Gita 11.34 Assurances are reassuring when they are not just generic but also specific

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on Arjuna where he becomes reverential and agrees to do Krishna's will. Thank you. So, here Krishna is speaking to Arjuna, Krishna in the form of Kalarupa is speaking and he is telling, naming the leaders in the Kaurava army, and Karna is mentioned and apart from that, you are the hero, other great heroes.

By my will, they have already been killed. Therefore, just fight, do not be afraid, just fight. Yudhyasva Jeta Si Rane Sapatnaan.

In this, you can just fight and you will be successful. Jeta, you will conquer against your enemies. So, essentially, what is said in the previous verse is a generic declaration is made into a specific declaration in order to reassure and inspire Arjuna.

So, 11.33, B and C, second and third lines had said that, win over your enemies because those enemies have already been killed by my will. Now, this verse says, in the first two lines, it mentions some of the enemies and mentions four specifically. After naming four, then there is like in English, we have etc.

So, like that, all others. By me, they have already been killed, they have been destroyed. Therefore, there is no need for you to be disturbed.

Yudhyasva, you just fight and Jeta Si Rane Sapatnaan, you will attain victory over your enemies in the battle. When you want to encourage someone, there can be generic calls of encouragement, which can also encourage others. But if there are specific calls of encouragement, wherein we explain to people what exactly, what are the exact problems that they are facing, and we specify some of those problems, and then address those problems, then that encouragement is much more reassuring.

So, when the Pandavas fought with the Kauravas, they knew that Bhishma, Karna, Drona are the foremost warriors on the Kaurava side. And overcoming them was going to be a very difficult task. So, Krishna's assurance in that context is very reassuring.

But it is significant here that there is also the mention of Jayadratha. Jayadratha is not directly mentioned in the first chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. When the armies on the two sides are being assessed.

So, at that time there is one line which can be read as, a variant can be read as Saindhava. So, if that reading is done, then we can say that there is a reference directly to Jayadratha, to Saindhava, but otherwise it is not there. So, in that sense, when that warrior is not mentioned earlier.

So, mentioning him explicitly over here is unusual. So, according to some renditions, recensions of the Bhagavad Gita, in 1.8, Saumadatta is Sathaivacha. So, instead of Sathaivacha, it is Saindhavacha.

So, Saindhava is Sindhu Naresha, that is Jayadratha. But it is not, it is just, either that is not a reference because that is not there in this recension, any of the standard recensions, or if it is there, it is very, it is only once. But here he is mentioned as a prominent warrior and we will see later in the narration of the Bhagavad Gita, in the narration of the Mahabharata war, how overcoming Jayadratha turns out to be one of the biggest challenges that Arjuna has to face during the Kurukshetra war.

Because after Jayadratha plays a malicious part in the brutal slaughter of, in bringing about the brutal slaughter of Abhimanyu by six warriors. After that, Arjuna, after that Arjuna takes a vow on the 14th day that he will destroy, he will destroy, he will destroy the, he will kill Jayadratha before sunset, otherwise he will himself enter into fire. And when he is not able to do that, it seems as if he is not able to do that.

So, he has just, he has come so close, but the Kauravas close ranks and block him. He is not able to do that. He is just not able to move forward to reach Jayadratha.

At that time, Krishna miraculously covers the sun, causes the Kauravas to lower their guard and then Arjuna shoots. So, the point there is that although Jayadratha will be eventually a very big obstacle and overcome him, him will be almost impossible, still Arjuna will succeed in that also. And even Jayadratha's death is ordained by Krishna's will.

That is indicated by including Jayadratha in the reference over here. So, Drona was Arjuna's martial teacher. Drona knew Arjuna inside out, who can know a student better than the teacher.

And also Drona was a Brahmana, fighting against a Brahmana was extremely difficult. So, although Bhishma was more veteran in terms of age than Drona, quite often when the lists are made, Drona is referred to before Bhishma. Even when Duryodhana also assesses the forces, at that time also it says, He refers to Drona first and then he refers to Bhishma after that.

So, in this case, here we see that he refers to Drona first and then Bhishma. Now, Karna, of course, was an arch rival of Arjuna and they knew that theirs was going to be the battle that was going to put him to death and on the fate of their battle would rest the fate of the war. So, Krishna is giving specific assurances to Arjuna over here that the toughest adversaries, they will all be overcome, Arjuna, do not fear.

So, do not have any fear, do not have any apprehension, do not have any hesitation, just fight. You fight, victory will be yours. That is the assurance that is being given in this verse and thus Arjuna is being invited.

Do not be disturbed at all. So, this ferocious Kala Rupa which has come, which is destroying everything, now the Kala Rupa is looking very angry also. So, Arjuna may wonder, is this Kala Rupa going to angry with me? So, Krishna is assuring Arjuna that actually the Kala Rupa is angry not with him but with his opponents, that formidable power is going to work for him or rather he is meant to work for that power and thus he is meant to attain victory.

With this assurance, just fight, you will win against your enemies. Similarly, we too also have to fight against many anarthas in our life and if we just stay diligent in fighting, ultimately Krishna's omnipotence will ensure that we will triumph. So, what is said over here, Arjuna, you will triumph, that will be reiterated at the end of the Bhagavad Gita.

So, Sanjay, in a sense, echoes these words which Krishna has declared to Arjuna. He makes it explicit at the end of the Bhagavad Gita to Dhritarashtra and he answers Dhritarashtra's question by echoing the assurance that Krishna has given to Arjuna when he says that actually.