or accepted as the speaker himself. The speaker of the Bhagavad Gita is Lord Krishna, and in every page of the Bhagavad Gita, he is described as Bhagavan. However, although the word Bhagavan sometimes refers to a powerful person or a powerful deity, here the word Bhagavan definitely refers to Lord Krishna as the Great Person. But at the same time, we should know that Lord Krishna is not only Lord, as confirmed by all the great teachers (gurus) of India like Shankaracharya, Ramanujacharya, Madhvacharya, Nimbaraswami, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and other great authorities of Vedic knowledge. Lord Krishna himself has also proven himself as the Godhead in the Bhagavad Gita. He is accepted as Lord Krishna Himself in the Brahma Samhita and in all the Puranas, especially in the Srimad Bhagavatam, which is also known as the Bhagavata Purana. Therefore, we should accept the Bhagavad Gita as directed by the Lord Himself. In the fourth chapter of the Gita (4.12), Lord Krishna says:
Imam vivasvate yogam proktavanahamavyayam |
The worldly man is the one who is the cause of the worldly life. He is the one who is the cause of the kingdom. He is the one who is the cause of the greatness of the world.
The secret of the hand of the devotee is revealed to the friend.
This system of yoga, the Bhagavad Gita, was first spoken to the sun god, and here the Lord is speaking to Arjuna. The sun god explained it to Manu, and Manu explained it to Ikshvaku. In that kind of disciplic succession, this system of yoga was handed down from one speaker to another, but in the course of time it got lost. So the Lord had to speak it again, and this time it was spoken to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra.
The Lord told Arjuna that he was telling him this secret because he was his friend and devotee. This means that the Bhagavad-gita is specifically intended for the devotee of the Lord. Spiritualists are fools.
The Lord has clearly told Arjuna that He is making him the first recipient. That is why the Lord desires to establish a different lineage within the tradition that has come down from the Sun God and others. His aspiration is that His teachings should be propagated anew through Arjuna. He wanted Arjuna to be an authority in understanding the Bhagavad Gita. That is why we see that the Bhagavad Gita was taught specifically to Arjuna. The reason for this is that he is a devotee of the Lord, a direct disciple and close friend of Sri Krishna. Therefore, a person with the qualities of Arjuna can understand the Bhagavad Gita well. That is, he must be a devotee who has a direct relationship with the Lord. When one becomes a devotee of the Lord, one also has a direct relationship with that God. That is a very broad topic, but it can be summarized as a devotee having a relationship with God in one of the following five ways.
- A devotee in a state of tranquility
- A devotee in a state of service
- A devotee who is a friend
- A devotee who is a father or mother
- A devotee who is a lover
Arjuna has a relationship with God as a friend. However, there is a huge difference between this friendship and the friendship seen in the material world. This is a divine friendship, which not everyone can attain. However, everyone has a special relationship with God. That relationship is awakened through the perfection of devotional yoga. But in the present state of life, we have forgotten not only God but also our eternal relationship with God. Out of the billions of living entities, each living entity has a special eternal relationship with God. That is called “swarupa”. Through the process of devotional service, a person can awaken that swarupa. That state is called “swarupasiddhi”, that is, the natural state of the living entity is perfect. That means Arjuna is a devotee, he has a relationship with God in the sense of friendship.
It is important to note how Arjuna accepted the Bhagavad Gita. The
