[Advaita-l] Why did Krishna said that he was unable to repeat Gita?

[Jaldhar H. Vyas]

At the auspicious time of Gita Jayanti, I would like to revisit this 
earlier conversation.


On Tue, 1 Nov 2016, Srirudra wrote:

> I do not agree that Sri Arjuna has failed to fully grasp the lessons as
> claimed.Because of His rapt attention to what was delivered to Him by
> Sri Krishna He raised many relevant queries to Sri Krishna's lessons and
> that is how we have a Gita which is not incomprehensible .Also in the
> concluding stanza by Him He says "gatha Sandheha:Karishye Vachanam
> Thava."So any teacher will feel happy when a student says "I had
> understood fully." Why Sri Krishna was reluctant to repeat the Gita may
> be the atmosphere was not the same as it was in Kurukshethra.



On Wed, 2 Nov 2016, Bhaskar YR wrote:

> nashtO mOhaH smrutir labhdhA, sthitOsmi gata saNdehaH are the 
> confirmations of arjuna and shankara observes that Arjuna after 
> receiving the upadesha from geetAchArya, is 'realized'.  Now the 
> question is not about 'krishna' but jnAni like arjuna, since he has 
> forgotten this jnana through which he has realization it seems he should 
> have continued to remember / practise this jnana even after 
> geetOpadesha, due to lack of this practise, a sort of vijnAya prajnAm 
> kurveeta, he has forgotten his jnana over a period of time!!  BTW, this 
> realization is mere realization of arjuna's kshAtra dharma or it is the 
> realization of 'paramArtha jnAna'??  From shankara bhAshya it seems 
> arjuna has become paramArtha jnAni and not just knowing his duty on the 
> battle field.  If it is former, then in arjuna's case (due to his 
> prArabdha / avidyA lesha etc.) even though he was a paramArtha jnAni at 
> the completion of geetOpadesha, he has forgotten this jnana and became 
> 'ajnAni' again at the time of praying for the repetition from the lord.
>

Both of you are quoting the same shloka Gita 18.73.  You are right that in 
the first part of the shloka Arjuna is indeed claiming that his delusions 
have been destroyed and that he has become free of doubt but look at the 
last three words:  karishye vachanam tava.  "I will do as you have said." 
What does Krishna Bhagavan want Arjuna to do?  Shankaracharya in the 
introduction to his bhAShya says (quoting anugItA 28.3) GYAnaM 
saMnyAsalakShaNam "The defining characteristic of jnana is sannyasa." is 
the highest teaching of the gItA.  But Arjuna does not take sannyasa and 
is not expected to either.  Krishna Bhagavan has two objectives in talking 
to Arjuna.  The long-term one is to foster renunciation which leads to the 
supreme knowledge.  But the short-term goal is to get Arjuna out of his 
depression and to do his job and _fight_.  It is this short-term goal 
which is met by the end of the gItA.  However we who are not caught in the 
heat of the moment can appreciate the long-term goal as well.




-- 
Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>