GITA 1.3
Sri Krishna gave us the nectar Gita. Gita was preached in Kurukshetra. We can reach this place from Delhi in about 3 or 4 hours travel. Pandavas had Indraprasta as their capital. Kurukshetra was their battlefield. Both Pandavas' and Kauravas' armies were arrayed in Kurukshetra. Sri Krishna's Gita preaching happened in between the two armies. The seven hundred slokas even if recited very fast, could take about 2 hours, or Three hours if recited steadily. That is this duration, if we now decide to recite Gita. But this was not the ambience, when Sri Krishna preached. All the soldiers were ready to fight with their swords drawn. At that time only, Arjuna had the doubt whether the fight was necessary. He saw on both sides his relatives. Within him grew the question, whether it was right to kill so many relatives, to get the Kingdom. He became anxious because he thought that fighting the war was for acquiring Kingdom and enjoyment thereafter, and not for establishing Dharma. So, Arjuna dropped his bow Gandipa and sat down in the chariot refusing to fight. With that determination, he sought the advice of Sri Krishna. Sri Krishna then preached Gita to dispel his fears, to fight to establish dharma and destroy adharma and to bring good to the people. In how much of time Sri Krishna could have advised? This has been the subject of many researchers. Even in Kurukshetra many researches and excavations have been conducted. From Dwaraka and from Kurukshetra we have obtained many evidences. By studying all such publications, one can realize that the war took place in Kurukshetra and that Sri Krishna did preach Gita there. Today, with technology, we are able to see hundreds of pages of documentation are transmitted in seconds to a far off destination. Mobile technology enables us to communicate with anyone in any part of the globe, instantly without any impediments. Therefore, communication between persons is becoming easier. Sri Krishna was not an ordinary human being. He was the incarnation of the Supreme Being. Arjuna also was not an ordinary person, but endowed with gyana and sharp intelligence. So, when Sri Krishna and Arjuna converse, there will not be babble and jabber talk. We have seen that when two intellectuals converse, even facial expressions would convey volumes. Where as ordinary people would take lot of time to understand even some of them. So, it is a higher level of intelligence. It is possible that Sri Krishna would have conveyed so much by mere facial expressions and eye contacts. Matter could have been transferred from brain to brain, without having to speak through the mouth and hear through the ears. It is also said that the lotus eyed Sri Krishna spoke through His lotus like mouth and gave Gita. So, Sri Krishna could have actually spoken. He could have spoken in a fast tempo and Arjuna was intelligent enough to understand them instantly. We find it difficult to understand in the beginning, but by practice, we can also develop understanding the slokas easily.
We saw Tirukoshtiyur Nambi and Sri Ramanuja. Tirukoshtiyur Nambi had an Acharya and he was Alavandar. There is a story as to how Alavandar got Gita, and that story could be amusing. In the Ninth century there lived Nathamuni, who is considered as the First Acharya in Sri Vaishnava tradition or Guru Parampara. He was born and living in Kattumannar Koil, near Chidambaram, Tamilnadu. Alavandar was his grandson. Alavandar was an infant, when Nathamuni was about to die, So Nathamuni gave all his knowledge in Gita to his disciple Uyyakkondar and requested him to impart that knowledge to Alavandar at appropriate time so that Alavandar was redeemed in life and progressed. Uyyakkondar did not find the opportune moment to impart that knowledge to Alavandar and so he instructed his disciple Manakkal Nambi to take the responsibility. Manakkal Nambi tried to meet Alavandar, who was a ruler of a kingdom, he had acquired through winning a debate. Manakkal Nambi could not meet the very busy ruler. So he devised a method. Manakkal Nambi started supplying a particular type of greens to the ruler's kitchen so that Alavandar daily got the cooked greens. Without enquiring about the source of that dish, the ruler enjoyed the dish. daily. After daily supply for about 6 months, suddenly Manakkal Nambi stopped the supply for about Two or Three days. So, Alavandar was disappointed in not finding the dish in his food and enquired the cook as to why the preparation was not made. When the cook replied that raw greens were brought daily by an old man, and he had not brought them for the last few days. Alavandar asked the cook to bring the old man to him, when he came next time to deliver the greens. Next day, as expected, Manakkal Nambi came with the greens, and the cook promptly produced him before Alavandar.
Alavandar found Manakkal Nambi to be a great scholar and was puzzled as to why he was supplying greens. Alavandar thought Manakkal Nambi was supplying with some expectation and so asked him what Manakkal Nambi wanted from Alavandar. Manakkal Nambi replied that he did not want anything from Alavandar, instead he wanted to handover a treasure meant for Alavandar. Surprised, Alavandar wanted the treasure, and Manakkal Nambi preached the Gita as told by Alavandar's grandfather Nathamuni. After listening to the exposition, Alavandar surrendered at the feet of Manakkal Nambi and said that after tasting the nectar of Gita, he wanted to see Sri Krishna. Manakkal Nambi took him to Srirangam and got a dharshan of the Lord! Manakkal Nambi prayed the Lord to grace Alavandar and he too,enamoured by Sri Ranganatha, renounced the kingdom and became an ascetic, pursuing God. He later became an Acharya.
Therefore, Gita was recognised as a treasure and preserved with reverence. It will be a great opportunity to possess this invaluable treasure and so, we are all assembled. We will see what Gita is all about and what are its teachings, in the days to come.
(continued)
No comments:
Post a Comment