Symbolism in the Gita

Symbolism in the Gita

    Bhagavad-Gita is the ‘yogopanishat’, par excellence, ‘upa(vish)’ meaning, seated near, and ‘adesha’ giving directions to the dearest seated-one regarding yoga. Here Bhagavan Shree Krishna, as Yogacharya, teaches karma, sankhya, bhakti, jnyan/ buddhi, dhyana yoga and the secret knowledge of Brahmn to Arjuna. It is symbolic that the characters that appear here are not the names and forms of the human-likes! These are the qualities of nature (svabhava) reflected by the characters. Swami Yogananda gives a long list of these symbolic names in his commentary on the Bhagavad-Gita. (see Yogananda:The Bhagavad-Gita- A Yogoda Satsang Society of India publication).

Shree Krishna is depicted as King-Soul (Paramatma) ruling the Jivatman. Vyasadeva is Consciously aware of this relative existence of all jivarashi; Dhrutarashtra is the Blind King with a strong sense of attachment, a sensuous Mind, vikshipta manah, unmindful of consequences, Duryodhana and a hundred Kurus are desirous of pomp and vain glory prompted by bloated ‘ego’ and jealousy; Yudhisthira and his brothers, Pandava, are the five elemental fields (mahat tattvas), and the list goes on endlessly like this bringing out the esoteric aspects of Gitopadesha. In fact the entire Bhagavad-Gita is an esoteric science where Bhagavan Shree Krishna, the Lord, Himself says, “I am revealing the secret of the secrets (guhyatama guhya) knowledge of renunciation and emancipation of the embodied soul.”