Arjuna orders Kṛṣṇa (Bg 1.20 to 1.23)
After the sounding of the conchshells, the description shifts to Arjuna, who takes up his bow and prepares for battle. Ready to fight, he asks Kṛṣṇa to place his chariot between the two armies.
« The Song of God—Volume 1, chapters 1-6
Arjuna orders Kṛṣṇa (Bg 1.20 to 1.23)
After the sounding of the conchshells, the description shifts to Arjuna, who takes up his bow and prepares for battle. Confident and ready to fight, he asks Kṛṣṇa to place his chariot between the two armies so he can see those who have come to fight on the side of Duryodhana.
Text 20: atha vyavasthitān dṛṣṭvā, dhārtarāṣṭrān kapi-dhvajaḥ
pravṛtte śastra-sampāte, dhanur udyamya pāṇḍavaḥ
hṛṣīkeśam tadā vākyam, idam āha mahī-pate
At that time Arjuna, the son of Pāṇḍu, seated in the chariot bearing the flag marked with Hanumān, took up his bow and prepared to shoot his arrows. O King, after looking at the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra drawn in military array, Arjuna then spoke to Lord Kṛṣṇa these words.
Texts 21-22: arjuna uvāca
senayor ubhayor madhye, ratham sthāpaya me ’cyuta
yāvad etān nirīkṣe ’ham, yoddhu-kāmān avasthitān
kair mayā saha yoddhavyam, asmin raṇa-samudyame
Arjuna said: O infallible one, please draw my chariot between the two armies so that I may see those present here, who desire to fight, and with whom I must contend in this great trial of arms.
Text 23: yotsyamānān avekṣe ’ham, ya ete ’tra samāgatāḥ
dhārtarāṣṭrasya durbuddher, yuddhe priya-cikīrṣavaḥ
Let me see those who have come here to fight, wishing to please the evil-minded son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.
There were many signs of victory for the side of Arjuna. The emblem of Hanumān on the flag of his chariot, for example, was not just a symbol. During their exile, Bhīma encountered Hanumān while climbing Mount Gandhamādana on the way to the abode of Kuvera. Both Hanumān and Bhīma are considered sons of Vāyu, and thus Hanumān accepted Bhīma as his brother and promised to be present on the emblem of Arjuna’s chariot flag and assist the Pāndavas during the battle. Hanumān is also famous as a servant of Rāma, and since Rāma was present as Kṛṣṇa, Hanumān was also present on the side of the Pāndavas. Apart from Hanumān, Sītā, the goddess of fortune, was also present, since she never leaves her position on the chest of the Lord.
Being Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, how could He accept the position of the charioteer of Arjuna, a subordinate position? This is an indication of His magnanimity and His sweet dealings with His pure devotees. An ordinary important person in this world could be reluctant to accept a lower position, fearing this could tarnish his reputation, but Kṛṣṇa is so great that He makes no such considerations. Instead, He feels more pleasure in accepting orders from His pure devotees, reciprocating their pure love, than in acting as the Supreme Lord.
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains in his commentary that “The relationship between the Lord and His servitor is very sweet and transcendental. The servitor is always ready to render service to the Lord, and, similarly, the Lord is always seeking an opportunity to render some service to the devotee. He takes greater pleasure in His pure devotee’s assuming the advantageous position of ordering Him than He does in being the giver of orders. Since He is master, everyone is under His orders, and no one is above Him to order Him. But when He finds that a pure devotee is ordering Him, He obtains transcendental pleasure, although He is the infallible master in all circumstances.”
Once, Lord Caitanya met a brāhmaṇa in South India when He entered the temple of Śrī Ranganātha. The brāhmaṇa was immersed in reading the Bhagavad-gītā, and the Lord was overjoyed to see him reading so attentively, with tears flowing from his eyes. Other brāhmaṇas, however, were mocking him because he was illiterate and could not read the verses properly.
When questioned by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the brāhmaṇa answered that although he was illiterate, his guru had instructed him to read the Bhagavad-gītā daily. Thus, he tried to read it, even though he was illiterate and couldn’t read properly. The Lord then asked him why he was crying, and the brāhmaṇa replied that whenever he sat down to read the Gītā, the form of Lord Kṛṣṇa as Pārtha-sārathi, the charioteer of Arjuna, would appear in his heart, making him realize how kindly the Lord deals with His devotees. This thought would make him cry. Lord Caitanya embraced him and said that his reading of the Bhagavad-gītā was perfect. He had taken the essence.
Main points in the purports of Śrīla Prabhupāda:
“At that time Arjuna, the son of Pāṇḍu, seated in the chariot bearing the flag marked with Hanumān, took up his bow and prepared to shoot his arrows. O King, after looking at the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra drawn in military array, Arjuna then spoke to Lord Kṛṣṇa these words.”
a) Hanumān was present in the emblem on the flag of Arjuna, and Rāma was Himself seated on his chariot, in His original form as Śrī Kṛṣṇa, ready to give him direction. The enemy soldiers were already disheartened, and all signs pointed to victory.
“Arjuna said: O infallible one, please draw my chariot between the two armies so that I may see those present here, who desire to fight, and with whom I must contend in this great trial of arms.”
a) Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Still, He was engaged in the service of Arjuna, driving his chariot out of affection. He is called infallible (Acyuta) because He never fails in His affection for His devotees.
b) Even though He had accepted the position of Arjuna’s charioteer, His supreme position was never challenged.
c) How can God become a servant of His devotee? “The relationship between the Lord and His servitor is very sweet and transcendental. The servitor is always ready to render service to the Lord, and, similarly, the Lord is always seeking an opportunity to render some service to the devotee. He takes greater pleasure in His pure devotee’s assuming the advantageous position of ordering Him than He does in being the giver of orders.”
d) At this point, Arjuna is still determined to fight. The war was unwanted, but it had become inevitable because of the stubbornness of Duryodhana. He desired, therefore, to take a look and see who had come to fight and how determined they were.
“Let me see those who have come here to fight, wishing to please the evil-minded son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.”
a) Arjuna had no intention of making a peace offer, but he wanted to see who was there and make an estimate of their military strength, even though he was confident of victory because of the presence of Kṛṣṇa.
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