Bhagawadgita – The Hindu Vision of Life.
The Bhagawadgita sums up the Hindu Vision of Life as no other scripture does. It is not just a dialogue on the purpose of life between the Great Charioteer and The Great Warrior, but it is also a dialogue between a Every Man and his Deeper Self. Like any scripture Gita does not ask people to follow any commandments, but tells him how the choices one makes leads to certain consequences in this life and the subsequent lives. Its basic message is, the destiny of man is in his own hands: " uddared atmana'tmanam – only you can save yourself." (Chapter VI –5). If the man makes the right choices, it will lead him to fulfillment – self-realization, both in this world and the next.
" The concepts of right and wrong", writes Dr.R.Radhakrishnan, in his preface to the Bhagwadgita," do not belong to the sphere of science ; yet it is, on the study of the ideas centring round these concepts, that human action and happiness ultimately depend." The Bhagwadgita is truly a guide for a happy and harmonius life.
Some of the ideas and ideals propounded in Gita are :
(a) Unity and Divinity in all creation;
(b) Nishkama karma – selfless action;
(c) Stitaprajna – equanimity ;
(d) Divine & Demonic Qualities.
(a) Unity and Divinity in all creation :
" The very heart of the Gita's message is ", says the great sage and scholar Ekanath Easwaran, in his introduction to The Bhagawad Gita ( Penguin), " to see the Lord in every creature and act accordingly." There are many verses in the Gita which repeatedly emphasize this fact of Hindu intuition – one-ness of the mankind, nay the universe. It is no wonder that Hindu scriptures proclaim, " vasudaiva kutumbakam" – world is a family.
The Hindu sages in their mystical experience found something changeless in the universe and something that animates all creatures, which they called Brahman or God. They found the same divine spark in everything, both in the animate creatures and inanimate objects. This has now been well corroborated by the physicists when they say that there is no difference between matter and energy and they are interchangable. Water, if frozen, becomes ice, if boiled, becomes vapour. The ice and vapour are two different aspects of water.
The following verse in the Gita (Chapter XIII-28) vividly explains the one-ness of mankind :
samam pasyan hi sarvatra,
samavasthitam isvaram,
na hinsatay atmana'tmanam,
tato yati param gatim
It means 'Seeing the same Lord everywhere, he does no harm to himself or others, and thus he attains the supreme goal'.
(b)Nishkama karma – Selfless Action :
Karma is action and karma is also consequences of action. The law of karma is the law of cause and effect. Every action leads to certain consequences and the relationship between the two is that of a seed and its fruit. What you sow, you reap. Some action leads to its consequences immediately as in the case of fire - you touch the fire which will burn your finger immediately or when you sow rice/wheat you will get a harvest after four months. Some action bears fruit after a gap of time – a mango seed gives you mangos after three/four years.
Nishkama karma is doing action without selfish desire. Man cannot live without action and man cannot achieve without desire. It is the selfish desire which binds him, rather blinds him, to the consequences. It is the selfish desire that makes him use any means to achieve what he wants. Mahatma Gandhi always emphasized the need for purity of means and ends. The means and ends are like the seeds and the fruits. Ends do not justify any means. Action without selfish motive purifies the mind but selfish motive entangles a man into further selfish action – it is a vicious circle. It is like a telling a lie which makes you continuously lie to cover up the original lie.
Nishkama karma ( selfless action) has been explained as 'karmaphala tyaga' ( renouncing the fruits of action ) in the last chapter (XVIII - 2) of the Gita.
kamyanam karmanam nyasam,
samnyasam kavayo viduh,
sarvakarmaphalatyagam,
prahus tyagam vicaksanah
While 'samnyasa' is renunciation ( refraining from selfish acts ), 'tyaga' is renouncing the fruits of action.
