Thursday, January 30, 2014
The Significance of Krishna revealing himself to Arjuna
In chapter 11, Sri Krishna reveals to Arjuna his "true form," a scene which brings Arjuna to his knees. This scene, as we discussed in class, was one that is itself still simply an image, an illusion to Arjuna, no more real than the "mortal" body of Krishna that Arjuna has grown up with. Wherefore this presentation, then? If Arjuna is genuinely listening to what Krishna has to say, he should realize that the presentation of the cosmic figure was an illusion. The achievement of Moksha is something that will literally lead to a "nonexistence," a situation in which there is no cosmic being. As such, it seems illogical for Arjuna to believe that that was the "true form" of Krishna (or Brahman, as it were). What, then, was Krishna hoping to achieve by this display?
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This chapter is a tricky to wrap my head around but I will take a whack at interpreting the use of the illusion.
ReplyDeleteI feel as though throughout the book so far there has been a level of disbelief in Arjuna towards Krishna as being the monumental figure he claims to be. By revealing this breath taking and terrifying form I feel as though it instilled in Arjuna a level of humility (if that is the right word to describe this.) This may have just been an illusion, but the image was one that he had never seen before; it was an illusion so magnificent it drove him to fear and to happiness and left him nearly a servant to Krishna's word.
I agree that this was an illusion much like their physical forms but perhaps Arjuna is not ready to wrap his head around such an idea and needs to be given a different form of which to respect? Perhaps it was a matter of seeing a terrifying image that let him understand that it was something supreme he was dealing with.
Hope this is a good take on this.