Krishnas Speech at the Battleground chapter eighteen by Ramesh Mukhopadhyaya

<: THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF WARRIORS AND PATHS TO FREEDOM There is social hierarchy in every society. Krishna classifies the society in terms of the three qualities: positive, negative and neutral. It is the people of neutral mind who are more venerable in terms of Krishna. It were the priest class who had this neutral frame of mind generally. Thus the priest class were at the top of the society. With the advent of Marxism, the intellectuals were very much cornered. Marx specially warned against mechanical Marxism. But he himself also put the labourers above the intellectuals. Lenin imagined of an elaborate system where intellectuals were controlled by the Marxists. Russia gave them no freedom of thought. An instance of this attitude is evident from the introduction of Socialist Realism in Russian art and literature. It was sponsored by the state. It drove away a large number of creative thinkers from Russia. The Russian Formalists were, for example, a brilliant group of critics of new generation. They were made quiet. A few of them quit Russia. Free thinking was muzzled in Russia. The state alone could have information. Others must remain content with whatever they get via state controlled media. It was due to this that the Soviet experiment fell. Russia understood rather too late with Gorbachov that it is the knowledge that rules the hand; the hand does not rule knowledge. But it was too late for Russia.In other words, with the information revolution that is taking place, mind-workers are more important than the labourer. Software in computer is more important than hardware. Krishna puts the intellectuals at the top of the society. It is indeed a great task of the intellect to become free from every personal desire. The modern management principle could profit by Krishna. When they ask for young and energetic men and when they promise lot of money, they perhaps attract to them people who are more interested in the development of their career than the development of the corporate body where they serve. Had they taken into account the leanings of their mind as prescribed by Krishna they could choose the right persons perhaps. Now days through the introduction of ‘quality circle’ they are trying to disinterested activity among the workers. Disinterested work is what Krishna looks forward to in every doer. But Arjuna cannot forget the ascetics who live away from the society. Earlier he told that he would better live on alms than to kill the venerated grand-father Bhisma and the teacher Drona in war and enjoy worldly pleasures. Then, again, he asked Krishna whether it would be better to cultivate the intelligence first and then to joint in activities of life. But Krishna pointed out that the intellect does not develop unless one takes part in the activities of life. Theoretical and practical knowledge go together. The former is lame without the latter. The latter is blind without the former. If one intelligently joins in the activities of life, one attains knowledge. In the last chapter Krishna talked of the worldly men, and classified them into three broad –divisions, and explained how the human society works through these different types of men. Krishna however does not mention the role of ascetics. These ascetics are found in every age and in every society. They are not apparently connected with the production-system of the society. Krishna is all for the production system. When he spoke of sacrifice and charity, he spoke of production system only. Giving another to the right persons always bears fruits. If we probe into the economic history of America, we find that the man, who had money, was on the look out for a person with ingenious creative faculty. He would then invest his money with a project conceived by the latter. He would get interest in return of the money he gave. Thus gold and gem were brought together. America became wealthier every day as a result of it. But in under-developed countries like India bank-loans are given to those who have clout in the government. The truly productive minds do not find the opportunity to translate their projects. Hapless, they have to serve the fools for two meals a day. Hence Krishna’s warnings regarding charity in the last chapter. But ascetics are not apparently connected with social activities. And Krishna does not dwell on them. So Arjuna asks Krishna who is an ascetic. The ascetics are supposed to have given up the worldly life. Arjuna wants to know what asceticism is and what renunciation is separately. Krishna says that, every activity whatever, like sacrifice, and charity could be done. If one performs them in a disinterested manner, one is ascetic. The giving up of any personal motive behind action is renunciation. Krishna says that no one should give up charity, sacrifice and penance. Only thing is that one should perform them in disinterested manner, Those who give up the performance of action such as sacrifice, charity etc are ascetics of the retrograde kind. The hopes of their spiritual progress is sealed. Giving up every motive, if one performs the actions as prescribed by the society and tradition only for their sake, it is renunciation of the neutral kind. Those who have neutral make up do not mind to perform an act which entails with it hardship. They do not do any work because it will give pleasure. Human life is impossible without doing work. So he who gives up all consequences of action is an ascetic. Those who, on the other hand, act with an eye on the results of a work, have to reap both the good and the bad of their work. Every action needs a site where it will be done. That is one’s body. The doer lives there in the body. The action needs instruments with which it will be done. They are the senses of man. Then there are the efforts one after another. Finally, there is the luck or the unseen factor. These five factors together go to forge an action. What Krishna says about the body could be jolly well applied to a corporate body or any organisation operating in the everyday world. There is the site of activity of the organisation. There is the proprietor or the body of the proprietors. There are the market research wing, the research and development wing and so on. They are the senses. But the unseen factor or luck must be there. When the Napoleonic war began all productive activities in Europe were militarized. So America got the opportunity to sell them different commodities of which Europe was in need. America remained neutral for the most of the part during the two great wars. It became the largest supplier of goods to the world- market. So good luck crowned the efforts of America. Such luck is also sine qua non with the individual’s success in any activity. Krishna observes that where men act with their body, mind and speech, the aforesaid five components are present in every action. One who thinks that one is the doer, does not appreciate how an action is done by the five components. Thus the owner of a firm does not understand how his employees contribute to his success. He must not be overproud of himself because luck in the shape of congenial environment helps him to flourish. He should not be downcast also if he finds himself a failure, despite his best efforts. He who has no pride, whose intellect is not involved with what should be the aftermath of an action, is at liberty to kill all the world. He kills no one in that case. That is, no sin for committing murder will touch him. No charge against him will be entertained at god’s court. What we do is not the point, what we want to do matters. Thus when god –incarnate Parasurama massacred the warrior class he did no wrong. And Arjuna if he kills his friends in the war he will do no wrong. The man who is disinterested in the world surely becomes no part of the world. He can offer his life as oblation in a sacrifice ads Christ did. Arjuna was also ready to do it in the first chapter. If Arjuna conquers the Satan of worldly appearance he can carry on war in right earnest, seated on his chariot drawn by the white horses. A warrior seated on a white horse waging war against the beasts that infest the earth has been also delineated in the Book of Revelation in the Bible. What goads one to action? Knowledge, object of knowledge and the knower are the three components of the motive behind action. A person is an engineer; he has thorough knowledge of electronics. If he has the object to use his knowledge to produce useful goods for the society, the impulse to action is there. Now there must be the instrument in the form of capital with which the doer will accomplish the action comprising of the production of the goods and selling them in the market.