The Song of God: A Warrior Story

I will begin the study here of one of the greatest warrior stories ever written or told -- the story of Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita (The Song of God).

I will be using Juan Mascaro's translation. If you wish to follow along in your own copy with whatever translation you have or choose, it will be helpful to you.

Two great armies are lined up and ready for battle on a vast plain that separates them. They are about to fight for the usual reasons humans fight: greed, hostility, and ignorance and the counter forces that rise in opposition to such. Of course, there is much more going on than that in this story, a story of how to live with wisdom in the world.

Arjuna is the leader of one army and is lamenting that he does not wish to fight. He sees that he is fighting his own kin. And isn't that always the case? We are all members of the Navel Tribe, plucked from the same vine and with the belly scar to prove it.

Krishna (God) is driving Arjuna's chariot. I start with Chapter One, Verse 21 where Arjuna says:

Drive my chariot, Krishna immortal, and place it between the two armies. That I may see those warriors who stand there eager for battle, with whom I must now fight at the beginning of this war. That I may see those who have come here eager and ready to fight, in their desire to do the will of the evil son of Dhrita-rashtra.

Arjuna wants to go out there in the middle of it all and take a look, see for himself. He doesn't just walk out there by himself. He asks his charioteer to take him. And his charioteer just happens to be the Divine. They have chosen each other as companions.

When Krishna heard the words of Arjuna he drove their glorious chariot and placed it between the two armies.

Without hesitation, Krishna did as Arjuna asked. His asking was in right alignment with the situation. Later we will see that Krishna will not follow Arjuna's wishes. Krishna is no pushover.

Notice that the two have a fine ride. It is not just a vehicle. It is a glorious vehicle. So is our body, which has been pointed to, in another holy book, as the temple of God. Here the metaphor is chariot, a glorious chariot.

Krishna takes them right into the middle of it all, places Arjuna between two opposing forces. Sounds like daily life to me. Even to walk around we have to use two opposing forces, our right leg and our left leg. Somehow we have taught them to cooperate, and they generally do, so much that we don't even think about it.

We are between opposing forces all the time, both internally and externally. As this story unfolds, maybe we will get some tips and some confirmations as to appropriate and effective action.