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BHAGAVAD GITA
with horror at the thought of the dreadful fratricidal fury that was about to seize them all. On the one hand he was unwilling to precipitate the battle that should annihilate "those," as he said, "who are my own people," while on the other he was bound by the code of chivalry to avenge the injurics that he and his brothers had sustained from their cousins, and to assist his brethren in their just effort to recover their dominion. Not knowing what he should do, mind whirling, unable to distinguish the right from the wrong, Arjuna, in despair, turned to his friend and chariotcer, Kṛṣṇa; and as the divine words of God poured into his ears and heart, he was set at case as to the mysteries of right and wrong.60
Kṛṣṇa's message culminates in the "supreme utterance," which commences in Chapter X.
"Now give ear to my supreme utterance. Because thou art dear to Me, I will proclaim it to thee for thy good. Neither the hosts of the gods nor the great seers know My source. Altogether more ancient than they am I. He who knows Me as the Unborn, the Beginningless, the Great Lord of the World, he among mortals, free from delusion, is released from all his sins. From Me alone arise the manifold states of mind of created beings: power of judgment, knowledge, purity of spirit, forbearance, true insight, discipline, serenity, pleasure and pain, well-being and distress, fear and reliance, compassion, equanimity, contentment, selfcontrol, benevolence, glory and infamy. Likewise, the seven great Rsis of old and the four Manus 61 arose from Me alone, generated by My spirit; and from them descend these creatures in the world. He who knows in truth this manifestation of My might and My creative power is armed with unshakable constancy. I am the Source of all, from Me everything arises. Whosoever has insight,
60 Ib. 1. 21-47.
61 Rşi: holy sage, inspired poet of Vedic hymns. Manu: the first man at the beginning of each new race of beings.
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| SR No. | 007309 |
| Book Title | Philosophies of India |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Heinrich Zimmer, Joseph Campbell |
| Publisher | Routledge and Kegan Paul Ltd |
| Publication Year | 1953 |
| Total Pages | 709 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 34 MB |