RE: sarvadharmAn- vs. karmaNyeva-

From the Bhakti List Archives

• September 4, 1997


Dear Sri Rama Srinivasan and dear Bhagavathas,

On Thu, 4 Sep 1997, Rama Srinivasan wrote:

>>having propounded the various methods of Jnana, Raja and
>> Karmayoga, ***noticed 
>> 	>>that Arjuna still remained unresolved & perhaps even
> confused***. Hence He 
> 
> Arjuna *pretends* to be unresolved & perhaps even confused for OUR sake,
> as this doctrine is for 
> the entire masses. All the doubts and questions which are raised by
> Arjuna doesn't mean that he doesn't know OR doesn't
> get the message from Sri Krishna, it should be interpreted as possible
> questions and confusions a  *sataka* would encounter.
> If Arjuna was very clear just after the first sloka "Asochyan .." , we
> won't be getting the full 18 chapters and all different margas.
> 
> My limited understanding...
> 
> Srinivasan

  I guess u are right. Afterall, the Arjuna/Krishna are Nara/Narayana. 
However, i was trying to interpret the slokas within the framework 
provided in Mahabharatham, not (say) Bhagavatham (which might well have 
been a wrong thing to do!). You know, i have  even heard asked why the 
Lord singled out Arjuna, and not the righteous  Yudhishthirar for the 
exposition of the Geetha, answer being that the  latter wd have grasped 
it too quickly for the benefit of the masses...

Hari Om,
srikanth