During a class, the questions a student asks tells the teacher how much the student is involved in the learning process.
Arjuna’s questions in the Bhagavad gita reveal him to be an exemplary student. Let’s consider some of his attributes seen through his questions.
Unashamed eagerness to learn: Arjuna asks the Gita’s starting seminal question (02.07) — what is dharma, the right thing to do — on a battlefield in the middle of the two armies, when he is already expected to know and do the right thing. The very fact that Arjuna asks such a question shows that he is more concerned about becoming wise than about looking wise.
Attentiveness in hearing: When Krishna concludes the sixteenth chapter (16.23-24) by describing two opposite options — those who faithlessly reject scripture and those who faithfully follow scripture — Arjuna immediately asks about the middle possibility (17.01): what about those who faithfully follow something other than scripture?
Wanting clear understanding: When Krishna describes the state of self-realization (02.52-53), Arjuna wants to put a face to the idea or to translate the abstract concepts into visualizable examples. Hence his question about the characteristics of the self-realized (02.54).
Seeking practically applicable guidelines: When Krishna mentions the state of consciousness beyond the three modes of material nature, Arjuna wants to attain that state; hence his immediate question about the process for transcending the modes (14.21). When Krishna declares the importance and glory of remembering him in the Chatur-Shloki Gita (10.08-11), Arjuna asks how Krishna can be remembered while functioning in the world (10.17).
No wonder Arjuna’s Gita study becomes spectacularly successful: his doubts are dispelled and he becomes ready to do Krishna’s will (18.73).
One-sentence summary:
Arjuna’s questions in the Gita reveal how he is unashamedly eager to learn, hearing attentively, wanting clear understanding and seeking practically applicable guidelines.
Think it over:
- What do a student’s questions tell a teacher about the student?
- Which attributes of Arjuna are seen through his questions?
- Which of Arjuna’s attributes can you emulate to make your Gita study more effective?
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10.17: O Krishna, O supreme mystic, how shall I constantly think of You, and how shall I know You? In what various forms are You to be remembered, O Supreme Personality of Godhead?
To know more about this verse, please click on the image
A lettered mind guides to wisdom