The Gita: Krishna's Counsel to Arjuna

So if there is an epic battle going on between all the people of the world, why is this God-like figure standing in the middle of the battle, grilling a 'dejected' Arjuna (Arrr- JUNE- a) about why he isn't fighting? But beyond my initial wonderment about that little detail, the name Sanjaya also caught my name. (I wonder if he can sing....)

But back to some deeper thoughts on the text. Sanjaya must be like the narrator of the text. And it seems that pretty much everyone involved in the battle is somehow related to an all powerful man named Dhitarastra. Sanjaya begins telling the story about running the chariot between the two armies. Clearly Arjuna knows Krishna, he knows his name and such, but why would a god be driving a chariot? And the first teaching is also confusing because the following 17 are all taught by Krishna, but the first is like an epiphany to Arjuna.

I think that this initial epiphany results in Arjuna's dejection. He realizes the destruction of what is about to happen. Dejection, to me, usually involves rejection. Arjuna removes himself from the battle and could potentially suffer defeat because of it. But Arjuna's dejection is due to the fact that he is so conflicted inside. I think the following 17 teachings really clear up what exactly Arjuna is supposed to do in this situation.

Overall, I find that the Gita is fairly fascinating. I love that there are the same characters all the way through and their thoughts and development can be tracked throughout. However, I usually find religious texts like this interesting, just because it exposes me to a different culture.