Sings Sri Krishna in Chapter Eleven, Verse Fifty-five of Bhagavad Gita:
मत्कर्मकृन्मत्परमो मद्भक्तः सङ्गवर्जितः।
“This man, O Arjun, who acts only for My sake (mat-karmah), depends upon and is devoted solely to Me (mat-parmah), free from attachment (sangavarjitah), and devoid of malice towards all beings (nirvairah sarva-bhuteshu), truly knows and attains Me.”
The four essential requisites of the evolutionary spiritual discipline through which a person may attain perfection or transcendence—of which human life is the means—are expressed by the terms: mat-karmah, mat-parmah, sangavarjitah, and nirvairah sarva-bhuteshu.
“Mat-karmah” means the performance of the ordained act — the act of yajna (meditation). “Mat-parmah” signifies the necessity of the devotee’s taking refuge in Lord Shri Krishna and offering complete devotion to Him. The required action cannot be accomplished without total detachment from worldly objects and the fruits of action – “Sangavarjitah”. The final, yet equally essential, requirement is “Nirvairah Sarva-bhuteshu” — the absence of malice or ill-will towards all beings.
Only a worshipper who fulfills these four conditions can truly attain Lord Krishna. It scarcely needs to be said that when these four disciplines, as urged in the final verse of the chapter, are observed, the resulting state of being leaves no room for external war or physical bloodshed. This is yet another instance proving that the Gita is not about outward conflict. There is not a single verse in the scripture that advocates physical violence or killing. When we have offered ourselves completely through yajna (meditation), remember only God and none else, are wholly detached from both nature and the fruits of our actions, and harbor no malice towards any being — then with whom, and for what, shall we fight?
The four observances lead the worshipper to a stage where he stands entirely alone. When there is no one beside him, who then is there to fight? According to Lord Krishna, Arjun knew Him, this would be impossible if there were even the faintest trace of malice about him. It is thus evident that the battle fought by Arjun in the Gita is not against external foes, but against the formidable inner enemies of attachment and repulsion, infatuation and malice, desire and anger — all of which arise to obstruct the seeker when he undertakes the path of single-minded meditation after having attained detachment from worldly objects and the fruits of action.
In Chapter Fifteen, Verse Seven of Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna sings:
ममैवांशो जीवलोके जीवभूतः सनातनः।
“The immortal Soul in the body is a part of mine and it is he who attracts the five senses and the sixth – the mind -that dwell in nature.”
Now, with the above exposition in view, let us analyze ourselves: Is the Bhagavad Gita truly an ‘extremist’ text or a scripture that promotes ‘social discord’?
Bow down in lotus feet of most Revered Gurudev for such teaching to me.
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Humble Wishes.
~mrityunjayanand.
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