Bhagavad Gita for Modern World: Chapter 1 Verses 28, 29, 30

Verses 1.28, 1.29. 1.30 explained

Translation:

Hey Krishna, as I witness my own people who gather here with the intent of war, I am feeling uneasy. My mouth is drying up and my hands and legs are shivering.

In fact, my entire body is shaking. I am getting goosebumps. My bow (Gandiv) is slipping from my hands and my skin feels to be on fire.

I am unable to stand. I am feeling immense confusion in my mind. All I can see are signs of misfortune, O Keshava.

Commentary

When Arjun saw with his own eyes, that it was his family and friends whom he had to kill today, he got gripped with Fear. The symptoms he was experiencing were dry mouth, shivering of limbs, shaking of the body, goosebumps, loosening of the hand grip, burning sensation on the skin, and inability to stand- these are nothing by classical signs of Fear

He was unable to think rationally at that moment, which lead to confusion and resulted in indecisiveness (Sanshay). He was having negative thoughts about the future, where he was anticipating misfortune. He had an impending sense of doom. The style of thinking is also an indicator of Fear.

So what is Fear?

Fear is a mental and physiological response which occurs when we face a real threat, and that in turn leads to the rational mind getting shut, and causes a person to think in a very limited manner.

This happens due to the way the mind functions. Humans are the most superior to all animals as they can think creatively. We think creatively using a part of the brain called as Neo-cortex, which is the most modern development in our mind, located right behind our forehead. It is the place where the Third Eye is said to be located.

However, when we are in fear, the mind is high-jacked by the Amygdala, which is a small almond shape lobe located right in the centre of our brain. Amygdala is also called the primitive mind, as it is the most ancient part of our brain. Its very job is to sense signals of fear in our body and mind, and when it does, it takes control of our mind.

It is like terrorists high-jacking an aeroplane and taking over the control.

This causes rational thinking to shut down as Amygdala is not made for creative thinking. It has a very limited response to the threat we are facing. It either makes us fight or take flight i.e run away from the threat.

Thus in that moment of truth, Arjun was under the grip of Fear. His primitive mind had taken control of him, and he was unable to think and act normally.

It is that moment when Krishna reasons with him and takes him away from fear. This dialogue of taking away fear from Arjun’s mind is indeed the knowledge of the Bhagavad Gita.