Brahma, Brahma and Brahma

This word has indeed created large scale confusion among the readers of the Bhagvad Gita. Readers are confused as to why Krishna is so full of self conceit, showing off his glories (Ch 10 and 11) and asking Arjuna to make obeisance to him, to surrender to him, and so on. When one tries to explain that He is talking about Brahma, pat comes a counter question, then why must I pray to Krishna, why not to Brahmaaji?
At ishwarnaman we have made a small attempt to remove the dust from some minds.

We shall start from the simplest word and easy to understand -- Braahman. The other popular spelling is Brahmin. This is a class among Hindus which comprised the learned and were generally advisors to the community at large. They were not warriors nor did they own anything, they begged for alms from the householders. A brahmin is one who has understood the Brahma-tattva. Use of 'Brahma' in relation to a Brahmin is made in the Ch 18 Shl 42.

Now, let us move to the second meaning of the word Brahma. Brahma is the four-headed God among the trinity of the Creator, Preserver and Destroyer. He is the progenitor of all beings. Even Vishnu came forth from his navel. Brahma's work is not over, because at every stage there is something being created, something being destroyed and something continuing in between the two stages. The trinity cannot rest. Brahma is also known as Prajapita.

वायुर्यमोऽग्निर्वरूणः शशांकः प्रजापतिस्त्वं प्रपितामहश्च ।
नमो नमस्तेऽस्तु सहस्त्रकृत्वः पुनश्च भूयोऽपि नमो नमस्ते ।। Ch 11-39
Arjuna describes Krishna as Brahma and then adds that Krishna is the father of Brahma.

Now we have come to the third BRAHMA. The entire BhagvadGita is the Science of Brahma, Naturally it is not that of Brahma the progenitor and certainly not about a loinclothed Brahmin. Look to the end of any chapter of the Gita and it will be clear at once. As an example we give here the closing line of the third chapter, alongwith its translation.

ॐ तत्सदिति श्रीमद्भगवद्गीतासूपनिषत्सु ब्रह्मविद्यायां योगशास्त्रे श्रीकृष्णार्जुनसंवादे कर्मयोगो नाम तृतीयोऽध्यायः ।।4।।
Thus in the upanishad sung by the Lord, the Science of Brahma, the scripture of Yoga, the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, ends the seventh chapter entitled "karmayoga, or the Yoga of Action."

When Lord Krishna speaks in the first person, he has already identified himself with the Brahma, the Supreme Stage, the Eternal Supreme, the Infinite Reality, the Absolute Reality -- its is not easy to describe Brahma because it encompasses everything, absolutely everything..Thus it is only in this Supreme stage as the immortal Brahma, he tells Arjuna to bow to him, to surrender to him, etc. He never says this as Murlidhara, Chakradhara, Keshava, Achyut, Murari etc. Krishna entered this Supreme Stage only once during his appearance on earth for 125 years.

The first time Lord Krishna uses the word 'Brahma' is in Ch IV 24 (other than a passing reference to the Brahmic sthiti at the end of Ch II)

It is a great way to describe the Infinite Supreme. With each chapter, the meaning, description and gravity, are elaborated further. The Rajayoga of Ch 9 and the Glories and Vishwaroop of Chs 10 and Ch 11 are the culminating point. After this chapter, the Lord assumes that Arjuna has fully understood the concept of Brahma, and does not dwell too much on the descriptions.

During the Gita upadesha, Lord Krishna was all along in the Brahma Stage. You will notice this from a conversation between Arjuna and Krishna long after the Mahabharata war had ended. After crowning Yudhisthir as king and when the kingdom was being run satisfactorily, Krishna plans to return to his own kingdom , Dwarika. Arjuna, asks Krishna to repeat the Gita as during the war he was too pre-occupied by other emotions. Krishna replies that he too cannot repeat it again. He was in a different plane when he gave the upadesha to Arjuna during the Mahabharata.

We hope we have succeeded in throwing some light on Brahma, Brahma and Brahma,and that it would help the readers of the Gita, particularly when faced with facetious arguments from disbelievers and confused persons.