Sri Krishna’s dialogue with Sri Aurobindo

In the middle of an open and widebattle field of Kurukshetra; as the cosmic Kalachakra readied to turn to welcomethe Yuga of Kali, Sri Krishna passed on the sacred instruction of the BhagavadGita, so Arjuna could enter into the material world, equipped with a divineknowledge that would plunge him into the flux of a gory war that wouldultimately shape the destiny of Bharat. In stark contrast, in a dingy andhardly ventilated prison in Alipore, as the cosmic Kalachakra readied to heralda new age; which many believe to be the advent of the Yuga of Satya, SriKrishna passed on the Adesha and the message of the Gita to Sri Aurobindo,advising him to withdraw from the struggle of Independence of Bharat,implanting unto him the sacred wisdom that would lead to the manifestation of asupramental consciousness that will eventually alter the shape and destiny ofall of mankind.

Post the experience, Sri Aurobindo went on to call the Aliporejail, his Yoga ashram for it was there that he found the lord of his heart, hisfriend —his Krishna!

“The British prison was that ashram. I have alsowatched this strange contradiction in my life that however much good mywell-intentioned friends might do for me, it is those who have harmed me—whomshall I call an enemy, since enemy I have none? —my opponents have helped meeven more. They wanted to do me an ill turn, the result was I got what Iwanted. The only result of the wrath of the British Government was that I foundGod.” CWSA 9:1

Quoting some of the words that Sri Krishna spoke to SriAurobindo in light of the words from the great dialogue between Sri Krishna andArjuna that took place aeons ago, at Kurukshetra—

“The bonds you had not strength to break, I have broken foryou, because it is not my will nor was it ever my intention that that shouldcontinue. I have another thing for you to do and it is for that I have broughtyou here, to teach you what you could not learn for yourself and to train youfor my work.”  CWSA 8:5

eṣhā te ’bhihitā sānkhye buddhir yoge tvimāṁ śhṛiṇu
buddhyā yukto yayā pārtha karma-bandhaṁ prahāsyasi 2.39

Listen to what now I am going to reveal
That knowledge O Arjuna, that lifts the veil,
 That most ancient Yoga of Knowledge,
Which liberates one from Karma’s bondage. |2.39|

 “Behold the peopleamong whom I have sent you to do a little of my work. This is the nature of thenation I am raising up and the reason why I raise them.” CWSA 8:7

na tu māṁ śhakyase draṣhṭum anenaivasva-chakṣhuṣhā
divyaṁ dadāmi te chakṣhuḥ paśhya me yogam aiśhwaram 11.8

By the mortal eye, you cannot just see
 And bear the vision that will soon be,
There is an inner eye which I shall now awaken within you—
 So that a vision of my Divine Yoga youcan behold and view. |11.8|”

“When you were cast into jail, did not your heartfail and did you not cry out to me, where is Thy protection? Look now at theMagistrate, look now at the Prosecuting Counsel.” CWSA 8:7

yo māṁ paśhyati sarvatra sarvaṁ cha mayi paśhyati
tasyāhaṁ na praṇaśhyāmi sa cha me na praṇaśhyati 6.30

He who everywhere sees only Me
And in everyone, Me only he can see
 To him I can never lost be
 And he is never lost to Me.|6.30|

“Now do you fear?” He said, “I am in all men and Ioverrule their actions and their words. My protection is still with you and youshall not fear. This case which is brought against you, leave it in my hands.It is not for you. It was not for the trial that I brought you here but forsomething else. The case itself is only a means for my work and nothing more.” CWSA 8:7

īśhvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛid-deśhe ‘rjuna tiṣhṭhati
bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā 18.61

The Lord, that is seated within every living heart
O Arjuna, He stirs and initiates everything’s start
Like machines all creatures are made to obey
And act as per the will of His Maya’s way|18.61|

“This is the man who will save you from the snaresput around your feet. Put aside those papers. It is not you who will instructhim. I will instruct him.”  CWSA 8:8

bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśhvaram
suhṛidaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ jñātvā māṁ śhāntim ṛichchhati 5.29

When to man, this singular truth is known –
That all sacrifices I receive with joy for they are My own
 And he shall perceive Me as his dearestloving friend.
 He shall then experience My perfectpeace that has no end|5.29|

“I am guiding, therefore fear not. Turn to your ownwork for which I have brought you to jail and when you come out, remember neverto fear, never to hesitate. Remember that it is I who am doing this, not younor any other. Therefore whatever clouds may come, whatever dangers andsufferings, whatever difficulties, whatever impossibilities, there is nothingimpossible, nothing difficult. I am in the nation and its uprising and I amVasudeva, I am Narayana, and what I will, shall be, not what others will. WhatI choose to bring about, no human power can stay.” CWSA 8:8

bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁprapadyate
vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ 7.19

After many successive births can this fortune arise
 When the Divine is perceived through themortal’s eyes
 Very rare and blessed indeed is thatseeking soul
Who experiences the Divine’s omniscience as a whole|7.19|

