In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhagawan Krishna subtly declaring the very purpose of His divine incarnation. He says to Arjuna that whenever He feels that “Dharma” has started to see a downfall, He will incarnate in this world to re-establish it. Bhagawan says this in the context of how the “Karma Yoga” was the norm of the day during the previous “Yugas”, and there were great people like Vivasvaan (Surya Bhagawan), King Manu, etc. who meticulously practised it in the Satya Yuga and Krita Yuga. As the Tretha Yuga came, King Janaka was an epitome of “Karma Yoga” and he was someone who attained the highest “Moksha” through it. However, as Yugas progressed, the norm of “Karma Yoga” started to degrade and has reached a point wherein Bhagawan Krishna Himself has to explain the nuances of “Karma Yoga” to a Jeevatma called “Arjuna” amidst the battlefield. Thus, this narrative gains enormous prominence in the fourth “Adhyaaya” as Bhagawan Krishna beautifully links the thread of “Karma Yoga” to the very purpose of His divine incarnation.
Saying thus, we move into Arjuna’s most important doubt now. As Bhagawan says thus, Arjuna has a huge doubt in his mind! Till now we’ve been seeing that Bhagawan was reading Arjuna’s mind and was giving apt replies to him. However now, Arjuna has a bigger doubt after Bhagawan’s cryptic reply as above. Arjuna asks thus, “Oh Bhagawan! I understand whatever you’re saying, however, I’m not able to get convinced with only one thing!” As Arjuna says thus, Bhagawan laughingly replies thus, “Oh Arjuna! You had a doubt at the beginning of the first “Adhyaaya”! You had a doubt at the beginning of the second “Adhyaaya”! You had a doubt once again at the beginning of the third “Adhyaaya” as well! Now as I begin the fourth, are you having a doubt once again? 🙂 So what is your doubt? Ask me!”
As Bhagawan jokingly asks thus, Arjuna replies – “Oh Bhagawan Krishna! Just like me, do you even have to take several births? You’re saying that you had taken birth several Yugas back to teach the “Karma Yoga” to Vivasvaan. Hence, for doing that, you should have taken a physical form like how you’ve done now, isn’t it? Oh Bhagawan! Do you need to suffer like how all of us are suffering by taking a physical body in this world? Why do you even need to do this? Oh Kanna! Till now I’ve been thinking that it is only normal people like us who have to undergo the cycle of birth and death! Do you also need to go through it? Till now I’ve been thinking that only normal people like us undergo the cycle of “Sukham” (Happiness) and “Dukham” (Sorrow)! Do you also need to go through it? Till now I’ve been thinking that whatever I say and do in this world will be forgotten with time. Does this happen with you as well? Thus, in a nutshell, should you also undergo the same life cycle as what I undergo in this world?”
For this, Bhagawan is now going to clearly reveal the major purposes behind His divine incarnations and how does this work! We call this as “Avataarasya Satyattvam” and it contains about four shlokas. There are six important points that we’ve to discuss as part of this “Avataarasya Satyattvam” and we shall focus on these points first, before we go into the shlokas, for better understanding. Bhagawan Krishna commences His detailed reply to Arjuna thus, “Oh Arjuna! You’ve asked a very important and a valid question. Firstly let me tell you one thing very clearly – Just like how your birth and physical form is true, mine is also true and valid. Just like how you go through several births as part of your birth-death cycle, I also go through the same. Oh Arjuna! Please understand one thing – Both of us have taken several births in the past, and this is not the first time we’re coming together like this! However, there is only one difference between the births that you take and the ones that I take – You will not be able to remember and know the births that you’ve taken earlier, however, I exactly know all the details of my previous births! This is the gross difference between your birth and mine! I know exactly what I was and what I did several Yugas earlier as well, whereas you will not be able to figure out anything that you did in your previous births!”
Now this is the first important point that Bhagawan stresses upon, when it comes to the differences between His and Arjuna’s births! So for today, let us understand this point clearly, and we shall continue this discussion forward in the next episode as well to witness the subsequent points that Bhagawan is going to talk about! Stay tuned! 🙂
The Indian Dharma 