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THE BHAGAVAD-GITA
For Children and Beginners
For Children and Beginners
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CHAPTER 2
KNOWLEDGE OF GOD
KNOWLEDGE OF GOD
Jai: If Arjuna felt so kind-hearted for everyone he was supposed to kill in the war, how could he go out and fight, Grandma?
Grandma: That is exactly what Arjuna asked Lord Krishna. He said: “How shall I strike my grandfather, my guru, and all other relatives with arrows in battle? They are worthy of my respect.” (Gita 2.04 :Arjuna said:It would be better, indeed, to live on begging in this world than to win the kingdom by slaying these noble personalities. By killing them all I would get is the wealth and pleasures stained with their blood.We should not even wish to live after killing our cousin brothers, who are standing in front of us.I do not think that gaining an unrivaled and prosperous kingdom will remove the sin I would be committing in killing them.I do not know which is better, i.e. to fight or to quit. My senses are overcome by confusion about duty (Dharma).Please tell me what is better for me. I am Your disciple, and I take refuge in You.) Arjuna had a good point. In Vedic culture, gurus, the elderly, honorable persons, and all other superiors are to be respected. But the scriptures also say that anyone who acts wrongly or unlawfully against you or others, or anyone who supports such deeds, should no longer be respected, but punished. Arjuna was confused about his
duty and asked guidance from Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna then instructed him on the true knowledge of Atma and the physical body.
Jai: What is Atma, Grandma?
Grandma: Atma is also called the Spirit, or the soul. Atma is never born, never dies, and is everlasting. Our body takes birth and dies, but not Atma. Atma supports the body. Without Atma..the
, body becomes dead. Atma..supplies the power to our body, mind, and senses, just as air burns and supports fire. Weapons cannot cut Atma.., fire cannot burn it, wind cannot dry it, and water cannot make it wet. Therefore, we should not grieve over death of the body because the Atma inside the body never dies. (Gita 2.23-24- Even if you think of the physical body, be aware that the death is certain for the one who is born, and birth is certain for the one who dies. Therefore, you should not lament over the inevitable.O Arjuna, the Spirit that dwells in the body of all beings is eternally indestructible. Therefore, you should not mourn for anybody)
Jai: What is the difference between Atma (Spirit), soul, and body Grandma?
Grandma: One and the same Atma dwells inside all bodies. Our body changes with time. Our old-age body is different from our childhood body. But Atma does not change. Atma takes a
childhood body, a youth body, and an old-age body during this life, then takes another body after death. (Gita 2.13) The Sanskrit word Atma..is translated as Spirit in English. Spirit is universal and all pervading. The English word spirit or soul also means the Spirit residing in individual bodies. In Sanskrit language, we call this individual soul Jivatma..or Jiva (also spelled as Jeeva). If Spirit is compared to a forest, the individual soul (spirit or Jiva) can be compared to the tree in the forest.
The body is called a garment of Atma.Just as we get rid of an old, worn-out garment and put on a new one, similarly, Atma gets rid of the old body and takes a new one after death. So death is like changing the garment of Atma. (Gita 2.22-) All beings are visible between birth and death; they can’t be seen before birth or after death and remain in their invisible form. (Gita 2.28) Therefore, we should not grieve over death of the body. We are not the body. We are Atma with a body. Death just means our soul passes from one body to another new body.
Jai: Then why did Arjuna grieve over deaths of loved ones on the battlefield? Why didn’t he want to fight?
Grandma: Arjuna was a very tough warrior, Jai, but he wanted to run away from the horrors of war and lead an easy life of a Samnyasi, a wandering hermit. Lord Krishna taught us to face the battle of life by giving Arjuna the beautiful science of KarmaYoga, the art of peaceful and prosperous living. Chapter 3 of the Gita tells us more about this. Arjuna was worried about the results of the war, but Lord Krishna asks us to do our duty without worrying too much about the results, such as gain and loss, victory and defeat, success and failure. If you are constantly worried about the results of your studies, you will not be able to put your heart and soul into them for fear of failure.
Jai: But Grandma, how could Arjuna fight his best if he wasn’t fighting to win and gain something?
Grandma: Arjuna must fight to win, but he should not weaken his will by worrying about the result while he is fighting. He should put all his attention and energy into every minute of the fight. That energy is what will bring the greatest result. Lord Krishna tells us that we have full control over our action, but no control over the results of our action. (Gita 2.47) Harry Bhalla says: A farmer has control over how he works his land, yet no control over the harvest. But he cannot expect a harvest if he does not work his land with best effort and with tools he has. We should do our best at the present
moment and let the future take care of itself.
Jai: What is a Self-realized person like, Grandma?
