The use of allegory in the Bhagavad Gita by Eknath Easwaran - Essay Example

The magical words of the Gita have been taken all around the world, and have inspired millions of people. Therefore, there can be little doubt as regards its efficacy, timeless relevance and of course, its wondrous, practical simplicity. The allegory, the wonderful symbolization of the world in all its colors - makes the song of God one of the greatest and most relevant works of religion. And this allegory can be seen in the Gita itself - a study of the entire epic is not even necessary! So, it is important to analyze and understand the reason for the Bhagavad Gita's strong influence on our minds - which can be properly done only by studying the beautiful allegory that is used in the poem.

The entire Mahabharata is itself full of symbols, if we look deeply. Whether it is Dhritarashtra's blindness, Yudhishthira's flying chariot, a brotherhood of five Pandavas as compared to an ocean of a hundred Kauravas - all these strange characterizations and symbolizations carry a distinct meaning in themselves. The most prominent symbols, however, are the incarnation of Lord Krishna on the Earth, and his subsequent role as a charioteer to the Pandava Arjuna - who has been depicted as Nara (Man).

It is commonly understood that the discourse given by Krishna to Arjuna is the only thing that comes close to an Allegory - being interpreted as God teaching man some important ideals (very much like the ten commandments!), but that is simply not true - The allegory can be seen and felt the moment Arjuna panics at the time of the commencement of battle - Man panics when he has to do his duty. And here, Man is Arjuna and his duty is to participate in this war. From this moment on, we can observe a great deal of wonderful and intelligent symbolization the great poet Veda Vyasa has hidden in the Gita. ".take me to the middle of the battlefield, my dear Krishna, so that I may observe the armies facing each other.

" - Thus did Arjuna plead with his charioteer (after the conch of the commencement of the battle was sounded!). "Middle of the battlefield" "My Dear Krishna" "may observe the armies facing each other" "after the conch of commencement of the battle was sounded" - have these questions ever been raised NEVER! But the entire soul of the poem's allegory is contained in these words. The moment Arjuna panicked, the Lord smiled. The very setting of the Gita and the conversation between Nara (Arjuna) and Narayana (Krishna) is too bizarre and eccentric for words - but that setting makes the song of God "Timeless".

The "middle of the battlefield" is actually a point in everyone's life, when one has to make a crucial, life-changing decision. Arjuna wanted a clear view of both armies, and that could be done only when he could stand at the middle of the battlefield, impartially. The symbol "middle of the battlefield" actually teaches us just that - to be completely impartial while making an important decision. One should never be carried away by senseless and overwhelming