xix Introduction Further Ag. refers to a view, most probably approvingly, that the Pandava-Kaurava-war-story of the MB is to be interpreted allegorically: It is an extension of the Vedic Devāsura-war-episode, repre- senting the perennial tug-of-war between the good and the bad instincts, between the godly and the demoniac natures and between the knowledge and the ignorance - a war that is being fought inwardly in every individual, who like Arjuna of the BG, remains undecided as to what to do and approaches a man of wisdom, like Śrī Krsna, for guidance. Therefore a genuine doubt is the primary require- ment for one to receive any purposeful instruction. And this fact is indicated, according to Ag. in the first chapter of the BG; and the very location of Arjuna's chariot i.e. in between the rival armies indi- cates that the hero remains undecided and confused between wisdom and nescience. However Ag. cautions the seeker: The authenticity of the scrip tures and of the preceptors should never to be doub- ted. For, such a doubt is ruinous in nature.* (F. n. 3. Contd. from p. xviii) after (III, iv. 26) and Sankara's bhişya thereon. See also the same teacher's long discussion at the end of the First Book of the Taittiriyopanişad and under BG, ch. XVIII, 66. See also below. 1. Ch. I, 1. 2. Thus Arjuna represents the doubting man in general and Sri Krsna, the enlightened master. A sufficiently old popular view is that Arjuna is Nara (the man) and Śrī Kṛṣṇa is Närāyaṇa (the path-shower for the man ?). 3. Ag.'s intro and ch. I, 9-10, 4, Ch. IV, 39-40,
