Hindu Stories
The Lord’s Song - Arjuna’s Sorrow
At sunrise the next day, the armies of the Kurus and the Pandavas completed all their
arrangements. The eleventh division of the Kuru army stood in advance of all others. At the head of the
troops stood Bhishma. On one side were the eleven splendid divisions of the Kaurava army. On the
other side were the eleven splendid divisions of the Pandava army, protected by the foremost of men.
The two armies facing each other looked like two mighty oceans agitated by fearful ocean waves.
Sanjaya reported to Dhrtarashtra, “When placed in battle array, the two armies full of elephants,
chariots, and horses looked like two woods in blossom. Both of them seemed as if they could conquer
the very heavens. Both of them were commanded by excellent men. The Kaurava armies stood facing
the west, while the Pandava armies stood facing east – all ready for battle.”
Then, Arjuna, whose flag bore the figure of an ape, looked at the Kauravas drawn up in battle
array. As the fighting was about to begin, he took up his bow and said to Krishna, “I wish to see my
opponents who are eager for battle and whom I have to fight in the great struggle. Station my chariot, O
Krishna, between the two armies!” As requested by Arjuna, Krishna drove the chariot to a position
between the two armies.
Arjuna saw his closest kinsmen, related to him as father or grandfather, uncle or brother, son or
grandson, teacher as well as companion, and friend on both sides. Overcome by this sight, he said in
sorrow and compassion, “O Krishna, when I see my own people ready to fight and eager for battle, my
limbs shudder, my mouth is dry, my body shivers, and my hair stands on end. Furthermore, I see evil
portents, and I can see no good in killing my own kinsmen. It is not right and proper that we should kill
our own kith and kin, the Kauravas. How can we by happy if we slay our own people?” Having said
these words, Arjuna threw away the bow and arrows, and sat down sorrowfully on the seat of his
chariot.
When he observed that Arjuna was overcome with compassion and that tears were welling up his
eyes, Krishna said these words to him who was thus troubled and dejected, “O Arjuna, why have you
become so depressed in this critical hour? Such dejection is unknown to noble men. It does not lead to
the heavenly heights, and on earth it can only cause disgrace. Do not yield to cowardice, for it is not
worthy of you. Cast away this faintness of heart and arise.”
Arjuna said, “O Krishna, how can I strike with my arrows people like the grandsire Bhishma and
teacher Drona, who are worthy of my respect?” After such reflections, he finally told Krishna, “I will
not fight.”
Krishna smiled at Arjuna, so troubled in mind and dejected in spirit and said, “You grieve for
those for whom you should not grieve. The wise do not lament the dead or pine for the living. Anyone
who believes that this man kills or thinks that this man is killed fails to understand that no one kills or is
killed. The embodied souls merely cast off bodies and enter new ones just as a person discards used
garments and puts on new clothes.”
“The soul that lives in every human body is eternal and immortal,” Krishna went on to say.
“Therefore do not grieve for any creature. As a Kshatrya your duty is to fight a righteous battle. This is
the highest good for you, and you should not falter at this hour. Such a fight is an open door to heaven,
and happy are they who engage in such a battle. Either you will win a victory and enjoy the earth, or be
killed a go to heaven. Therefore rise, O Arjuna, and be determined to fight. Get ready for battle without
thought of pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat. In this way, you will not incur any sine.
Remember that you have a right to action alone, but not to the fruits of it.”
“O Arjuna,” he continued, “In this world I have taught a twofold way of life: The way of
knowledge for men who engage in contemplation, and the way of works for men of action. One cannot
maintain even one’s physical life without action. Therefore, do your allotted work regardless of results,
for men attain the highest good by doing work without attachments to the results. Resign yourself to me
and then fight, freed from your fever.”
Krishna said, “I am time itself, grown mature and capable of destroying the world…Even
without your effort all the opposing warriors shall cease to exist. Therefore arise and win great glory,
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conquer your enemies, and enjoy a prosperous kingdom. They are already slain by me, and you, you o
Arjuna, are merely the occasion. Kill Drona, Khishma, Jayadratha, Karna, and all the other great
warriors whom I have already doomed. Do not fear, but fight and conquer your enemies in battle.”
“My bewilderment is gone,” said Arjuna. “By your grace, O Kirshna, I have been made to
realize my true duties. My doubts have been dispelled and I stand ready to do your bidding.”
 Who is the protagonist? Where is he? What is he doing?
 What dilemma is he faced with?
 Who is Krishna? What does he tell the main character to do?
 Give 3 examples of what this story is teaching about Hindu beliefs and write a quote to back it up.
Belief
Quote
 What type of story is this? Explain why.
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The Blind Men and the Elephant
It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind.
The Fourth reached out his eager hand,
And felt about the knee.
"What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain," quoth he,
"'Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!"
The First approach'd the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
"God bless me! but the Elephant
Is very like a wall!"
The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said: "E'en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can,
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!"
The Second, feeling of the tusk,
Cried, -"Ho! what have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me 'tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear!"
The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Then, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a rope!"
The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a snake!"
And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!
 In this poem, if the elephant represents the Hindu concept of God, what does that tell you about the
Hindu God?
 If the entire elephant is God, what are the parts felt by the six blind men meant to represent?
