The Indian Dharma

In the previous episode, Bhagawan releases a very important secret behind His divine missions in this world – Whenever there’s a downfall for “Dharma” and whenever “Adharma” tries to lift its ghastly head and tries to dominate, Bhagawan will incarnate immediately in this world without any delay. The idea here for Bhagawan is to destroy the “Adharma” by its roots completely, thereby, establishing the “Dharma” again in this world. We can see here that Bhagawan is extremely compassionate towards His children – He will go to any extent to protect all of us, if we’re following the path of “Dharma” as laid out by Him. So all that we need to do is to just follow whatever Bhagawan has explained in this Bhagawad Gita and this is more than enough to be under the constant lens of Bhagawan. 

Having said thus, we might have a doubt as discussed in the previous episode – We’re now in the “Kali Yuga” and whatever Bhagawan Krishna had mentioned was in the earlier “Dvaapara Yuga”. So will Bhagawan’s words of “Tretha Yuga” come true in the Kali Yuga as well? Secondly, we see a lot of “Adharma” happening around us and hence, we might wonder whether Bhagawan has not been compassionate enough to reincarnate in this world to destroy it, isn’t it? As we go through today’s episode, I’m sure all of us would have witnessed yesterday’s “Praana Pratishta” of Bhagawan Rama at the holy city of Ayodhya. For this itself, Bhagawan Rama had to wait for more than 500 years and the place was abducted and misused for all this while. Hence, isn’t it a blatant attack on our “Sanaatana Dharma” and our deities and won’t these count as “Adharma” in Bhagawan’s eyes? Many of us would have also seen certain recent remarks made by some listless politicians that they are here to destroy our “Sanaatana Dharma” completely! Can this be even possible? Isn’t this counting under the act of  “Adharma”? So why is Bhagawan keeping quiet by witnessing all these things unfold? 

We can answer these questions in two dimensions and let us see both of them in today’s episode – Firstly, we’ve seen during the end of our “Shrimad Bhaagawatha Puraana project, wherein Sage Shukaachaarya is giving an accord about how the “Kali Yuga” is going to unfold after Bhagawan Krishna’s return to the Vaikunta. In this, he clearly outlines what will be the characteristics of the Kali Yuga and how treacherous it would be as compared to the other previous Yugas. We should also understand that the Kali Yuga’s total lifespan is around 4,32,100 years, and out of this, we’ve only crossed around 5,123 years. Hence, as we say in English, we’ve seen only the “tip of the iceberg” when it comes to the Kali Yuga. In other words, we’re still in the early days of Kali Yuga, wherein a lot of things are yet to unfold. This is why we see that “Dharma” and “Bhakti” are still alive in several pockets of the world, and we have great spiritual leaders (“Mahatmas”) incarnating from time to time to teach the path of “Dharma” to everyone. Maybe after another thousand years or so, the world might not be able to see the advent of such great “Mahatmas” ever, and without their guidance, how will common people like us know the path of “Dharma”? We will end up assuming that whatever actions we do will be counted as “Dharma”, and this is a dangerous trend, isn’t it? Hence, in a nutshell, whatever we’ve seen till now in the Kali Yuga is nothing at all, as per Bhagawan’s and Sage Shukaachaarya’s calculations. 

Moreover, if we look at it from a different angle, we should understand one thing clearly – Bhagawan’s words will never become a lie, irrespective of whichever Yuga we are in. If Bhagawan says during the “Dvaapara Yuga” that He would incarnate when there’s a downfall of “Dharma”, it is applicable for the Kali Yuga as well. Hence, we should not come to a conclusion quickly that just because some aspects of “Adharma” are to be witnessed by us today, Bhagawan’s words are false. It is just that, the definition of “Adharma” in Bhagawan’s eyes is grossly different from what we have as its definition in our minds! As I had mentioned earlier, whatever we’re witnessing today as “Adharma” is just the tip of an iceberg, and there’s much more to see. Hence, all we’ve to do is to be patient and keep doing our spiritual practices and “Dharma” as per the words of Bhagawan Krishna in the Bhagawad Gita. This same Shukaachaarya, as readers might remember, has also mentioned in the Shrimad Bhaagawatha Puraana that Bhagawan will definitely incarnate, but it would be towards the end of the Kali Yuga as Bhagawan Kalki. We’ve already discussed the Kalki Avataara of Bhagawan Vishnu during our previous project and hence, I’m not going into the details of it now. 

