Psychological Implications of Counseling of Arjuna by Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita and its Relevance in the Contemporary Field of Psychology and Education

Abstract

The Bhagavad Gita is a multidimensional, multifaceted and a pithy book by Maharishi Vyas. Easwaranvery aptly designate it “a manual to life”. The book is endowed with extremely beneficial knowledge to survive joyfully in all conditions of life. It not only provides a strong and clear perspective towards life but also give insight for an understanding the self eventually leading us to spiritual elevation which is the goal of life. The psychology embedded in the Bhagavad Gita is very thorough and if exploited well it can do wonders in the field of psychology. Rangaswamy rightly said that “The Bhagavad-Gita is the masterpiece of psychotherapy”. Arjuna,the best archer of all the times got confused when he was looked upon as the most skilled one among all on the battlefield. Arjuna is a representation of all men in the state of confusion and becoming fearful when a situation of crisis occurs. An anxious and bewildered Arjuna sought guidance from Krishna, intaking decision, to fight or not to fight. This paper intends to present a psychological analysis of Arjuna’s state of mind on the battlefield, its similarities with the modern psychoanalysis of Freud and the relevance of this analysis in the contemporary field of psychology and Education. The papers also intends to draw special attention to the role of teacher, student and pedagogy in the teaching learning process through the perspective of Bhagavad Gita with a little reference to NEP 2020.