Perhaps it is no coincidence that both Arjuna and Rama come to the battlefield with confused minds. We know more about Arjuna’s dilemma since the Bhagavad Gita is much more embedded in the Hindu psyche. Rama’s state of mind was no different. He too was nervous to see the large army of Ravana as Arjuna was to see the Akshauni Sena (mammoth army) of the Kauravas. He appeared exhausted and deep in contemplation when sage Agastya saw him and decided to talk to him.

We all are often gripped by the fear of failure just before the moment of action. The onslaught of nervousness is so sudden that we find ourselves in a state of inertia, even before we realize it. The stories of the two epics tells us that worst situations too can be transformed into blissful moments if we are able to maintain our calm and are ready to shun our ignorance.

It is not without reason that both these sacred dialogues were exchanged in the battlefields. As the Bhagavad Gita was narrated just before the Mahabharata war, similarly the Aditya Hridayam was delivered just before the Rama-Ravana war. What could be more challenging than a war! In Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna speaks to Arjuna, whereas in Aditya Hridayam, sage Agastya addresses Rama. Neither Bhagavad Gita, nor the Aditya Hridayam is meant for the ascetics. These books of universal law are for the people who are faced with dilemma and find it difficult to address problems. Both these books ask us to face challenge to the hilt rather than give up summarily. It becomes easier to identify ourselves with Arjuna or Rama, who are confronted with a worldly situation and are as anxious and indecisive as any one of us.

The discourse on the war front has another connotation. Often a problem has to be dealt with then and there, as and when it comes. The right advice at the right time is core to the winning of a game, more so if it happens to be the game of life. Would it have mattered if Rama or Arjuna had been given sermons at the end of the war?

If life is a battle, we are all soldiers. To wedge a sword or tote a gun is not all to soldiery. The one who lays roads for the army to pass, one who constructs bridges for the army vehicles to cross, one who sets up signals for the army men to communicate, one who designs weapons for the military to use, one who develops strategies for the army units to follow are all soldiers in their own rights. A loose screw can make the whole structure vulnerable. Those who know their own worth are most likely to know the worth of others. The one who recognizes his own identity will have respect for others too. The one who realizes his own duty will have regards for others’ too. Thus, the team spirit begins with realization of the self.

By sheer coincidence or by conscious design, in both the epics the protagonists go to their respective enemies at their death beds to seek knowledge. Whereas Rama goes to Ravana, the kidnaper of his wife, Arjuna goes to Bhishma, who though his grandfather, was on the other side of the fence. It requires utmost self realization to do so. We all are so much absorbed in our ego that we take it as an insult to learn from an antagonist. The fact is that when our ego is inflated, our honour becomes minuscule, so very small that it makes us feel offended even at the drop of a hat. To surrender is not always to lose self respect.

Remarkably, Duryodhan being an egoist never surrendered, whereas Arjuna surrendered to Sri Krishna, though conditionally. He said, initially, that he could listen to Sri Krishna, but would not follow his suggestions. On the other hand, Duryodhan even refused to listen to him. While we shut out others, we are shut in within ourselves. We must be open to thoughts and ideas from others in order to make our life more meaningful. Duryodhana became a loser since he refused to listen, whereas Arjuna gained because he chose to listen, even though with certain conditions. Having heard someone, we always have a choice either to go by his or her words or to ignore it; but when we are adamant at not listening to a person, we lose on our chance to chose.

Neither animosity can be a perpetual emotion, nor can any person be a permanent enemy. Both Rama and Arjuna could realize that there was no animosity left between them and Ravana or Bhishma respectively at the end of the war. Equally adorable was the act of Ravana and Bhishma, who welcomed Rama and Arjuna, without the slightest sign of enmity on their faces or an iota of it in their hearts. This was because all the four of them could distinguish between their assumed identity and their absolute identity. With the war now over, they no longer were foes. This certainly asks for the highest degree of self realization.

While Rama and Arjuna knew that their respective actions could not have destructed the absolute, Ravana and Bhishma realized that they were not dying, but were merely in the process of changing form. If nothing was destructed, then how could one be the destroyer; if no one was killed, then how could someone be the killer! With the war drawn to an end, how could they remain foes! Only this kind of realization can make someone so calm and composed as to seek knowledge from their perceptible enemies or to bestow blessings on their apparent killers.

These, in fact, are the exemplary conducts in which the spirit and soul of the Bhagavad Gita is imbibed. In other words, these two acts are Bhagavad Gita personified.