Who are Krishna & Vyasa ?
Before beginning study of the Bhagavad Gita, there are 9 prayer verses that are often chanted which pay respects to the Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita, Vyasa (author of Mahabharata) & Lord Krishna (teacher of the Bhagavad Gita). In the process of studying these verses we learn some basics about each one. Here we will learn about Vyasa & Lord Krishna.
Vyasa
Vyasa is the great Rishi (wise person) who authored the Mahabharata. The word ‘Vyasa’ literally means ‘the divider’. Why was he called ‘the divider’? Because he is famous for dividing the Vedas (original Hindu teachings) into 4 Vedas. Originally the Vedas simply consisted of millions of mantras and sentences. These were divided into 4 sections to make it easier for us students to digest (Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Saama Veda, Atharva Veda). The meanings of these Vedas are expanded by Vyasa in his other famous epics like the Mahabharata, the 18 Puranas (ancient stories of the Devas) and Brahma Sutra (Logical analysis of Vedanta).
Vyasa was clearly no ordinary man, he was a great Rishi who had both breadth and depth of knowledge on many subjects, as can be seen from his works. We are privileged to have the opportunity to study his great works which removes confusion in the mind of the one who studies. Therefore, we offer our gratitude to Vyasa before the study of the Bhagavad Gita.
Lord Krishna
Krishna is the embodiment of God in human form. His human form was born a few thousand years ago and teaches the Bhagavad Gita to his student (Arjuna) on the battlefield. Vyasa was just the reporter of what Krishna said. So if you ask the question: where did the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita come from? The answer is Lord Krishna. They are his words. Because we consider Krishna as Bhagavan, the teachings from him in the Bhagavad Gita are effectively directly from Bhagavan. They are not the creation of a human mind, hence the teachings hold a special sacred status. When you study the Bhagavad Gita this point becomes obvious – the elegance and insight taught in the verses is incredible. It’s not something someone can just make up, there is clearly a deeper wisdom about life involved.
Who is Lord Krishna? The prayer verses give us a further taster:
– Krishna can give you whatever you want – whether it be happiness, wealth, enlightenment (artha, kama, dharma, moksha) – as long as you pray to him with sincerity and surrender, he can fulfil the wishes of his devotees.
– Krishna holds a whip in 1 hand. Why? Because he is the driver of Arjuna’s (the warrior prince) chariot and uses the whip to control the horses. What does this symbolise? It teaches us that even though Krishna is Lord of the entire Universe, no job is beneath his dignity. Even a driver’s job. This teaches us that whatever job you do, you must do it with pride, dignity and enthusiasm…like Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna never felt inferior to Arjuna just because he was his driver. He happily did his job – so we also should never feel our job is inferior or superior to anyone else’s.
– Krishna has his other hand in a symbol called ‘Jnana Mudra’ (the symbol of Knowledge). This is where you join your thumb and your index fingers together in a circle. This 1 symbol beautifully represents the teachings of the entire Bhagavad Gita and the Vedas. Index finger = You (an individual human being), Thumb = God/Universe. And the whole teaching of the Bhagavad Gita is about uniting yourself with God (finger and thumb touch) to discover a feeling of wholeness/oneness (the circle shape = wholeness = purnam. Because a circle has no beginning or end). This wholeness is the opposite of the feeling of loneliness, sadness and fear which all humans are affected by. So discovering this wholeness is the goal of life which we call enlightenment/Moksha.
– Krishna was great on 3 levels:
- Family member – he made his mother and father very happy
- Society member – he established the rule of Dharma in society by destroying adharma (Kamsa, Chanura, etc.)
- World citizen – he contributed to the world’s welfare as a world teacher (jagat-guru) of the Bhagavad Gita which has helped people for thousands of years across the globe long after his body left the earth.
We all have a duty to positively contribute not only to our families, but also to the wider society and the world in some way. Just making your family happy but forgetting about helping the wider society is not great. That’s why some form of charity for others is very important.
– Lord Krishna can help us navigate through all the problems of life to achieve success. Just like if you wish to cross a fast-flowing river which contains many dangers such as crocodiles, sharks, whirlpools and undercurrents – you need a skilful boatman to navigate your boat around these obstacles else you will not survive. Krishna is like this boatman who can help you cross the river of life and avoid the obstacles (depression, pain, guilt, loneliness, confusion) to reach your destination (Moksha) successfully.
– Krishna’s blessings (kripa) are required for the successful completion of the study of the Bhagavad Gita. It is said with his blessings those who cannot walk can climb mountains, and the dumb can become eloquent! He is all powerful (sarva-shaktiman)
– Krishna is the God worshipped by all the other Gods (Devatas) such as Brahma, Varuna, Indra, Rudra, Maruta. He is the God of the Gods! All the Veda mantras sing about him, but very few people really know who he truly is (Brahman) – that is why we study the Bhagavad Gita
We offer our gratitude and prayers to Lord Krishna before entering the study of the Bhagavad Gita. Krishnaya Namah!
Om Tat Sat
Aditya
