APPEAL TO REASON
After the name of God and the prayer to the Lord, we wish to start this BOOK with the name of Krishna, one of the greatest living beings ever to take birth, not only on the soil of this country but in the whole world. Though Krishna is not the direct subject of conversation in this BOOK, as we intend to dwell on the subject of Krishna later in our commentary of Gita, he will remain with us in each and every word and sentence and not even for a moment will we say anything that is contrary to the real teachings of Bhagavada Gita - the great book of the teachings of God, commonly assigned to Krishna.
We want you to come with us to that eventful day in the Great Battle of Mahabharata, when the forces of Pandava and Kauravas were face to face. Arjuna had laid down his arms saying that he would prefer to take sanyasa (renunciation) than to fight with his own brethren. After a long dialogue in which Paramatma (through mouth of Krishna) replied to Arjuna’s queries, the latter agreed to fight and kill the opponents who had gathered to fight Krishna in vengeance to his teachings.
If you are of the view that the two armies were fighting for the control of territory, then all notions of greatness that have been built around Krishna would fall to the ground. After all, how can it be believed that Krishna preached something and practiced something else? On one hand Krishna advises Arjuna to remain steadfast on the path of righteousness and tells Arjuna that even if he died in the pursuit, he would gain reward for it. Throughout, Bhagavada Gita talks of disassociation from the world to such an extent that it advises detachment from seeking the fruits of even the most necessary actions. On the other hand, the book Mahabharata portrays Krishna resorting to trickery and deceit, in order to win the battle – that too for the conquest of territory and against an army that was headed by some who were acknowledged as the most pious saints of the period.
Verses 64-66 of the last chapter of Bhagavada Gita perfectly sums up the teachings of the book:
Listen again to My supreme word, the most secret of all; because you are greatly beloved of Me, therefore I will tell you what is for your good.
Become one in mind with Me: be devoted to Me: sacrifice to Me: bow down to Me: you shall come to Me alone: I promise you (in) truth: you are dear to Me.
Abandoning all duties, come to Me, the One, for refuge; I shall absolve you from all sins; do not despair.
The concept of the Absolute Man given in Bhagavada Gita talks about bowing down only to the One and Absolute God. Gita says that worshipping the non-manifest is better than worshipping the manifest form. Materialism is despised at and life on earth is talked about as only a ticket to the eternal life after this. Is there any scope for conquest of territories in the light of Gita’s teachings, as per which the most secret knowledge of all is to surrender to the Supreme God?
On the other hand, there is no denying the fact that Yudhishthira, the eldest of the Pandava brothers, did lose the kingdom in a game of dice. This was a common mode of entertainment in those days and Puranas mention several instances where kings lost their kingdoms through this manner, accepted it gracefully and retired to the forest. Some even came back later to win back what all they had lost, but only through another game of dice. If you are of the view that Yudhishthira was defeated through deceit, then you must keep in mind that there was a point when he accepted the defeat gracefully and even ordered his wife Draupadi to be given to Duryodhana. (Remember that he had even lost his wife in the game.) If Duryodhana is blamed for mistreatment of Draupadi, why is it that Yudhishthira is not blamed for putting the bet on his wife?
Even if the kingdom had rightfully belonged to the Pandavas, it had been won over by Duryodhana in a game whose verdict, as per Mahabharata, was acceptable to both the parties. Moreover, this was also in accordance with the generally accepted societal norms of the period. If the treatment given to Draupadi in the court of Duryodhana was the reason for the fight, then you must remember that even though Bhima (one of the five brothers) is said to have vowed to take revenge, the Pandavas eventually accepted the verdict and retired to the forest for several years. The fire to avenge is at its peak at the time when the injustice has been perpetuated. It does not happen that a person accepts the injustice, goes on to face the punishment and then comes back to take revenge after several years. Moreover, this was a punishment of such a nature that none could have stopped the Pandavas, if they had started generating support right from the time they were expelled.
