Gita Satsang - cogitations-Ranade on Antinomies-Part5

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Namaste,

 

" The Categorical Imperative in Kant and the Bhagavadgita

( a ) Three Specifications according to Kant.

We have already seen how there is a great similarity between the

author of the Bhagavadgita and Kant, in regard to their conception of

the antinomies. In this chapter we shall deal with something which is

still higher, namely, the conception of the Categorical Imperative

both in Kant and the Bhagavadgita about which there is a wonderful

resemblance indeed. Those who have studied the Critique of Practical

Reason know that the general statement, which Kant makes in regard to

the conception of duty, is "act on that principle which may be

regarded as a law universal ". Universality is the general

characterisation of this law. This general principle Kant had to

modify, modulate or specify in course of time.

The first specification of this universal law is -- " act on that

principle which might be regarded as a law of nature. "

The second specification is--" act on that principle which might be

regarded as a law of reason. "

Finally; mere nature and reason are not sufficient. Man must come in.

He must be regarded as an end-in-himself. The Kingdom of Ends must

justify our practice of the Categorical Imperative.

Hence the third specification would be -- " act on that principle

which will conform to the concept of the Kingdom of Ends. " Thus man

as an end-in-himself sums up the total teaching of Kant in regard to

the Categorical Imperative.

 

Three Specifications according to Gita. Exactly, in a similar manner,

the Bhagavadgita gives us a certain general formulation of the

Categorical Imperative and then its specifications. The procedural

similarity as well as the similarity of content is wonderful. This

point has not been hitherto noticed by anybody.

In the first place, there are these utterances in the Bhagavadgita in

regard to the general formulation :

 

kaaryamityeva yatkarma niyata.n kriyate.arjuna . XVIII:9

karmaNyevaadhikaaraste maa phaleshhu kadaachana . II.47

 

You ought to do a thing because it is your duty to do so. This is

the general formulation of the Categorical Imperative in the

Bhagavadgita.

Then there are three specifications of it.

 

The first spcification is that this duty is to be performed leaving

away all attachment and desire for the fruit.

[sa~Nga.n tyaktvaa phalaani cha .] This rule is applicable, according

to the Bhagavadgita, not merely to ordinary actions but even to holy

actions :

 

yaj~no daana.n tapashchaiva paavanaani maniishhiNaam.h . XVIII:5

etaanyapi tu karmaaNi sa~Nga.n tyaktvaa phallaani cha .

kartavyaaniiti me paartha nishchitaM matamuttamam.h .. XVIII:6

 

It tells us that we should leave away all attachment and all desire

for fruit not merely in the case of ordinary actions but also in the

case of holy actions so that even holy actions come within the

purview of the Categorical imperative.

 

A second specification of the Categorical Imperative in the

Bhagavadgita is:

 

yogaH karmasu kaushalam.h . II:50

siddhyasiddhyoH samo bhuutvaa samatva.n yoga uchyate . II:48

 

We are to do our duty skilfully.That is what Mahatma Gandhi claimed

to do. He regarded himself as an artist in Satyagraha. Also one must

preserve one's equanimity These are the two specifications of the

Categorical Imperative in the Bhagavadgita, namely, (i) leaving

aside all attachment and care for fruit ; and (ii) doing actions

skilfully and in a spirit of equanimity.

 

The third specification is the concept of yaj~na which is universal

in its nature. This corresponds to the Kingdom of Ends in Kant. The

Yajna has got both a social and a spiritual value as the Kingdom of

Ends itself has. We may also say incidentally that the concept of

Yajna reconciles the antinomy between Jnana and Karma, as we have

suggested at the beginning of this chapter. But it is not the

conception of Yajna or sacrifice of ghee, sesamum, rice or sheep,

which is the reconciler of the antinomy between Jnana and Karma. It

is the general universal conception of Yajna. There are various kinds

of Yajnas,

 

evaM bahuvidhaa yaj~naa vitataa brahmaNo mukhe . IV:32

 

It is probably this thing which gave Acharya Vinoba Bhave the impetus

towards his conception of Yajna.

 

dravyayaj~naastapoyaj~naa yogayaj~naastathaapare .

svaadhyaayaj~naanayaj~naashcha yatayaH sa.nshitavrataaH .. IV:28

 

But it may mean the sacrifice of material. The Bhagavadgita even

starts with the Dravya Yajna. So whenever we are doing our actions in

a spirit of sacrifice we are freed from their contamination. That is

the ultimate principle, which reconciles the antinomy between Jnana

and Karma."

 

 

 

Regards,

 

s.