11.32: History is His-story
The Bhagavad-gita (11.32) describes that time is a manifestation of God. Overall, the eleventh chapter of the Gita demonstrates the dynamic connectedness of God with the material world: he is not just a passive cosmic presence, but also an active universal agent who is shaping history according to his benevolent will for the gradual purification and eventual redemption of all.
This enlightened vision of God as the ultimate historical agent enables us to see history in a new light as His-story: he is orchestrating the chaotic and even destructive events on the world-stage as the unavoidable storm necessary to raise human consciousness to the divine level, where the enlightened human heart can relish an unbreakable calm.
This insight provides us, as it did to Arjuna, with the double empowerment of relief and confidence:
- Relief because we realize that we don’t have to worry about how everything and everyone will shape up; there is a far greater intelligence taking care of that.
- Confidence because we recognize that if we just do our part, a higher agent will come to our aid, nay, use us in his aid, and bring about a beneficent result for one and all.