Thursday, September 13, 2012

Bhagavad Gita Verse 13, Chapter 10

aahustvaamrishayaha sarve devarshinaaradastathaa |
asito devalo vyaasaha svyayam chaiva braveeshi me || 13 ||

 
All the great sages and royal sages such as Naarada, Asita, Devala and Vyaasa speak this, and also you have said it to me.
 
aahuhu : speak
tvaam : to you
rishayaha : sages
sarve : all
devarshihi : divine sages
naaradasha : Naarada
tathaa : also
asitaha : Asita
devalaha : Devala
vyaasaha : Vyaasa
svyayam : yourself
cha : and
eva : also
braveeshi : said
me : to me
 
Further praising Ishvara, Arjuna added that several eminent individuals, over the course of history, have also praised Ishvara. He listed the names of the renowned sages Naarada, Asita, Devala and Vyaasa in this regard.
 
The Srimad Bhagavatam speaks of Naarada as the son of a maid-servant who served several priests. He grew up in an environment of spirituality and decided to seek the absolute truth in a forests after his mother passed away. His meditation bore fruit when he had a vision of Ishvara. After his death, he was reborn as the sage Naarada that many of us are familiar with. Naarada was learned in all the arts and sciences. He could travel anywhere in the universe, and talk to any deity that he wished.
 
Another sage mentioned here is Devalaha who was the son of a great sage named Asita, who was born as a result of Asita’s prayer to Lord Shiva. It is said that Devalaha was cursed by a celestial maiden named Rambha for not agreeing to marry her. He was reborn as Sage Ashtavakra, who is famous for writing the Ashtavakra Gita. And of course, Sage Krishna Dvaipayana Vyaasa is the author of the great Indian epic Mahabhaarata.
 
So therefore, Arjuna accepted the authority of Shri Krishna to convey the true nature of Ishvara. But did he have any doubts or objections?

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