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Source: The Hindu (http://www.the-hindu.com)

 

Human body is ephemeral

 

CHENNAI, SEPT. 11. God has given a splendid blueprint to the

entire humanity to enable its members to face problems in the

hours of crisis and distress and not to avoid action. He has

tendered it to all of us, through one individual (Arjuna) in the

Bhagavad Gita. His message lays great emphasis on human effort.

It lifts an aspirant to loftier heights making him dwell in calm

contemplation while his body and mind are actively employed in

discharging the duties which fall to his lot in life. God's

teachings are summed up for the benefit of all of us in three

significant, powerful words within whose confine, the entire

wisdom of Indian spiritual genius is contained and they are self-

control, duty and offering all our acts at God's feet.

 

Among the several commentaries for the Gita, the more important

are the 18 by the Acharyas of the three schools, and one by

Anjaneya in Prakrit. The Pandavas represent purity of thought and

virtue while their opponents stand for egotism. Forming part of

Mahabharatam, the divine hymn opens with the preparations for the

commencement of the battle. Suddenly, Arjuna became dispirited

and dejected and refused to fight stating he would be killing

many including his masters and relatives. The Lord exhorted him

to shed this despondency as this was only due to over attachment

for his kith and kin and for his revered elders and preceptors.

 

But there was a similar situation earlier during the fag end of

the Pandavas' incognito period. Arjuna had routed the army led by

the Kauravas in which his grandfather and others took part. There

was no such grief on his part then and he won decisively.

Likewise, in the Kurukshetra war theatre itself, Bhishma and

other leaders did not feel such bewilderment that their relatives

were going to be destroyed. Only Arjuna showed such a

pusillanimity of heart. It was then he surrendered himself

entirely to the Lord and prayed for enlightenment as to his duty

at that critical juncture, said Sri S. R. Raghothamachar in a

discourse.

 

Taking pity on him, Krishna advised him not to lament either for

the living or the dead, inasmuch as the soul, being immortal is

not identical with the body which is ephemeral and transient. The

infinitesimal atomic soul within each individual is part of the

cosmic soul (the Lord). The duty of the individual soul in its

free state is to worship the Supreme (cosmic soul) with unalloyed

devotion, while the duties of the (individual) soul that has

fallen from its path have been prescribed in the scriptures

according to its qualities and actions. Such prescribed duties

are incumbent on a fallen soul living in society. ``Perform your

ordained duties disinterestedly'', adds the Lord.

 

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