Gita in daily life: Ch.2 - When did Arjuna become a sthita-prajna?

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Namaste.

 

Of course the author of GitAmRRita-mahodadhi in the fifth

chapter(YogAmRRitaM) holds that Arjuna was already a

sthita-prajna and his delusion on the battlefield was

itself a mAyic effect created by the Lord for the benefit

of posterity. (See shlokas 78 - 85 in

http://www.escribe.com/culture/advaitin/m25299.html )

 

It is interesting to note, however, that in the Shrimad

Bhagavatam Skanda I, Chapter 15, shlokas 29, 30, 31, the

following account of Arjuna's Enlightenment is mentioned.

The story goes as follows. After all the war is over and

after Bhishma leaves his mortal coil in the benign presence

of the Lord, Yudhishtira ascends the throne. About 18

years later, Arjuna is sent to Dwaraka for a courtesy

visit and stay there. Arjuna returns after about eight

months of absence from headquarters.

 

It is during this time nemesis overtook Dwaraka. Lord

Krishna is gone and Arjuna had been ordained (in proxi) by

the Lord to take care of the women and escort them all to

Hastinapur because Dwaraka was going to be engulfed by the

sea. The realisation that the Lord is no more in human form

on this earth shakes up Arjuna like anything. He already

feels that all his power is gone. And when he escorts the

ladies on the trip to Hastinapur, a gang of robbers accost

him, capture the women inspite of his attempt to ward them

off. His Gandiva fails him and all his knowledge of the

astras and shastras seem to have disappeared. He has

forgotten them all. He has lost everything!

 

It is in that desperation he comes back into the presence

of Yudhishtira. He cries aloud to the elder brother and

wails over his weakness and loss of everything. And now he

thinks of Krishna and nothing else. This is the context of

shlokas 28 to 31

 

 

28. Thus being deeply absorbed in thinking of the

instructions of the Lord, which were imparted in the great

intimacy of friendship, and in thinking of His lotus feet,

Arjuna's mind became peaceful and free from all material

contamination.

 

29. Arjuna's constant remembrance of the lotus feet of Lord

Sri Krsna rapidly increased his devotion, and as a result

all the trash in his thoughts subsided.

 

30. It appeared that Arjuna had forgotten the teaching of

the Lord, because of passage of time, because of karma,

because of the overpowering ignorance. But now he regained

all that knowledge.

 

31. By this enlightenment of brahman, he was freed from all

sorrows and doubts of duality. Thus he became freed from

the three modes of Prakrti and there was no longer any

chance of his becoming entangled in birth and death.

 

At this point the commentator says this means he reached

the BrAhmI sthiti referred to in B.G. II-72. (the shloka

31 above uses the word 'brahma-sampattyA'). And note that

II.72 says even if one reaches this in his last moments of

life, he reaches brahma-nirvANa.

 

 

PraNAms to all advaitins

profvk

 

 

 

 

 

Prof. V. Krishnamurthy

 

New on my website, particularly for beginners in Hindu philosophy:

Empire of the Mind:

http://www.geocities.com/profvk/HNG/ManversusMind.html

 

Free will and Divine will - a dialogue:

http://www.geocities.com/profvk/HNG/FWDW.html