How could Arjuna ask Krishna to become his charioteer?
Answer Podcast
Transcript
Disclaimer: This transcript was generated using AI and may contain occasional errors or inaccuracies.
Hare Krishna. Question, why does Krishna become the charioteer of Arjuna? Why does Arjuna choose Krishna who is God? How can he ask Krishna to become his charioteer like this? Answer, it's not that Arjuna has been disrespectful to Krishna. It was tradition at that time that warriors were also expert charioteers and they would in this way be able to do both functions.
When if they were caught in a war where the charioteer was killed, then they might be immobilized. So, they also knew how to operate the chariots and sometimes the warriors would become expert charioteers. Often sometimes they were more expert charioteers than the charioteers themselves.
But because they were warriors, they would primarily function as warriors. Now, just like if we have a team sports, then some two players get along very well. So, there is a team has a two opening batsmen and they are very good partners and that team does very well.
So, like that the charioteer and warrior had to be a good team. And when they were a good team, then the combination would be extremely powerful. So, Krishna had acted as a charioteer for Arjuna for the first time in the Khandava Yudha.
At that time when Agni in the form of a Brahmana had approached Krishna and Arjuna who were sitting on the outskirts of the forest chatting, at that time and he told that this the world needs to be rid of all the dangerous and demons in animal form who are living in this forest. And then he with the arrangement of the various gods brought a chariot. So, at that time as Arjuna rode on the chariot, Krishna became his charioteer.
And at that time they discovered that they worked as a very powerful team. Krishna would anticipate Arjuna's mind, Arjuna's strategy and when a warrior is going to attack in a particular way, he needs a chariot to be moved in a particular way. So, when Krishna could anticipate that and Arjuna because they were such close friends and they were also great warriors.
So, that combination worked extremely well and therefore when the most important war of his life was to be fought, at that time Arjuna knew that Krishna also wanted the Khandavas to win. And he gives the reason that at that time in the Mahabharata, the external reason he gives is that I have a good chariot but I don't have a charioteer. Krishna, if you become a charioteer then I'll be victorious.
That is of course one level of reason because they were very good combination. But secondly, Krishna himself, although Krishna had decided that he will not fight on the side of anyone in that war, but still he wanted to be there by the side of the Pandavas to counsel them, to guide them. And the charioteer was a very critical position from which he could observe things and he could guide his dear friend.
So, Krishna was not just the charioteer of Arjuna, he was the counselor. And when Arjuna requests Krishna to become his charioteer, that is not just because he needs a charioteer and Krishna is available. It is not that he is neglecting that Krishna is God but rather he wants God by his side so that he can get guidance from God.
And the best position, because Krishna had chosen to be a non-combatant in that war, the best position for him was to be a charioteer where he would be there in the thick of action but would not be fighting. So, it was out of his recognition of the intimacy of their friendship, about the necessity of the divine guidance and the expertise of their combination because of which Arjuna asked Krishna to become his charioteer. Thank you.