Hence, the point here is very simple – Bhagawan knows when to incarnate and we should leave it to His prerogative! Who are we to demand Bhagawan to incarnate at the time per our convenience and whims and fancies? Bhagawan knows it very well and He is the best judge! So for today, let us understand this point very clearly and we shall wait till the next episode to continue this discussion further! Stay tuned! 🙂 

We’re in the midst of a very important discussion as part of the fourth “Adhyaaya” of the Bhagawad Gita, wherein Bhagawan Krishna is slowly revealing the very purpose of His divine incarnation through Arjuna to the entire world. As Arjuna is asking back to back questions, Bhagawan, through His replies to each of them is making Arjuna understand how different He is from the Jeevatmas in this world. In this way, we’ve seen that Bhagawan’s incarnation in this world is not due to the after-effects and resultant of “Karma”. Rather, Bhagawan incarnates in this world due to His unending compassion towards all living beings. Through His incarnation, Bhagawan not only makes the Jeevatmas realize His significance and thereby giving them an opportunity to attain the highest “Moksha”, but also to establish the “Dharma” in this world. To do so, someone has to illustrate the “Dharma” through practice, so that people will have a role model to follow suit, isn’t it? This is the main purpose of Bhagawan’s incarnation – To illustrate the “Dharma” in practice and to show to the world how it should be implemented. We’ve also seen how Bhagawan Vishnu incarnated as Bhagawan Rama to show to the world how a son should respect his father, how a younger brother should respect his elder brother, how a husband-wife relationship should be, etc. 

Of course, even if Bhagawan Rama’s main purpose of incarnation was to destroy “Adharma” which was in the form of Ravana, He was more interested in showing the path of “Dharma” to the world, enroute the “Adharma” destruction. Thus, the purpose of Bhagawan’s incarnation is two-fold here – Firstly to establish the “Dharma” through proper illustration and explanation, and secondly, through this path of “Dharma”, the “Adharma” will be destroyed. Bhagawan Rama’s incarnation fulfilled these two purposes completely and same was the case of Bhagawan Krishna as well. Now we’ve to be very clear that Bhagawan does all this out of His “Iccha” (Passion) and this is why we refer Bhagawan’s divine physical body as “Iccha-Deham”. Ours is not an “Iccha-Deham”, rather it is a “Karma-Deham”, because all of us are bound by our “Karma” and we take several births because of that. This is also one reason why we refer Bhagawan’s birth in this world as an “Avatara” or an “Incarnation”. The main reason behind this reference is whatever we’ve seen above. 

Moving on further thus, Arjuna’s next question is as follows – “Oh Bhagawan Krishna! If that is the case, who decides on the life span of your birth? Of course, for all of us, it is the “Karma Phalam” that decides when this birth would begin and when it would end. But I’m sure with all the answers that you’ve given me so far, this is not the case for you. So how does it work? Who decides when and where you’ll be incarnating? Who decides the span of your incarnation?” For this, Bhagawan Krishna laughs as he replies – “Oh my dear Arjuna! Whenever there’s a seeming downfall for “Dharma”, I immediately incarnate. Hence, it is the downfall of “Dharma” that decides when, where, for how long I should incarnate in this world. The moment “Adharma” starts lifting its ugly head, I’ll immediately incarnate to destroy it completely. I’ll not let “Adharma” rule the world at any point in time!” 

So for today, let us understand this declaration from Bhagawan Krishna clearly. As we understand this, we might have a doubt in our minds – “Oh wow! Till today in this Kali Yuga, Bhagawan hasn’t incarnated as yet. So does this mean that “Adharma” has not lifted up its head in this world? We see so many “Adharmic” activities going on around us in different forms! How come Bhagawan’s words haven’t come true still?” An interesting answer awaits us in the next episode! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhagawan Krishna mentioning to Arjuna that no “Karma” can touch Him during any of His divine incarnation, and even if He had undergone sufferings seemingly during the course, it was merely due to compassion and a divine “Sankalpa” that He undertakes to put all the suffering on His head completely! If Bhagawan has to voluntarily come down to this world, take an incarnation, undergo all the suffering that He had to undergo, why is He doing all this? It is for two reasons – Firstly, establishing the “Dharma” in this world, and secondly, by undergoing all the suffering Himself, Bhagawan is illustrating to the world that as a normal human being, one has to undergo the cycle of “Sukham” and “Dukham” and there’s no escape out of it. 

