Vipul Agarwal, Delhi, January 19, 2024
It’s not so that Arjuna did not have faith in Krishna before the battle of Mahabharata. In fact, it was Arjuna who chose Krishna for his entire army to fight the battle of Mahabharata. Yet, he got confused about whether to fight the battle or not, once he saw his cousins and elders fighting against him. That is the beauty of a spiritual journey. A spiritual journey is about confronting the deepest of our attachments lying hidden in the layers of the unconscious mind.
Ordinarily, we live a very shallow life full of attachments. Most of our decisions are driven by desires, attachments, and ambitions. Sometimes, we try to hide these ambitions behind the veil of helping others. Generally, we are not concerned about giving away the attachments. In fact, the entire society, in one way or the other, tells us to be more and more ambitious. At its very best, it tells us to follow the legal and moral code of conduct of the society, with an underlying understanding that if all of us follow the moral and legal code of conduct, there would be greater harmony in the society and everyone would get greater chances to progress.
However, in most cases, individual desires and ambitions find legal and moral codes of conduct to be restrictive. That brings a conflict. On the one hand, we wish to fulfill our desires and ambitions and on the other hand, we feel that if we fail to comply with the legal and moral norms, we will have to face the consequences of either fines, penalties, prosecution, social disapproval or punishment by God. I think that this dilemma is quite a normal thing for all of us. A small child also faces the dilemma of helping his friend cheat in the examination or follow the directions of the teacher. Adults also face similar dilemmas: going to the temple versus going to the office, serving parents versus going abroad, helping a friend versus competing with the friend. I think there are endless dilemmas of that type.
Till the time there is ambition and desire, can we ever be free of these conflicts? Probably no. No legal or moral code of conduct can ever free us of these conflicts. The reason is very simple. The legal and moral codes do not address the fundamental issue. These do not address the issue of ignorance and ignorance-driven desires and ambitions. If not for ourselves, we become ambitious for our kids.
These desires and ambitions have layers and layers. Since childhood, we have never questioned them. We have never examined them. There are so many knots to untie and that is definitely not an easy task. Even when we choose Krishna as a friend to fight our own Mahabharata, these knots do not disappear since they lie deep within our unconscious. It is only when we examine each of these knots with awareness, we get to be aware of the real issues. Arjuna is caught between an attachment towards his relatives and his ambition to rule Hastinapur. That is where Krishna tells him that he needs to act with complete surrender to the divine. It is not easy to surrender completely. Arjuna also could have completely surrendered when Krishna showed him His “Vishwaroop” (cosmic vision of Lord Krishna). It’s not easy for the intellect to surrender completely.
Probably the only way out is to remain aware in each and every moment. That awareness brings the capacity to observe and discriminate. With observation and discrimination, we can distinguish between the temporary and the permanent. We can see whether the pursuit of desires and ambitions is to bring more security or insecurity. We can see what makes us secure in the short term is resulting in long-term insecurity. Air conditioning brings comfort but also brings greater discomfort when we do not have the conditioning. Power brings security but also brings greater insecurity when we do not have the same.
Even after showing His “Vishwaroop” to Arjuna, Krishna told Arjuna about the way to live life in the Bhagwad Gita. Krishna told that to Arjuna because he knew that seeing the “Vishwaroop” is not an end in itself. One has to live life. One has to face the desires and ambitions stored in the deepest layers of the unconscious. That is why Krishna gives so much importance to “Jnana” (knowledge). To know the reality and to remember that constantly. “Bhakti” (devotion) will follow the moment one has true knowledge. Without true knowledge, “Bhakti” is just a blind belief or faith. That serves no purpose. Observation with awareness is the key to true knowledge.
