Bhagavad-gītä is the
widely read theistic science summarized in the Gītä-mähätmya (Glorification of
the Gītä).
There it says that
one should read Bhagavad-gītä very scrutinizingly with the help of a person who
is a devotee of Śrī Kåñëa and try to understand it without personally motivated
interpretations.
The example of clear
understanding is there in the Bhagavad-gītä itself, in the way the teaching is
understood by Arjuna, who heard the Gītä directly from the Lord Krishna.
If someone is
fortunate enough to understand Bhagavad-gītä in that line of disciplic succession,
without motivated interpretation, then he surpasses all studies of Vedic wisdom,
and all scriptures of the world.
One will find in the
Bhagavad-gītä all that is contained in other scriptures, but the reader will
also find things which are not to be found elsewhere. That is the specific
standard of the Gītä.
It is the perfect theistic
science because it is directly spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord
Śrī Kåñëa.
The topics
discussed by Dhåtaräñira and Sañjaya, as described in the Mahäbhärata, form the
basic principle for this great philosophy.
It is understood
that this philosophy evolved on the Battlefield of Kurukñetra, which is a
sacred place of pilgrimage from the immemorial time of the Vedic age.
It was spoken by
the Lord when He was present personally on this planet for the guidance of mankind.
The word dharma-kñetra
(a place where religious rituals are performed) is
significant
because, on the Battlefield of Kurukñetra, the Supreme Personality of Godhead was
present on the side of Arjuna.
Dhåtaräñira, the father
of the Kurus, was highly doubtful about the possibility of his sons’ ultimate victory.
In his doubt, he inquired from his secretary Sañjaya, “What did they do?” He
was confident that both his sons and the sons of his younger brother Päëďu were
assembled in that Field of Kurukñetra for a determined engagement of the war.
Still, his inquiry
is significant.
He did not want a
compromise between the cousins and brothers, and he wanted to be sure of the
fate of his sons on the battlefield.
Because the battle was arranged to be fought at Kurukñetra, which is mentioned elsewhere in the Vedas as a place of worship—even for the denizens of heaven—Dhåtaräñira became very fearful about the influence of the holy place on the outcome of the battle. He knew very well that this would
influence Arjuna
and the sons of Päëďu favorably, because by nature they were all virtuous.
Sañjaya was a student of Vyäsa, and therefore, by the mercy of Vyäsa, Sañjaya
was able to envision the Battlefield of Kurukñetra even while he was in the
room of Dhåtaräñira. And so, Dhåtaräñira asked him about the situation on the battlefield.
Both the Päëďavas and the sons of Dhåtaräñira belong to the same family, but Dhåtaräñira’s mind is disclosed herein. He deliberately claimed only his sons as Kurus, and he separated the sons of Päëďu from the family heritage.
One can thus understand the specific position of Dhåtaräñira in his relationship with his nephews, the sons of Päëďu. As in the paddy field the unnecessary plants are taken out, so it is expected from the very beginning of these topics that in the religious field of Kurukñetra, where the father of religion, Śrī Kåñëa, was present, the unwanted plants like Dhåtaräñira’s son Duryodhana and others would be wiped out and the thoroughly religious persons, headed by Yudhiñihira, would be established by the Lord. This is the significance of the words dharma-kñetre and kuru-kñetre, apart from their historical and Vedic importance.
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