Bhagavad Gita for Modern World: Chapter 1 Verse 24
Verse 1.24 explained
Translation
Sanjay said to Dhritarashtra :
Hey, descendant of Bharat (Dhritarashtra). On being addressed by Arjuna in these words, Krishna drove and stationed the fine chariot in between both armies.
Commentary:
Krishna was driving Arjuna’s chariot. But why did he have his own Chariot like each warrior of note?
Well, there is a story behind it.
Krishna was actually related to both Arjun and Duryodhana. Krishna’s sister, Kunti was Arjuna’s mother. Thus he was Arjuna’s maternal uncle. Also, one of Krishna’s daughters was married to Duryodhana, thus Krishna was Duryodhana’s father-in-law.
Before the war, both Arjuna and Duryodhana went to Krishna to seek his support. Incidentally, both arrived at the same time, as Krishna was sleeping. Arjuna sat near his feet, and Duryodhana next to his head, waiting for Krishna to wake up.
When Krishna, woke up, he saw Arjuna first, and then noticed Duryodhana. He understood what they both sought from him. As he was closely related to both men, he couldn’t have sided with either of them. So Krishna proposed a solution. He said, that there are two options on offer. He himself and his army, the “Narayani Sena”. He left the choice to Duryodhana and Arjuna on what they wanted to choose.
He however said that since he saw Arjuna first, he will have the first chance to pick between the two options. Arjuna gladly chose Krishna. This in fact gave a sigh of relief to Duryodhana, as he wanted the army more than Krishna.
However, wicked as Duryodhana was, he told Krishna that even alone Krishna as a warrior was bigger than the army, and thus the options weren’t equal. Krishna thus told Duryodhana that he will not bear arms and not fight in the war himself, and will only counsel Arjuna acting as the rider of his Chariot.
Druyodhana was glad at the proposal and readily accepted it. Thus Krishna acted as the Charioteer of Arjuna in the war, which eventually lead to the knowledge of the Bhagavad Gita being imparted to Arjuna.
