The History of Meditation and Mindfulness - Part 1.

On the vast plains of Kurukshetra in ancient India, around 1000 BCE, bathed in the pale light of dawn, two mighty armies--the Pandavas and their cousins, the Kauravas--stand ready for war. They are locked in a bitter generational struggle for the throne of Hastinapura.

Mounted elephants, warriors, and chariots face each other in lines reaching as far as the eye can see in both directions. This battle is the great conflict of the age, where the flower of Indian nobility will die in a titanic struggle. It is the ancient battle to end all battles in the war to end all wars.

The chariots gleam with polished wood, and the elephants trumpet in restless anticipation. Warriors grip their weapons, their breaths shallow in the stillness before the storm. Conch shells blare, signalling the approach of the moment when the two armies will attack.

In one chariot is Arjuna, the greatest archer of the age, his bow resting at his side. Driving the chariot is Krishna, his friend, cousin, and spiritual guide. Krishna is the divine godhead, the manifestation of the power of the universe on earth, and as such, he is the ultimate source of wisdom.

At Arjuna's request, Krishna steers the chariot to the centre of the field, positioning it between the two armies so Arjuna can view the faces of those he must fight. As he does so, his heart sinks as he sees friends and family on both sides who are all about to fight and die.

He asks Krishna, "How can I strike down these men--my family, my friends and our elders? What good can come from this slaughter? I'd rather die than draw my arrows against them."

Krishna tells Arjuna that this is not a time for despair, but a time for wisdom and so he teaches Arjuna a tapestry of wisdom and knowledge that survives to this day. Krishna teaches Arjuna Yoga--not the modern version of Yoga, which has become a form of exercise, but the ancient form of Yoga, which was the spiritual philosophy of the Indian ruling class in the first millennium before Christ.

As the armies wait, their banners fluttering in the breeze, Krishna explains the paths of Yoga--how to live with purpose and meaning and how to face death with clarity. At the heart of his teaching lies Dhyana Yoga, the Yoga of Meditation, a discipline for stilling the restless mind.

"Imagine a lamp in a windless place," Krishna tells him, "its flame unwavering. So, too, can the mind of a Yogi, through meditation, burn steady and bright. The flickering thoughts--desire, fear, sorrow--can be calmed, and in that stillness, you will find the wisdom to make the right choices."

Legend has it that all the combatants died in this great battle which was observed by the sage Vyasa, who then recounted the events, including Krishna's teaching of Yoga, to Ganesha, the famous Hindu elephant god. In this way, the story of this battle and Krishna's wisdom were distilled into a book called the Bhagavad Gita.

The Bhagavad Gita is one of many books within the epic tale of the 100,000 verses of the Mahabharata, which tells the story of the strife, love, and destiny of the Kuru dynasty, with the battle of Kurukshetra at its core.

In Chapter 6 of the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna lays it bare: "Sit in solitude, mind restrained, free from hopes, desires and fears. With practice, master the wandering mind, and in that mastery, find peace."