Righteousness: God's Chariot Shows the Path

By GIRISH BHANDARI

Righteousness: God's Chariot Shows the Path

The wheel was, without doubt, a great technological breakthrough. It made quick motion possible. And when the wheel was integrated with the domesticated horse, it redefined mobility and did wonders for tactics and strategy of warfare. It also gave the charioteer a commanding view of life. Nagasena used the chariot as a metaphor to explain profound truths:

"Is the wheel the chariot, O Milinda", asks Nagasena. "No", replies Milinda. "Are the horses the chariot?" he asks. "No, revered Nagasena", replies the disciple. "Is the charioteer the chariot, or you, who are sitting in the chariot, the chariot?'' "No Sir, none of these". "Then, when I say I am not Nagasena, am I not speaking the truth? Surely these hands are not Nagasena; nor are the feet, torso or head... so Nagasena's real form is not the body called Nagasena". And now Milinda begins to understand.

In the Bhagavad Gita, it is Krishna the charioteer who steers Arjuna's chariot, symbolically the Divine leading the war of righteousness against the forces of darkness. Shalya the ace charioteer-king, a relative of the Pandavas, had given his word to Duryodhana that he would support him in any manner he could, and Duryodhana had asked him to be Karna's charioteer. Krishna agreed to take on the reins of Arjuna's chariot.

When the Mahabharata war ended, Krishna asked Arjuna to step down first from the vehicle. Arjuna did so, but with some reluctance. For, the charioteer always jumped out first, and only then the warrior. The moment Krishna got down, the chariot was consumed by towering flames. Bewildered, Arjuna asked Krishna what had happened. "This chariot had already been destroyed many times by the divine weapons fired by Bhishma, Drona, Kripa, Karna and others. I was holding it together. Now, the war is over, and there is no purpose in keeping it. Therefore, Arjuna, I made you get down first. If I had stepped down first, the whole thing, including you, would have been reduced to ashes". The chariot was more than a vehicle; it was a medium which Krishna first steered and then preserved till the larger cause was served.

In the Ramcharitmanas, in the Lanka Kand, Vibheesana is taken aback to see Rama without a chariot, while Ravana rode in on his mighty vehicle. He asks Rama how he will fight without a chariot. Rama replied: "The chariot which leads to victory is of a different type. The wheels of that chariot are fortitude and courage, the flags and poles are made of truth, righteousness and noble conduct. The four horses are strength, rational thought, self-control and benevolence. The strings which control the horses are forgiveness, empathy and compassion, and tranquillity of mind. Faith in and worship of God is the charioteer. The shield, which protects such a cha-riot, is dispassion. The weapons this chariot carries are the sword made of contentment, the axe of charity, the fearsome lance of reason and the strong bow made of the highest wisdom. The quiver is a steady mind. The arrows in it are made of restraint and observance. This chariot is protected by the armour of homage to the elderly, the gurus and the enlightened. There is no other way to win, Vibheesana...

"For a person riding such a chariot, there exist no enemies anywhere. Such a person can conquer even this samsara - this construct of births and deaths, not to speak of any enemy born of flesh and blood", said Rama.

And it was such a chariot which Indra sent, with his ace charioteer Matali for Rama's use. Rama mounted the chariot happily because he knew it had all the attributes he had just described to Vibheesana.