Chapter VIII - 42 | Home | Index | Previous | Next |
"I am like the Kalpavriksha. My task is to give each what he asks for. I have no prejudice and no favouritism. Not even the shadow of cruelty can touch Me. No fault can be imputed to Me. The rays of the sun fall equally upon all that are directly in their way; but if something is behind something else, inside a closed room for instance, how can the sun illumine? Cultivate the higher yearnings and you receive the higher stage. The fault lies in the aspirant and his aspiration, not in the attitude of the Lord." "Arjuna! Man gives up revering and seeking Me, who is his very self. How foolish of him! He is not anxious to reach Me; on the other hand, he pursues lesser attainments that are temporary, untrue, transitory. I shall tell you the reason for this strange and stupid behaviour. Karmopasana gives quick result; man seeks only what is available here and now, in a concrete form, capable of being grasped by his senses. Man, generally, finds reality too difficult to attain; so he is carried away by the attraction of flimsy pleasures, away from the full joy derivable from transcending the senses." "The achievement of Jnana is the inner victory; it is won after long and arduous struggle. Men do not generally have the needed patience; moreover, they attach greater importance to the gross body, the Sthula Sarira itself. The body can be happy only with objects that cater to the senses and so men do not seek Jnana, which will send them to paths where the senses are unwanted. They yearn for Karmasiddhi, not Jnanasiddhi. Those who are caught by urges of the intellect are fewer than those who are caught by the senses and their urges. The sensual-minded are drawn by the obvious, the patent, the perceptible and the physical. The few who are spiritually minded yearn for the imperceptible, invisible bliss of merging with the universal absolute. Theirs is the correct path. Karmopasana is the incorrect path. My task is to make clear to all the value of Dharma-karmas which have to be adopted after due discrimination." "But Arjuna, there is one method of reviving Dharma, the task for which I have come. That is Chaathurvarnyam, the organisation of the four Varnas based on the Karma and the Guna of the people. The Varna system is essential for the functioning of the world. Its significance is not easy to grasp. Some mislead themselves into the belief that it causes unrest and divides men from one another. If the problem is reasoned out, then the real truth will become clear. To conclude that the Varna system is not beneficial shows only ignorance. Such a judgment creates confusion. I have established this organisation in order to promote the welfare of the world, i.e. Lokakshema. The Varnas help man to engage himself in acts that he finds congenial and to fulfil himself. Without it, man cannot earn happiness for a moment." |