Search

Having told Arjuna about the auspicious path of bhakti-yoga and the qualities of a person on that path , Kṛṣṇa went on to describe the atheistic persons who went further and further away from God. “Such persons are absorbed in the conceit of pride and false prestige. They are driven by lust and greed, and they believe that satisfying their senses is the prime necessity material pleasures and fall down into hell.

How could he possibly have looked forward to killing his own kinsmen and friends? He felt weak, and addressed Kṛṣṇa in a trembling voice. “My dear Lord, seeing my friends and relatives before me in a fighting spirit, I feel my limbs quivering and my mouth drying up.”

He bowed his head to the floor of his chariot and offered many prayers to Kṛṣṇa. In Kṛṣṇa’s divine form he could see all the gods headed by Brahmā and Śiva with all the ṛṣis, Siddhas and Nāgas. Every kind of created being appeared in that form, all the worlds were visible, and nothing was missing

Arjuna’s bow slipped from his hand and his body shook. His skin was burning and he felt his hair standing on end. I am forgetting myself and my mind is reeling. It seems to me that only evil and misfortune will result from this battle. What value is victory if all our friends and loved ones are killed?”

“O son of Kuntī, happiness and distress come and go constantly like winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception alone, O Bharata, and one should tolerate them without being disturbed The great seers who know the truth have concluded from a careful analysis that the soul and spiritual The soul pervades the body and is indestructible. No one can destroy the immeasurable and eternal soul, but the body is sure to come to an end.

Arjuna stood up in the chariot and took hold of the Gāṇḍīva. “My dear Kṛṣṇa, my illusion is gone and by Your mercy I have regained my memory. I am now firm and free from doubt. I shall act according to Your divine instructions.”

How should You be remembered and how can You be known? Please tell me in detail of Your mystic power and opulences. I never tire of hearing such descriptions and long to taste the nectar of Your words more and more.”

He had already experienced Kṛṣṇa’s power and opulence, as well as having heard it described by so many abode, and the Absolute Truth. Unborn, eternal and transcendental, You are the greatest of the great and the possessor of all opulences and now You Yourself are declaring it to me. None can know You, not even the gods and Asuras.

Even if he tried to renounce the battle and remain aloof, his mind would still work. It was likely he would continue to think of Duryodhana and his evil deeds, and of how Yudhiṣṭhira had Those thoughts would sooner or later impel him to act--to take up arms and fight.

Having heard this conversation between two great souls, I feel my hair standing on end, so profound and Upon remembering Kṛṣṇa’s wondrous form, I rejoice again and again. Wherever there is Kṛṣṇa, the master of all mystics, and wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will certainly be opulence, victory, extraordinary power and morality.

The sight of old and respected personalities such as Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Śalya and Bāhlika, all of whom he The many young princes, sons of the Kauravas and their allies, were all like his own sons, and he felt

describing the qualities found in a consummate practitioner of bhakti, He spoke about the material nature and Through descriptions of the knower, knowledge, and the objects of knowledge, Kṛṣṇa explained in detail how He pervaded the material energy and how He was the Supersoul in every living being. He thus assured Arjuna of His complete ability to protect and deliver His worshippers.

Here are My hundreds and thousands of varied divine and multicolored forms. Behold, O best of the Bharatas, all that you desire to see and all that you will ever desire to see in Everything moving and unmoving is here in one place.”

Desiring sensual pleasures, opulence and power, they think there is nothing more to life. They become bewildered by such desires and cannot fix their minds upon yoga practice. Be free from all the dualities of happiness and distress. Established in the self, give up your anxiety for material gain and safety.”

Arjuna became aware of a vast form possessing unlimited mouths and eyes. It was decorated with countless celestial ornaments and held many divine weapons. Decked with celestial garments and garlands, it was wondrous, brilliant, unlimited, and expanded everywhere

“I would rather the Kauravas killed me, unarmed and unresisting, than raise my weapons against them for He threw down his weapons and slumped in his chariot.

Kṛṣṇa drove the horses forward and the fine chariot moved into the center of the field. Suddenly seeing the horror of it before him, Arjuna gazed at his relatives and friends arrayed across from him--men who were like fathers, brothers, sons and grandsons, as well as teachers, uncles, friends , in-laws and well-wishers.

With the exception of you, your brothers, and a few others, everyone will be slain. Therefore, do your duty as a warrior and you will become an instrument of My desire. Bhīṣma, Droṇa, and all the Kuru heroes are already dead. Fight without disturbance, Arjuna, and you will gain a glorious victory.”

My body is transcendental and neither changes nor deteriorates. I come only to establish religion and to curb irreligion, Pārtha. In this way, I deliver the pious and annihilate the demons. Those who take refuge in Me will become free from attachment, fear and anger and will attain pure, transcendental

at the universal form, Arjuna said, “O inexhaustible one, this unlimited body of Yours is wonderful and I see all the gods and ṛṣis standing before You and offering prayers. Seeing this tremendous manifestation I am losing my peace of mind and my balance. Indeed, You are destroying all men and everything else.