Grandma: A Self-realized person is a perfect person, Jai. Lord Krishna tells us the mind of a perfect person is not shaken by difficulties, does not run after pleasures, is free from fear, desire, greed, and attachment, and has control over mind and senses. (Gita 2.56-Lord Krishna said:When one can completely withdraw the senses from the sense objects as a tortoise withdraws its limbs into the shell, then the intellect of such a person is considered steady.But generally, the desire for sensual pleasures could fade in a person, but his craving for sense enjoyment might remains in a very subtle form, dormant. This subtle craving also need completely disappear. Anyone, who restrains the senses but mentally dwells upon the sense objects, is called a pretender. (3.06)When one is completely free from all desires of the mind and is satisfied with the Supreme Being, then one is called an enlightened person, O Arjuna.Thus a person whose mind is unperturbed by sorrow, who does not crave pleasures, and who is completely free from attachment, fear, and anger, is a person of steady intellect. He should be a person who is neither elated by getting desired results, nor perturbed by undesired results.) A Self-realized person does not get angry, is peaceful and happy.
Jai: How can we keep from getting angry, Grandma?
Grandma: We get angry if our desire is not fulfilled. (Gita 2.62) So the best way to control anger is to control or limit our desires. We should not want too many things. Desires begin in the mind, so we should control our mind. If we don’t control our mind, we drift like a ship without its rudder. The desire for pleasure takes one to the dark alley of sin, gets us in trouble, and prevents our progress. (Gita 2.67) As a student, you should set a higher goal for yourself than pleasure. Put forth your best effort and concentrate on your studies. (The senses are so strong, impetuous and restless that they forcibly carry away the mind of even awise person striving for perfection.One develops attachment to sense objects by thinking about sense objects. Desire for sense objects comes from attachment to sense objects
Anger comes from unfulfilled desires.
Delusion or wild idea arises from anger.
The mind is bewildered by delusion.
Reasoning is destroyed when the mind is bewildered.
One falls down from the right path when reasoning is destroyed.
One's intellect becomes steady when one's senses are under complete control. One should therefore fix one's mind on God with loving contemplation after bringing the senses under control.)
Arjuna was a very good example of such concentration. Here is a story about him.
2. The Graduation Test
Guru Drona was the military teacher for both the Kauravas and the Pandavas. At the end of their military training came final examination time. Drona put a wooden eagle on the branch of a nearby tree. Nobody knew it was just a doll. It looked like a real eagle. To pass the graduation test, every one of the students was supposed to cut off the eagle’s head with one arrow. Guru Drona first asked Yudhisthira, the eldest of the Pandavas: “Get ready, look at the eagle, and tell me what you are seeing.” Yudhisthira replied: “I see the sky, the clouds, the tree trunk, the branches, the leaves and the eagle sitting there”
Guru Drona was not very pleased with this answer. He asked the same of all the students, one by one. Every one of them gave a similar answer. Then came Arjuna’s turn for the test. Drona asked Arjuna: “Get ready, look at the eagle, and tell me what you are seeing.” Arjuna replied: “I only see the eagle Guru Drona was the military teacher for both the Kauravas and the Pandavas. At the end of their military training came final examination time. Drona put a wooden eagle on the branch of a nearby tree. Nobody knew it was just a doll. It looked like a real eagle. To pass the graduation test, every one of the students was supposed to cut off the eagle’s head with one arrow. Guru Drona first asked Yudhisthira, the eldest of the Pandavas: “Get ready, look at the eagle, and tell me what you are seeing.” Yudhisthira replied: “I see the sky, the clouds, the tree trunk, the branches, the leaves and the eagle sitting there”
and nothing else” Drona then asked a second question: “If you are seeing the eagle, then tell me how strong is its body and what is the color of it’s wings?” Arjuna replied: “I am only seeing its head and not the entire body.” Guru Drona was much pleased with Arjuna’s answer and asked him to go ahead with the test. Arjuna easily cut off the head of the eagle with one arrow because he was concentrating on his aim with a single mind. He passed the test with flying colors.
Arjuna was not only the greatest warrior of his time, but also a compassionate KarmaYogi. Lord Krishna chose Arjuna as a medium to impart the knowledge of the holy Gita. We all should follow the example of Arjuna. Read the Gita and be like Arjuna.
“Arjuna Bano, Arjuna Bano,” my dear grandson! Whatever work you do, do it with single-minded attention and put your whole heart and mind into it. This is the main theme of KarmaYoga of the Gita and the secret of success in anything you do.
A word for the youth from SwamiVivekananda:
"Whatever you are doing, put your whole mind on it. If you are shooting, your mind should be only on the target. Then you will never miss. If you are learning your lessons, think only of the lesson. In India boys and girls are taught to do this".
Chapter 2 summary:
Lord Krishna taught us, through Arjuna, the difference between Atma..and body. We are Atma with a body. Atma. is unborn and indestructible. One and the same Atma dwells inside all bodies, human or nonhuman. Thus we are all connected with each other. We should do our duty to the best of our ability without worrying about success or failure. We must learn from our failures and go forward without letting our failures defeat us. To become a perfect person, we need to control or limit our desires.
Quote of BABA:
This is the way to happiness. Let others and the world turn topsy-turvy, but do not mind that; keep on to your own straight course.
Transform yourself – 25 ways to improve your life this
year by Sri Sri Ravishankar
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