1: Reading six articles: 2: Finish a charting 3: Write a short essay( 500 words)
T he D ile m ma o f A rju na
web .a rc h iv e.o rg
/w eb/2 0001025081804/h ttp ://w ww.h um anit ie s.c cn y.c u ny.e du/h is to ry /r e ader/k ris h na.h tm
T H E D IL E M MA O F A RJU NA
T he B hagava dgit a is a s h ort s e ctio n o f th e lo nger e pic p oem , M ahabhara ta . It d escrib es th e d ile m ma fa ce d b y th e
l e gendary h ero P rin ce A rju na a s h e d ebate d th e m ora l c o ntr a dic tio n in vo lv e d in k illin g, n ot m ere ly h um an b ein gs, b ut
h is r e la tiv e s, in o rd er to a ch ie ve a w orth y e nd. In th is fa m ous p assa ge, K ris h na c o m es to th e a id o f A rju na w ho th en
r e aliz e s th at in s o m e in sta nce s th e e nd ju stif ie s th e m eans.
P oin ts to P onder:
-- W hat is th e d if fe re nce b etw een a ctio n a nd
in actio n?
-- H ow d oes a ctio n d elu de th e m in d?
-- H ow d oes K ris h na's d ile m ma fit in w it h th e c o nce pt o f d harm a?
-- D oes th e w ay o ne g oes a bout g ettin g s o m eth in g g ood a llo w y o u
to d o a nyth in g to g et it ?
T he B hag avad git a
T he B le sse d L ord s a id : J u st a s th e u nw is e a ct, b ein g a tta ch ed to th eir a ctio n, e ve n s o s h ould th e w is e a ct, O
B hara ta , b ut w it h out a tta ch m ent, a nd o nly w it h a v ie w to p ro m otin g th e s o lid arit y o f s o cie ty .
O ne s h ould n ot c re ate a ny c o nflic t in th e m in ds o f th e ig nora nt w ho a re a tta ch ed to a ctio n. O n th e c o ntr a ry th e w is e
m an, h im se lf a ctin g in a cco rd ance w it h th e te ch niq ue o f th e y o ga o f a ctio n, s h ould in duce th em w illin gly to u nderta ke
a ll [p re scrib ed] a ctio ns.
A ctio ns o f e ve ry k in d a re a ctu ally d one b y th e d is p osit io ns o f m atte r a nd, s till, a p ers o n w hose m in d is d elu ded b y
t h e e go th in ks: " I a m th e d oer [o f th ose a ctio ns]." B ut h e, O M ig hty -A rm ed O ne, w ho k n ow s th e tr u th o f th e
d is tin ctn ess o f th e s o ul fr o m th e d is p osit io ns o f m atte r a nd fr o m th e a ctio ns [r e su lt in g th ere fr o m ], d oes n ot b eco m e
a tta ch ed [th e r e su lt s o f a ctio ns], r e aliz in g th at th e d is p osit io ns o pera te u pon th e d is p osit io ns.
T hose w ho a re d elu ded b y th e d is p osit io ns o f m atte r b eco m e a tta ch ed to th e d is p osit io n a nd th e a ctio ns [r e su lt in g
f r o m th em ]. O ne w ho k n ow s th e w hole tr u th s h ould n ot m ake s u ch d ulla rd s, w ho d o n ot k n ow th e w ho tr u th , fa lt e r [b y
h im se lf r e nouncin g a ll a ctio n].
R enouncin g in to M e a ll a ctio ns, w it h y o ur m in d fix e d o n th e S elf , a nd b eco m in g fr e e fr o m d esir e a nd a ll s e nse o f
' m y-n ess, " d o y o u fig ht, fr e ed fr o m y o ur s p ir it u al fe ve r. W hat is a ctio n? W hat is in actio n?-a s to th is e ve n th e w is e
s a ges a re c o nfo unded. I w ill e xp ound a ctio n to y o u, k n ow in g w hic h y o u w ill b e lib era te d fr o m e vil.
O ne h as to r e aliz e w hat is a ctio n, s im ila rly , o ne h as to r e aliz e w hat is w ro ng a ctio n; a nd o ne h as a ls o to r e aliz e w hat
i s in actio n. In scru ta ble , in deed, is th e w ay o f a ctio n. H e w ho s e es in actio n in a ctio n a nd a ctio n in in actio n, h e is
d is ce rn in g a m ong m en, e xp ert in th e te ch niq ue o f k a rm ayo ga, th e d oer o f th e e ntir e a ctio n [e njo in ed b y h is d harm al.
H e w hose u nderta kin gs a re a ll d evo id o f m otiv a tin g d esir e s a nd p urp ose s a nd w hose a ctio ns a re c o nsu m ed b y th e
f ir e o f k n ow le dge - h im th e w is e c a ll a m an o f le arn in g. R enouncin g a ll a tta ch m ent to th e fr u it s o f a ctio ns, e ve r
c o nte nt, in dependent- s u ch a p ers o n e ve n if e ngaged in a ctio n d oes n ot d o a nyth in g w hate ve r.
1/2
A ctio n a lo ne is y o ur c o nce rn , n eve r a t a ll it s fr u it s . L et n ot th e fr u it s o f a ctio n b e y o ur m otiv e , n or le t y o urs e lf b e
a tta ch ed to in actio n.
S te adfa st in Y oga, e ngage y o urs e lf in a ctio ns, D hananja ya a bandonin g a tta ch m ent a nd b eco m in g e ve nm in ded in
s u cce ss a nd fa ilu re . S uch e ve nm in dedness is c a lle d y o ga. F ar in fe rio r is m ere a ctio n to a ctio n d one a cco rd in g to th e
t e ch niq ue o f k a rm ayo ga. O D hananja ya . S eek r e fu ge in th e [r ig ht] m enta l a ttit u de. W re tc h ed a re th ose w ho a re
m otiv a te d b y th e fr u it s o f a ctio n. O ne w ho a cts a cco rd in g to th e te ch niq ue o f k a rm ayo ga c a sts o ff, in th is w orld , th e
c o nse quence s o f b oth h is g ood a cts a nd h is b ad a cts . T here fo re ta ke to th is y o ga. Y oga is s kill in a ctio ns.
S ourc e : S te phan H ay e d.,
Sourc e s o f In dia n T ra dit io n
( C olu m bia U P, 1 988). 2 81-2 82.
|
B ack to T he U se s o f th e G ods II: R eadin gs
|
2/2
