It is quite evident that the Infinite cannot project Itself forth unless there is some “desire.” The State of Desireless-ness is but the State of Actionless-ness. Without some equipment or the other, electricity cannot, of its own accord, manifest itself. Similarly, the Supreme cannot, and need not project out into a Divine, or an undivine form — as an Immortal Omniscient God or as a mortal foolish ego — unless there is some desire, or the other, to precipitate the manifestation A super-saturated solution, if left alone, undisturbed, can carry its extra quantity of crystals in itself; but the moment a minutest particle of the same substance is thrown into that beaker, immediately, all the extra crystals get thrown out in crystal-form. Similarly, the Dynamic Supreme, the Womb of Infinite potentialities, cannot bring forth any form, or forms, unless there is an intention — it may be Divine, it may be good, it may be bad.
Then the DESIRE that made the Supreme assume the Divine form of Krishna — the Enchanting Cowboy, the Blue Lover-of-All-is here explained in Vyasa’s own words. In the stanza, Vyasa makes Krishna confess His initial “desire,” that caused His manifestation.
The divinest of all “desires” is, indeed, a selfless thirst to serve the world; but all the same it is a DESIRE. In order to “PROTECT THE GOOD,” when the Absolute starts ITs Godly career, it is the very necessity of Maya that He, the very Lord of Delusion, has to take upon Himself one more added mission,” THE DESTRUCTION OF THE WICKED.”
Here ‘DESTRUCTION’ is not annihilation of the individuals as much as the REMOVAL OF THE WRONG TENDENCIES in the individuals. It is a process of refitting the wardrobe wherein some old clothes are irredeemably spoiled, and have to be eliminated in order to make more space for newly-made and other refitted items. Similarly, Prophets, when they come, they encourage the good, sometimes they rejuvenate the bad, and often eliminate the poisonous specimens from the garden-of-life.
This much Lord Krishna was compelled to explain about Himself because it was perfectly evident that Arjuna was blissfully unaware of the true Divine nature of Krishna. The line of arguments adopted by Arjuna in the opening chapter to justify his conduct in his friend’s eyes would be meaningless if Arjuna did not, in fact, believe that he was addressing a human being. It would, in such a case, suggest that Arjuna was an utter atheist who would not rely for his victory upon his Divine companion. All the same, when Krishna comments upon Arjuna, characterising him as a non-caviller, a friend and a devotee, deserving His assistance, Arjuna appeals to Krishna, with a childlike simplicity: “DO TEACH ME, I AM THY DISCIPLE.” This was undeniably an attitude of profound respect but no indication that Arjuna treated Krishna as God-Almighty, Himself.
WHY IS THE LORD GIVING THIS BIT OF HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY?
