BHAGAVAD-GITA : THE SONG OF GOD : COMMENTARY BY MAHATMA GANDHI (PAPERBACK)

Is not then the Gita anything in the nature of a historical narrative, forming as it
does, part of the great War-epic? Gandhiji has challenged the description of the
Mahabharata as a historical war-epic. In support of the challenge, I venture to
enforce its argument by a few more considerations to show that the Gita can, in no
sense of the term, be regarded as a historical dialogue. That a war named the
Mahabharata War or some other took places need not be disputed, but that the
author of the epic and the Gita had anything like the object of a historical narra-
tive in mind is certainly disputed.
1. Look at the intensely significant artistry of the way in which the jewel of the
Gita is set in the field of gold of the great epic. The reputed author Vyasa is
supposed to be one of the deathless ones — Chiranjivas- and he is said to be the,
progenitor of Pandu and Dhritarashtra whose sons fought on the field of
Kurukshetra. It is this 'deathless one' who approaches Dhritarashtra, the blind
king,, before the commencement of the fight and asks him if he would care to
have his eyes opened in order to see the fighting. He is said to have declined the
privilege, lest his heart should subside in him to see the fearful carnage,, but at a
certain stage he evinces anxiety to know the happenings from day, to day. Sanjaya
was endowed with divine vision and without being on the battlefield narrated, the
happenings to the blind king. As though this much was not enough to open the eyes
of the blind student trying to read history in a spiritual epic, Vyasa goes further
and reassures the king that Sanjaya's divine vision would serve him better than his
natural vision, for "this Sanjaya will narrate the battle to you (in a unique way), for
he shall know whatever happens, within the sight of or unknown to all, whether by
day or by night, whether actually or in the mind of any of the actors. Weapons
shall not touch Sanjaya and fatigue shall not tire him." It is Sanjaya thus endowed
with supernatural vision who narrates the dialogue which is said to have taken
place between Arjuna and Krishna. And how does he satisfy the old king's curiosity?
The old king, in the only question that is put into his mouth in the whole poem