Setting the Stage
5000 years ago, at an ancient battlefield near what is now New Delhi, India, armies representing kingdoms from all over the world assembled for the greatest trial of arms in history. A family dispute over the throne had developed into a world-wide conflict between righteousness and tyranny.
Here between opposing armies, with friends and relatives on both sides, seeing brothers armed against brothers, the saintly Arjuna discloses his anguish to his intimate friend, who has assumed the role of Arjuna's chariot driver.
Arjuna: "Oh Krishna, seeing my friends and relatives present on both sides and ready to lay down their lives, my whole body is trembling, my mind is reeling. It would be better for the enemy to kill me, unarmed and unresisting, than for me to fight with them."
Krishna: "Oh Arjuna, give up such petty weakness of heart and arise, oh protector of the righteous."
Arjuna: "How can I fight these men? I prefer to live by begging than at the cost of their lives. Even though they are avaricious, I shall not fight!"
"Now I have lost all composure because of weakness. Now I surrender unto You, as your disciple. Please instruct me."
Krishna: "While speaking saintly words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are truly wise lament neither for the living nor the dead. Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings. Nor in the future shall any of us cease to be. The soul is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, undying and primeval."
Narrator: "And thus, Krishna begins to explain the first instruction of the Bhagavad-gita: that the perishable body and the eternal soul are not the same.
Changing Bodies
Who are you? First, look at yourself. Look at your hands. Go ahead, have a good look. Are you your hand? Are you your face? Are you your body? Are you your mind?
Are you the center of the universe? Or merely a tiny, insignificant creature in a remote corner of creation? These questions have challenged mankind's greatest thinkers since the dawn of civilization.
We are surrounded by material elements. These are the same elements that make up the bodies of all living creatures. And then there is mind, intelligence and ego. And beyond all that, consciousness. This is not material; it is the soul.
By nature's invincible laws, each soul passes through progressively higher species of life, until it inhabits a human form.
The soul cannot be measured with any scientific instrument. Yet, this minute non-material entity, the soul, is so powerful, that it unceasingly activates each body throughout its entire lifetime. This tiny little spark of life thus moves from one body to another. This is called reincarnation.
It is not difficult to understand. Even in our own life we live in different bodies. Medical science has demonstrated that all of our cells are replaced every seven years, including even the brain.
On the battlefield, Krishna tells Arjuna:
"As the embodied soul continually passes in this body from childhood to youth to old age, the soul likewise passes into another body at death. ... The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change."
And there you are, the soul with a human body, and the chance to break through the cycle of birth and death.
The Precarious Condition of the Embodied Soul
Here we see the precarious condition of the embodied soul. The Bhagavad-gita gives us this illustration to help us understand in more detail the relationship between the body and the soul.
The horses are the senses: sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing. The reigns are the mind. The driver is the intelligence, and the passenger is the soul. In most cases, the soul does not control the intelligence, which in turn becomes bewildered and cannot firmly guide the mind. The mind, like the slackened reigns, does not control the senses, which become wild. This is happening to us every day, when the senses are irresistibly drawn to the sense objects. Thus the soul is forced into dangerous and unpredictable states of consciousness.
Choices on the Path of Life
Man can control his destiny. As a spiritual being, he can choose, by the expression of his free will, his path of life.
If he chooses to descend the staircase in pursuit of temporary and flickering objects of the senses, external forces take control of him, and his free will becomes severely restricted. He comes under the law of karma. Karma is the subtle but stringent law of action and reaction which operates even in the realm of consciousness. Under that law, the consciousness of one on the downward path degenerates to become like that of an animal. Such a person reincarnates after death into lower than human life forms. This is the result of misuse of free will.
The upward path begins with the acceptance of spiritual guidance, and leads to the ultimate liberation of the soul from the bodily concept of life. Such a person perceives his pure soul and its relationship with God.
Equal Vision of the Sages
Ordinarily, we see all around us many diverse forms of life. However, a person on the spiritual path sees the soul, not the body, as the real self of every living being. The soul, which is by nature full of bliss and knowledge, is an emanation from the supreme soul, present along with the soul. The supreme soul becomes visible to the eyes of a sage. This higher perception was exemplified and taught by all seers of the truth such as Moses, Buddha, Christ, and Mohammed.
The sage who thus is freed from physical repulsion and attraction, sees all living beings with equal vision and becomes a genuine lover of the universe.
Who is that supreme soul who is within all creatures as the in-dwelling guide, witness, maintainer, and ultimate friend? Who is that who is situated within all things, and yet everything resides in Him?
Krishna's Transcendental Manifestations
The localized expansion of the supreme soul is a spiritual reflection of Krishna. In His original form, Krishna resides eternally in His own transcendental realm called Goloka. He assumes varieties of spiritually perfect forms and appears in the physical universe to curb the rise of materialism and tyranny, which obstruct the spiritual progress of humanity. He does this in many different ways, which are always good and just.
Matsya appears at the time of the great inundation.
Kurma, who prevented the demonic rulers from gaining dangerous powers.
Varaha challenged the vicious giant Hiranyaksha.
Narasimha annihilated Hiranyakashipu, the great oppressor of the innocent.
