My Journey with Natyashastra (Part 4): The Sacred Purpose of Art

No matter how much Sri Krishna directs towards Brahmajnana in the Gita and advises against desiring the fruits of one’s actions, if Arjuna did not find solace from his despondency within that knowledge, I doubt how effective Arjuna’s role as a listener would have been. Even if Arjuna were not the true recipient, would Krishna have revealed the secret knowledge in front of him? I don’t know. Here, I consider Kurukshetra as the actual battleground.

We are in the first hour of our discussion. There is still a long way to go. In the first chapter of Mimamsa-Slokavartika, Kumarila Bhatta beautifully explains why the speaker should set the direction and goal of the discussion right at the beginning. Without a clear goal, there is always the risk of losing one’s way.

Sanskrit Verses with Translation:

Sloka 12:

सबे स्यैव हि शास्त्रस्य कर्मणो वा ऽपि कस्य चित् ।
यावद् प्रयो नम्