In similar lines, we may wonder why Bhagawan Rama had to undergo all whatever He had underwent – Losing his father to Kaikeyi’s greed, going to the forest on exile for fourteen years, losing Mother Sita to Ravana, walking all the way to meet Sugriva and Hanuman, searching Mother Sita through Hanuman and the others and finally going all the way by walk to Lanka and bring back Mother Sita again to Ayodhya – Why should Bhagawan Rama undergo all these? As discussed yesterday, apart from the point of establishing “Dharma” in this world, Bhagawan Rama has illustrated to mankind that if we are confronted with problems like these in our lives, this is the way we’ve to walk through them. At any point in time, we should not deviate from the path of “Dharma” even though problems might force us to do so. In fact, if Bhagawan Rama would have thought, He would have used Vaali to kill Ravana instantaneously to retrieve Mother Sita, couldn’t he? All of us know who Vaali was and what was his strength. Vaali, being Sugriva’s elder brother, had complete control over Ravana. If Bhagawan Rama would have informed Vaali that Mother Sita is missing, Ravana himself would have brought back Mother Sita owing to the fear that he had for Vaali. But Bhagawan Rama did not take that route and instead, He allied with Sugriva to conduct a massive search operation and then went personally to Lanka to kill Ravana. 

Now this might seem to be a very circuitous route to bring back Mother Sita, isn’t it? Yet, why did Bhagawan Rama opt for this circuitous route, if He had an easy option in the form of Vaali? The answer is very simple – Vaali was an epitome of “Adharma”! All of us know that Vaali had abducted Sugriva’s wife and this is one of the greatest form of “Adharma” one can do in life! Had Bhagawan Rama allied with an “Adharmic” person, He might have obtained Mother Sita easily, but what would the world say tomorrow? The world would say, “Oh! Bhagawan Rama was so opportunistic in nature that He allied with the wicked Vaali to bring back Mother Sita! Hence, since Bhagawan Rama Himself did such an act, we also can ally with “Adharma” and get our things done!” Now, isn’t this a dangerous trend that Bhagawan Rama would be setting, had He aligned with Vaali? 

This is where Bhagawan Rama was extremely careful in whatever He did – He allied with Sugriva to illustrate to the world that even though the path of “Dharma” might be tough, one should be steadfast to follow it, so that the entire world benefits out of it! Hence, we can also see here that Bhagawan Rama stood as an epitome of how “Dharma” should be followed in life, isn’t it? Thus, more than just establishing the “Dharma”, Bhagawan’s role is also to illustrate how “Dharma” should be followed in every walk of life. This is why Bhagawan Rama took over all the suffering upon Himself and illustrated to the world as to how a king should behave during such tough times! Even when Kaikeyi wanted Bhagawan Rama to go to the forest for fourteen years for no fault of His, Bhagawan Rama could have easily denied her, isn’t it? But why did He proceed to the forest without talking a single word back to Kaikeyi? It is to illustrate to the world that a son should not back-answer a mother! A son should obey his mother’s words verbatim without a second thought in his mind! Thus, this is the kind of illustration of the “Dharma” that Bhagawan does, and this is exactly what Bhagawan Krishna means, when He talks about the purpose of His divine incarnations! Of course, we’ve seen these examples purely from the Ramayana, but this remains as a common thread and a factor in every incarnation of Bhagawan. 

So for today, let us understand this important pointer very clearly and we shall wait till the next episode to continue this discussion further! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we’ve witnessed a very important point highlighted by Bhagawan Krishna who says that the physical form of His and ours are completely different and they are incomparable. Whereas our physical forms are made up of the five elements of “Prithivi”, “Appu”, “Tejas”, “Vaayu” and “Aakaasha” (The five elements of the world), Bhagawan’s physical form is made of five different elements such as “Parameshti”, “Puman”, “Vishwaha”, “Nivrutthaha” and “Sarvaha”. Moreover, our physical forms are embodiments of a combination of all the three “Gunas” – The “Sattva Guna”, “Rajo Guna” and the “Taamasa Guna”, whereas, Bhagawan’s physical form is completely an embodiment of only the “Sattva Guna”. This is why we refer Bhagawan’s physical form as “Divine physical form” and not just a mere “physical form”. Moreover, because of this important characteristic, all our sins and impurities will be washed away if we worship Bhagawan’s divine form. We’ve also seen a classic case of Hanuman and how he was transformed completely after seeing Bhagawan Rama for the first time at Kishkinta. 