 If Hindus believe that God cannot be described in full and that man can deal better with more
personal gods with human characteristics, who are regarded as aspects of one Universal Spirit,
what does that tell you about what one Hindu would think of what another Hindu believes?
 Would Hindus argue about God the way the blind men argued about the elephant?
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Mahagiri
Mahagiri was a huge elephant. He was so big that children were afraid to go near him. Mahagiri
belonged to a merchant. The merchant made a lot of money by sending Mahagiri out to work. He often
sent Mahagiri to the forest to carry heavy logs of wood from one place to another. When there was a
wedding he sent Mahagiri to carry the bridegroom to the bride’s house. When there was a big festival at
the temple, he sent Mahagiri to lead the procession. Once the people of a village wanted to hold a
festival at their temple. The festival could not begin till the temple flag was put up. The temple had a
flag, but there was no flag-post. So the villagers went to the nearby forest and cut down a tall teak tree.
They made the tree trunk into a fine flag-post. The flag-post was very long and heavy. The villagers
could not carry it, so they brought Mahagiri and made him carry it to the temple.
The villagers dug a hole in front of the temple. They wanted Mahagiri to put the flag-post in the hole.
Mahagiri carried the flagpost to the hole. Then suddenly he stopped and turned back. The mahout
ordered Mahagiri to put the flag-post in the hole. But Mahagiri would not move.
The mahout told him again and again, but Mahagiri refused. The mahaout beat Mahagiri with his hard
stick. But Mahagiri just stood still.
The mahout beat Mahagiri till his stick broke. The people were angry. They shouted at the mahout and
said he was not a good mahout. The mahout was angry. He took out his sharp knife and stabbed
Mahagiri many times on the neck saying, “Now you will do as I tell you.”
Mahagiri could not bear the pain any more. He was angry. He threw away the flag-post. Mahagiri cried
loudly and shook himself violently. The mahout was thrown off. The people were frightened. They
thought the elephant had gone mad. They all ran away.
Mahagiri was alone. He went to the hole and knelt down. Then he put his long trunk into the hole. He
picked up something and gently placed it on the ground. It was a cat! The cat had been hiding in the
hole. The people were watching Mahagiri from a distance. They knew now why he had disobeyed the
mahout’s orders. The huge elephant did not want to hurt the little cat. They ran to him in great joy.
Mahagiri then lifted the flag-post, lowered it into the hole, and held it up with his trunk so that the
people could fill up the hole with earth. The people patted Mahagiri with love and affection. They
brought him sweets and fruit. They felt very sorry that Mahagiri had been hurt.
From that day Mahagiri became the pet of the people. Children loved him. And they were very happy
whenever the merchant allowed them to have a free ride on Mahagiri.
 Name two reasons why the villagers shouted at the mahout and told him he was not a good mahout.
 Why did Mahagiri refuse to put the flag-post in the hole?
 What Hindu belief does this story illustrate?
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The Jataka Parable
A Brahman was preparing to make an offering to his dead ancestors by sacrificing a goat, and had
turned the animal over to his disciples for the preliminary bathing and garlanding. While this was going
on, the goat suddenly acquired recollection of his previous existences and thereupon burst into a loud
peal of laughter, like the breaking of a pot. But a moment later, it fell into a fit of weeping. The
disciples reported this unprecedented behavior to the Brahman, who asked the goat, “Why did you
laugh?” “Because,” replied the goat, “long ago in a previous existence I was a Brahman like you and I
too celebrated just such a sacrifice to the dead. As a result I am doomed to be reborn as a goat for 500
successive existences, and in each existence to have my head cut off. I have already suffered this fate
499 times, and now when my head is cut off for the 500th time, my punishment will come to an end.
Therefore, in my joy I laughed.” “And why,” asked the Brahman, “did you weep?” “I wept,” said the
goat, “when I thought of the 500 existences of sorrow which you are about to bring upon yourself by
cutting off my head.” “Never fear,” said the Brahman. “I shall not sacrifice you and you shall escape
the pain of having your head cut off.” “It will make no difference for you to spare me,” said the goat.
“My head must inevitably be cut off.” The Brahman, however, gave orders to see that no harm come to
the goat. Once free, the goat ran over to a ledge of rock and stretched his head out to nibble the leaves
on a bush growing there. At that moment out of the clear sky came a sudden bolt of lightening, which
split off a sliver from the overhanging rock, and this sliced off the goat’s outstretched head as clean as
with an executioner’s knife.
 For what is the Brahman preparing the goat? Why is he doing this?
 What was the goat in a previous existence?
 Why did the goat have to be reborn 500 times as a goat?
 Why does the goat laugh?
 Why does the goat cry? What good deed has the goat done?
 Why does the goat say it doesn’t make any difference whether his head is cut off by the Brahman?
 Why is the goat’s head cut off at the end of the parable?
 If the parable illustrates Hindu beliefs,
-what is considered evil in Hinduism?
-what are the consequences of being evil?
-what does this parable tell you about what Hindus believe about life after death?
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HINDU STORIES SUMMARY
We have read several readings in order to better understand the beliefs of Hinduism. Fill in the chart
based upon the readings.
Title
Characters
Summary
Hindu Belief(s)
Lord’s Song
– Arjuna’s
Sorrow
(from the
Bagavad Gita)
Six Blind
Men and the
Elephant
Jataka
Parable
Mahagiri
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