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Commentary by Jayaram V
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Summary and Conclusion For Verses 1 to 9 |
The first nine verses of the second chapter of the Gita amply illustrate the
plight of the ego caught in the confusion of worldly morals and conflicting values,
standing at the gates of heaven imploring the divine to interfere and perform His
act of benign rescue. Arjuna stands symbolically for the human ego and his problems
in fighting a moral and physical war are essentially the problems of ego deeply
involved in the act of survival on earth. His grief is the grief of the human ego
caught in the snares of worldly life and pining for a permanent escape. Arjuna is
an earthly being bound to his traditions and beliefs, just like the ego caught in
its own illusions. The words of Arjuna therefore echo our own individual suffering
and confusion and his conflict is the conflict we all face while dealing with our
own immediate relationships in life.
We are not very wise in our actions. Not can we claim any authority for our limited
knowledge, which is more qualified to be described as ignorance than knowledge.
We all are susceptible to cognitive bias and perceptual errors. Our beliefs and
conclusions are based more on our prejudice, faults of observation, depreciating
tendency of our memories and logical errors than truth and purity of experience
and perception. There are bound to be errors and mistakes in our awareness, which
we are unfortunately mostly unaware of and therefore unwilling to accept and rectify.
This makes change in our approach and behavior a difficult if not an almost impossible
task.
The ego is responsible for all human activity in worldly matters. It is a blind
force, ignorant, adamant and purely selfish, an instrument of Nature to serve its
designs. By nature it is wedded to the roots of earthly life and this prevents the
ordinary human being from seeing the possibilities of establishing a much deeper
spiritual life and consciousness far beyond the capacity of ordinary mind and senses.
By its incessant activity and attachment to the worldly matters through the senses,
the ego in man excludes him from gaining a wider spiritual vision that can cure
many ills of his current existence and help him establish in himself peace and harmony.
But creative process cannot allow the ego to continue its ignorant movements
for long. Some day the life the ordinary human being has selected as extraordinary
and exceptional has to come to its logical end with all the negative consequences
coming to the surface and raising their heads as if to consume life itself. Perplexed
by the conflicting situations, overwhelmed by its own profound ignorance and stupidity,
hopelessly held by the invisible forces of the universe, and unable to find solutions
to it existential problems, the ego has to ultimately admit its defeat and failure.
This is where the inevitable begins, the purification and transformation of the
individual ego, the beginning of a new journey.
The ego finally yields to the process of self-purification. It starts doubting
the principles and values on which its life is rested. It raises series of questions
about its very existence and searches for convincing answers that can help it to
rebuild its life based on harmony, peace and principles of infinity. If it is a
blessed soul, which has earned its merit by virtue of its actions, it comes under
the influence of divine and yields itself to positive and spiritual change. It rests
in silence, like the ego of Arjuna and waits for the divine to come to its rescue.
The unfortunate ones are dragged again into the incessant noise and activity of
the worldly life to continue their miserable existence into some unknown future.
Bhagavadgita Chapter 2 Verses 1- 21
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