Sunday, October 14, 2012

Krishna is a Devine Figure


In the Bhagavad-Gita, Krishna is presented as Arjuna’s chariot driver and teacher. He confidently discusses the human life cycle, discipline, and, how humans ought to be, which makes one wonder; if Krishna is this knowledgeable and sure in what he says, can Krishna really be human?  Judging by his expertise on humanity, and life, death, and afterlife, and the tone in which he says all of this, we can see that Krishna is more than simply a wise man, but is in fact a divine figure.
            Krishna speaks of things such as life, death, and afterlife in a new way to Arjuna, implying that he knows more than a person can know from human experience. One of the first things that Krishna says to Arjuna is “Never have I not existed, nor you, nor these kings; and never in the future shall we cease to exist” (2:11). This statement is significant because it shows that Krishna is aware of existence that goes beyond human life and death. In contrast, Arjuna is not aware of this, which further shows a distinction between the two characters. In addition to this, Krishna talks about “the discipline of understanding” (2:49), which in brief is a way that humans should live, that avoids attachment to sensuous objects, and can help one find “…the place of infinite spirit” (2:72). This is significant because Krishna is saying that he knows the way to spiritual enlightenment, which is something all humans strive to achieve.
            While Krishna’s knowledge is beyond what humans can know, what gives his content credibility is his tone – the way he communicates to Arjuna. Arjuna asks his teacher for advice on how to act in a conflict, and Krishna answers him confidently. His confidence in what he is saying is displayed by the completeness and detail of his answers. Krishna being confident in what he says implies that he knows and believes in what he is saying. And because he is saying things that are impossible to know from human life, we must make the assumption that he is a divine figure. In addition to this, Krishna talks to Arjuna in a way that makes him seem above Arjuna. For example, he speaks to Arjuna “mocking him gently” (2:10) and he reassures him saying “You have no cause to grieve!” (three times) (2:25-27). This mockery, and reassurance show that Krishna feels he is above Arjuna, which is additional evidence that he is more than just a man.

Krishna knows more than a human should know, and he conveys it to Arjuna in a way that seems confident, knowledgeable, and reassuring, which shows that he is more than simply a man, but is of a divine nature.          

4 comments:

  1. I agree with Anker that Krishna is divine, which makes sense, as he is introduced on the back cover as "[Arjuna's] charioteer, the god Krishna" (back cover). Anker does an excellent point laying out how Krishna's attitude reflects his divine nature. Krishna's confidence stands in great contrast to Arjuna, who, while a great warrior, is still mortal. Arjuna is reflects that "conflicting sacred duties confound my reason. I ask you to tell me decisively--which is better? I am you pupil" (2:6). His uncertainty about the correct course of action places him at a severe disadvantage in comparison to Krishna. I think it is significant that while Arjuna is the archer in the chariot, striking down enemies, Krishna is the one who steers and keep the chariot on the correct path, reflecting his spiritual confidence and guidance.

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  2. I completely agree with both Anker and Lachlan that Krishna is divine. I find that this idea illuminates one of the ideas Lachlan presents in his blog post (that there is a discourse between Krishna and Arjuna). It's very interesting that even though Krishna is a god, he still is having a conversation with Arjuna. In the other religious texts we've read, God is an absolute figure that doesn't have conversations with mortals. Any statement He gives should be accepted as complete truth by mortals.The Gita already seems very different from all the other religious texts we've read.

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  3. I agree with Anker, Emma, and Lachlan on that Krishna's knowledge and counseling to Arjuna display that he is a divine figure in the text, but I find that the text suggests that Arjuna is also a divine figure in the story. In the text, Krishna states " teh coward is ignoble, shameful, foreign to the ways of heaven.... it is unnatural in you" (2-3). I believe this suggests that they are both from a divine place like "heaven," which also goes with Anker's argument that the text proves Krishna to be a divine figure. When counseling with Krishna, Arjuna states "how can I fight... when they deserve my worship" (2:4). Within the text, both characters reveal words in their statements that assert they are more than ordinary human beings. Like Anker points out, Krishna displays himself as more of a divine figure through his vast knowledge and the way he speaks.

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  4. I agree that Krishna is presented at the very least as a knowledgeable guide for Arjuna whose divinity isn't clearly defined or made apparent. Besides his introduction as God, as mentioned by Lachlan, there is little separating his "divine" knowledge from that of human conciousness. In fact Krishna describes the path to self-discipline quite throughly and this knowledge is not an inconceivable subject for the human mind. Furthermore Krishna shares this knowledge in the hope that Arjuna follows his guidance and attains the same elevated state of mind that Krishna is implied to have by the knowledge shared.

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