The Spiritual Import of the Mahabharata and the Bhagavadgita : 1.1 Swami Krishnananda

28/02/2019

Preface :-

Rare is the opportunity for a spiritual seeker to hear words of wisdom spoken by a great sage. Speakers may be many, but true sages are few. His Holiness Sri Swami Krishnanandaji Maharaj is a learned and wise saint of the very highest order of attainment, and he is a person who has the marvelous gift to impart his wisdom to others in a clear and precise way. While his language can at times be highly philosophical in nature, the clarity and essential simplicity of his message nevertheless shines through.

To say that Swami Krishnananda is a lover of the Mahabrahata and the Bhagavadgita would be a tremendous understatement. The Bhagavadgita is a presence that fills his very being and is with him every step of the way. Swamiji spoke many times on its import and messageand gave others the inspiration and understanding to delve into this great gospel of Sri Krishna.

The residents and visitors to the Sivananda Ashram in Rishikesh had many opportunities to hear Swami Krishnananda’s enlightening teachings, as he typically spoke every Sunday at the evening Satsang on various topics that were helpful and inspiring to the listeners. The talks that are included in this book come from Satsangs held between 3 June, 1979 and 3 February, 1980. Swami Krishnananda takes the listeners through the Mahabharata and through each of the chapters of the Bhagavadgita in successive talks, elucidating the main points in each chapter and giving insight and guidance for all. Always and in every case his teachings are practical and applicable in daily life. He takes the highest truths given in the Bhagavadgita and makes them relevant to every spiritual seeker. Not only his teachings, but also his very life are both wonderful gifts to all seekers of Truth.

Chapter 1: The Plight of the Pandavas :- 1

The great sage Bhagavan Sri Vyasa wrote a world masterpiece known as the Mahabharata. It is a pre-eminent specimen of forceful literature, coupled with a supernormal power of poetic vision, philosophical depth and human psychology. The Mahabharata is primarily a magnificent narration of a great battle that took place between two families of cousin-brothers—the Pandavas and the Kauravas. Both these family groups, the Pandavas and the Kauravas, were descendants of a common ancestor. They were also known as the Kurus, generally speaking, to indicate that they were descendants of a common lineage or parenthood, originally. These brothers, the Pandavas and the Kauravas, were born of a royal family, and therefore they lived a very happy life, with every conceivable kind of comfort that can be expected in a royal family. The brothers lived as great friends, playing together, eating together, and residing in the same palace. They were taken care of, protected, and educated by reputed experts in the lore of that time—Bhishma, Drona and other persons of that calibre.

This happy life went on for some time during the childhood, we may say, or perhaps the early adolescent period of the Pandavas and the Kauravas; but this joy of life in the family could not continue for long. Emotional, diverse senses began to speak in a pronounced language among the brothers. Particularly the cousins known as the Kauravas developed a negative attitude towards the Pandavas, and there arose a marked gulf of difference in the feelings connecting the Pandavas and the Kauravas. The difference got intensified to such an extent that it was practically dissidence leading to family dissension. The Kaurava brothers were not tolerant in any manner whatsoever towards the Pandavas. There was jealousy of an inveterate type. Attempts were made by the Kauravas to destroy the Pandavas by fighting, by setting fire to their residence, and several other tactics which they adopted.

To be continued