Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 18 verse 78

 Chapter 18 verse 78               

“Wherever there is Shree Krishna, the Lord of all Yoga, and wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be unending opulence, victory, prosperity, and righteousness. Of this, I am certain.” 

This is the final sloka of the Bhagavat Gita in which a definitive conclusion is made by Sanjaya, the narrator about the outcome of the war and side of the victors. Considering that the kaurava army was far more powerful and larger than the pandava army and that the prediction was made to the emperor on the side of Kauravas, it was indeed a bold prediction by Sanjaya. However Sanjaya was driven by his conviction that where there is God and His devotee, that side cannot lose. The side of God is the side of virtue, truth, both material and spiritual opulence and hence victory has to happen. Likewise in life, as devotees of the Supreme Lord, we need to be on His side by leading a virtuous, truthful and good spirited life and be constantly on the path of spiritual bliss. I am extremely humbled by the opportunity to reflect on the great teaching of Bhagavat Gita over the last 18 months. All praise be to the Supreme Bhagawan!!! “Kaayena Vaacha Manasa Indriyehi va, buddhi atmanava prakruthe svabhavath karomi yadyath sakalam parasmy narayana ithi samarpayami- All my actions performed by body, speech, mind, senses, intellect and soul-soul and my inherent vasanas are surrendered in the Divine feet of the Supreme Lord Narayana and let Him Bless us with His GRACE”.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 18 verse 77

 Chapter 18 verse 77               

“And remembering that most astonishing and wonderful cosmic form of Lord Krishna, great is my astonishment, and I am thrilled with joy over and over again.” 

Nothing which happens in life is an accident. Bhagawan Sri Krishna afforded the cosmic vision of Himself to Arjuna since he asked in a devoted fashion and had the merits gathered from all his previous lives and sincerity. Sanjaya, being the narrator of this Bhagavat Gita to Dhritharastra benefited from this cosmic vision as well. Sincere efforts from our end afford Divine Grace. That’s what Sanjaya received in this case and he is still reveling in that boundless joy of having that cosmic vision.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 18 verse 76

 Chapter 18 verse 76               

“As I repeatedly recall this astonishing and wonderful dialogue between the Supreme Lord Shree Krishna and Arjuna, O King, I rejoice again and again.” 

Sanjaya is excitedly telling King Dhritharastra that he is blissful to have heard the dialogue between Bhagawan and Arjuna and would love to hear it again and again for validation and pure joy. This is the nature of focused action whether spiritual or otherwise. Focused efforts lead to good results and in the path of spirituality; one has to focus their material instruments on the spiritual realm and away from the material realm. Even though this is hard, by God’s Grace and human effort it is not impossible.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 18 verse 75

 Chapter 18 verse 75               

“By the grace of Veda Vyasa, I have heard this supreme and most secret Yoga from the Lord of Yoga, Shree Krishna himself.” 

Veda Vyasa was the Guru of Sanjaya and had blessed him with remote viewing and clairvoyance abilities. He could listen and observe the conversation between Bhagawan Sree Krishna and Arjuna in the battlefield while being present with Dhridirastra in the hastinapura palace. Sanjaya feels immensely blessed to have heard this great spiritual discourse from the Lord of Lords Himself. We call Mahabharata as itihaasa or history or “what happened” since it was written as it happened. Veda Vyasa with his remote viewing and clairvoyance abilities could observe all occurrences in all places and has given us a priceless gem of an epic including the priceless Bhagavat Gita. It is also by God’s Grace that we get to reflect on this immense and profound spiritual knowledge.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 18 verse 74

 Chapter 18 verse 74               

“Sanjaya said: Thus, have I heard this wonderful conversation between Shree Krishna, the son of Vasudeva, and Arjuna, the noble-hearted son of Pritha. So thrilling is the message that my hair is standing on end.” 

A just culmination of the dialogue between Bhagawan and Arjuna happened in the last sloka with Arjuna declaring that he will follow and execute Bhagawan’s advise. Having witnessed and heard the entire conversation, Sanjana who was granted special powers of remote viewing and sensing by Veda Vyasa is filled with deep devotion for Bhagawan and is also very impressed with Arjuna that he is following Bhagawan’s advice. Sanjana is a blessed soul in that when presented with great knowledge, he is soaking up on the same and his heart is swayed by his devotion towards Supreme.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 18 verse 73

 Chapter 18 verse 73               

“Arjuna Said: O infallible one, by your grace my illusion has been dispelled, and I am situated in knowledge. I am now free from doubts, and I shall act according to your instructions.” 

It is only by the God’s Grace that Arjuna’s delusion has been quashed. He has been given the wisdom to differentiate between real and unreal, pair of opposites in terms of all material clinging. Arjuna does not have any doubts about what he is supposed to do and he declares that he will do as per what Bhagawan Sri Krishna wanted him to do earlier in the Bhagavat Gita-that is to fight the kaurava army to the best of his ability. Arjuna declares “I will do your biding-Karishye Vachanam Tava”. It is time for all of us to utter the same mantra-I will do God’s biding. May He light our path of virtue and goodness and keep us out of harm’s way.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 18 verse 72

 Chapter 18 verse 72               

“O Arjuna, have you heard me with a concentrated mind? Have your ignorance and delusion been destroyed?” 

The Bhagavat Gita started with Arjuna’s vishaadha-his delusion and depression in chapter 1. After nearly 700 slokas explaining the deep secrets of life, Bhagawan wants to know from Arjuna if he has understood what has been instructed to him. Any great teacher is always looking for validation from the student if they have understood what has been taught. Bhagawan fully knows that Arjuna has understood the teaching at least to the extent which needs to be understood for completing the task at hand. Spiritual teachings cannot be understood only theoretically. We need to have experiential understanding of the spiritual knowledge and that’s what all our multiple lives prepare us for.