Gita 02.07 – Arjuna exhibits 3 characteristics of an ideal disciple

Bhagavad Gita 2.7 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.10 2.11 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.33 2.39 2.39 2.40 2.41 2.42 2.43 2.44 2.46 2.47 2.48 2.50 2.53 2.53 2.59 2.59 the momentous shift in the relationship between Krishna and Arjuna in the dynamics of that relationship their relationship is always intimate but here Arjuna surrenders to Krishna and actually he uses if you look at the last line he is using shishyaste I am becoming your disciple shadi now there are many people who become nominal disciples they don't want instruction they want this guru for a show in some social circles having a guru may just be a cultural fashion but it is I am not Arjuna is pointing out that he is not doing anything like that shadi I want your instruction please instruct me and sometimes the guru may give some difficult instructions and their disciple may not want to follow Arjuna is assuring that he will follow by saying I am surrendering to you so I'm your disciple please instruct me I surrender to you so in a sense what Arjuna and Krishna will tell later tag viddhi pranipatena pariprashnena sevaya the three components pranipatena pariprashnena sevaya Arjuna is in some ways exhibiting that so he's saying pranipatena he's falling down that he's expressing to shadi sorry he explains to the expression shishyaste shishya puts himself in a position subordinate to the guru so shishyaste means putting himself in a position shadi so pariprashnena asking questions so his shadi is asking please instruct me prichyamitvam means asking questions pariprashnena and sevaya prapannam prapannam means I will do what you want me to say surrender means that we put aside our will and we become ready to do another's will that is the essence of surrender so Arjuna is saying I will I'm surrendering to you so Arjuna is exhibiting the characteristics of an ideal disciple even according to Krishna's standards and the previous chapter even if it's reasoning is faulty in Arjuna's speech even if the reasoning is faulty still the capacity for reasoning is worthy and that makes him capable of understanding spiritual message which Krishna will speak henceforth now here let's see what Arjuna says in the rest of the verse karpanya dosho pahata svabhava so he says that yes I have been overcome by miserly weakness so actually it requires a remarkable deflect degree of self-perception self-reflection and self-criticism to be able to recognize one's faults and to admit one's faults so self-perception is ability to see one's own state self-reflection means to deliberate on that sense and self-criticism means to be able to actually be able to take a critical stand towards one's own positions emotions and actions so Arjuna is doing that here and that is to his credit it requires great personal maturity to be able to do this kind of self-perception self-reflection and self-criticism so normally when somebody criticizes us it is a instinctive reflex action to defend ourselves to counter the criticism to say that no you don't understand that's not what actually the problem is so when Arjuna when Krishna first said klavyam kutasthva kashmalam shudram so when he talked about all these words which indicated that Arjuna was contaminated then Krishna spoke all this Arjuna's reaction was no actually I am I am motivated not by weakness but by noble considerations and army considerations so he explains all that but then he realizes okay what will I do he's still confused so he recognizes this confusion itself is a sign of his weakness and he admits karpanya doshopathasvabhava so yes actually it has this miserly weakness has overcome me in my battle in my inner war in a minor world in the inner war I am being overcome it is far better to admit one's weakness and and gain strength from others then to let one's weakness stay unattended and to let the further battles of life wound one further and till one becomes practically helpless so actually it requires humility to seek help because in general we like to portray an image of self-sufficiency but the self is sufficient self experience sufficiency actually in the connection with Krishna not independently and how we can establish our connection with Krishna that often we need guidance for it so pritcha so Arjuna is admitting that yes I have become overcome by miserly weakness and therefore pritcha mitvam I'm asking you what dharma what will be the dharma what will be the duty for me because as far as I am concerned I have knowledge of dharma but samudra chetaha I become confused my consciousness is samudra deluded the whole Mahabharata it's defining mood is actually trying to inquire what is dharma to try to find out what actually is the basic principle of dharma and to find that out is not easy so therefore to find that out he's saying that pritcha mitvam and what kind of dharma that which will bring long-term good I don't want short term good nishchitam and please tell me for certain for definite speak unto me so although Arjuna has used the word Shreya again and again he's saying now it is you who tell me what is Shreya I don't know what is Shreya please guide me and by this speech he's revealing his determination to seek understanding seek guidance and actually in this world there are three steps you know first we have to admit that we need help and we seek help second is we find the right person from whom to seek help and third is we apply that help so in one sense paripatena pariprashnena sevaya they are those three stages the paripatena is we admit that we need help and then we go around seeking help pariprashnena when we ask questions you know oh it is the questions which we ask reveal also the nature of our searching the level of our consciousness the seriousness of our existential inquiries so through the questioning we also evaluate the spiritual master the guru it is the guru is to evaluate the disciples sincerity and the disciple also is meant to evaluate the guru's caliber so it's like patient again first if the patient has to admit I am sick second if the patient has to go to the doctor and now the patient goes and speaks the problem and they hear the patient after diagnosis ask the doctor questions and by that even the patient also to some extent has to evaluate whether the doctor knows the business or not and then after that one has to apply the treatment so searching asking and applying admitting the need for this help finding the right person to get help and then applying the help when it is given this is the way to overcome weakness and Arjuna is except exhibiting that he is through with the phase of trying to rationalize trying with his own intelligence and unable to come to any conclusion and therefore he now come to the level of seeking guidance so Arjuna exhibits the characteristics of a good disciple according to standard of the Gita itself and and of course Krishna is the super excellent supreme spiritual master and in the combination of the glorious spiritual master and the sincere student.