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Source: The Hindu (http://www.hinduonnet.com)

 

Man must not shirk his responsibilites

 

CHENNAI, NOV. 26. The Bhagavad Gita provides insight to a person

at every stage in his life. It offers a philosophy of action and

hence is very suited to those who have to actively engage in this

world. The teaching of Lord Krishna to Arjuna was to resolve his

dilemma. He who was so keen on plunging into a war, withdrew the

moment he was confronted with its outcome - death of his near and

dear ones.

 

The Lord did not instruct him as to what he must do; instead He

gave him the freedom of choice by pointing out his duty. As

Arjuna happened to be a warrior his duty was to take up arms

whenever there was a threat to Dharma. Each individual must

become aware of his duty at every stage of his life and act

accordingly.

 

Arjuna did not have a proper vision when he ventured into the war

and hence was on the horns of a dilemma. On the contrary, if a

person is able to visualise his goal in life perfectly but does

not engage in action in conformity with his vision, his life will

also not be fruitful. So the Gita way of life is to learn to

engage in worldly life with a vision one wants to realise in

life. Some may get doubts whether the actions which one does in

the line of duty are contrary to Dharma just as Arjuna had, for

in his case, it amounted to killing his kith and kin.

Individually one can pardon a sinner but at the societal level,

wrongs have to be punished to ensure peace and justice.

 

In his discourse, Swami Ishwarananda said as long as a person had

desires he had to engage in action. When the Lord pointed out his

duty to him, Arjuna who preferred to desist from the war told Him

that he preferred to live on alms than being instrumental in the

death of his kinsmen. This is the predicament of human beings

also - ``to be'' or ``not to be''. By running away from one's

responsibilites one cannot get peace of mind. It is a cowardly

way of opting out of a problem the easier way. Desires are still

there in the mind but because of fear of outcome the person wants

to renounce the world.

 

The Gita points out that renunciation is not for everyone and

cannot be resorted to by one who has worldly desires. So the path

of action (Karma yoga) is meant for the worldly people to engage

in action so that they can fulfil their legitimate desires

righteously. Action without any motive, out of a sense of duty,

will eventually help a person to evolve spiritually and reach a

stage where he will be totally free from desires when he can opt

to either continue to engage in action or withdraw from the

world.

 

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