Bhagvad Gita Rahasya or Karmayoga Shastra VOL 02

Author(s): Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bhalchandra S Sukhtankar
Publisher: R B Tilak Puna

Page 53

CONTINUITY OF CHAPTERS OF THE GITA
623
dis chief difficulty was whether or not he should commit such a terrible act like warfare, and if so, how; and when Sri Krsņa advanced any particular logical argument in His reply, Arjuna would raise objections to it. The exposition made in the Gita in the form of this catechism is naturally very succinct or short in some places, whereas there have been repetitions in other places. For instance, the description of the developing-out of three-constituented Matter has appeared with slight differences in two places (Gi. Chap. I and XIV); whereas, although the description of the Sthitaprajña, the Bhagavad-bhakta, the Trigunātīta, and the Brahma-bhūta is one and the same, yet, the same has been repeated on different occasions from different points of view. On the other hand, the doctrine that 'artha' (wealth) and "kūma' (desire), are proper when not inconsistent with dharma (Morality), has been enunciated in the single sentence "dharmaviruddhah kūmo'smi" (7. 11), (i. e., "I am that kāma (Desire), which is not contrary to dharma (Morality)"-Trans). In consequence, although all these various subjects have appeared in the Gītā, yet, the readers of the Gītā get confused as a result of their not being acquainted with the traditions of the ancient doctrines of the religion of the Srutis, the religion of the Smrtis, the Bhāgavata religion, the Sámkhya philosophy, the Pūrva-Mimāmsā, the Vedānta Philosophy, the Theory of Causality (karma-vipaka) etc., on the authority of which the Knowledge in the Gitā has been expounded; and as they do not really understand the method of exposition, they think that the Gită is something unintelligible; or that it must have been expounded before the scientific method of expounding things had come into vogue, and that there are, on that account, to be found inconsistencies or an incomplete exposition in various places in the Gītā; or that at any rate, the Knowledge expounded in it is inaccessible to their intelligence. If one refers to the various commentaries for clearing one's doubts, one gets all the more confused, since almost all the commentaries are in support of some doctrine or other, and it becomes extremely difficult to harmonise the mutually conflicting opinions of the commentators. I know several even very learned readers, who bave got confused in this way. In order that such a difficulty