Category:Arjuna's Remembering
Theme Analysis
The concept of remembering the Supreme Lord is the very essence of the Bhagavad-gītā. However, before one can properly remember the Lord, one must understand the ontological difference between God and the living entity. Lord Kṛṣṇa explains to Arjuna that although they have both taken countless births in the past, Kṛṣṇa remembers all of them perfectly, whereas Arjuna does not. This completely dismantles the impersonalist propaganda that the individual soul and the Supreme Soul are entirely identical in power and consciousness. The tiny living entity is prone to forgetfulness, but the Supreme Lord's memory is eternal and infallible.
Because the conditioned soul is forgetful, the practice of remembering Kṛṣṇa must be actively cultivated. The supreme instruction Kṛṣṇa gives to Arjuna is yudhyasva mām anusmara: "Fight and remember Me." The Lord never advises an impractical path of artificially renouncing one's occupational duties to sit idly in meditation. Instead, He instructs Arjuna to remain a kṣatriya, execute his difficult military duty, and keep his mind completely fixed on the Lord. If one does not practice remembering Kṛṣṇa during the struggles of daily life, it will be impossible to remember Him at the crucial moment of death.
This practice of remembering the Lord's instructions provided Arjuna with his ultimate solace. When Kṛṣṇa departed from the material world, Arjuna was plunged into unbearable grief, losing all his bodily luster and strength. However, in the midst of this overwhelming separation, Arjuna began to vividly remember his intimate relationship with Kṛṣṇa, His benefactions, and, most importantly, the profound instructions of the Bhagavad-gītā. By perfectly recalling the transcendental words of his supreme friend and spiritual master, Arjuna immediately became pacified and regained his spiritual equilibrium, proving that remembering the Lord is non-different from directly associating with Him.
- The Supreme Memory: Unlike the forgetful living entity, the Supreme Personality of Godhead remembers all past, present, and future events perfectly.
- Practical Devotion: Kṛṣṇa's ultimate instruction is not idleness, but the active execution of prescribed duties while constantly remembering Him.
- Preparation for Death: Remembering the Lord during life's daily struggles is the essential practice required to ensure one remembers Him at the time of death.
- The Cure for Separation: Arjuna overcame his devastating grief over Kṛṣṇa's departure by deeply remembering the Lord's instructions and intimate friendship.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Arjuna's Remembering - The Supreme Instruction to Fight and Remember.
Pages in category "Arjuna's Remembering"
The following 27 pages are in this category, out of 27 total.
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- After the departure of the Lord from the vision of earthly people, when Arjuna was face to face with being vanquished in his acquired power and prominence, he wanted again to remember the great teachings of the Bhagavad-gita
- Although Krsna is manifested before Arjuna in His universal form, Arjuna remembers his friendly relationship with Krsna and is asking pardon and requesting Krsna to excuse him for the many informal gestures which arise out of friendship. BG 1972 purports
- Arjuna could not remember his past deeds, although he is always with the Lord. And what can the tiny ordinary man, falsely claiming to be one with the cosmic consciousness, know about his past, present and future?
- Arjuna directly listened to Krsna, and he says, "This is my practical experience, that when I. . ." He was a politician, I mean to say, a fighter. He had so many anxieties. So he used to remember the instruction given by Krsna directly to him
- Arjuna remembered all these (Krsna's relationship with him) one after another, and thus he became overwhelmed with such thoughts
- Arjuna remembers his friendly relationship with Krsna and is therefore asking pardon and requesting Krsna to excuse him for the many informal gestures which arise out of friendship
- Arjuna was able to regain the cows along with some booty taken by force - the jewels set on the turbans of the royal order. Arjuna remembered that all this was possible by the grace of the Lord
- Arjuna was Krsna's constant friend, so when Krsna went to His abode, Arjuna was overwhelmed, but just by remembering His teachings he got relief from the pains of separation. Thus whenever we feel separation, it is best to remember the teachings
- Arjuna was lamentingly remembering the incident in the absence of the Lord, by whose strength only he was so powerful
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- The difference between the Lord and Arjuna is that the Lord remembered the incidence, whereas Arjuna could not remember. That is the difference between the part and parcel living entity and the Supreme Lord. BG 1972 purports
- The Lord further tells Arjuna that as a ksatriya he cannot give up his fighting, but if Arjuna fights remembering Krsna, then he will be able to remember Him at the time of death. BG 1972 Introduction
- The Lord says to Arjuna, "You and I had many, many births previously, but I remember everything, whereas you do not." That is the difference between the living entity, or conditioned soul, and the Supreme Soul
- The Lord tells Arjuna that he need not give up his occupation, but while he is engaged in his occupation he should remember Krsna. BG 1972 Introduction
- The Lord tells Arjuna that if he doesn't practice remembering Krsna while he is struggling for existence, then it will not be possible for him to remember Krsna at the time of death
- The names of the Lord and the Lord are nondifferent. So Lord Krsna's instruction to Arjuna to "remember Me" and Lord Caitanya's injunction to always "chant the names of Lord Krsna" are the same instruction. There is no difference. BG 1972 Introduction
- The propaganda of the identity of cosmic consciousness with the consciousness of the individual living entities is completely misleading because even such a person as Arjuna could not remember his past deeds, although he is always with the Lord