Moving on further thus, Arjuna asks the fourth consecutive question – “Oh Bhagawan Krishna! If that is the case, what is the purpose behind your incarnation? All of us know the purpose behind our birth – It is the resultant of our “Paapa” and “Punya”. If our “Paapa Karma” is on the dominating front, our birth is going to be full of sufferings and consequences pertaining to that. If our “Punya Karma” is on the dominating front, then obviously our birth is going to be full of happiness and the resultant pertaining to the effects of our “Punya Karma”. However, in your case, is this logic applicable?” For this, Bhagawan is going to give a very important reply here, which all of us should understand very clearly. Bhagawan says thus, “Oh my dear Arjuna! Please understand – No “Karma” can touch me at any point in time! My incarnation in this world is not related to any “Paapa Karma” or “Punya Karma” in any way! None of the “Karma-Phalam” can touch me or can even come close to me at any time! Rather, I’m also completely uninterested in “Karma-Phalam”. But if you ask me as to why I’m incarnating again and again, the answer is very simple – I incarnate in this world only because of my compassion and my “Icchaa Shakti” (Intention / will power to cleanse the world from “Adharma” in this context)!” 

Now this is a very important point that Bhagawan Krishna is explaining here. We should clearly understand one thing – Bhagawan incarnates in this world out of compassion and a “Sankalpa” to create a positive change in this world. He is not going to gain anything at a personal level by incarnating in this world. Bhagawan incarnates every time with a definitive purpose and this purpose is completely directed towards the betterment of the world. For instance, all of us know a lot about the Ramayana story and how Bhagawan Rama incarnated in this world – We might even see that Bhagawan Rama has undergone enormous trials and tribulations all through His divine incarnation. But are these trials and tribulations a resultant of any “Karma Phalam”? The answer is “No”! Bhagawan Rama voluntarily undertook all those sufferings on to Himself – The reason for this is to illustrate several aspects of “Dharma” to the world. Firstly, the main purpose of the incarnation of Bhagawan Rama was to establish the “Dharma” that younger people should listen to the words of elders. A son should obey the words of a father, a younger brother should listen to the words of an elder brother, and so on. During the Tretha Yuga, it seems that this “Dharma” had deteriorated to a great extent, and hence, Bhagawan wanted to do some course-correction in this. This is the sole purpose behind Bhagawan Rama’s divine incarnation! In similar lines, Bhagawan Narasimha’s incarnation was to destroy the evil “Adharma” in the form of Hiranya-Kashibu and to establish the fact to the world that Bhagawan is always behind an ardent “Bhakta”. Here, Prahlaada was an ardent devotee of Bhagawan Vishnu and he had enormous trust in Bhagawan to protect him at all times. Bhagawan proved to the world through His divine incarnation of “Narasimha” that He would come running, in order to protect His devotee during times of trouble! 

Hence, the point here is very clear – Every incarnation of Bhagawan in this world has a specific purpose and the ultimate aim here is to establish “Dharma”. So this is what we’ve to understand from this pointer today, and we shall wait till the next episode to continue this discussion further! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the second pointer of Bhagawan Krishna as He explains the importance of His divine incarnations one after the other. We’ve seen the first pointer wherein He says that normal people like us cannot remember and appreciate our previous births, however, He can do so. Secondly, Bhagawan says that during every incarnation, He comes to this world with exactly the same amount of significance, without any blemish. Even if Bhagawan incarnates as a fish or a pig or a tree or a human being, it doesn’t really matter. Bhagawan comes to this world with exactly the same amount of significance as He has at Vaikunta as Bhagawan Vishnu. However, He hides His significance and true form from the view of the world for obvious reasons. As Bhagawan says thus, we now move to the third pointer and we shall discuss this in detail in today’s episode. 

