You refer to it as 'despondency'! But that 'despondency' was very beneficial; it was no ordinary 'want of courage'. For it tested his sincerity and steadfastness; it induced him to take unquestioning refuge in the Lord. That is why it is dignified by the name, Yoga. The Geetha which begins with the Vishada Yoga ends with the Sanyasa Yoga; Vishada is the foundation and Sanyasa, the superstructure. Vishada is the seed and Sanyasa, the fruit.

The question may be raised: how could Arjuna be credited with a pure nature, which alone is said to deserve the wisdom imparted in the Geetha. The word 'Arjuna' means pure unsullied, white - he is named very appropriately and he lived up to the name that he bore. That is how he secured the immediate presence of lord Krishna, that is how he became the instrument for the award of the Geetha to the world.

Krishna used the word, Yoga, many times in the Geetha; the state of the individual (or Jivi) during Yoga too is described; yet, a doubt may arise in the minds of those who have read the Geetha that there is no agreement between the word as used ordinarily and as used by Krishna. Krishna has extolled Vairagya (detachment) in some places. At other places, He has declared that the highest freedom can be earned by worship. Various methods of attaining the supreme state of spiritual bliss are also elaborated. In the eighth discourse, there is an account of Raja Yoga, but it is not right to say that the Geetha is a text that teaches Raja Yoga. Complete surrender to lord Krishna, freedom from the threefold shackles which bind one with the external world of objects, the observance of good deeds and virtuous disciplines, these are the principal truths underlined in the Geetha. The Lord holds these forth as the best forms of training in the deepest secrets of inner progress.

The real meaning of the Geetha is not grasped by all. Reputed scholars and writers, though gifted with rare intelligence, have failed to unravel the mystery of its message. Commentators speak of the principle of perfect balance amidst all change, or of the achievement of freedom as more important than anything else. On the other side, others compare the Geetha with the philosophical texts of the west with which they are familiar and start teaching young minds in that strain! Of course, full renunciation is highly desirable. But only a very small number can practise it. If a certain spiritual teaching has to gain universal acceptance, it must have disciplines that can be practised and experienced by every one in daily life and its activities.