“This is the young generation, the new and mightynation that is arising at my command. They are greater than yourself. What haveyou to fear? If you stood aside or slept, the work would still be done. If youwere cast aside tomorrow, here are the young men who will take up your work anddo it more mightily than you have ever done. You have only got some strengthfrom me to speak a word to this nation which will help to raise it.” CWSA 8:9

tasmāt tvam uttiṣhṭha yaśho labhasva
jitvā śhatrūn bhuṅkṣhva rājyaṁ samṛiddham
mayaivaite nihatāḥ pūrvam eva
nimitta-mātraṁ bhava savya-sāchin 11.33

Arise to the opulence of the conqueror that beckons
And garner the glory that a victor reckons
Know that by Me all are already slain
 So become My instrument, let your arrowsrain|11.33|

And in a state of Divine communion, when Sri Aurobindo made afervent appeal to Sri Krishna for a direction, he received two messages fromthe Yogeshwara,

“I have given you a work and it is to help to upliftthis nation. Before long the time will come when you will have to go out ofjail; for it is not my will that this time either you should be convicted orthat you should pass the time as others have to do, in suffering for theircountry. I have called you to work, and that is the adesh for whichyou have asked. I give you the adesh to go forth and do mywork.” CWSA 8:10

mat-karma-kṛin mat-paramo mad-bhaktaḥ saṅga-varjitaḥ
nirvairaḥ sarva-bhūteṣhu yaḥ sa mām eti pāṇḍava 11.55

O Arjuna, Surrender to Me, perform My bidding
Become My devotee and an instrument of My working
With an enmity towards none, from desires become free
Accept Me-My way, for such a man shall only come to Me|11.55|”

Something has been shown to you in this year ofseclusion, something about which you had your doubts and it is the truth of theHindu religion. It is this religion that I am raising up before the world, itis this that I have perfected and developed through the rishis, saintsand avatars, and now it is going forth to do my work among the nations. Iam raising up this nation to send forth my word. This is the Sanatana Dharma,this is the eternal religion which you did not really know before, but which Ihave now revealed to you. The agnostic and the sceptic in you have beenanswered, for I have given you proofs within and without you, physical andsubjective, which have satisfied you. When you go forth, speak to your nationalways this word that it is for the Sanatana Dharma that they arise, it is forthe world and not for themselves that they arise. I am giving them freedom forthe service of the world. When therefore it is said that India shall rise, itis the Sanatana Dharma that shall rise. When it is said that India shall begreat, it is the Sanatana Dharma that shall be great. When it is said thatIndia shall expand and extend herself, it is the Sanatana Dharma that shallexpand and extend itself over the world. It is for the dharma and bythe dharma that India exists. To magnify the religion means tomagnify the country. I have shown you that I am everywhere and in all men andin all things, that I am in this movement and I am not only working in thosewho are striving for the country but I am working also in those who oppose themand stand in their path. I am working in everybody and whatever men may thinkor do they can do nothing but help on my purpose. They also are doing my work;they are not my enemies but my instruments. In all your actions you are movingforward without knowing which way you move. You mean to do one thing and you doanother. You aim at a result and your efforts subserve one that is different orcontrary. It is Shakti that has gone forth and entered into the people. Sincelong ago I have been preparing this uprising and now the time has come and itis I who will lead it to its fulfilment.” CWSA 8:10

Arjuna’s words—

tvam akṣharaṁ paramaṁ veditavyaṁ
tvam asya viśhvasya paraṁ nidhānam
tvam avyayaḥ śhāśhvata-dharma-goptā
sanātanas tvaṁ puruṣho mato me 11.18

The highest immaculate truth that by man can be known,
The foundation upon which our universe has grown
The indestructible guardian of righteousness eternal
I believe, Thou art the one -celestial and supernal|11.18|

Sri Krishna spoke—

teṣhām ahaṁ samuddhartā mṛityu-saṁsāra-sāgarāt
bhavāmi na chirāt pārtha mayy āveśhita-chetasām 12.7

O Arjuna, For the soul’s evolution
I bring deliverance from death’s material ocean
I propel the journey across the eternal sea
Of all whose consciousness is affixed in Me|12.7|

At the end of the Gitopadesha, Arjuna responded with fullconfidence to his divine charioteer that all his doubts were cleared and hismemory had returned; he was now ready to enter into the material war field towage the battle as per the instructions that he had received. Sri Aurobindo, onthe other hand, at the end of the Krishnopadesh at his Alipore yogashram,received the adesha, with arms open wide, inviting the divine to guide him sohe may further walk ahead onto the path of transformation; where the sarathiand the maharathi ceased to remain two and instead became one, to summon thedawn of the supramental age of man.

Sanjaya who had actually heard first-hand about the truth ofYoga from the Sri Mukha, declared with certainty the outcome of the battle in whatis considered to be the last verse of the Bhagavad Gita. On reading about SriAurobindo’s Krishna experience and also some of his luminous words from hisvarious volumes of written works, I too feel empowered to make a declarationthat resonates Sanjaya’s sentiment. The Sanskrit verse has been written withthe help of Sri Ved Veer Arya, an eminent Sanskrit scholar and IDAS officer-

यत्र योगेश्वर: कृष्णोऽ रविन्दो यत्र योगिराट् ।

तत्रातिमानो विजय: ध्रुवा नीतिर्मतिर्मम ॥

Where there is the Lord of Yoga Sri Kirshna,
Where there is the Yogi- Sri Aravinda,
There indeed, lies the supramental victory—

This I understand and verily proclaim with certainty!