Tags
arjun, battle, battlefield, Bhagwad Gita, compassion, danda-neeti, death, decision, dilemma, hand, heart, inspiration, justice, killing, Krishn, kurukshetra, Mahabharat, mind, passion, symbol, sync, war
3 Krishnas: Krishn (Dwarka), Arjun (Krishn) and Draupadi (Krishnaa).
All 3 shared a name, shared their dusky complexion and shared a deep emotional bond.
Traditionally, Kurukshetra was a war of these 3 Krishnas against evil.
Symbolically, though, was it a war of Arjun versus Krishn & Krishnaa?
Any great deed requires the mind, the heart and the hand to be in-sync.
The Mind = for cool analysis, planning, ideas, impulses, thoughts.
The Heart = for passion, emotions, inspiration and fire.
The Hand = for skills, finesse, well-honed, strong, the doer.
Krishn was the mind, Draupadi was the inspiration and Arjun was the executor of their combined vision.
What if the hand rebels against the heart & mind?
On the eve of Kurukshetra, Arjun paused, paralyzed by his dilemma. Then followed the enriching Q & A session which we know today as Bhagwad Gita.
At Kurukshetra, the mind and the heart were rock-solid and resolved for Danda-neeti , the necessity of War against Injustice.
Yet, it is the Hand that held destructive power. And the Hand hesitated, poised on the brink of destruction –
Not from inability – but precisely because it held the ability to unleash devastation.
Not from fear of dying – but from fear of killing.
Not from cowardice – but from compassion.
Eve of Bhagwad Gita:
It is not a coincidence that Vyas’s lens zooms in on two Krishnas, while the entire battlefield zooms out of focus, a blurred screen, voiceless and impersonal. Maybe Vyas was telling us that the rest never mattered – they were merely incidental.
Kurukshetra was the battle between the mind-heart and the hand.
The eternal dilemma between the Hand that asks, ‘’How many millions should die for the sins of a handful?” and the Mind-Heart that declares confidently,’’How many times should the sinning handful be forgiven for the sake of the millions who follow them blindly?”
We
Each of us faces dilemmas everyday. We may not have to face a crucial , gut wrenching decision of ‘to kill or not to kill.’ But we do face situations when the heart, the hand and the heart are in chaotic opposition.
Was Vyas trying to symbolize each of us? I believe firmly that Kurukshetra ( and all of Mahabharata) was not fiction … it is History.
But Vyas’s battlefields were never restricted to mere battlegrounds. His battles always transcended beyond the obvious.
Have you faced dilemmas of heart-hand-mind asynchrony? Which one usually takes the final decision for you?
Impractical Dreamer: Sweety Shinde 
Well written..
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Vivek.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is a very interesting point of view Sweety. The three Krishnas. I think this is the first time I am seeing the reference of three Krishna’s anywhere and it makes so much sense since these were the primary characters of the war.. Really interesting 🙂
LikeLike
Much obliged. There were 4 Krishnas In MB actually, considering Vyas was also known as Krishna-Dwaipanya-Krishn (the dark one, born on an island). the 4th one played quite a role too – considering he was writer, narrator, actor, witness, seer…
Yes, I do think a lot of symbolism was played out at Kurukshetra, in addition to the actual war.
LikeLike
Naaice.. :). There is a 4th one too?! The story gets more interesting by the minute now 🙂
LikeLike
Yes, the MAIN one. The literary genius. Don’t you think he was the original Alfred Hitchcock?
Just as Hitchcock loved to peep into the frame, Vyas used to flit in and out of frames throughout MB. Sutradhaar!
LikeLike
Clinical analysis of BG, if I may say so, Sweety. We have all, at some or many times in our lives, faced the dilemma of recklessly executing hand vis-a-vis the inspiring heart and guiding mind, manoeuvring through our own kurukshetras. If the reckless hands prevailed initially, the inspirational guidance of mind-heart has dominated our actions in later years. At your age, the BG and other scriptures were far from my mind, with negative consequences. May your kurukshetras be a string of victories all the way, sweety, each more edifying than the other as you go forward…
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much for your wishes and blessings! I think there’s a world of wisdom in that marvelous epic – and it would take a lifetime (and more) to get into its intricacies.
I’m very lucky I got entangled in the chakravyuh of MB and BG. Its a never ending source of magic, logic and enigmas.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent post. Usually, my mind takes the final decision for me. Your writing about the Hand that held destructive power. It is hesitating because it held the ability to unleash devastation. While reading these lines I was thinking about the countries that have nuclear weapons. No wonder the world leaders say these weapons should not be in the hands of some despots. Despots don’t hesitate. Responsible leaders will hesitate.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah, yes. Exactly. Its amazing that BG served as a source of inspiration for R. Oppenheimer (he of the Hiroshima-Nagasaki disaster) as well as for the non-violence of M.K Gandhi. Surprisingly enough, both succeeded in their quests, inspite of following diametrically opposite methods.
Yes, Brahmashira and Pashupatastra were every bit as devastating as nuclear bombs – which is why I affirm that Arjun’s hesitation stemmed from compassion. Unfortunately his restraint back then (and that of the responsible leaders now) often gets misunderstood.
LikeLike
Dr. Sweety;
Till today, I have read many posts by you and commented on many of it, but this is masterpiece, par excellence, pure excellence of class and quality.
Why I am this much impressed with this post?
First; it is based on the religious ground, it is based on Hindu mythology, It is based on one of the most controversial GOD of Hindu religion, these are ok, but these are not the reasons which compel me to write to you, but with this post you have touched one of the most crucial question of entire human race.
