Krishna explained clearly that the three gunas of Prakrti (Nature) are quite strong in their hold on human nature. The will or choice of man works precisely within the gunas and their field of operation. For any good any one thinks and does, or for any bad he wills and perpetrates, does then the real credit or blame rest with man? Or the whole role is to be ascribed to Prakrti and its hold? Krishna has already explained the intricacy. But Arjuna is not satisfied. He further enquires:
Propelled by what, does man commit sin, O Krishna? He does so even against his own volition, as if goaded by some alien force!
The words “anicchann-api” and “balad-iva” used by Arjuna need careful study. In many instances one does wrong or harm unthoughtfully, suddenly or unawares. Invariably he will repent for it. And the consequence, as in the case of a child burning its finger, enlightens him and he mends his ways.
But there are instances in which man is not able to bridle himself against his known sinful tendencies. Duryodhana’s ways were obviously bad. His rivalry towards Bheema and the rest was uncalled for. In spite of repeated advice and caution from his father and others, he could not restrain his wicked missions. Every time he approached his father for approval of his designs, Dhritarashtra used to advise him against such evil thoughts. The son used to curse himself that he was born of such a father who did not have his sons’ welfare in mind. Is it that Duryodhana did not know what he was repeatedly doing was wrong and sinful?
In spite of one’s own inner resistance, why should anybody, as though forced by another, perpetrate wrong and harm? The question is thus very crucial. Krishna answers it in all precision and clarity:
It is desire (passion); it is hatred (intolerance) born of rajoguna. It is a mighty consumer and a powerful sinner. Know it to be the stark enemy in this world.
In very few words, sharp and piercing, Krishna has identified the cause. The instigation for any one to commit sin is no other than kama. Kama literally means desire, together with any aggravated form of it like greed, passion, and infatuation. “Kama,” says Krishna first. He follows it with the word “Krodha”, meaning anger. Why is he using the words kama and krodha together?
What expresses as kama (desire) alone becomes krodha (anger) when intercepted and not fulfilled. Kama and krodha are thus the same in their essential form.
Desire is the urge to possess, acquire or gain. It goads man, often making him a victim in the process. “Win the object, even by hook or crook” becomes his motto. Protracted effort will sometimes be necessary. Whenever obstacles are met, resentment and agitation grow irresistibly. If the obstructing factors are not mere insentient objects but conscious humans, then the tension is likely to cause displeasure, intolerance and even hatred, resulting in enmity, quarrel and ultimately fight.
Kama and krodha reign within the complex Prakrti (Nature). They are born of rajo-guna (rajo-guna-samudbhavah), one of the three Prakrti-constituents. As sattva-guna generates light and wisdom, so does rajo-guna its instigations. To merely question its prevalence does not serve any purpose. The seeker has to understand its role and the consequent havoc and find his way out of these.
Krishna uses very sharp words to describe the ill-effects of rajoguna. Kama is mahashana, says Krishna. It is a mighty consumer, like fire. By merely feeding it with relish, it cannot be quietened or appeased. It is insatiable like fire. Be careful, is the caution Krishna pronounces.
Krishna has already described in the second chapter (verses 62 and 63) how the mind, dwelling upon the sensory objects, develops attachment towards them and how such attachment very soon grows into kama and krodha: “dhyayato vishayan pumsah sangas-teshu-upajayate....”. The process results in delusion and infatuation, leading to one’s downfall through loss of reason and memory. This is what happened in the case of even Sita on spotting a golden deer in her Janasthana garden. The initial fondness that grew in Sita’s mind swelled overwhelmingly, leading finally to her abduction by Ravana, all in a matter of minutes.
In the next two verses, Krishna points out how deep-rooted is the hold of kama and how immensely careful and diligent the seeker has to be in dealing with its destructive potential:
यथोल्बेनावृतो गर्भस्तथा तेनेदमावृतम् ।।
आवृतं ज्ञानमेतेन ज्ञानिनो नित्यवैरिणा ।
कामरूपेण कौन्तेय दुष्पूरेणानलेन च ।।
As fire remains covered by smoke, the mirror by dirt, and the foetus by amnion, so does the knowledge of man remain shrouded by desire. The insatiable fire of desire is a constant enemy of the Wise.
None has to give a place to desire or passion; it is there, inlaid in the human personality. Krishna says that whenever fire is ignited in firewood, there arises smoke also as a necessary counterpart. The two are inseparable. Though mutually opposite in nature, fire and smoke are present together. Likewise, whenever a mirror is kept, even if you clean it up daily, it will still become dusty. Impurity caused by dust coexists with the reflectivity of the mirror. Again, the growth of a foetus in the uterus covered by the amniotic fluid, is concealed from outer perception. Desire covering up knowledge is exactly alike.
The phrase ‘jnanino nitya-vairina’ is to be specially kept in mind. It means that in the eye of the Knower, kama becomes a constant enemy. Any time, desire may have its sway, unless one is extremely careful and attentive. If not identified in time and removed outright, it will swell dangerously and bring about complete ruin.
