The Mind Games End And War Begins – Gita Verses 4 C1 V10to13

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
This is the Bhagavad Gita’s first chapter, which has 46 texts, and we are, we have covered about the, let’s say, one-fourth of it. So one to, yeah, the tenth verse, we’re going to be there. So till now, basically, the events on the battlefield are being described, but from the perspective of how the psychology of people has been affected or not affected by the place.
So what we saw was Duryodhana, the evil prince, was unaffected by Dharma. He continued his politicking. And now he is going to give his concluding assessment, and then we’ll move forward.
So here he’s giving a comparative assessment and he’s saying that we are better, that our strength is, there is finite, there is measurable, and ours is immeasurable. And he’s saying that we are led by Bhishma. Duryodhana, he is concluding his assessment of the two forces by saying that we are better.
The whole point was that in the mind games he wants to win. So he is saying that, yeah, we are better, we are better here. So while he is doing all this, it’s interesting that these two names have rhymes, Bhima and Bhishma.
Their names are rhyming, but it’s interesting whom he is choosing also. Because Bhishma is his commander, whereas Bhima is not exactly the commander on the opposite. He is a formidable warrior, but not the commander.
So what is he trying to do by this is that he is basically, he has two senior people on his side. One is Bhishma, and like we discussed, the other is Drona. And he is, their loyalties are suspect for him.
The heart is not there in it. So he has goaded Drona, and now he wants to lord. He wants to lord Bhishma.
Oh, you know, you are important for me. You are my commander. Because you are leading me, we are going to be victorious.
So that’s how he’s doing that. And Bhima, as we discussed, is his arch rival. So by using him as the opposite comparison, he’s saying that, actually, I’m not afraid of him.
There’s no need for us to be afraid of him. He is no match for us. Now, there is, he’s also saying that, so basically, he’s thinking of his superiority in two terms.
In terms of numbers, and in terms of veterans. Since the people on my side are far more experienced, and we have bigger numbers. And he is in this way saying that, yeah, we are better off.
There’s nothing for us to fear. So now, as Drona is speaking, as Duryodhana is speaking rather, so he has spoken to Drona. He has also lorded Bhishma.
But he has all these allies, and he knows that not all of them are as into the war. They don’t hate the Pandavas the way he hates them. So he wants to make sure that none of these other people, they feel minimized.
So he is reminding them of their importance. So he’s telling that, indirectly, he’s telling that, well, Bhishma is our leader. He alone can’t do it.
So you all also have to help me. And in that way, he’s encouraging them. Everyone else, in your positions, fight competently.
Fight diligently. And indirectly, this could also be an indication that Bhishma is old. Or he might be vulnerable.
He’s their main person, but he might be ambushed sometimes on the side. So all of you in your positions, we are going to work as a team. So Duryodhana, in his own way, he might be evil, but he is a politician.
And he is, at least in some ways, good at getting people to do what he wants. So in one sense, appreciating that this is a, or asserting that this is a team, and as a team effort, he is telling all of you, please, you also play an important role. You stay in your position and you fight.
So the mind games are still going on. But at this point, suddenly, Bhishma gets tired of all these mind games. Let’s just fight.
So it’s almost as if while Duryodhana is speaking, he has more or less completed his speech. But there is this uncertainty. So there’s a lull in Duryodhana’s speech.
And at that time, Bhishma says, enough now. So let’s see what Bhishma does at that time. He thinks it’s enough.
And what does he do? Let’s see. In general, every culture has certain symbols, rituals, practices, whatever word we want to use for it, which indicate certain things. For example, I think in football, they blow a whistle.
And then they understand, now the game has started. Or sometimes in a running race, they might shoot in the air with a real trigger or whatever, with a real gun or a false gun or whatever. So there is some indication that it’s going to start now.
And in war, often people have rallying cries. And they cry, down with the evil empire, whatever, like that. So here in this culture, it’s not so much rallying cries and slogans.
But here it’s more of blowing conches. So it’s interesting that in the tradition, conch is considered to be in this beginning of something holy. Like when we start something holy.
So for example, when we are doing worship in temples. So in the beginning of that, a conch is blown. So the idea is that conch, at one level, it invokes auspiciousness.
