Tuesday 7 August 2012

Violence & Discrimination in Bhagawad Geetha?


There are many baseless comments about the Bhagawad Geetha. The following post deals with 2 most common questions about the Geetha.

Imagine the following scenario. Our hero is a soldier. His country men are tormented by a dictator. This dictator is one of the worst men in history not unlike Hitler, Mussolini, Sadam Hussein, Idi Amin and so on. Our hero heads the liberation front. All preparation for the war has been completed. The two forces are ready to strike on each other. The day of the battle arrives. The people eagerly await the liberation front to win. For years they have suffered in the hands of the dictator. They wait for their freedom but our hero has a change of heart. He looks at the leaders of the opposing forces. He recognizes his brother who has always been the aide to the dictator. He recognizes other familiar faces. More friends and cousins are ready to lead the opposing forces. Our hero is confused; how can he go against his friends and family? On one hand his countrymen depend on him to free them from a tyrant but, on the other hand the tyrant is helped by his friends and family members. He knows that without him the liberation front does not stand a chance against the dictator. He gets down from his tank and picks up a white flag; he has made a decision. Family always comes first and so he walks away from the battle field.
Given the above scenario, what would anyone say to the soldier? Is it okay for him to abandon his countrymen for the sake of his family? Shouldn’t greater good be given precedent? Any sane person would agree that the liberation of the masses from the hands of a tyrant should be given precedent. Let us now look at our scenario again. Our hero is ready to abandon his mission. He is ready to walk away when he is stopped by his mentor. Having understood our hero’s state of mind and for the sake of greater good the mentor urges him to proceed with his original plan. He cannot walk away now; not when the lives of millions depend on him. It is the duty of our hero as an able soldier to help overthrow the tyrannical regime. Yes his family members are part of the tyrannical regime but they must be stopped. Our hero listens to his mentors. He agrees to battle for his people’s rights. The liberation front is victorious in the war. Our hero is chosen to lead the people and a special medal is awarded to the mentor. Everyone is happy and rejoice the end of oppression and tyranny.
The above scenario is similar to the Mahabharata. On one side the Kaurava forces were corrupt kings who wreaked havoc on the people. On the other side we have the liberators, the Pandavas. The Pandava forces depended on the ability of Arjuna. On the first day of battle, Arjuna had a change of heart when he spotted his family members amongst the Kaurava forces. He decided to abandon the battle. It is precisely at this moment that Lord Krishna stepped in to advice Karma Yoga to Arjuna. It is the duty of Arjuna as a warrior to protect his people. He cannot shirk from this duty. Lord Krishna further preached the true identity of a person. Our true identity is the soul. We are the soul and we are never destroyed. He informed Arjuna that death doesn’t cause destruction of the soul. It is equal to changing ones clothes; the dead at re-birth gets a new body. Protecting people against tyrannical regime and invasions are the duty of a warrior.
Were the Kauravas immoral kings? The Mahabharata lists some of the many offences committed by them. They tried to assassinate Bhimasena by feeding him poison; they tried to assassinate all the Pandavas by trapping them inside a mansion made of wax and setting fire to the mansion. They stole the property of the Pandavas. They disrespected Draupadi the wife of the Pandavas by trying to disrobe her in front of everyone in the royal assembly. They wanted to seize power so as to be able to misuse power and wealth of the nation to promote their own personal welfare. They were not intent on the welfare of the citizens but wanted to only enjoy the privileges available to a ruler. The citizens did not want the Kauravas to gain power. They wanted the Pandavas to govern them.
Hence, there is nothing wrong in Lord Krishna’s preaching. His preachings do not instigate war. Would it be okay for modern day governments to listen to pacifists and state that they will not protect their people from the terrorists? Would it be acceptable if the Governments say that the terrorists can come and set fire to their cities, pillage and plunder their cities, destroy peace and prosperity but the Government will simply look the other way as fighting back against the terrorists would mean waging war?
Lord Krishna only preached the duty of a warrior to Arjuna. He did not get hold of a doctor and tell him to wage war. Everyone must fulfill the duties assigned to them. This leads to the next doubt that Lord Krishna supported the caste system.
The answer to the above question is, yes, Lord Krishna did support the caste system but He did not support discrimination. The Vedic caste system is a division based on profession. Warriors are Kshatriyas. Doctors, engineers, priests, lawyers, economists etc are the Brahmins. Farmers and merchants are Vysyas. The tradespeople are Sudras. Each profession is required for the proper functioning of a society. Imagine living in a nation where there are no medical professionals or police or plumbers. Each person has to uphold the duties of his/her profession. This does not mean that a doctor is superior to a plumber or that a police officer is superior to a farmer. Superiority arising from ones status in society and profession stems from false ego which is not accepted by Lord Krishna. During the time period when Lord Krishna preached the Bhagawad Geetha, all castes were treated equally. Vidhura was a Sudra by birth but he was allowed to change his profession and work as a minister in the Government which was the profession of a Brahmin.
Lord Krishna did not support discrimination but He advised everyone to be true to their chosen profession. This is similar to the Hippocratic Oath taken by doctors and the oath taken by Engineers that the health and safety of the public shall be paramount. The Vedic Caste system cannot be eliminated; for, eliminating Vedic caste system means eliminating the different professions. As a society we need police, soldiers, doctors, engineers, teachers, farmers, and tradespeople. Even if we do not call these professions by the name of the caste they are classified under, a police is a Kshatriya, a doctor a Brahmin, a farmer a Vysya and a plumber will be a Sudra. Each of the above has a duty to fulfill for the proper functioning of the society. They can change professions if they have the right aptitude. Vidhura had the aptitude to be an able administrator and hence could opt for the profession of a Brahmin.
Anyone who mocks or blames the teachings of Bhagawad Geetha hasn’t really understood the concepts mentioned in the Geetha. They must first try to read the Bhagawad Geetha with an open mind.
Please refer to the following links to know more about the Vedic Caste System.

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