It's not that Arjuna lacked faith in Krishna before the Mahabharata war. In fact, it was Arjuna who chose Krishna to lead his entire army to fight the battle of the Mahabharata. Yet he was confused about whether to fight the battle when he saw his cousins and elders fighting against him. That is the beauty of a spiritual journey. A spiritual journey is about confronting the deepest of our attachments lying hidden in the layers of the unconscious mind.
Ordinarily, we live a very shallow life full of attachments. Most of our decisions are driven by desires, attachments, and ambitions. Sometimes, we try to hide these ambitions behind the veil of helping others. Generally, we are not concerned about giving away our attachments. In fact, society as a whole, in one way or another, tells us to be more and more ambitious. At its very best, it tells us to follow the society's legal and moral code of conduct, with the underlying understanding that if all of us follow it, there would be greater harmony in society and everyone would have greater chances to progress.
However, in most cases, individual desires and ambitions find the legal and moral codes of conduct restrictive. That brings a conflict. On the one hand, we wish to fulfil our desires and ambitions; on the other hand, we feel that if we fail to comply with legal and moral norms, we will face consequences such as fines, penalties, prosecution, social disapproval, or punishment by God. I think that this dilemma is a quite normal for all of us. A small child also faces the dilemma of whether to help his friend cheat on the examination or follow the teacher's directions. Adults also face similar dilemmas: going to the temple versus going to the office, serving parents versus going abroad, helping a friend versus competing with a friend. I think there are endless dilemmas of that type.
Till the time there is ambition and desire, can we ever be free of these conflicts? Probably no. No legal or moral code of conduct can ever free us of these conflicts. The reason is very simple. The legal and moral codes do not address the fundamental issue. These do not address the issue of ignorance and ignorance-driven desires and ambitions. If not for ourselves, we become ambitious for our kids.
These desires and ambitions have layers and layers. Since childhood, we have never questioned them. We have never examined them. There are so many knots to untie, and that is definitely not an easy task. Even when we choose Krishna as a friend to fight our own Mahabharata, these knots do not disappear since they lie deep in our unconscious. It is only when we examine each of these knots with awareness that we become aware of the real issues. Arjuna is caught between an attachment to his relatives and his ambition to rule Hastinapur. That is where Krishna tells him that he needs to act with complete surrender to the divine. It is not easy to surrender completely. Arjuna also could have completely surrendered when Krishna showed him His Vishwaroop. It's not easy for the intellect to surrender completely.
Probably the only way out is to remain aware in each and every moment. That awareness brings the capacity to observe and discriminate. With observation and discrimination, we can distinguish between the temporary and the permanent. We can see whether the pursuit of desires and ambitions brings more security or insecurity. We can see that what makes us secure in the short term results in long-term insecurity. Air conditioning brings comfort but also greater discomfort when we do not have it. Power brings security but also brings greater insecurity when we do not have it.
Even after showing the Vishwaroop to Arjuna, Krishna told Arjuna the way to live life in the Bhagavad Gita. Krishna told Arjuna because he knows that seeing the Vishwaroop is not an end in itself. One has to live life. One has to face the desires and ambitions stored in the deepest layers of the unconscious. That is why Krishna gives so much importance to Jnana. To know the reality and to remember that constantly. Bhakti will follow the moment one has true knowledge. Without true knowledge, Bhakti is just blind faith. That serves no purpose. Observation with awareness is the key to true knowledge.
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