Introduction to the Bhagavad-Gita- Part 2: Post-2: Swami Krishnananda.

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Wednesday 31, Jul 2024, 06:40.
Article
Scriptures
Introduction to the Bhagavadgita: Part 2.
POST-2.
Swami Krishnananda
(Spoken on March 17th, 1974)

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The war began. Several days passed. One day, Sanjaya came running and told Dhritarashtra, “Oh my King, Bhishma has fallen.”

“Oh, Bhishma has fallen! Please tell me from the very beginning what has happened, because if the grandsire falls, I don't think we have any hope. He was not only our venerable grandsire, he was not merely a friend, philosopher and guide to us, but he was an invincible warrior. Not the world could stand before him. Such a person has fallen? What has happened? Right from the very beginning kindly let me hear from you, O Sanjaya, what these people did in that kshetra, in that sacred field of dharma, Dharmakshetra, also called Kurukshetra, sanctified by the great yajnas performed by King Kuru once upon a time. What did my people do there? What was it that transpired between my children, led by Duryodhana, and the children of Pandu?” 

Dharmakshetre kurukshetre samaveta yuyutsavah, mamakah pandavas caiva kim akurvata sanjaya (BG 1.1). 

With this, the great gospel of the Bhagavadgita commences.

In a sense, we may say that the Gita is a gospel of action, as many people seem to opine, but in a particular sense only, and not in every sense of the term. It is a gospel of action in a very special sense. A very profound significance of the word 'action' is involved in this definition when we say that the Bhagavadgita is a gospel of action. We shall slowly come to the point of what this action is and what it is not when we proceed further with our study of this eternal message of God to man.

Naturally, action is conducted in a field, or an atmosphere. There is a venue for activity, and as the very commencing words of the Gita tell us, this field was Dharmakshetra, the Kurukshetra. It is a field of action, righteous action. Historically and literally speaking, the place where this war of the Mahabharata took place was called Kurukshetra. Even now it is called Kurukshetra because it is said to have been sanctified by hundreds of sacred yajnas or sacrifices performed there by many sages of yore. Even celestials seem to have conducted yajnas there, performed penance, etc., and it is especially associated with the name of King Kuru of the Lunar race. Such was Kurukshetra, and such is Kurukshetra.

It is also called Dharmakshetra at the same time. It is a field of righteousness, virtue, and divine conduct. It is a very holy place. The query of King Dhritarashtra to Sanjaya was: “Having entered this field of the Kurus, which is manoeuvred, conducted, led and propelled by the force of dharma, which is vibrant in the whole atmosphere there, in that field of dharma, what could my children have done? Naturally they ought to have conducted themselves according to dharma, having gone there, to the field of dharma.”

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Continued

Swami Krishnananda visiting home and talks with his sisters

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