Bhagavad Gita - Daily - II CHAPTER 3-21 II

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3-21

 

yad yad acarati sresthas, tat tad evetaro janah

sa yat pramanam kurute, lokas tad anuvartate

 

" Whatever a great (noble) man does, the others follow. Whatever standard he sets

up, the generality of men follow the same. "

 

Comment:

 

In the society, whoever is regarded as a great (noble) man, he has a special

responsibility, he must not perform any actions or speak any words which are not

in conformance with the ideal code of the society and the injunction of

scriptures.

 

From " Gita Prabodhani " in Hindi by Swami Ramsukhdasji

 

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Chapter 3, Verse 21 is as follows;

 

Yat = what

Yat = what

Aacharati = does

ShreShthaH = the best of men

Tat = that

Tat = that

Eva = only

ItaraH = the other

JanaH = people

SaH = he / a great man

Yat = what

PramaaNam = standard

Kurute = does / sets up

LokaH = the World

Tat = that

Anuvartate = follows

 

English translation:-

 

Whatever is done by the best of men, others just follow it. The World in general

conforms to the standard / example that a great man sets up.

 

Comment:

 

In the `Vana-Parva' section of the great epic `Mahaa-Bhaarata', when a Yaksha

had asked the senior most Paandava, Dharmaraaja Yudhishthira, " Kaa Dik? i.e.

which is the right direction? " to which Yudhishthira had replied, " Santo Dik!

i.e. the one specified by the Saint! "

 

The best of men are the path-finders, path-makers and path-setters; who blaze

the trail that other men follow by implicit trust and as a vote of confidence.

It is a natural expectation that such trust and confidence of the followers

should not be belied by such great men.

 

" I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been

only like a boy playing on the sea-shore, and engaging myself in now and then

finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great

ocean of Truth lay all undiscovered before me. Plato is my friend, Aristotle is

my friend but my greatest friend is the Truth. If I have seen further it is only

by standing on the shoulders of such giants. " ….. Isaac Newton, the great

physicist, mathematician, astronomer, alchemist, inventor and natural

philosopher.

 

Here are few examples of some outstanding personalities, who normally have the

words " the Great " appended to their names by their followers as well as

historians;

 

 

· Alexander the Great, King of Persia, Macedonia, Greece, Egypt and all of

Mesopotamia

 

· Akbar the Great, ruler of the Mughal Empire of South Asia

 

· Ashoka the Great, Indian emperor of the Maurya dynasty

 

· Catherine the Great, Russian Empire

 

· Meiji the Great, who modernised Japan

 

· Napoleon the Great, First French Empire

 

· Peter the Great, Russian Empire

 

· Raajaa Shivaji the Great of India, founder of the Maratha Empire in

India

 

It is a natural consequence to have the hero / heroine worship that follows due

to the exceptional contributions made by such above-mentioned great

personalities. However, sometimes it degenerates into a cult of personality

through unquestioning flattery and praise specifically to perpetuate the legacy

of political leaders in dictatorships and of religious leaders amongst religious

fanatics. The most infamous Hitler salute " Heil Hitler " had become the

embodiment of Hitler's cult of personality throughout Nazi Germany.

 

Therefore, Lord Krishna is indirectly presenting a precautionary note in this

verse. It is the utmost pre-caution that every great man has to exercise that he

should not tread a path that will result into destruction of his followers, of

the society and the nation he belongs to.

 

Emulation is the basis of mass / mob psychology. Children follow their parents.

Students follow their teachers. Fans follow performing artists. This empirical

law operates even in the negative. When the head of a family is lethargic, the

entire family members develop similar traits. When a teacher teaches

malpractices, his students pick them with ease. When a ruler is inept,

inefficient and corrupt, the entire populace follows him and in turn proves the

Sanskrit Vachanam, " Yathaa Raajaa Tathaa PrajaaH " .

 

Therefore, Lord Krishna presents a very cogent argument, " O Arjuna! Unless you

act decisively and diligently in this royal battle; the entire masses in the

Kuru Kingdom will follow the low standard of retreat from the fight against the

wicked and evil forces of Kauravas and thus they will ultimately invite the

wrath of a decadent culture and completely destroy the righteous tendencies

amongst the populace. The only thing necessary for the triumph of the evil is

for good men like you to do nothing. Therefore, O Arjuna, being a prince, your

bounden duty is to fight in the spirit of `Vinaashaaya Cha DuShkrutaam' i.e.

annihilation of the unrighteous people like the Kauravas and their partners in

crime. "

 

Thanks & Best Regards,

Shrikant Joshi

 

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