If a coach had given a good motivational talk to their team before a major match, we might be somewhat interested in what the coach had said. If that talk had galvanized the team’s star player to deliver the performance of a lifetime, we would be much more interested. If, before hearing that talk, that very star player had been so demoralized as to want to quit, we would be most interested in that talk.
The Bhagavad-gita’s first chapter serves a similar purpose of kindling interest in its subsequent message. The Gita is spoken to motivate Arjuna just before he is about to fight the biggest battle of his life. And hearing the Gita galvanized Arjuna so much that he delivered a performance for the ages — he defeated the major Kaurava warriors and spearheaded his army’s victory. Moreover, just before hearing the Gita, Arjuna was so demoralized that he refused to fight (01.46).
How devastating Arjuna’s demoralization was can be seen by contemplating his context. Arjuna’s army was facing unfavorable odds: the opposing Kaurava army outnumbered them three to two. Such an army with lesser numbers needed to have a higher morale if it was to have a chance at winning. And an army’s morale depended largely on its leaders’ morale. Arjuna was not unaware of how his actions would affect his army — seeing his demoralization would shake, even shatter, their morale. Despite knowing this, Arjuna couldn’t contain himself — this very fact underscores vividly how demoralized he was.
When we understand that the Gita freed Arjuna from demoralization and filled him with determination (18.73), we naturally feel most interested to know what the Gita’s message is.
One-sentence summary:
The Bhagavad-gita’s first chapter shows graphically how demoralized Arjuna was, thereby triggering our interest in the message that raised him from dejection to determination.
Think it over:
- How does the Gita’s first chapter kindle our interest in its subsequent message?
- What does contemplating Arjuna’s context tell about his mental state?
- How did the Gita transform Arjuna?
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01.46: Sanjaya said: Arjuna, having thus spoken on the battlefield, cast aside his bow and arrows and sat down on the chariot, his mind overwhelmed with grief.
To know more about this verse, please click on the image
GITA guides a man from dejection to defend