Bhishma PitamahaThe eternal war
By Sri Sampath Kumar
Courtesy The Hindu
A seeker of the Eternal Truth finds the path rugged and difficult to traverse, with human weaknesses as the greatest hurdle to be overcome. According to scriptures, there are two opposing natures, namely the transcendental/ good (Daivi Prakriti) and the demonic/evil (Asuri Prakriti) that respectively facilitate or get in the way of such a seeker. Those endowed with good nature are able to progress in the path to liberation while the latter, being driven by passion, ego and ignorance continue to be caught in the cycle of birth.
Lord Krishna’s detailed enumeration of the basic good and evil qualities in human nature that form the basis of the internal conflict in us. The Lord says that one has to cultivate the good qualities and stem the bad ones, to get ahead in the spiritual path.
Among the good qualities, non-violence, truth, freedom from anger, renunciation, tranquillity, aversion to fault finding, compassion to living beings, freedom from covetousness, gentleness, modesty, steadiness, etc., are extolled while ostentation, arrogance, pride, anger, etc., are denounced. The distinction between these is neither restricted nor comprehensive, since many of these qualities coexist in beings. Desire, anger and greed are the sources from where negative qualities spring. The way out is to control the senses and the mind. The guiding light is provided by the Sastras and hence one has to follow the tenets as laid down by the Sastras.
The Mahabharata war itself is symbolic of the eternal war between good and evil within each individual. The Pandavas are devoted to dharma, law and justice, while the Kauravas are lovers of power, self and glory and do not care about the righteous way to attain these. When Arjuna hesitates to go to war, Lord Krishna makes it clear to Arjuna that his reluctance is an illusion, and the real problem is not regarding the fight but the fight against relatives, brothers, friends, etc. The crux of Arjuna’s confusion lies at his perception of people, places and things in terms of I and Mine. It is implied that following the path of virtue itself establishes a victory over evil forces
A seeker of the Eternal Truth finds the path rugged and difficult to traverse, with human weaknesses as the greatest hurdle to be overcome. According to scriptures, there are two opposing natures, namely the transcendental/ good (Daivi Prakriti) and the demonic/evil (Asuri Prakriti) that respectively facilitate or get in the way of such a seeker. Those endowed with good nature are able to progress in the path to liberation while the latter, being driven by passion, ego and ignorance continue to be caught in the cycle of birth.
Lord Krishna’s detailed enumeration of the basic good and evil qualities in human nature that form the basis of the internal conflict in us. The Lord says that one has to cultivate the good qualities and stem the bad ones, to get ahead in the spiritual path.
Among the good qualities, non-violence, truth, freedom from anger, renunciation, tranquillity, aversion to fault finding, compassion to living beings, freedom from covetousness, gentleness, modesty, steadiness, etc., are extolled while ostentation, arrogance, pride, anger, etc., are denounced. The distinction between these is neither restricted nor comprehensive, since many of these qualities coexist in beings. Desire, anger and greed are the sources from where negative qualities spring. The way out is to control the senses and the mind. The guiding light is provided by the Sastras and hence one has to follow the tenets as laid down by the Sastras.
The Mahabharata war itself is symbolic of the eternal war between good and evil within each individual. The Pandavas are devoted to dharma, law and justice, while the Kauravas are lovers of power, self and glory and do not care about the righteous way to attain these. When Arjuna hesitates to go to war, Lord Krishna makes it clear to Arjuna that his reluctance is an illusion, and the real problem is not regarding the fight but the fight against relatives, brothers, friends, etc. The crux of Arjuna’s confusion lies at his perception of people, places and things in terms of I and Mine. It is implied that following the path of virtue itself establishes a victory over evil forces
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