Now as Bhagawan says thus, Arjuna asks the next question immediately – “Oh Bhagawan! If that is the case, you are sitting in front of me with the same kind of physical form as mine. For instance, this chariot is made of steel and my weapons are made of iron. My physical body is composed of the “Pancha-Bhootas” (Five elements), isn’t it? Is your physical form having the same composition, or, is it different? Through my naked eye, I’m unable to see any difference in your physical form as compared to mine! Oh Bhagawan! Please, can you explain more on this point?” 

For this, Bhagawan Krishna replies thus, “Oh Arjuna! Please understand one thing very clearly – Your physical form and mine are not the same. Your physical form is a combination of three Gunas – “Sattva Guna”, “Rajo Guna” and “Taamasa Guna”. However, my physical form is a complete embodiment of the “Sattva Guna” only. Your physical form is made of the five elements of this world – “Prithivi, Appu, Tejas, Vaayu and Aakaasa” as you had mentioned. Your physical form is “Praakrita” in nature, but my physical form is “Apraakruta” in nature. My physical form is composed of five different elements – “Parameshti”, “Puman”, “Vishwaha”, “Nivrutthaha” and “Sarvaha”. These five elements form the “Apraakrita-Tattvam”. This is what leads to my physical form being completely embedded in the “Sattva Guna”, without even a small tinge of the “Rajo Guna” and “Tamo Guna”!” 

Now this is a very important reply from Bhagawan Krishna and this is yet again a gross difference between Bhagawan and all of us. It is only because Bhagawan is an embodiment of the “Sattva Guna”, we refer to His physical form as “divine physical form”. Whereas, since our physical bodies are an embodiment of all the three Gunas, we do not have that divinity in us at all times. This is why many great sages have explained in the past that if we worship Bhagawan’s divine physical form, all our sins would be washed off instantaneously. This is because of the simple reason that if we worship someone who is an embodiment of the “Sattva Guna” completely, we would have an opportunity to purify ourselves! This is exactly what happened to Hanuman in the Ramayana. Readers might remember this – When Hanuman got an opportunity to see Bhagawan Rama for the first time at Kishkinta, his lies and fake form stood exposed! Initially, Hanuman did not want to disclose his true identity to Bhagawan Rama and Lakshmana, as they were strangers to him. However, when Hanuman saw Bhagawan in close proximity for the first time, all his sins were completely washed away and he automatically ended up revealing his true form! Moreover, as Hanuman saw Bhagawan Rama, his ego and pride got washed away too, and tears started to flow from his eyes continuously and from there onwards, all of us know how Hanuman transformed into a Rama-Bhakta! 

This is exactly what we’re talking about here too – If we worship Bhagawan’s divine physical form, we would be completely purified because, Bhagawan is an embodiment of “Sattva Guna”! So for today, let us understand this point clearly and we shall wait for the next pointer from Bhagawan Krishna! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhagawan Krishna starting to give a detailed reply to Arjuna’s important doubt as to how Bhagawan was able to remember His advice to Vivasvaan several Yugas ago! Arjuna asks a valid question as to whether Bhagawan too is under the cycle of birth and death and should He also undergo all the sufferings, happiness, sorrow, etc. of this world again and again when He takes birth. Arjuna’s doubt here is basically the difference between him and Bhagawan in terms of birth and what happens during every birth cycle. For this, Bhagawan has six pointers to talk about in total, of which, we’ve witnessed the first one yesterday. Bhagawan says that both Arjuna and Himself have taken several births in the past, but the main difference here is that, Arjuna will not be able to realize and understand the happenings of his past births, but Bhagawan Krishna can. We’ve seen this in detail, and in today’s episode, let us witness the second pointer onwards. 

Moving forward thus, Arjuna has a doubt once again. He asks thus, “Oh Bhagawan! If that is the case, what happens to your significance every time you incarnate? Will you carry the same significance of Bhagawan Vishnu everytime you come down to this world? You are Bhagawan Narayana, aren’t you? If you are in your Vaikunta Lokha, of course, you will be an embodiment of all your significance! However, if you come down to this world, will you come down with the same significance as that of Bhagawan Vishnu in the Vaikunta Lokha?” 

