| The Mahabharata is
the most important part of Lord Krishna’s life. Written by Sage Vyas,
it is a prominent historical text. Krishna was the Guru of
the Pandavas. Given here are various events (sometimes with implied
meanings) in the Mahabharata:
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Dronacharya asking Eklavya for his right thumb: Eklavya
had developed ego that ‘I have learned archery by myself, without
anyone’s guidance’. To destroy that ego of his, Dronacharya
asked him for his right thumb, a representation of the ego.
-
Lord Krishna’s age at the time of the Mahabharata
battle: At the time of the Bharatiya war, Krishna was about
83 years old.
-
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Individuals mentioned in the Gita:
The Gita makes a mention only of the four persons
given below.
Person |
Mode of Speech |
Characteristics |
1. Dhrutarashtra |
Vakhari |
Blind |
2. Sanjay |
Madhyama |
One bestowed with divine vision |
3. Arjuna |
Pashyanti |
The soul |
4. Krishna |
Para |
The Supreme God |
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Lord Krishna narrated the Gita only to Arjuna for the
following reasons:
1. The confusion in Arjuna’s mind was not due
to emotions; it stemmed from the intellect.
2. Arjuna was Gudakesha, that is the one who could
comprehend the implied meaning (gudha means secret) in Keshav’s
(Krishna’s) speech. At the beginning of the Gita, Arjuna tells
Krishna, ‘Senayorubhayormadhye ratham sthapaya me’chyut
(1:21). It means ‘O Achyut, place my chariot in the midst
of both the armies’. Here, of the several Names of Krishna,
Achyut is used because Arjuna is referring to the Krishna who does
not deflect from His responsibilities, the one who is unflinching. ‘In
the midst of both the armies’ implies between the good and
the evil. Thus, He asks Krishna to take him beyond all kinds of
duality.
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The Uddhavgita: When Krishna renounced His body,
His great friend Uddhav was greatly bereaved. What Krishna preached
to him at that time is called the Uddhavgita.
-
The Dnyaneshvari describes the Gita as -
‘Consider the Gita
as the idol of The Lord, embellished with words.’
- 18:1684
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