God Helps Those Who Earnestly Seek Help

Krishna's Teachings

by Jayaram V

Index

Chapter 2, Verse 3

3.Yield not to unmanliness, O Partha for it does not become thee. Shake off this petty faint heartedness and arise, O Parantapa.


The appeal to the ego and its vanity continues. Confronted with insurmountable problems and difficult situations, it is but natural for a person to lose his heart and give up fighting. Fear is a major inhibiting factor, when our social and moral values are seemingly in conflict with what we intend to do. It is not necessary that we always use right reason or discernment in trying circumstances to draw our conclusions. Most of the time we respond to such situations with emotions rather than reason.

The very idea that we are going to incur the displeasure or disapproval of others even if they are not knowledgeable, righteous or wise is sufficient to unsettle our conditioned minds. This happens in case of many. When people become emotional, they falter. Their judgment fails. They overlook inconvenient truths and rationalize their actions and decisions. This is a very human response to extraordinary situations where one is helpless or confused. When people lose their heart, and suffer from fear, they withdraw into themselves and refuse to act. If they are not reminded of their duties and responsibilities towards themselves and their families, they may accept defeat as the will of God or fate and resign themselves to passive gloom.

Devotion and faith are important in life. When you have them, and if you seek the guidance or assistance of God, most likely you will be rescued from difficult situations by God, or by some mysterious force or entity. This is an important lesson, which we can learn from the Bhagavadgita. Take refuge in God. Seek his company. Ask him to be with you and guide you in your life. Send out a prayer expressing your desire and devotion and wait for his response. Most likely you will receive it, if you are receptive and attentive.

Lord Krishna helped the Pandavas to win the war, because they believed in him and sought his help and guidance. When Krishna said that he would not directly participate in the war and engage in fighting, Arjuna asked him to be his charioteer and guide. He wanted Krishna to be on his side and on the side of his brothers. It was a wise decision on his part, as we can see that without his help, the Pandavas would not have won the war against the formidable Kauravas.

God comes into your life at a time when you are ripe for liberation, or when your past karma prepares you for that journey. God also responds to love, but true love does not usually manifest in the mind unless it is purified. Certain situations and circumstances manifest in your life as part of that destiny, which force you to acknowledge your limitations and seek divine help. Suffering is part of that process. When people experience physical or mental breakdown and turn to God, in most cases they receive help or a positive sign or a cryptic message as a dream or a chance event.

God is not only the concealer of truth as part of his Maya but also the revealer of truth, who removes the cloud of ignorance and delusion from the minds of his devotees. He helps those who are in distress, when they pray, and saves them from self-destruction. It may not always happen with certainty, because of past karma, but there is no harm in trying to earn the grace of God. When God is willing to help his devotees, words of comfort and encouragement will come from all directions and they will be rescued almost miraculously from difficulties. Arjuna was a blessed soul who had become dearer to Lord Krishna. Therefore, he was bound to receive his help and guidance.

At the individual level, symbolically, the Bhagavadgita is a dialogue between the lower self and the higher self within a human being. The higher self does not always interfere in daily problems unless you have completely dissolved your identity in him, but in crucial moments it does warn you or prompt you through intuition and other means. Depending upon how sensitive you are, you may or may not listen to those messages. If you are sensitive enough and if you have faith in your own hidden divinity, you can surely find solution to all your problems within yourself by establishing a channel of communication with your inner guide. You can ask the higher wisdom which is hidden in you behind a veil of worldly noise to guide you and help you.

Symbolically, what you find in this verse is the response of the divine Self in response to the grief and sorrow expressed by the worldly self. Arjuna represents the latter, and he was promptly chided by Krishna for losing heart and acting in an unmanly manner, which was not expected of a warrior prince. The Bhagavadgita is a bridge between two different realms, planes or states of consciousness, where both the higher-self and the lower-self meet, engage in a spiritual dialogue and come to an agreement on the finer aspects of spiritual transformation and liberation. The one who is the witnesses washes the one who is engaged in worldly actions with the waters of divine wisdom and purity so that the being in whom they reside radiates divine qualities with full force.

The stage was set for the meeting of two minds and the appearance of that middle-ground or bridge where Arjuna will be led to the other side of reality and the world of immortals. He would be engaged in a war on behalf of the Lord of Death (Kala) who had already decided to kill the enemies of Dharma and restore the order and regularity of the world.

Note : These commentaries are not part of the Bhagavadgita Complete Translation.

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