In the Bhagavad-gita (11.33), Krishna essentially assures Arjuna that he will be empowered by divine arrangement. 

To understand the dynamics of such divine empowerment, let’s consider what Arjuna spoke on the eve of his battle to neutralize Jayadratha before sunset on the fourteenth day of the Kurukshetra war, “You know my power and you know your own power.” Let’s analyze the two parts of Arjuna’s statement. 

Krishna knows his own power: Krishna’s power is infinite; his will is supreme; he can do whatever he wants according to his omnibenevolent plan. Problems that seem insurmountable to us humans can be easily surmounted by his arrangement. In this verse, Krishna assures Arjuna that he has already arranged for Arjuna’s enemies to be killed. 

Krishna knows our power: When Krishna chooses someone to be his instrument for manifesting his plan in the world, that person often already has the necessary power for playing their part in Krishna’s plan. Or Krishna soon gives them that power. In this verse, Krishna conveys his awareness of Arjuna’s power by using a special name for Arjuna, a name that he doesn’t use anywhere else in the Gita. That name is savyasachi, which literally means ambidextrous. Essentially, this name refers to Arjuna’s peerless archery ability, which would be perfectly used for implementing Krishna’s plan to establish dharma in the world.  

What if despite having such power, one still faces adversities? Such adversities are expertly incorporated by Krishna into his plan. For example, when Arjuna felt that he had failed to protect his son Abhimanyu, that setback laid the ground for Krishna to lead Arjuna to his greatest victory: the killing of Jayadratha. And this victory wrecked the Kaurava army’s morale — if their entire army couldn’t save one warrior, what chance did they have of winning or even surviving?

One-sentence summary:

Divine empowerment means that God couples his infinite power with our finite power for fulfilling his omni-benevolent plans. 

Think it over:

  • What are the components of divine empowerment, as indicated by Arjuna?
  • How does Krishna use an instrument for fulfilling his plans?
  • If someone acting as Krishna’s instrument seems to be inadequately empowered, what is actually happening? 

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11.33: Therefore get up. Prepare to fight and win glory. Conquer your enemies and enjoy a flourishing kingdom. They are already put to death by My arrangement, and you, O Savyasaci, can be but an instrument in the fight.

 

To know more about this verse, please click on the image