The Yoga of Arjuna's Crisis

No Life without Struggle

Dhritarashtra asked: Sanjaya, what did my sons and the sons of Pandu do, when they were gathered for the sake of fighting on the field of dharma, in the field of the Kurus? (1.1)

The war between the Kauravas and their cousins, the Pandavas, had become inevitable. The Bhagavad Gita opens with the blind king, Dhritarashtra, asking his charioteer Sanjaya to tell him what is taking place on the battlefield where the warriors on both sides have gathered ready to fight. Dhritarashtra, the first born of the king of Bharata, had a natural right to the throne, but because he had been born blind he renounced the kingdom in favor of his younger brother Pandu. Pandu ruled the kingdom for some time, and then owing to the curse of a sage retired into the forest. Then Dhritarashtra became the caretaker king. Now the sons of Pandu (Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Sahadev, Nakula), called the Pandavas, and the sons of Dhritarashtra, led by Duryodhana, called the Kauravas, both claim the right to rule the kingdom.

Sanjaya, Dhritarashtra's charioteer, had been granted the gift of clairvoyance and clairaudience for the duration of the war so that he could see and hear all that was taking place, even at a distance, including the thoughts of the warriors, without being affected.

The battle is about to take place in Kurukshetra, the field of the Kurus. Kuru is the name of the royal dynasty to which Dhritarashtra, Pandu, and all their sons belong. At the external level, the war is between cousins who are descendants of the same grandfather. The word kuru is also indirectly related to one form of the word karma, action. The battle takes place in Kurukshetra, the field of action. Internally, the battlefield is my own psyche where the struggle is between opposing forces and tendencies within myself. Kurukshetra, the field of the Kurus and the field of action, is also dharmakshetra, the field of dharma.

Dharma is the very first word in the Bhagavad Gita. It is difficult to give a one-word translation of dharma because it can mean "order," law, obligation, responsibility, duty, righteousness; and sometimes it is erroneously translated as "religion," when "religion" is understood in the sense of the Abrahamic traditions. Dharma can also mean "teaching" as in Bauddha dharma, the Sanskrit expression for Buddhism, meaning the dharma (teaching) of the Buddha. Dharma also refers to the essential nature or quality of a creature — as in saying that the dharma of a snake is to spread poison.

Dharma is derived from the root dhri, which means "to sustain." The word for the earth, dharati, is also derived from the same root. Therefore, "support" is another meaning of dharma. It contains the meaning of "that which sustains" as well as "that which must be sustained." The family, the society, and the cosmos support us and we are responsible for sustaining them. Essentially, dharma means "responsibility for maintenance of order." Nothing that exists, whether animate or inanimate, is exempt from the workings and demands of dharma. Given the richness of the word dharma, it is useful for us to use the Sanskrit word without a particular translation.

The interplay of order, law, and obligation is what determines dharma for any creature. Thus, we act in accordance with dharma if we respond to the obligations laid upon us by right order, according to our capacity. Bees, snakes, trees, and stars all act in accordance with their dharma, although they do not have a conscious understanding. The dharma of a human being in any given situation is not easy to identify, and it may require immense subtlety of thought and feeling to understand what it is. Since cosmic, planetary, social, and individual forces make their demands simultaneously on a human being, each according to its own law, a precise understanding of a person's responsibilities in a given situation requires discernment, dedication, and effort.

Forces in the Battle of Life

Sanjaya said: Having seen the armies of the Pandavas, Duryodhana approached his Teacher [Drona] and said, Behold, O Teacher, this vast army of the Pandavas, arrayed by Drupada's son, your gifted pupil. (1.2–3)

Here are heroes, great archers, the equals of Bhima and Arjuna in battle; Yuyudhana, Virata, and the great warrior Drupada; Dhrishtaketu, Chekitana, and the valiant king of Kashi; Purujit, and Kuntibhoja, and that bull among men, the king of the Shibis; the valorous Yudhamanyu, the heroic Uttamaujas, the son of Subhadra, and the sons of Draupadi, all mighty warriors. (1.4–6)

Know also, O best among the twice-born, those who are distinguished amongst us. I shall name the leaders of my army for you: yourself, My Lord, and Bhishma; Karna and Kripa, the winner of many battles; Ashvatthama, Vikarna, and the son of Somdatta. Many other heroes, with various weapons and arms, and skilled in battle are also there, ready to give up their lives for my sake. Guarded by Bhishma, the strength of our army is without limit. But the strength of their army, under the protection of Bhima, is limited. And so in all movements, stationed according to strategy, you and your men should all guard Bhishma above all.

Then Bhishma, the mighty and splendid grandsire, the eldest of the Kurus, thundered forth his lion's roar and blew his conch, gladdening the heart of Duryodhana. (1.7–12)

Sanjaya, Dhritarashtra's charioteer, describes to the blind king the scene on the battlefield in which Duryodhana, the firstborn of the hundred sons of Dhritarashtra, surveys the armies of the Pandavas against whom he has to fight. Duryodhana describes to Drona, who is his teacher as well as of all the Kauravas and the Pandavas, the major warriors on both sides. Although Drona was convinced that the Pandavas were being wronged and he wished them victory in the war, he owed allegiance to his king, the blind Dhritarashtra, and to his son Duryodhana. He was indebted to them for his livelihood and for the position where he could take revenge on his archenemy, Drupada. He was obliged...