna’s presence, Arjuna laid bare his vulnerabilities, his fears, and his moral dilemmas, seeking solace and enlightenment.
SYMBOLISM
The experience of Arjuna on the battlefield, torn between duty and empathy, finds a resonance in the contemplations of a devoted seeker navigating the intricate realms of the self. Much like Arjuna, who grapples with the agony of vanquishing his own kinsmen, a devoted aspirant, in the battlefield of consciousness, confronts the dilemma of whether to annihilate his own family of senses and their tendencies. The devotee acknowledges the power of the senses and their magnetic allure. He also recognizes that material instincts can overpower him, leading to inner turmoil and distress. Despite the potential hardships and challenges that may arise from indulging in sensory pleasures, he contemplates accepting them rather than becoming a lifeless individual devoid of all desires and aspirations. As the devotee engages in deep meditation on his true nature, he is compelled to maintain a state of stillness, delving into the depths behind the veil of darkness. During this practice, the mind becomes quieter, allowing the practitioner to dive into realms beyond the sensory experiences. However, the devotee’s mind, attuned to the desires of the senses, questions whether he is acting foolishly by renouncing the immediately tangible material pleasures in favor of self-discipline and monotony. He fears that losing the familiar functioning of his senses, which are accustomed to engaging in worldly behavior, would lead to a wretched existence marked by deep-seated ennui and an agonizing sense of emptiness. The marching devotee thinks, “I am not even sure of a greater happiness beyond senses, so I do not want to destroy my material tendencies even though they try to destroy me. I don’t want mastery over the three worlds of the universes so how can I try to have mastery over this little body?”. Although the devotee realizes that his own desires and attachments have led him astray, his aspiration is accompanied by an uncertain hope, as the outcome and fulfillment of his spiritual pursuit remain unclear. The devotee questions, “What happiness can I gain by killing my own sense inclinations and desires? They arise as a result of the divine forces of nature and the intricate workings of my mind. They are an integral part of my human experience, rather than personal flaws. Even though these felons (ātatāyinaḥ) deserve punishment for causing a lot of suffering, it would incur sin to interfere with their inclinations and overcome them. It is sinful to interfere with what is only natural to this body”. Holding a false reverence for the divine plan and refraining from righteous battle, the devotee comes under the influence of harmful habits and moods. He will suddenly find himself identifying, justifying, and sympathizing with his own unwholesome actions. When false reasoning reaches a wrong conclusion and becomes attached to it, the intelligence increasingly loses its discriminative and intuitive powers. It relies on rationalization to justify its false conviction. Devotee further deliberates, “While the senses, driven by their preferences and aversions, remain unaware of the consequences of their actions, shouldn’t I, endowed with discerning knowledge, refrain from engaging in this destructive battle that will inevitably bring harm to all members within my family of consciousness?”. The devotee believes that the sense-indulging habits devoid of discrimination could exist side by side with the good habits and thus make the kingdom of life complete. But it is impossible to have happiness if contradictory forces work in one’s life. Although good and bad habits arise from the same family of consciousness, they yield different outcomes and cannot coexist. Spiritually the devotee is reasoning with God as follows, “Through the dissolution of desires in meditation, the traditional rituals performed by the senses fade away. From lack of such religious rites by the senses, the feminine force of feelings for material things will be corrupted. All the sense clan and members of the family of consciousness will similarly lose their distinctive ‘caste’ characteristics of individualized powers which are adulterated with disarray and confusion.” Subconscious habitual love for material pleasures leads the power of reason into deeper doubt. Instead of recognizing that the temporary suspension of sensory experiences is a gateway to a deeper, more profound reality, where the soul’s connection with the divine is strengthened and expanded, the devotee expresses his disillusionment and frustration in a prayerful mode to God and contemplates refraining from engaging further in the battle of meditation, the technique of regulating the breath and life force energy, which is instrumental in developing control over the senses and mind. In the advanced states of consciousness, just before the dawn of realization, the devotee experiences Arjuna’s intense feeling of discontentment, arising from both a perceived lack of progress on the spiritual path and a prolonged separation from familiar sensory indulgences. Arjuna’s doubts and wavering resolve depict the challenges of balancing spiritual aspirations with the realities of human existence. It highlights the tension between the pursuit of higher states of divine consciousness and the temporary fulfillments derived from engaging with the world. Ultimately, Arjuna’s struggle symbolizes the universal conflict between the spiritual and material aspects of human existence. His doubts and concerns shed light on the challenges faced by individuals seeking higher truths while grappling with the complexities and temptations of the material world. It is hard for many to give up known pleasures for an unknown spiritual happiness in the future. To be an emperor on Earth is not the highest goal because one must leave all, but to possess cosmic consciousness, oneness with God – the Creator who is able to materialize worlds out of ideas – is an everlasting power given to all supremely advanced souls in the spiritual path.