In the previous episode, we had witnessed an interesting argument about the time for which the Bhagawad Gita was exchanged between Arjuna and Bhagawan Krishna. Given that the entire conversation took place amidst a live battlefield, and given the fact that if all the 700-odd shlokas are recited, it will take a minimum time of around four to five hours, how did all the warriors patiently wait for that long? That too, the conversation took place right in the middle of both the armies and given this case, how come people were just mute spectators to what was happening? Moreover, nobody except Bhagawan and Arjuna were part of this conversation as well and the others did not even have a clue about what was happening between both of them. We saw two different perspectives for this and the main point to be driven home here is that, since Arjuna was a scholar himself, Bhagawan might not have taken so much time for transferring all the knowledge into Arjuna’s mind. Many of these aspects might have been conversed with just a wink of an eye and they might not even have been discussed through words. If such is the case, the entire Bhagawad Gita conversation would have got over within a few minutes! Another perspective to this is – Since Bhagawan is giving out a “Maha-Prasaadham” to the world in the form of the Bhagawad Gita, He might have even directly transferred it into Arjuna’s mind, instead of wasting time by explaining all of it in detail. Sanjaya is too scholarly and so is Sage Veda-Vyaasa, to document this direct knowledge transfer in the form of 700 shlokas that Bhagawan Krishna would have made.
We might wonder how this can even be possible. My question here is “Why not”? In today’s scenario we’re talking of technology transfers, knowledge transfers, etc. aren’t we? Owing to the advent of technology, we’re able to send and receive messages, mails, voice mails, chats, etc. from one corner of the world to the other, aren’t we? Moreover, there is ample technological growth in neurosciences wherein focused studies are being conducted on how brain cells work and how it is possible to transfer data from external sources into the brain. Hence, if such things can be possible, why can’t Bhagawan do this to Arjuna? Given that Bhagawan is the supreme for the entire world, can’t He execute such things with utter ease? Hence, possibility is extremely high that Bhagawan Krishna might have done a complete “knowledge transfer” of the Bhagwad Gita to Arjuna within a fraction of a second!
However, we might wonder that if such a knowledge transfer might have happened in a subtle way and within seconds, how did Sanjaya and Sage Veda Vyaasa manage to document everything in the form of 700 shlokas? We should understand one thing clearly here – With regards to Sage Vyaasa, he is considered to be an incarnation of Bhagawan Vishnu Himself. We’ve seen this in the Vishnu Sahasranama itself which quotes
“Vyaasaaya Vishnu Roopaaya Vyaasa Roopaaya Vishnave!
Namo vai brahma nidhaye vaashishtaaya namo namaha!!”
Thus, since Sage Vyaasa is Bhagawan Himself, won’t He know what knowledge He has transferred already into Arjuna? It is only whatever He has told that He has documented. Thus, we should understand it in this way – Bhagawan Vishnu, when He incarnated as Bhagawan Krishna, performed this knowledge transfer to Arjuna, in the context of alleviating his fear and motivating him to fight the battle. However, much later, when Bhagawan felt that this knowledge should not just be limited to Arjuna only, He mooted the documentation process through His next incarnation of Sage Vyaasa so that the entire world can benefit out of it. If this knowledge transfer would not have happened, how will people like us today, even after 5000 years, be able to reap the benefit out of it? Hence, this is how we should understand this context.
Now with regards to Sanjaya, as we might remember, Sage Vyaasa himself had given a pair of divine eyes with which he can see whatever is happening on the battlefield at Kurukshetra. Moreover, Sanjaya is not just an ordinary person. Even though he sees the live proceedings, he knows how to interpret and see through the deeper meanings of events. We’ve seen this unique intelligence of Sanjaya earlier as well on many occasions and hence, it is not something new for us that Sanjaya is extremely capable of reading through the innate knowledge transfer that Bhagawan Krishna might have done to Arjuna!
So for today, let us understand this perspective as well, and in the next episode, we shall continue this discussion forward! Stay tuned! 🙂
The Indian Dharma 