How kama deludes man relentlessly and what all havoc it can bring about is best illustrated in Mahabharata. In the Kuru dynasty this is what happened through Duryodhana. Desire and greed, along with all the infatuation these could bring about, overtook his mind right from the start. Every time the tempest made him perpetrate a greater and more heinous crime towards his cousins, the Pandavas. The Kurukshetra war was itself the final outcome of his kama. While Arjuna, even after the formal commencement of war, halted Krishna and sought timely enlightenment against his mind’s weakness and delusion, the same scene had no impact on the wicked mind of Duryodhana.
In the recent history of the world, why, even in the present times, this is what is happening with some despots and autocrats. As a spark of fire in a huge forest, if left unquenched, grows into a huge conflagration destroying the entire forest population of centuries and even more, the desire or greed springing in an individual mind can cause untold harm and downfall of a whole society or even the world.
It is true that kama has its unnegatable influence in our life. What is the way then to find our safeguard against its assault? The question is quite relevant and Krishna answers it in all clarity and force:
The senses, mind and intelligence are the seat of kama. The delusion it casts is through these three, by veiling the wisdom.
Human personality is a complex aggregate. In this aggregate, there are different levels. The senses fixed to the body, by which we perceive and interact with the objects of the world, come first. The senses, in turn, have their impulsion from the mind within. The mind comes above matter and materiality. Mind gives us the first access to Consciousness. Mind itself has to be propelled and guided by the still deeper element, intelligence. Intelligence (buddhi) thus constitutes the third component. Krishna says that the prevalence and operation of desire will be on these three layers alone – senses, mind and intelligence. Not beyond.
If you proceed from outside to inside, the sequence will be what Krishna has described in this verse. Everyone will easily understand that passion, desire or greed first germinates in the mind and the effects are instantly noticed. When the process assumes gravity, it becomes a visibly strong urge, involving the senses and arousing agitation.
But the actual dominance and prevalence of kama is there in the intelligence also. That is the innermost level to which passion extends its domain. When people argue their stand either in favour of or against a proposition or course of action, invariably they are trapped by a preconceived preference or prejudice. And the very argument gets vitiated by that. In fact, the role of true reason must be to look at things without any such pre-disposition and arrive at whatever is right and proper, whether one likes it or not. This readiness and ability constitutes the real integrity of humanhood.
The great daughter of Janaka picked up suddenly an undue fondness for a golden deer that intruded into her garden during Sri Rama’s forest exile. Her eyes spotting the animal, the mind generated a note of pleasantness and appeal. This soon grew into a strong allurement. She could not but tell her Lord: “How nice it would be if I could get this animal and take it with us back to Ayodhya when we return from here. Even if it cannot be caught alive, bring me at least its skin, so that we could sit on it in our flower garden …“.
Rama could not but nod his head in consent to Seeta’s appeal. But Lakshmana, standing close by, felt and thought differently. He submitted, “Dear brother, a golden deer is impossible. This is no other than a powerful witchcraft of some ogres. Please remember that we are living in a foreign land, and there are many who do not like our presence here. Some of these adversaries are adept in witchcraft. They must have engaged the golden deer to bring about our ruin. So I beg, do not think of chasing it at all.”
Rama’s response also had a line of reason in support: “Janaki has a contented heart. She does not generally ask for any possession at all. In this case, she has expressed a strong wish to me. I would like to grant it. If, as you say, the animal is a plot hatched by our enemies – such a possibility cannot be ruled out – then it is all the more necessary that I chase and punish it. I shall send it to the abode of Death. That will be the lesson for the mischief makers.”
Only minutes passed, and Janaki plunged into an awful plight. In her desperate bid to send Lakshmana to help Rama, much against Rama’s own command, she began to fling the worst words of accusation at Lakshmana. In sweeping agitation she spoke cruelly to her husband’s brother: “Lakshmana, you are not heeding my words to rush to your brother’s rescue. That your brother has asked you not to leave my presence at any cost is a sheer pretext you put up. When your brother himself is in danger and he has called you for help, all such commands cease to be.
“I can only see a vile intention on your part. Now I am sure that your hidden motive in following your brother from Ayodhya was not at all to be by his side as a help and strength. You had your eyes on me. You were only waiting for an opportunity for your brother to be away so that you can gain me. But I swear, cruel brother, that this will never be. I will jump into the river and enter the Mother’s lap...”
All that the great Janaki said in that moment of distress followed the spell that kama had cast on her senses, mind and intelligence together. The fondness and attachment for the golden animal blew like a tempest within her. Becoming a strong infatuation, it dislodged her mind and reason, making her speak the way she did – in a manner that neither the visible earth nor the invisible heavens would pardon.
In just half an hour, the same Sita, caught piteously in the hands of Ravana, lamented in utter repentance, cursing herself for what all she thought and spoke to Lakshmana.
