"Having gathered, battle-hungry
on virtue’s field, the field of Kuru,
what did they do then, Sanjaya,
my sons and the sons of Pandu?"
Chapter 1
The Bhagavad Gita
(The Song of the Lord)
The Bhagavad Gita is an ancient Hindu scripture about virtue, presented as a dialogue between the warrior Arjuna and Lord Krishna, an incarnation of God, who is serving as his charioteer.
One of the more unusual aspects of the Bhagavad Gita is its battlefield setting, which many commentators regard as a metaphor for "an inner war," alluding to inner struggles for self-mastery in the face of ego, ignorance on the path to ultimate liberation.
The scene opens on the eve of the great battle of Kurukshetra over succession to the throne between Arjuna's family and allies (the Pandavas) and those of the prince Duryodhana and his family (the Kauravas) and their allies.
Prince Arjuna on seeing his relatives, friends and teachers drawn up in battle formation as enemies, is filled with dread. This seeming calm before the storm is reminiscent of many a chess game.
Bagru is a small Indian town located thirty kilometers outside of Jaipur (the capital of Rajasthan). Along with other small villages in the neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, locals have endeavoured to preserve their history and culture through the tradition of block printing.
Out of hand-carved wood blocks, these masters press lengths of cotton fabric, impressing each with a beautifully unique print, done by eye and carrying with them the telltale signs of the human hand. A mark of the ineffable humanity embedded within the tradition and our product.