| More of Krishna. KRISHNA (Verses 32-34): Verse 32: "I am all-powerful Time which destroys all things, and I have come here to slay these men. Even if thou dost not fight, all the warriors facing thee shall die." Just like the Hebrew God who destroys the enemy Egyptians, so too does Krishna destroy the enemies of Arjuna on the battlefield. Here, he embodies Shiva, the god of destruction; yet it goes much deeper than that, for in effect, Krishna is wiping out all signs of impermanence: the temporal, the ephemeral, the place holders of life, all things that are not eternal. On this much deeper level, these are the enemies of Arjuna and hence all mankind. Only the immutable laws of nature are our friends, and Krishna wipes everything else out so that we're left with the inevitable sighting of these indisputable, permanent, unchanging truths. It's ingenious, but see what I have to say about natural law. Verse 33: "Arise therefore! Win thy glory, conquer thine enemies, and enjoy thy kingdom. Through the fate of their Karma I have doomed them to die: be thou merely the means of my work." They get the main prise: living in Krishna's early kingdom. Verse 34: "Drona, Bhishma, Jayad-ratha, and Karna, and other heroic warriors of this great war have already been slain by me: tremble not, fight and slay them. Thou shalt conquer thine enemies in battle." Wait a minute. I understand that Karna is the enemy of Arjuna, but I thought Bhishma was one of the good guys, one of the war heroes. Why would Krishna slay him? Does he mean he allowed him to be slayed by his enemies, so he would be transported to another worldly existence? If the warriors are heroic in battle, then it was THEY who fought against their enemies. They are the ones who killed the aggressors. So how is it that Krishna can say that HE was the one who killed their enemies? I'm a bit confused by this. SANJAYA (Verse 35): Verse 35: "When Arjuna heard the words of Krishna he folded his hands trembling; and with a faltering voice, and bowing in adoration, he spoke." ARJUNA (Verses 36-46) Verse 36: "It is right, O God, that peoples sing thy praises, and that they are glad and rejoice in thee. All evil spirits fly away in fear; but the hosts of the saints bow down before thee." Verse 37: "How could they not bow down in love and adoration, before thee, God of gods, Spirit Supreme? Thou creator of Brahma, the god of creation, thou infinite, eternal, refuge of the world! Thou who art all that is, and all that is not, and all that is Beyond." Brahma was the creator of the universe. Now, Arjuna claims that Krishna is the creator of Brahma! So much for Brahma being the unmoved mover. It appears that Hindu philosophy doesn't have a problem with the infinite causal regression. At some point, we shouldn't be surprised if we discover that Krishna was created by someone else, or was a self-made man! Krishna is everything, and he is nothing; he's all that is, and all that's not. He's a 24/7 security guard, protecting everyone and everything from every real and imagined threat, from real evil spirits (Verse 36) and from fictitious good spirits (some unwritten Verse!), and from the amalgamated evil/good real/unreal spirit/bodies (that must be from some invisible chapter!!). Verse 38: "Thou God from the beginning, God in man since man was. Thou Treasure supreme of this vast universe. Thou the One to be known and the Knower, the final resting place. Thou infinite Presence in whom all things are." There it is: God exists in man. This is not to say that man is God, of course; but it demonstrates just how close God is to man. He's just a short contemplation or phone call away. Regarding the "final resting place", that can refer to the a man's burial site or his retirement home. "Infinite Presence" corroborates our deep suspicions that all things are Krishna, and he is all things; two way pantheism. Verse 39: "God of the winds and the waters, of fire and death! Lord of the solitary moon, the Creator, the Ancestor of all! Adoration unto thee, a thousand adorations; and again and again unto thee adoration." Adoration is a reflection of fondness, and fondness is a transformation of admiration, and admiration is a manifestation of deep respect, and respect is a dissemination of sympathy. Verse 40: "Adoration unto thee who art before me and behind me: adoration unto thee who art on all sides, God of all. All-powerful God of immeasurable might. Thou art the consummation of all: thou art all." Verse 41: "If in careless presumption, or even in friendliness, I said 'Krishna! Son of Yadu! My friend!', this I did unconscious of thy greatness." Verse 42: "And if in irreverence I was disrespectful -- when alone or with others -- and made a jest of thee at games, or resting, or at a feast, forgive me in thy mercy, O thou Immeasurable!" Verse 43: "Father of all. Master supreme. Power supreme in all the worlds. Who is like thee? Who is beyond thee?" "Who is like thee, O Lord?" Those words from the Bible, they resonate all throughout the world amongst all peoples. Verse 44: "I bow before thee, I prostrate in adoration; and I beg thy grace, O glorious Lord! As a father to his son, as a friend to his friend, as a lover to his beloved, be gracious unto me, O God." Verse 45: "In a vision I have seen what no man has seen before: I rejoice in exultation, and yet my heart trembles with fear. Have mercy upon me, Lord of gods, Refuge of the whole universe: show me again thine own human form." Verse 46: "I yearn to see thee again with thy crown and sceptre and circle. Show thyself to me again in thine own four-armed form, thou of arms infinite, Infinite Form." KRISHNA (Verses 47-49): Verse 47: "By my grace and my wondrous power I have shown to thee, Arjuna, this form supreme made of light, which is the Infinite, the All: mine own form from the beginning, never seen by man before." Light Show provided by Krishna. Verse 48: "Neither Vedas, nor sacrifices, nor studies, nor benefactions, nor rituals, nor fearful austerities can give the vision of my Form Supreme. Thou alone hast seen this Form, thou the greatest of the the Kurus." Arjuna gets the chance to see Krishna, and together they form a mutual admiration society. Notice that nothing can reach Krishna unless he wills it so. Don't bother with the sacrifices, rituals, etc. Those rites have their place in the religion, but not a chance to see the Form Supreme. Verse 49: "Thou hast seen the tremendous form of my greatness, but fear not, and be not bewildered. Free from fear and with a glad heart see my friendly form again." SANJAYA (Verse 50): Verse 50: "Thus spoke Vasudeva to Arjuna, and revealed himself in his human form. The God of all gave peace to this fears and showed himself in his peaceful beauty." ARJUNA (Verse 51): Verse 51: "When I see thy gentle human face, Krishna, I return to my own nature, and my heart has peace." Through Krishna, Arjuna can become himself again. Makes sense to me!! KRISHNA (Verses 52-55) Verse 52: "Thou hast seen now face to face my form divine so hard to see: for even the gods in heaven ever long to see what thou hast seen." Verse 53: "Not by the Vedas, or an austere life, or gifts to the poor, or ritual offerings can I be seen as thou hast seen me." Basically, a rehash of Verse 48. Verse 54: "Only by love can men see me, and know me, and come unto me." In contrast to Verse 48, there is a way to get to see and know Krishna, other than Krishna willing it so. Verse 55: "He who works for me, who loves me, whose End Supreme I am, free from attachment to all things, and with love for all creation, he in truth comes to me." Work, love, detachment, truth: the formula to go unto Him. |