The Philosophy of the Bhagavadgita- 2-2.. Swami Krishnananda.

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Saturday 08, March 2025, 10:30.
Shrimad Bhagavad Gita
The Philosophy of the Bhagavadgita- 2-1..  
Chapter 2: The Battlefield of Life -2.
Swami Krishnananda.

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The whole of life is an arena of such a conflict. If we read Homer's Iliad or Odyssey, if we read Milton's Paradise Lost, if we read the Ramayana of Valmiki, if we read the Mahabharata, we shall find everywhere the same thing presented in different languages and styles, the whole picture presented being the scene of a tremendous conflict, a rubbing of shoulders, a circumstance into which we are thrown unwittingly, the circumstance becoming worse when we have not got the adequate understanding of the causes of the occurrences. Our condition seems to be growing worse because we do not know why a situation has arisen at all, why there should be conflict of any kind. Why should we not be happy always? Why should there not be a balance, a harmony, an equilibrated relationship inwardly and outwardly? We do not know, and nobody can know, easily. But this state of affairs cannot continue for a long time, and we do not wish that it should continue indefinitely.

We are not merely entangled individuals, but also individuals in whom is planted a light of reason and a flash of insight which occurs sometimes in our personal lives, telling us that, in spite of the unfortunate circumstances in which we find ourselves in the world, there is some hope for the better. We do not always entertain a despairing mood of dejection and utter hopelessness, though, occasionally, when the power of rajas, of external relationship and a loss of inward stability, becomes very strong and overwhelms, we may lose our balance completely. We may not then be even able to think in a right manner.

But such occasions are rare; usually we are able to realise that there is justice in this universe, though in moments of intense suffering we are likely to complain against the system of things and find fault with the structure of the universe. But this we do not do always. There are moments of sobriety when we are able to think in a better manner and feel that there is a need for the resolution of conflict. That there should be an urge felt within us to resolve a conflict should be an indication of the possibility of the resolution of the conflict, as one cannot entertain merely a hopeless hope. A hope is hopeful, it is not negativity. When we assure ourselves that things will be better one day, in some way or the other, some insight is welling up from inside, and that is the inward status of integrality that speaks to us in the words of a superphysical language.

The epics of the great masters, whether of the East or of the West, are a depiction of the drama of life. It is a play of various circumstances, situations, colours, each looking independent of the others, but somehow collaborating to present the picture of completeness, as in a play. The dramatis personae, the people who enact the play, are independent and isolated in their performances. It does not mean that everyone taking part in the play will present the same picture and place before us an identical situation. Every individual enacting the play is different from the others, has a performance which is distinct from that of the others. But the whole drama is a completeness by itself. It is not a distracted chaos, it is a harmony, and we enjoy the play. When the whole enactment is over, we are delighted. “This is a wonderful performance.” Thus we go away with happiness. We do not say, “This man did this and that man did that; there is no connection between one and the other.” We realise the connection in spite of the variegated scenes presented in the drama which may run for hours together into the night. The pictures may be completely different if individually perceived, but the wholeness behind the acts is the delighting feature. So is life, and such is the intention of the writing of epics.

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continued

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