To this, Bhagawan replies with a beaming smile thus, “Oh my dear Arjuna! Please understand one thing clearly – I might incarnate as a “Matsya” (Fish), “Koorma” or a Varaaha” (Pig) or a “Narasimha” (Half man / Half lion form), etc. Whenever I incarnate and in whatever form I incarnate in this world, none of my significant attributes will reduce even an inch! I will be born with the same level of significance each and every time in this world. Even now as you see me as Krishna, I have the same level of significance as that of my original form of Bhagawan Vishnu. However, please understand one thing clearly – Even though I’m born with all my significant attributes, I do not show them out obviously to the world, unless and until there is a necessity for me to do so. Hence, just because I do not show out my true form, please do not come to the conclusion that I’m just a normal human being like you or any other person in this world! Of course, I cover up all my significance within myself and project myself as a normal human being to the outside world, but internally, I have everything within me as of my original form. Oh Arjuna! Please understand one more thing as well – Normally when people are born in this world, as every minute passes by, they become older and older and their significance starts reducing. However in my case, as I take an incarnation and as days, months and years pass by, my significance only keeps increasing further and further!”

Now, as Bhagawan Krishna explains thus, we should understand that this is the second gross difference between Him and all of us. Even if Bhagawan incarnates as a tree, that tree would have enormous significance equal to that of Bhagawan Vishnu at Vaikunta. So for today, let us understand this important point, and in the next episode, we shall continue with the third point of difference as narrated by Bhagawan! Stay tuned! 🙂 

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! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed a very important point stressed upon by Bhagawan Krishna as we’ve commenced the fourth “Adhyaaya” of the Bhagawad Gita. Upon a doubt cast by Arjuna whether this “Karma Yoga” terminology is something that Bhagawan invented just for him, Bhagawan Krishna replies that He has already spoken about it to Vivasvaan (Surya Bhagawan) around 28 “Chatur Yugas” ago! In due course, we’ve also witnessed a brief calculation of a “Chatur Yuga” and how it works. Thus, the crux of this conversation is that, this term called “Karma Yoga” wasn’t just for Arjuna, but it has been in existence for several “Chatur Yugas” now! This is the norm of the world and there is nothing new about “Karma Yoga” just for Arjuna’s sake. 

As Bhagawan Krishna says thus, He also explains to Arjuna – “Oh Arjuna! Even though this “Karma Yoga” concept exists for several “Chatur Yugas” now, with time, it has been forgotten by many people across many generations. When I taught this to Vivasvaan, things were happening very well at that time. It was the “Satya Yuga” by then. After that, Vivasvaan taught it to King Manu and henceforth, the “Tretha Yuga” commenced. As time progressed, the concept of “Karma Yoga” started experiencing a downfall and now we’re in the “Dwaapara Yuga” wherein this aspect of “Dharma” is almost forgotten by many! It is for this reason I’ve incarnated as the son of Devaki and Vasudeva. Hence, my main purpose of incarnation in this world is to re-establish this “Dharma” and destroy the “Adharma” that is preventing this “Dharma” from prospering!” 

Bhagawan Krishna further continues thus, “Oh Arjuna! Here you should be very careful in your understanding – You should not conclude that nobody is performing the “Karma Yoga” nowadays and people have found out other shortcuts to attain “Moksha”. Not at all! Please remember – There is no shortcut for attaining “Moksha”! Of course, there is ample evidence as to how people have followed the path of “Karma Yoga” and have attained “Moksha”. I’ve mentioned about King Janaka in the previous “Tretha Yuga” earlier, wherein he has attained the highest “Moksha” through the path of “Karma Yoga”. With the help of his Guru, Sage Yaagnyavalkya, King Janaka has implemented all the aspects of the “Karma Yoga”, thereby attaining “Moksha” at the end. Hence, there is no exception for anybody here and all of us have to fall in line with this concept of “Karma Yoga” at some point in time!” 

As Bhagawan says thus, He also adds with a tinge of sorrow thus, “Oh Arjuna! Even though this might be the fact of the world, many people are not aware of this! It is for this reason I’m inculcating this value system into you, by sitting on your chariot in the middle of the battlefield! Oh Arjuna! Please do not conclude that you’re the only recipient of this Bhagawad Gita! This is being told by me for the benefit of the entire world! In fact, my sole purpose of incarnating in this world as Bhagawan Krishna is for this reason – To re-establish the “Dharma” of attaining the highest “Moksha” through the “Karma Yoga”!” Many of us might know this shloka below and Bhagawan Krishna says thus: 

“Yadaa yadaa hi dharmasya glaanirbhavati bhaarata!

