Introduction to the Bhagavad-Gita- Part 2: Post-9: Swami Krishnananda.

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Thursday 19,  September 2024, 06:30.
Article
Scriptures
Introduction to the Bhagavadgita: Part 2.
POST-9.
Swami Krishnananda
(Spoken on March 17th, 1974)

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The principle of the ego is that sort of self-affirmation which does not want to give credit to other values than those which it has foisted upon its own self, and subtly begins to work for its own comfort and perpetuity. The ego is not always open. It is possessed of an intelligence of its own, like the intelligence of a fox, to its own destruction. Even a thief is very intelligent; he is not a fool. Even a criminal or a delinquent is intelligent. Even a person under a spell of mental aberration has a peculiar sort of intelligence of his own under certain circumstances. Such a sort of intelligence is exhibited by the ego in its conduct in this world, and creates a mess of things.

The ego is one among the many units of self-affirmation in the world, because there are many egos. Every unit is a unit of self-affirmation or self-assertion, but the not recognising of the fact that there are other units of self-affirmation is the peculiarity of every ego. If we could accept with equal validity and confidence the existence of other egos also in the world, there would be no special type of affirmation on the part of our ego. But the peculiarity and the speciality of every ego is to set aside the values of other persons and things, and utilise in a very careful manner the functions of other individuals for its own satisfaction and success – or rather, to clinch the whole matter, we may say, to utilise the world as a means to an end, which is one's own self. When we regard ourselves as an end in itself and the world as a means to it, we are typical egoists. These were the dictators of historical times; these were the tyrants of the past. This was also the philosophy of Duryodhana, of Ravana, of Hiranyakashipu, and of such persons.

The utilisation of the circumstances of the world and the conditions of other people and things for perpetuating and satisfying one's own localised individuality or affirmation is ego; this is born of Dhritarashtra, who could not see things. The ego functions on account of not being able to see the truth of things. If the truths were to be laid bare before its eyes, it would be shocked. Its bliss is the bliss of ignorance.

The different chapters of the Bhagavadgita, eighteen in number, gradually take us stage by stage from the immediate context of the human situation to the ultimate goal which mankind has to attain. It starts with the most outward and externalised of facts, taking place in the astronomical universe, the universe of history, the world of human society, of public relation, of politics and sociological values. Vyasa has been very careful in starting from the very beginning itself so that we may not complain that something is not said there. 

From this geographical, social and political context we are taken into the psychological motive forces behind human action and the complexities that are involved in the hidden apartments of this situation, which appear simple enough from outside. We are really opening Pandora's box when we try to study the world, because we do not know what is inside. It looks beautiful and very simple outside, but inside there is a terrible task for us when we lift the lid.

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Continued

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