In the next stanza, Krishna explains that some wise people say that all action should be renounced as evil while others say that some kind of action – self-sacrifice, gifts and self-discipline should be continued. Then he adds that self-sacrifice, gift and self-discipline purifies man. However, even these acts should be performed without any desire for selfish rewards. Earlier, in Chapter (II –47), Krishna has made it clear that man has the right to action but not for its results and so fruits of action should not be man's motive. He also does not approve of inaction.
karmany eva 'adhikaras te
ma phalesu kadacana
ma karmaphalahetur bhur
ma te sango 'stv akarmani
'Nishkama karma' is the essence of Gita, according to Mahatma Gandhi. Self-less action ( nishkama karma) is a natural step to those who have found divinity in everyone and everywhere. God manifests in different names and different forms and the mankind is a brotherhood of man.
( c ) Stithaprajna - Man of Equanimity .
Gita defines a wise man or stithaprajna, as a man of equanimity or as a man with even-mindedness. Perform work in the world without selfish attachment and have an even mind both for success and failure, and that is yoga, evenness of mind ( Chapter II – 48).
The wise man is not perturbed by success or failure, by pleasure or pain, by gain or loss, by victory or defeat. He accepts both with equanimity. Time passes, success too passes and failure also passes leaving behind some experience, if one is capable of learning. All action leads to either to success or to failure, and if it leads to success, you take the next step towards your goal. And in case it leads to failure, you learn from failure, and try again. So many times success leads to excess and failure leads disappointment, and both cloud man's judgement.
Gita advocates self-control of body, mind and senses. Attachment to sense-objects leads to a vicious chain reaction – the chain of desire, anger, bewilderment, loss of memory, and destruction of intelligence. ( Chapter II – 62/3). When the mind follows the dictates of senses, it is like a rudderless ship which is carried away by the wind (Chapter II – 67).
It is in this Chapter that Krishna explains the transient nature of life – the same person or soul resides in the body which passes through childhood, youth and old age ; after death, the same soul then acquires another body, just as a man abandons worn-out clothes and puts on new clothes. The only thing that clings to the person or the soul is his good or bad deeds (karma) which shape his future or his destiny.
( d ) Divine and Demonic Qualties.
Every human being is born with good and bad tendencies. Since man has a choice, it is for him to choose either of the tendencies, and of course, reap the consequences. The Chapter XVI explains these tendencies in detail.
The qualities of Divine nature are : Fearlessness, purity of mind, devotion to knowledge, concentration, charity, self-control,, sacrifice, study of scriptures, austerity and uprightness, non-violence, truth, freedom from anger, malice and covetousness, renunciation, compassion and gentleness, modesty and steadfastness, vigour, forgiveness. These qualities lead to freedom and happiness.
Ostentation, arrogance, excessive pride, anger, harshness and ignorance are the qualities of demonic nature. These lead to bondage. Of course the doors of God are open to him if and when he repents and reforms himself.
Further, Krishna says lust, anger and greed are the three doors to hell which a man should not enter at all costs. The man who enters these gates will not achieve lasting happiness, leave alone the life's final goal – moksha ( liberation).
The Hindu Vision of Life.
The above four ideas or ideals from the Gita present the Hindu Vision of Life and if followed, would lead to a happy and harmonious life. When you see Divinity everywhere in the world and realize that you are a part of that Divinity, selfishness loses its meaning and nishkama karma ( selfless service) becomes meaningful, stithaprajna ( equanimity ) becomes natural and the man would embrace all the divine qualities.
Gita is a ocean of wisdom and the above four are but a few pearls. When a seeker of truth immerses himself in this ocean, he will find many more. " I find a solace in the Bhagwadgita," Mahamtma Gandhi wrote in Young India (1925), " that I miss even in the Sermon on the Mount. When disappointment stares me in the face and all alone I see not one ray of light, I go back to the Bhagwadgita. I find a verse here and a verse there and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming tragedies – and my life has been full of external tragedies – and if they have left no visible, no indelible scar on me, I owe it all to the teachings of the Bhagwadgita."
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