86 Evolution of Life and Form. 



him ? " And you will remember how Shri Krishna 

 Himself told him not to shrink, ' bade him slay 

 him.' Hard was the task ; Arjuna's memory was 

 too strong for him ; he only fought in appearance 

 with restrained might, not with vigour, until at 

 last Shri Krishna saw that He must stimu- 

 late this man to do his duty, and to fight, though 

 it were against his old teacher himself; He 

 throws down the reins of His horses, takes the 

 whip, and leaps down from the chariot, and with 

 the whip He rushes through the brunt of the battle 

 to attack Bhishma Himself. Ah ! that sight is hard 

 for Arjuna ; it appeals to him as Kshattriya, and 

 duty is remembered instead of emotion ; throwing 

 his arms round Shri Krishna to stop him he says, 

 " Go back ! Go back ! and drive me yet again, and I 

 will do my duty even to the slaying of Bhishma." 

 Now what does that mean ? It means that the purpose 

 of the God will be accomplished, whether or not a 

 man is found to do it ; that evolution will proceed, 

 no matter who may falter or who may hinder ; that 

 while evolution will go on under the Will of God, 

 individual progress depends on individual co- 

 operation with that Will; that God evolves His agents 

 by setting them to His work, and that their progress 

 depends on the extent to which they are able to 

 receive the impulse that He imparts. Only one 



