The Philosophy of the Bhagavadgita - 2.6. : Swami Krishnananda.

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Sunday, December 25,  2022. 06:00.

Chapter 2: The Battlefield of Life - 6.

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The Bhagavadgita places us in the context of human society at the very outset, the situation in which we are today. We are nationals of a country, and we are human beings with a relationship obtaining in mankind as a whole. We always think in terms of human relationship. It is well known that we argue in this manner. This is the subject of the First Chapter of the Bhagavadgita, where the whole social structure is taken as the stand for the argument in connection with any action to be taken under a particular situation. Taking Arjuna as the symbol of mankind, the epic of the Mahabharata in its gospel of the Bhagavadgita tells us how we think as individuals.

We are faced with a warring situation and our activities in daily life are our efforts to face the battle. The work that we do in our office, the labour that we put forth in a factory, or any other work that we do in any walk of life, is the effort we put forth to resolve a conflict and solve a situation. But we do not always do it properly, and so a factory worker need not be happy, and an office-goer need not be satisfied. 

Our activities need not bring us happiness. We stoop down to the state of utter hopelessness and wretchedness, because we have not found time to walk with the light of reason and the justice of the universe. We cannot see this law with our eyes, just as we cannot see a government, for instance. Anything that is impersonal cannot be seen with the eyes. We cannot see even money. We see a piece of paper called a note or a metal piece called coin, but money is something different. It is a value that is imbedded in the symbol called note or coin, and that value cannot be seen with the eyes.

The higher law is an impersonal operation and, therefore, it is not an object of the senses. Inasmuch as we are depending on the senses for our achievement and judgement of things, we are unable to take advantage of the existence of impersonal powers, reason and insight. Arjuna was in this condition. He was thinking in terms of his relationships with people, as a son of so-and-so, a nephew, etc., with ulterior motives. Just as we gird up our loins to do something very vigorously every day, 

Arjuna got ready to embark upon a war. “We shall do this,” is our determination in the early morning, and so was the contemplation in the mind of Arjuna and all people on his side. They decided that certain steps were to be taken, and there was a necessity to implement the decision. This implementation of the decision is the entering into the field of battle. This is also the entering of ourselves into the field of the practice of Yoga, towards which the Bhagavadgita will take us.

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Next-

Chapter 3: The Spirit of True Renunciation
To be continued

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