Yes, you are absolutely right, each and every day we face this dilemma; whether to follow the heart or head?
And being a language lover you might have heard about the great drama of Shakespeare where one of the character says “To do or not to do” yes from the ages we are facing this problems and there are many theories and now a days modern management also entered in to matter and many of great thinkers clearly advocated; always follow your gut feeling, your intuition and like this.
Though, still I have not reach up to any conclusion but in case of dilemma, in case of confusion I always request universe to guide me and most of the time it works.
Wishing you all the best…………………..
LikeLike
I’m much flattered, Swajith!
Its always said about MB that what exists here exists universally . It really does cover every aspect of humanity and every passion.
Yes, gut instinct or 6th sense is a safe bet for our day to day dilemmas. Most times, gut instinct itself may be guided by a deep seated wisdom or may originate from experience too. Sometimes it succeeds, sometimes it doesn’t.
As for me, I would love to be cool, poised and composed every moment, but alas, quite often I end up giving more importance to feelings. We are all buildings under-construction.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dr. Sweety;
You see every body has their own way to deal with matters and most importantly we learn from the mistakes and many a times; we are dominated by situations and circumstances and we don’t have any alternatives or options but to respond the situation in most appropriate manner; but I like your view point it is always good to remain cool, calm and composed in any given situation.
Wishing you all the best….
By the way, whenever you have spare time click on this link, it eagerly awaits your feedback, because, without your feedback it will remain incomplete.
Wishing you all the best……………….
LikeLike
True, sometimes we respond first and then mull over it. Sometimes, we think out a situation b4 giving a knee jerk reaction.
The goal, however, as you said correctly, is to learn from mistakes, repent genuinely and strive for self improvement.
LikeLike
Dr.Sweety;
I am truly agree with your remark; because, unfortunately, life doesn’t comes with users manual or guide book.
Each and every day it teaches us some lessons……..
Wishing you all the best………………….
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very nice analogy of the three Krishnas – with heart mind and hand. The dilemma of asynchronous heart and mind is something that we face a number of times, but I am somehow not able to relate to a real life situation when all the three are not in sync. Hand is ultimately controlled by the mind.
Sweety, can you help me understand this aspect of all the three being out of sync with any example of a real life situation that you have experienced?
LikeLike
Hi, thank you. The example I gave was symbolic in terms of Kurukshetra.
In real life, let’s take a hand paralyzed and hence cut off from the brain’s impulses – it wont perform its function no matter how many impulses are sent from the brain. The diametric opposite happens in comatose patients, where brain may not function intellectually, but a hand may be stimulated to jerk via an electrical shock given to a peripheral nerve.
Or a hand that commits a murder but says it was ‘ordained’ by the mind – as in schizophrenics. A hand that lifts in uncontrolled road rage, even when the saner mind says ‘Cool it!’ More symbolically, a soldier who rebels against his sergeant’s orders, at the peril of court martial.
Personally speaking, times when my (foot) presses upon accelerator even when my mind says, ‘Stop, its an orange light!”
As for heart vs mind, well, some doomed love stories (insisting on a heart’s whim, even when the mind warns off a male/female), professional decisions (in terms of following a passion like arts vs a safe job like engineering), and so on…
I hope this was helpful.
LikeLike
Thanks for the elaborate explanation. What you are essentially saying is that our actions are at times guided by extreme emotions or visceral factors that take over the rational thinking. Behavioral science studies too corroborate the same. I enjoyed this discussion and the perspective shared by you. You may like to read this post on The Role of Emotions in Decision Making http://wp.me/p3RQLD-EC . Have send you an invite on LinkedIn.
LikeLike
Such dilemmas are faced by everyone..but only wise are able to take the right decision….
For me mind is always above evrything:)
LikeLiked by 1 person
How I wish I could claim the same! It would be a dream to make every decision accurate , unerring and successful. Thank you for the visit and comment.
LikeLike
Great writing, and a very interesting read. I never heard such beautiful logic about MB before. We also have two krishnas in ourselves. One who incarnates to end the sins ( rational faculty inside us ) and the other which means darkness which keeps all our secrets and sins. One is etymological and another is philosophical ( not mythological ).
LikeLike
That’s wonderful thinking. Yes, God & Devil too co-exist within our souls. It depends which one we encourage and which we stifle.
LikeLike
Wow. This really makes me think. I like the mind-heart relation. I think Vyas has explained this beyond the battles of Pandavas and kauravas. It is the battle of Good and evil in our brain. 🙂
LikeLike
Vyas’s literary work is an art of Genius. You can read it literally as also figuratively. Whichever way you read it, there are multiple interpretations possible.
Even Bhagavad Gita can be interpreted by some as dilemma between rational and passionate set of mind.
Thank you for the visit.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes. Very true. This epic is such a classic. We really gain knowledge of what is right and what is wrong. Everything can be found in this epic. Every answer to the question, that even Google can’t answer.
LikeLike
Very true. Not for nothing is it said, Vyasochisthitam jagath sarvam – He touched every topic under the sun, including the sun.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow. Very true. 🙂
Yes, even the son of Sun, Karn. 🙂
LikeLike
Haha, Vyas was a master genius. The first ever best selling author. All Vedas as well as Shrimad Bhagavatam too are attributed to him, so you can gauge the depth and width he had.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow.. Haha… The first ever best selling author. Love this term.
Yes, can’t believe how he managed to write with such a depth.. Great.. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person