Article sent from The Hindu

[Guest guest]

=============================================================

This article is emailed to you by Ram Chandran ( rchandran )

=============================================================

Source: The Hindu

(http://www.hinduonnet.com/2002/03/06/stories/2002030600840800.htm)

Miscellaneous

-

Religion

 

 

God-oriented duty will result in glory

 

 

 

 

CHENNAI

March 6.

 

"To do one's duty" is the clarion call of the Lord in His sermon on the

battlefield the Bhagavad Gita. The message of the Lord arises out of the

sudden "depression" that troubled a great warrior who was earlier itching to

take revenge on those, who had perpetrated inhuman crimes against him and his

brothers. This soldier's attitude was not that of non-violence; he believed in

attack but suddenly, in a mood of despondency, he wanted to evade his duty to

fight because his vision got blurred and to remove the dejection in him the Lord

stepped in explaining that non-action and shirking one's duty amounted to

"misplaced sympathy".

 

On the remorse displayed by the valorous man Arjuna the

Gitacharyan's mace falls most heavily. Krishna tells him that his reluctance to

fight, for which he had entered the theatre of war, was delusion. Arjuna's

nature through the years should not have permitted him to refrain from doing his

duty. The truth arising out of God-incarnate's arguments to convince him to act

is that he should give up the idea of self-importance and the lop-sided view he

had developed thereby of the prevailing situation.

 

Arjuna had proved his valour on hundreds of occasions, but when the war was just

to commence, he was seized by depression and he tried to justify his inaction.

Lord Krishna, acting his charioteer, delivered His message saying that what man

owed to God is to perform his duty and he will be rewarded with Lord's grace.

Duty will fetch harmony and it may be routine, a rigmarole and monotonous, but

when it is God-oriented and God-inspired it will be pleasant and it will result

in glory.

 

Srimathi Prema Pandurang, in a lecture, said depression effaces one's

personality whereas duty enhances it. The latter unites men, is positive in

character and lifts a person from his drooping spirit. On the other side, Arjuna

says that he is at a loss to determine which is more honourable victory

or defeat.

 

The Lord then explains that action done with the motive of gain is evil:

"Perform your ordained duties disinterestedly but cast aside all desires for the

fruits of your action. In that case your duty will be this: whatever you do,

eat, sacrifice, bestow, austerity or penance you perform, consecrate them to Me.

You are not a fruit-seeker, and so carry on your task, leaving the results to

Me, offering everything to Me."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright: 1995 - 2002 The Hindu

 

Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly

prohibited without the consent of The Hindu