Question: Did Arjuna realise God, Guru, in that incarnation?

Question: Through his oneness with Sri Krishna, or through spiritual practices?

Sri Chinmoy: Spiritual practices also he did — many, many, for years and years. And not only in that incarnation; before that incarnation he started. But in that incarnation, Arjuna got the utmost Grace, because Sri Krishna came into his life. The Mahabharata is not the beginning of our Indian creation, our Indian civilisation. That is why Sri Krishna said that he was this, he was that. Long before that incarnation, in his previous incarnation Sri Krishna was the sun, he was the moon.

In that incarnation Arjuna realised God. But again, realisation, fortunately or unfortunately, is not static. From that realisation he went on to many, many more. As I say, to be at the foot of the realisation-tree is a great achievement. Many people are millions or billions of miles away from the tree. Some people who are on the verge of God-realisation are only one or two or three or twenty or even one hundred miles away. Then again, some can come and sit at the foot of the tree for who knows how many years — perhaps two hundred or three hundred years. They are afraid of climbing, or Grace has not yet descended for them to climb up the tree. Others climb up, and then in many cases they do not want to come back down. They promise they will come back down, but they do not come back.

Again, there is one who becomes everything for the whole world. After he climbs up, he will become the tree itself. That is the Avatar. God wants him to become the entire tree — the trunk, the leaves, the flowers and the fruits. Others, like yogis or saints, touch the tree or go up a little higher and then stop. But when one is to become an Avatar, he has to become everything, not only the tree but countless leaves, flowers, fruits, fragrance — everything. At one moment he has to play the role of a tiny leaf, one among so many leaves. One part of him is playing the leaf, but one part becomes the trunk, which is so huge, and one part becomes the branches. Everything the Avatar has to do, everything.

Question: What is Arjuna doing now, Guru?

Sri Chinmoy: He has entered into the process of evolution. The soul has taken quite a few more incarnations. Lord Krishna gave him his entire Divinity, and he became completely merged with the Krishna-Consciousness. Krishna-Consciousness is all-pervading, but because Sri Krishna is known as the Lord, he remains the Lord. But again, by becoming one with the Krishna-Consciousness, Arjuna is doing infinite things for Lord Krishna, the way Lord Krishna is doing infinite things for mankind through Arjuna.

Question: In any of his other incarnations was Arjuna well known, when he was making further progress?

Sri Chinmoy: He was well known, very well known. Arjuna became many world figures.

Question: But not a world spiritual figure?

Sri Chinmoy: Not a spiritual figure, but many good figures. He became many world figures in a good sense, not in an undivine sense. Lord Krishna and Arjuna maintained their Divinity. They kept it.