Introduction to Srimad Bhagavad Geeta by Swami Chidbhavananda Part 5

Sages Nara and Narayana

In days of yore there were two Rishis known as Narayana and Nara. Tradition has it that towards the end of the Dwapara Yuga these sages incarnated themselves as Sri Krishna and Arjuna. In both these cases they embodied in themselves the, principles of the Paramatman and the Jivatman. The relationship between God and man is elucidated in several other ways, in the Upanishads. The allegory of two birds is well known. Seated on the same tree were two birds, one superior and the other ordinary. The superior one was established in its own glory. The other partook of the sweet and bitter fruits in the tree, thereby subjecting itself to pleasure and pain. Whenever it was overwhelmed with pain it beheld with admiration the other bird that happened to be poised in beatitude. The emulation that ensued was of great consequence. Every experience of bitterness drove the afflicted bird to the necessity of taking a hop towards the serene bird above. As the distance between the two narrowed, its afflictions were thinning away. In the proximity of the superior bird all pain was eradicated; and bliss emanated from within. What was more important was that the bliss-seeking bird realized that it was merely a reflection of the bliss-emanating original one. Finally the reflection got itself merged into the original. The consummation of the Jivatman in the Paramatman has been construed in the Upanishads in this manner.

The same principle is explained through the relationship that existed between Sri Krishna and Arjuna. They were inseparable chums. Time and again Arjuna had a difficulty to overcome. He was also in need of something to enrich his earthly life. ‘On all such occasions Achyuta came to his rescue. In fact He seemed indispensable to Arjuna in all matters of importance. Arjuna got His guidance in education, enthusing in play, support in contests and protection while drudging in exile. In all situations Sri Krishna was the friend, philosopher and guide of ‘Arjuna, He had even given away his sister Subhadra in marriage to his friend. Finally when the Great War broke out He chose to play the charioteer to His chum. It was on this momentous occasion that He imparted to his friend His supreme teaching immortalized as the Bhagavad Gita. A greater help than this could not have been rendered.

The relationship between the individual soul and the Cosmic Reality has thus been personified. Through countless births and deaths the former is a ward to the latter. Enthroned as it were in the heart of the Jivatman, the Paramatman escorts him through a series of earthly experiences. The mundane wants are appropriately supplied. The embodied soul is privileged to own all that is grand and useful. Finally ensues a crisis which puts earthly splendours to test. Pomp, power, property, pedigree and all such coveted endowments do then seem empty and purposeless. Understanding becomes clouded. Mind becomes overwhelmed with despondency. Life then seems a phantom. Sooner or later, in a greater or a smaller measure such an experience comes to every soul. There is no escape from it. Knowledge of the Supreme is the Sovereign remedy in such a crisis. It is to the man of Self-knowledge that the plan and purpose of life become revealed. The basis of existence, the goal of action, the imperativeness of death—these mysteries of nature become self-evident to the man of Self-knowledge and to none else. Time was ripe for Arjuna to be enlightened on these fundamentals. Till then he had enough of worldly enjoyment and experience, Next he had to go into the root-cause of everything. The Lord undertook to carry the Divine Light unto him.

Source: Srimad Bhagavad Geeta-Commentary by Swami Chidbhavananda