Abhyuktaanam adharmasya tadaatmaanam shrujaamyaham!!”

Here, Bhagawan says clearly thus, “Oh Arjuna! Whenever whenever (“Yadaa yadaa hi” there is a decline and a downfall of “Dharma” in this world, I keep incarnating to re-establish this “Dharma”. But you might wonder how do I re-establish this “Dharma” in this world. I do it by destroying the “Adharma” or all the evil forces (“Abhyuktaanam adharmasya”) that are a stumbling block for the implementation of “Dharma”!” By saying this, Bhagawan clearly reveals the purpose behind His divine incarnation, isn’t He? So for today, let us understand up to this point, and in the next episode, we shall continue this discussion further with what Bhagawan Krishna further says! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed a detailed prelude to the fourth “Adhyaaya” which is very important in the context of Bhagawan Krishna revealing certain facts about His divine incarnation. We shall commence the fourth “Adhyaaya” with a few important shlokas upfront. Here, Arjuna has a doubt within him – Is Bhagawan Krishna trying to invent something new in the form of “Karma Yoga” in order to make him fight the war? Does “Karma Yoga” really exist in this world? Or, is Bhagawan Krishna coining this term called “Karma Yoga” for the first time, just to motivate him and to prevent him from running away from the battlefield without fighting the war? To clear the air on this doubt, Bhagawan Krishna is going to explain to Arjuna thus, “Oh Arjuna! Please do not think that the “Karma Yoga” is something that is only applicable to you and for nobody else in this world. Moreover, the term “Karma Yoga” is not new to this world. This has existed for the past 28 “Chatur Yugas” and there was once a time when I had explained about this “Karma Yoga” to a person by name Vivasvaan!” 

We’ve witnessed the calculation of “Chatur Yuga” in our earlier episodes and projects as well. Only if 12,000 “Deva-Varshams” pass by, one “Chatur Yuga” gets fulfilled. We know the calculation of a “Deva-Varsham” too. Approximately 365 “Manushya-Varshams” (Our normal calendar year) makes up to one “Deva-Varsham”. In this manner, there should be 12,000 “Deva-Varshams” in order to satisfy one “Chatur Yuga”. Like this, there should be 28 such “Chatur Yugas”, before which Bhagawan Krishna says that He had taught Vivasvaan about the “Karma Yoga”! Moreover, we might also know that if 1000 “Chatur Yugas” pass by, it would be treated as one day at Bhagawan Brahma’s “Satya Lokha”. I’m just saying all these as a recollection of what we’ve seen earlier in our “Shrimad Bhaagawatha Puraana” project and also somewhere in our earlier episodes of our current “Mahabharatham” project as well. Hence, when Bhagawan Krishna explains that this “Karma Yoga” exists for a long time now, this is what He means!

Coming back to this context thus, we can see this claim of Bhagawan Krishna in multiple dimensions – Firstly, Bhagawan Krishna is all-pervasive at all times! The incarnation that we’re talking about as Bhagawan Krishna is just a miniscule amongst several incarnations of Bhagawan Vishnu over several “Chatur Yugas”. Secondly, the “Karma Yoga” is not something that Bhagawan has coined just for Arjuna’s sake. It is the law of the world that all “Jeevatmas”, irrespective of whichever Yuga we are part of, should attain Bhagawan through our “Karma-Yoga” only. Bhagawan Krishna is going to talk about both these points in detail in this fourth “Adhyaaya”. Thus, Bhagawan Krishna tells Arjuna that He had explained everything to Vivasvaan, who is none other than Surya Bhagawan himself! Hence, the first disciple of Bhagawan Vishnu who has gained the knowledge of the “Karma Yoga” is none other than Surya Bhagawan (Sun God). In turn, Surya Bhagawan taught the essence of the “Karma Yoga” to his son, Manu. In turn, King Manu taught this after several years to his son Ikshvaaku. This continued for several generations henceforth. 

Bhagawan says to Arjuna with a sad heart thus, “Oh Arjuna! Everything was well-established and well-settled when I taught the “Karma Yoga” to Manu. He was an epitome in practising whatever I had taught him. However, as generations passed by and as time passed by, the concept of “Karma Yoga” started to lose its sheen. Thus, after 28 “Chatur Yugas”, time has come to have a re-look at the “Karma Yoga” in a way that you will understand! This is why I’m wanting to teach you the various aspects of the “Karma Yoga”!” 

