Arjuna was hesitating, and therefore the Bhagavad-gītā was explained. The Lord first of all tried to engage him in the battle in the ordinary way, and when he . . . when it was not possible and there was some arguments between Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa in favor and in, against the fighting . . . but at last Arjuna decided that "Let me appoint Kṛṣṇa, the best amongst us, to advise me what to do and what not to do." Then the Bhagavad-gītā was begun. That is the history. You have already discussed it, and you know it.
Now, here the supreme consciousness . . . Kṛṣṇa is supreme consciousness, and Arjuna is individual consciousness. About consciousness, I have explained several times that we are all consciousness, but we are not supreme consciousness. Supreme consciousness is the Supreme Lord. That we have to understand first, that supreme consciousness . . . we are consciousness undoubtedly, but we are not supreme consciousness.
If we falsely claim that, "I am also the supreme consciousness," that will be a false claim. We are not actually the supreme consciousness. Qualitatively, we are one. Qualitatively, we are one. The supreme consciousness and my consciousness is qualitatively one. But quantitatively, the supreme consciousness is different from individual consciousness. Individual consciousness is limited, and the supreme consciousness is unlimited.
That . . . just like you can think of your consciousness within this body . . . whenever there is something painful or something itching in any part of my body, I am conscious of it. I know it, where and how it is being done. I do not know how it is being done, but I know where it is. So that consciousness, as I am conscious in any part of my body, but I am not conscious of your part of your body. Therefore my consciousness is limited.
Similarly, you take the whole cosmic manifestation as the external body of the supreme consciousness. Therefore supreme consciousness is, I mean to say, conscious of anything which is taking part in any part of the conscious . . . supreme, I mean, manifestation. And you'll find in the Bhagavad-gītā that the supreme consciousness knows the past, present and future, but we, we are not, I mean to say, conversant in that way, that I know the present, past and future. That is my deficiency.