Also, that was a time when examples were commonly given of students who gave away their thumbs or even their lives, as guru-dakshina (return of the teacher’s gratitude). Guru was blindly obeyed, even if he was on the wrong. Yet, the Pandava’s came to war, as if unmindful of the presence of their teachers as commanders of the opposing camp. Eventually, both the teachers (Bhishma and Dronacharya), who were also revered as the greatest saints of the period, were killed.
If the highest priests of the time were fighting a war, it is most likely that there was also an entire retinue of priests and brahmins aiding them. We do not know their count, neither the number of those killed in the war. What we know with certainty is that there was a chance for a peaceful exit from war, if Krishna had not convinced Arjuna to fight when the latter had thrown down his weapons. All through Gita, it is evident that it was Krishna who was keener to fight. On one hand, Arjuna is told that it didn’t matter if he emerged victorious or died in the conflict, while on the other, it is said that the God had already killed Bhishma, Drona and Duryodhana and if Arjuna was to rise up to eliminate their physical bodies, it would be better only for him. What would have been the benefit of kingdom to Arjuna, when he had died while fighting? Be reminded that it was such a war where all odds were against the Pandavas and there was a greater chance of getting killed than emerging victorious.
Our attempt is to give reasonable answers to all such questions that have troubled the minds of scholars and thinkers for centuries. Till date nobody has been able to give convincing answers. This series of six books (including this BOOK in four parts and the commentary of Gita in two parts) aim at giving the most convincing solutions to these questions and relate the true teachings of so-called Hindu Divine Scriptures with the core teachings of other religions, including Buddhism, Christianity and Islam.
Our view is that the Divine Scriptures associated with Hindus have been least understood till date. All the four Vedas are full of the mention of Devas or Devatas yet you ask the Hindus who they are or who they were, and they won’t be able to reveal their identity. They keep the names of their children on the names of the Devatas and Devi, they prey to Devatas like Indra when there is no rain or too much of rain, Devi Saraswati is invoked before seeking knowledge, Lakshmi is the Devi of Wealth, yet they do not know who these Devatas or Devis are or what are they doing at the moment. In fact, despite all attempts to understand the Vedas by various scholars, these Divine Books are so least understood that most Hindus of present age have ceased to read the Vedas. You won’t even find these books in most households despite the widespread belief (which we will show is based on truth) regarding the Divine nature of the Vedas. How will be reach the truth when the books that are considered Divine have not been understood.. Be with us page by page and you will know all the answers.
We request you to keep the faculties of reason open. Our view is that ‘reason’ was the chief cause for the war of Mahabharata; read the entire BOOK and you will know for yourself that we are right. It is lack of application of our reasoning faculties and our blind devotion to the so-called notions of religious beliefs, devotion and faith, which have led to all the corruption in our lives and religion. We all call ourselves living in the scientific age and consider ourselves enlightened. Yet, we do not put reason to optimum use, particularly in religious matters, thereby most of us end up blindly following the religion of our forefathers, something that has been strongly condemned in the Gita.
In order to understand this BOOK further, we request you to first detach yourself from the beliefs and views inherited and developed all through your life (which is not going to be easy) and then read with patience, from Chapter to Chapter, and not by intermittently skipping from one place to another. And make a commitment to yourself that you are not going to accept any of the views in this BOOK, if they coincide with your reason (and not with your present notion of religious concepts and beliefs). Our purpose is to reach the truth, to unearth those hidden facts about Devatas and Devi and about Krishna and Rama and unveil the shortest, easiest path that leads to the Lord of Krishna. We request you that if, even after sincere reading, and after keeping aside your inherited beliefs for a while, and after putting our view-points to the test of your reason, you still find this BOOK as trash, then show it the place it deserves.
As we have said, reason it was and lack of its application that led to the war of Mahabharata. Only those who are unable to apply their reason or do not wish to face the truth, either because of their blind attachment for few worldly things, or aversion to few others, resort to violence. While those with blind faith fail to see reason, those with reason love and stand for peace till the last moment. It is they who are the greatest champions of truth.
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