Saying thus, Bhagawan Krishna gives an introductory background to how the “Karma Yoga” concept is nothing new, but it is existing for several “Chatur Yugas” now. So for today, let us understand up to this point and in the next episode, we shall witness whether Arjuna’s doubt is cleared with this answer, or does he want further explanation! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed an interesting accord on how quickly the entire Bhagawad Gita would have been narrated by Bhagawan Krishna to Arjuna. Different viewpoints exist and we’ve witnessed a few of them as we conclude the third “Adhyaaya”. Even if this entire knowledge transfer would have happened amidst the battlefield with thousands of people standing around, what is more important is the content and how it is applicable to all of us even in today’s context. We’re witnessing today that this Bhagawad Gita is being closely researched in different corners of the world and is getting translated into various languages as well. Even after so many attempts, none of us are able to obtain a 100% understanding of what Bhagawan Krishna has said, isn’t it? Only He would know what He has said, and who are we to even figure it out? Do we have that amount of knowledge and intellect to figure out what He has said? The answer is an obvious “No”! All that we’re trying to do is to just get a glimpse of what Bhagawan has explained in the Bhagawad Gita. If we’re able to do this with atleast 5% understanding, we can be sure that we’ve achieved something great here! 

Moreover, it is not that we’re achieving anything here – Bhagawan is the one who is making us understand whatever little we can! We’ve just seen in the third “Adhyaaya” that one should leave behind the “Kartruthva Buddhi” isn’t it? Hence, if we’re able to understand the Gita, it is purely due to His divine “Anugraha” that we’re able to do so. Ultimately as we progress spiritually, we might tell Bhagawan thus, “Oh Bhagawan Krishna!  As you might be knowing – I do not have an intellectual capability which is on par with that of Arjuna’s! Even then, I’ve somehow managed to understand atleast 5 shlokas of your Bhagawad Gita within a span of 35 – 40 years! This itself is a great achievement for people like me! With this, can I attain the highest “Moksha”? In due course, I’ve also understood the significance of your divine incarnation!” What will Bhagawan respond for this? Bhagawan will say thus, “Oh my dear child! You and Arjuna are the same for me! Do you think Arjuna obtained such high intellect on his own? It is me who gave it to him. Similarly, with whatever intellect you’ve obtained from me, you’ve put in the best effort possible, and hence, you’re eligible to attain “Moksha”, similar to that of Arjuna!” 

We’ve to realize one thing very cearly – All “Jeevatmas” are the same in Bhagawan’s divine eyes! It doesn’t matter if it is an Arjuna or if it is somebody else. The rules and regulations of this world is applicable to all of us equally and there’s not exception to anyone just because he is an Arjuna or a Yudishtra or a Duryodhana. In fact, even in the Mahabharata story, we’ve seen how many chances did Bhagawan Krishna give to Duryodhana in order to mend his ways. Outwardly we might see that Bhagawan favoured the Paandavas more than the Kauravas, but it is not the case in reality. Bhagawan Krishna has in fact, gone to Duryodhana as a messenger to broker peace, didn’t He? Now, why should Bhagawan, for His stature, do this? It is solely because He wanted Duryodhana to mend his ways and walk the path of “Dharma”. Only because Duryodhana failed in all these attempts, Bhagawan did not have any other option but to call for the war and act against him. Hence, we should understand clearly that Bhagawan is always neutral towards all of us. It is we who have to make use of whatever Bhagawan has taught us through the Gita, to walk the path of “Dharma”. 

With this thought, we shall move into the important fourth “Adhyaaya”. Now, as we move on the fourth “Adhyaaya”, Bhagawan is going to spin a slightly different narrative, which is extremely important for all of us to understand. Here is where Bhagawan is going to release certain important secrets about Himself and His divine incarnations. Here, Bhagawan is going to explain clearly as to what is the purpose behind His divine incarcerations and what is He trying to establish through them periodically. So for today, let us understand up to this point, and in the next episode, we shall commence with the first few important shlokas of the fourth “Adhyaaya” along with the significance of the same! Stay tuned! 🙂