Introduction: Between Wisdom and Power

Summary

In the Kurukshetra battlefield, soon after blowing the conch of war, Pandava prince Arjuna instructs his charioteer Krishna to drive to the centre of the battle between the armies of the Pandavas and the Kauravas to see who is eager for war. When he does, he is dismayed to see his own relatives, beloved friends and revered teachers among the enemy. Filled with doubt and despair, he wonders if it is more noble to fight or renounce and leave the war. Overwhelmed with sorrow he drops his bow and turns to his charioteer and guide Krishna for advice on what to do. In the subsequent conversation as recorded in the Bhaghavad Gita or Song of God, Krishna, who reveals himself to be an incarnation of Vishnu, counsels Arjuna on his duty as a prince, a warrior and a righteous man, allowing him to enter battle and win the war for the Pandavas. The insight that we have an all-too-human need for wisdom in wielding power, and that such a union is made possible by divine intervention, is not unique to the Vedas. Prajna, wisdom or discernment and the Four Noble Truths – the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering and the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering – required the enlightenment of Siddhartha Gautama and instruction of the Buddha. King Solomon's wisdom, preserved in the Song of Songs, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Psalms and Odes had its source in the Lord, who ‘giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding’ (Prov. 2: 6). Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5: 3–11) reveals the new foundations for blessedness and happiness where he declares that the poor in spirit, those that mourn, the meek, those that thirst for justice, the merciful, the pure of heart, the peacemakers and those who are persecuted will receive their reward in heaven. The Qu’ran is the written record of the laws and commandments of the All-Knowing and All-Wise Allah as revealed to the Prophet Muhammad by the angel Gabriel.