Arjuna admits that his mind is not functioning well; he is full of doubts and is indecisive. One’s acknowledgement of his confusion is a step forward, for it shows that he is ready to learn. The student, with full conviction and trust, then places the entire book of his life before his teacher for scrutiny. That is always expected of a good student. If one accepts that he is ignorant, he can be led by a competent teacher because such an aspirant is open to receiving higher knowledge. At that point one has jigvasa, which means a strong desire to learn and practice Brahma Vidya. It is an extraordinary moment when one accepts a great teacher as his own, requests the teacher to accept him as a student, and in turn is accepted as a student by the teacher. Sri Krishna, who has always been Arjuna’s friend, now becomes his teacher as well. That is a uniques relationship. We learn two lessons from Arjuna’s predicament. First, no leader, sadhaka, or hero should take it for granted that he will not slip back to the sorrowful, bewildered state of despondency. Second, in everyone’s life there comes a time when he experiences difficulty in deciding that which is right. Great men are great because they do not lose their equanimity in a difficult situation no matter how catastrophic it seems to be. And if there is a temporary state of disturbance or uncertainty, they are able to recover from such a lapse. One should realize that he can even recover from a serious mental disturbance such as that experienced by Arjuna. Self-confidence can be regained by becoming aware of the deeper dimensions of life. If the system of sadhana is well organized, the sadhaka may stumble, but he will once again tread the path. One finds obstacles in every phase of life, and at times it may seem that one cannot gather his strength. That is only natural in human life. But those like Arjuna who are guided by a great teacher emerge safely from the misery created by the lack of proper perspective. In his sorrow Arjuna loses his equilibrium and cries plaintively for help. Sri Krishna, possessing perfect knowledge and mastery of all levels and forces of life, brings Arjuna back to the state of equanimity, encouraging Arjuna not to weaken himself, not to be scattered or dissipated. Swami Rama Perennial Psychology of the Bhagavad Gita commentary, Chapter 2
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 05:00:01 +0000
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