Reflections on Sankhya Yoga (Gita Chapter 2)
On going notes about my observations and interpretations on the verses from chapter 2 (Sankhya Yoga) in Gita.
While studying the chapter 2 again today, I noticed the word vishame in verse 2 and it got me thinking.
kutastva kashmalamidam vishame samupasthitam
anarya-jushtamaswargyam akirti-karam Arjuna
Bhagavan Shri Krishna said,
Arjuna, how has such illusion overcome you at this crucial moment? This is not befitting for an honorable man. It does not lead to higher adobes. It is the cause of infamy / disgrace.
The part I want to ponder over here is the use of the word "vishame".
You see, Krishna was not just asking Arjuna why he became so delusional. He was asking why he became so delusional in such a crucial moment.
When life brings you to a crucial moment, you do not have the liberty to entertain any delusional thinking. In those moments, you have to show your courage.
In otherwise uneventful times, it was perhaps okay to harbor little bit of imaginative leeway, speculative mindset and lapse of reasoning. But not in the hours of peril.