 The charioteer is the symbol of calmness,
self-control and mastery of the mind and psyche, so ever changing and
unstable. He reduces the manifold, reaching us from the outside world,
to the inner unity of will.
The horses of the chariot are our instincts and
passions. In general there are four of them, corresponding to the
number of planes making up the human being, according to the seven-fold
constitution of man. The teachings of the most ancient eastern
traditions divide man into seven planes: three of them constitute the
vehicle of the Spirit symbolized by a triangle (Atma, Buddhi, Manas),
and the four remaining form a square (Kama Manas, Linga Sharira, Prana
Sharira and Stula Sharira), symbol of matter or physical body
supporting the Spirit.
The charioteer is situated just in between the two parts, on the bridge
called " antakarana " linking the upper and lower parts, that we could
call soul and body, respectively. The charioteer represents the
awakened mind that struggles to gain control over the " four horses" of
the four material planes, each trying to pull the whole team in its own
direction. Constantly, the charioteer brings them back on the way he
has chosen and keeps them under the control of his own will. Thus, the
charioteer unites and harmonizes the fire of passions through the
mastery of intelligence and reason.
The charioteer is the soul that awakens and sees itself divided. The
soul understands that it has to struggle to make its own spiritual
nature prevail over the material elements, holding firmly the reins of
the quadriga. The hand that holds the reins symbolizes the knot that
draws together spiritual and physical strength, the two antagonists of
this battle. Plato treated this theme with aptness in his Phaedrus.
The most famous and symbolic charioteer is Arjuna, the Prince of the
Pandavas, who, guided and encouraged by his spiritual master, Krishna,
fights against his cousins, the Kauravas, to conquer the kingdom of
Hastinapura. This battle is called "Bhagavad Gîta" or "The Lord’s Song"
and is one of the most famous and symbolic episodes of the entire
literature of India. The Bhagavad Gita is part of the epic 'The
Mahabharata'. Arjuna is the prime hero in this inner war called
"flowered war" by the Aztecs. Arjuna is the disciple who, following his
master, tries every day to conquer his true Being in an attempt to
master and conquer himself.
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