Refections on the Bhagavadgita

SWAMI ATULANANDA Chap ter 11 (con tin ed!

""# There $ore do %o arise and ac &ire $a'e# A$ ter con &er ing the en e 'ies en
(o% a pros ) per os *ingd o'# +er i,% -% Me have the% -een a, read% s,ain. -e %o
'ere,% an in str 'en ta, case/ 0 Sav%asachin (Ar(na!1 2or good *ar'a/ Ar(na/
en ti t,es %o to $a'e and the en (o% 'ent o$ a con &er ing prince# 3eo p,e 4i,,
high,% re gard %o as the greate st o$ heroes# And that is right/ $or sch %o are#
Who e,se can I ad dress as Sav%a sa chin/ one a-,e to shoot arr o4s even 4ith his
,e$t hand5 2o have 'ade %ors e,$ a 'ost pro 6 cient 4ar) rior and there $ore I
co,d se ,ect %o as M% in ) str 'ent $or this great case# No4 -e happ%# The 4ar
4i,, go on an% ho4/ $or M% p,an 'st 4or* ot# Those 4ho are doo'ed 'st per ish/
i$ not throgh %o then throgh so'e one e,se# There is no es cape $or the'# 2or
part in the 6ght is re a,,% ver% in sig ni$ i cant# 2o are on,% a too, in the hand o$ the
'as ter# Re' e' -er/ I a' the rea, act or. %o on,% app ear as sch# That priv i ,ege
I give %o# Bt the 4ar does not de ) pend on %o/ nei ther the vic tor% nor the de )
$eat# 2o can not save an% one7s ,i$e. nei ther can %o ta*e it 4itho t M% con sent#
And I *no4 the sec ret o$ things# I n der stand the p,a%# I *no4 that there is no
death -e %ond the -od%# And %o need not $ear an% thing# I 4i,, te,, %o a se cret#
+ictor% 4i,, -e %ors# 8o ahead and 6ght# 9ere is a great ,ess on# Nothi ng ta*es
p,ace 4ith ot 8od7s con sent# Whate ver is done/ 4here so ever and -% 4ho' so
ever/ it is a,, a 4or* ing ot o$ 9is p,an# The sav ing o$ ,i$e and the ta*i ng o$ ,i$e are
in c,ded in the Uni ver sa, Sche'e# The 'an o$ char it% and the ro-- er/ the pro tec
tor o$ ,i$e and the 'r derer/ the saint and the sin ner/ are a,, nece ss ar% to *eep
the 4or,d)4hee, trn ing# A,, are en gaged in 9is ser vice and 4e are a,, p,aced
4here 4e -e ) ,ong# We a,, 6,, the p,ace $or 4hich 4e are 6t# The co- -,er cann ot do
the carp ent er7s 4or*. the shoe- ,ac* cann ot 6,, the pro$ es sor7s chair# And so it is
in the 'ora, sphere# The saint can) not cheat and 'rd er# The roge cann ot ,ive
the saint,% ,i$e# 8od ses s $or that 4or* $or 4hich 4e are 6t# We have no choice#
De ve,op %or 'ora, and spir i ta, side and 9e 4i,, se %o $or 'ora, and spiri ta,
prp oses# Ro- and ,ie and cheat and *i,,/ and 8od 4i,, se %o 4here there is a vac
anc% $or the cheat and the ro-- er# The ,a4 is (st# As on the 'a ter ia, p,ane/ so on
the 'ent a, and spir i ta, p,ane# Chara c) ter conts# We 'a% 4or* $or a great and
,o$t% case or 4e 'a% s,ave si' p,% to sati s$% or pas sions# Bt i$ 4e are a,, 8od7s
4or* ers/ 4hat then does it 'att er 4hat 4e do5 Tre/ it does not 'att er to those
4ho rea , i:e this# Bt rea , i: ) ing it and not re a, i: ing it/ that is 4hat 'att ers# The
'an o$ re a, i:a tion 4or*s in the spirit o$ $reed o'. the ig no rant 'an is a too, and
a s,ave# The one 4or*s -e case he ,oves to serve the 'ast er. the other is $orced
into his p,ace/ he cann ot esc ape# To the one ,i$e is a (o%. to the other it is a -rd en#
To the one ,i$e 'eans as ) sist ing one dear,% -e ,oved to co' p,ete a great pr
pose. to the other it 'eans -e ing driven -% the 4hip o$ des tin%# That 'a*es a
great di$ $er) ence# Ar(na did not re a, i:e it. there $ore he s$ ) $ered# When he n
der stood it/ a,, sor ro4 ,e$t hi'# Ig no rance n nerved hi'# Un der stand ) ing 'ade
hi' a 'an# Sri ;rishna is con vinc ing hi'<#1=