Introduction🔗

The truth is that Arjuna is not in control. He has no clue about what is happening to him and around him. He is in the presence of a primal force, before which all that is obvious is his own insignificance. Victory and defeat seem to make no difference. The vision of destruction implies that he too is mortal. Arjuna is terrified.

Death is the ultimate fear.

Even the great warrior Arjuna trembles when faced with death. It is not that Arjuna is not aware of the inevitability of death or the nature of death.

Yet Arjuna is petrified. What is Arjuna so afraid of?

One thing, Arjuna does not expect the cosmic form of Krsna to be anything but loving and compassionate.

Krsna can be the friend, the master, the beloved, the child, the mother, and all combined.

In every one of these moods, in each bhava, Krsna is still lovable, still reachable.

However, in the form that Krsna has presented now, the all-devouring monster as it were, Arjuna is unable to comprehend any aspect of Krsna that he has known.

For the first time, Arjuna realizes that the master cannot be predicted! The primal energy that the master is, has to be experienced in whatever manner it is presented, without expectations and fears. It is so easy to fall in love with a handsome master.

Krsna is the most beautiful of all the gods. He is so easy to fall in love with! To fall in love with a terrifying Kali or an impassive Siva is far more difficult. But anyone can love Krsna, and everyone does. No one expects Krsna to be terrifying.

So when Krsna presents another form to Arjuna, the ground literally slips from under Arjuna's feet. He has no support. He does not know where to turn for help. So Arjuna pleads, have mercy upon me. Tell me who You are. Tell me why You are here. I would like to know. I bow down to You.'

To understand how fear can create a barrier between us and the Divine