Vamana, who saved the world from the despot Bali.
Parashurama, the warrior priest who drove out the brutal martial class.
Rama, exemplifying a perfect monarch, who sacrificed His own happiness to uphold the principles of righteousness.
Krishna appeared Himself to display His unsurpassed, celebrated pastimes of love with His devotees.
Buddha, the royal prince who renounced His kingdom and taught religious principles in the form of non-violence.
Kalki, still to come, will herald the change of universal time.
God's Universal Form
Arjuna: "My dear Krishna, I know you dwell in the heart of every living being as the Supersoul, and that You manifest Yourself in many different incarnations. Though I see You here before me, I wish to know how You pervade this entire cosmic manifestation. If you think that I am able to behold this truth, kindly reveal it to me."
Krishna: "My dear Arjuna, you cannot see this universal self with your present eyes. Therefore, I now give you divine eyes."
"Behold My mystic opulences, which no one has ever seen or heard before. You will see that everything is contained within Me."
Arjuna: "Oh Krishna, I see within You all living beings. I see Brahma sitting on the divine lotus. I see Shiva, many sages, celestial serpents. I see many forms, bellies, mouths, eyes expanded without limit.
You are inexhaustible. You are the origin, without beginning, middle or end. You are spread throughout the sky, the planets, and all space between.
Oh universal Lord, I am losing my equilibrium. Seeing your radiant colors fill the sky and beholding Your eyes and mouths, I am afraid.
I see all life flowing from you, and rushing back with great speed into Your divine form. Covering the entire universe with your immeasurable rays, scorching the world, You are manifest.
Oh Lord of Lords, please tell me who you are in this fierce form. Please be gracious to me. I desire to know your purpose."
Krishna: "Time I am, the mighty destiny. I have come to change all things."
"Oh Arjuna, behold My mystic plan. Through My own wisdom and love the souls of this world ever journey towards their supreme destination, Me, who am the reservoir of all pleasure.
Arjuna: "Oh unbounded power, You are the father of this complete cosmic manifestation. No one can be greater than You, or equal to You. Although I am glad that You have shown me this form, yet fear disturbs me. Please bestow Your grace on me. Reveal again Your original form, oh abode of the universe!"
Krishna: "Let this horrible feature be finished. With a peaceful mind, you can now see My original form which is so dear to you."
"Oh Arjuna, only by undivided devotion can I be known as I am. Thus you can see me directly, sitting before you. Only in this way can you enter into the mysteries of understanding Me."
Ocean of Birth and Death
Imagine yourself adrift in the midst of the vast ocean. Even if you were the world's greatest swimmer, you would eventually drown, unless someone came to your rescue.
The material world is compared to a vast ocean, an ocean of birth and death. Souls trapped in this world cannot free themselves from the continuing cycle of birth and death. But they can be freed by the process of yoga.
Yoga means union with the supreme. This is the stage beyond all anxieties. Thus, the soul perfectly linked with the supreme soul through devotion is at once rescued from repeated birth and death by the mercy of Krishna.
Lord Chaitanya's Sankirtan Festival
According to Bhagavad-gita, Krishna descends in many forms and places. Here in Bengal, in the latter part of the 15th century, Krishna descended in the form of Lord Chaitanya. By His personal example, He delivered the essence of Bhagavad-gita, loving devotional service to God, or Bhakti-yoga, the most practical means of achieving self-realization in the present age. He inaugurated the Sankirtan Movement, chanting the Holy Names of Krishna.
Wherever Lord Chaitanya led His sankirtan festival, spontaneous love of God and profound spiritual knowledge blossomed in the hearts of the people. But Sri Chaitanya's compassionate concern for humanity was not limited to India. Thus, He made it easy for everyone to break through the cycle of birth and death, causing the ocean of love of God to overflow throughout the world, and now reach the shores of America.
Goloka - the Spiritual Realm
In the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna promises that whoever perfectly and constantly meditates on Him, will ultimately come to Him. This is the highest evolution of the liberated soul: direct relationship with Krishna in His own planet.
This is Goloka, the spiritual realm. Here, in Krishna's abode, all water is nectar, every word is a song, and every step a dance.
Far from formless, the spiritual world is the origin of all form, emanating from the supreme form, Krishna. All forms here are eternal, fully conscious, and blissful.
Krishna is the original form, and the human form is the reflection of that form.
Here, standing on the bank of the Jamuna River with the exquisitely beautiful Radha at His side, Krishna smiles and plays His enchanting flute. He appears as the central attractive figure enjoying varieties of divine loving exchange with the whole spiritual world.
Every entity in the spiritual world, regardless of its particular form, enjoys full loving reciprocation with Krishna.
When the devotees, peacocks, swans, and all other living beings hear the sound of Krishna's transcendental flute, they swoon in ecstasy, and tears of love fall from their eyes.
All souls are potentially capable of reaching this state of love of God, and Krishna promises to help those who long for it. Those souls who follow the path of Bhakti yoga, devotional meditation, will at last evolve their original spiritual bodies.
All of us are parts of the supreme soul, Krishna, who is everlastingly beckoning us to return to His eternal abode.