Conch does many things. The conch, when it is blown, it invokes, if you consider what it implies, it just at a practical level, it invokes the beginning. Symbolizes or indicates that we are beginning now.
But it’s also a call, invocation for auspiciousness. Because this is a war and people want the omens to be good for them. The stars or whatever are there to be aligned for them.
But then how the conch is blown, that can also indicate the morale, the confidence. Generally, people’s speech itself indicates, are they confident? Are they insecure? Are they fearful? Or are they arrogant? So here, the blowing of the conch is Simmanadam Vinadyacharya described here. It was like the roaring of a lion.
And that indicated that Bhishma was fully into the fight. So Bhishma, he was a dutiful warrior. He had to fight on a side that he did not like.
But in one sense, duty often requires us to do things that we don’t like. Now I have to do it. I’m going to do it diligently.
So let’s begin. And in one sense, that Duryodhana got joy. Giving him joy.
Now that indicates that there is no doubt that Duryodhana has no second thoughts about the war. That he wants to fight. He’s determined.
He thinks that he’s going to win. And so overall, the starting questions, apprehension. Is this place going to affect my people negatively? That is seen.
There’s no negative effect. Or at least there’s no losing of his morale to fight. Duryodhana’s morale.
That is seen both through his words. And now to his response to Bhishma’s action. Let’s go to the next verse.
Now when he blows his conch. Let’s see how that affects others. So there are similarities in language.
The Sanskrit word is tumulo. And the English word is tumultus. So if you go into the history.
Many of these languages. Latin, Greek and Sanskrit. They have many similarities.
And in many ways the Sanskrit language is more refined than Latin and Greek. It has greater vocabulary. Better, more evolved grammatical structure.
We’ll go into that. So it’s a logical hypothesis that Sanskrit could be the origin of both of them. But the mainstream idea is that all these three came from some other language.
Well, where that was and what that was and who spoke that. There is no historical evidence of that. But without going into the history.
The point is that the similarity of the English and Sanskrit over here. The point is that it was tumultus, the whole sound. And when the sound was tumultus.
That indicates that. Again, the others are also not demoralized. The others are also enthusiastic.
The others are also responding to Bhishma. So whether it is earlier Duryodhana’s words. Or it is Bhishma’s words.
Both of them. Bhishma’s actions, not words. Both of those have affected in such a way that they are all.
They are all enthused to fight. So now. So everyone means everyone in the Kauravas.
Kaurava army. That is what they are blowing their conscience. So here we will see that.
The overall the first chapter brings begins with a very gripping situation. It’s a. It starts with very vivid specifics. Even if the names are something which is.
Bit of a tongue twister for us. But overall we are brought right in the middle of the war. And.
The narrative focus. Was on the side of the. Kauravas.
It was largely on Bhishma. It was first on. On Duryodhana.
Duryodhana and Drona. And then it shifted to Bhishma. And then it shifted to everyone else.
So it’s like in a movie or something. The scene cuts from one place to another place to another place to another place. So now that narrative.
Lens. Which was still which was on this side. Is now going to shift over here.
So basically from 2 to 13. The narrative lens was. On the.
Kaurava side. And. This is building up.
From here onwards. From 14 onwards. The narrative lens will be on the Pandava side.
And. Among these Pandavas. It.
Starts with the 2 main characters. Then it goes to others. It again comes back to those 2 characters.
And that’s where it stays throughout. After this entire chapter. So.
It will shift to. The 2 characters who are the. Central individuals.
In the discussion of the Bhagavad Gita. Krishna. And.
Earlier they were talking. Duryodhana had to go to Drona. Because Duryodhana and Drona were on separate chariots.
But Krishna and Arjuna. Are on the same chariot. So that we discussed.
In the next text. So we could say the. 10th verse was his final assessment.
11th verse was his final mind game. Now we have to. We are strong.
Our leaders are strong. Our forces are bigger. And then.
All of you have to support also. Bhishma alone can’t do it. So it’s like team building.
And then. Here there is the call. From the commander.
That is Bhishma. And then there is. The response by others.
So. Overall. It’s indicating readiness.
To fight. On the side of the Kauravas. And we will see what happens.
On the side of the Pandavas. Thereafter.