Krishna’s statement that kama reigns in the senses, mind and intelligence, is a great message. It is a warning for all, especially for Brahmavidya seekers. While adducing reason in any matter, you have to be alert to find out whether your arguments are eclipsed by any latent desire or preference. The role of true reasoning is to go wherever it leads – good, bad or neutral. In grave arguments it will be proper to intercept yourself: “Am I arguing to win my point, or I honestly intend to unearth the right insight, whatever that be?”
The error and delusion will surely come to light. Ensure that your intelligence is not under the grip of kama while enquiring into or reasoning about any subject. “Why am I thinking like this? Can I not accept the opposite view and its outcome? Why should I foster any preference for this or prejudice about that?” If the approach is open and impartial, then the mind will be patient enough to accommodate such a persuasion.
If kama’s hold on man is so strong and inseparable, how can the seeker ensure his success against its evil? Krishna, in answer, makes a significant analysis of human personality, showing clearly that there is a way to face the assault confidently and go forward successfully:
Senses are superior to the objects around. Mind reigns above the senses. And intelligence is still superior. But the Soul is still loftier. It is the real identity and personality of man.
These thirty-two letters are immensely valuable for any thinking individual. They are a profound aphorism of Bhagavadgita. Our life is a constant interaction with the world. In it, the objects interacted with go on changing. While they remain countless and assorted, the interacting person remains the same.
Even the body is an object for the senses. The surrounding objects, along with the body, are gross and external. The mind, on the other hand, is an internal object. Unless it is an object to you, the Subject, how can you make it think, as you make the legs walk or the tongue speak? Even intelligence is likewise an internal object, which you employ to reason and know.
Thus whatever you know as the world and your personality, which constantly interact with each other, come under the objects. Krishna points out that all these are inferior to the perceiving senses. The same eyes are superior enough to grasp the images of countless objects, small and big alike, situated at infinite distances. What should be the status of the eyes then? However huge the objects be, they would still be powerless to cause any perception for you unless your own eyes agree to allow the perception by lending themselves to the interaction!
But do the eyes complete the perceptional process? The image of objects is always formed inside the head, which we identify as the mind. Mind, the image-forming faculty, is then far greater than the eyes, which are but a physical part of the whole body.
In any effort to know, evaluate or judge, the intelligence comes to play. It is a deeper and subtler level of Consciousness, superior to that of the mind, explains Krishna. The potential and contributions of intelligence alone make man the highest of creatures.
The knowledge of people generally extends up to the intelligence. With the perceptions of senses, the thoughts and emotions of the mind and reasoning of intelligence, man’s interactional life can go on in full measure, and he refuses to think deeper except when confronted by a situation which renders him helpless or shows him his limitations. But do the senses, mind and intelligence complete man’s personality? They are at most but waves on the boundless sea. The depth and vastness of man lie far beyond, inward. The thing denoted by the term ‘I’, which everyone refers to throughout his life, points to something far greater and deeper. That is superior even to the intelligence.
That ‘I’, the enduring identity, is the master, maker and the ruler of all. To say ‘I’ is in fact to refer constantly to this supreme infinitude within oneself. Possessing such infinite potential right within yourself, as the very core and identity, how can you be servile before either the objects or your own senses and mind or even the intelligence? Are not all these to be at your command, friendly and complementary to one another forming a beautiful harmonious and integrated whole?
The mere exposure, as it happened for Arjuna before Krishna, is sufficient to rewrite the fate of man in the hands of the world. The objects surrounding man may be countless, huge. What of it? It is through his senses that he interacts with them. In the interactional level his senses can hold sufficient independence and superiority, not to get subdued by any of them. The mind and intelligence, reigning beneath the senses are fully inaccessible to any object. These – mind and intelligence – have even greater superiority.
The sequence of superiority and potential does not end here. Far superior to even the intelligence is the Soul of man, with its infinite dimensions, making the entire object world like clusters of bubbles on the endless surface of the ocean.
The infinitude of this inmost Soul of man is evident from the sleep state he slips into every day, distancing himself completely from the sensory objects as well as his own body. What more? Within such an exclusively subject-state he causes and experiences a wide-spread dream with all its objective and interactional magnitudes.
This dream more than illustrates how the Subject Soul can at will project such a huge expanse, all by itself upon itself, with all the variety of causes and effects as are found to prevail in the wakeful objective world before the senses. It is this Subject and its ineffable magnitude that Krishna tries to impress on all, when he guides Arjuna’s understanding inward – from the objects around to the same single Subject, the great Self within.
Remember, right from the beginning, as you can see in the second chapter, Krishna’s intention was to instil in Arjuna the idea of the presence of the Soul. He described the Soul as different from the body, transcending birth and death as well as the changes that transpire in between. In the Soul alone, Krishna emphasized again and again, lies a full solution to all the problems and vicissitudes of life. Even a short glimpse of the sovereignty and magnificence of the Soul is sufficient to alleviate grief and delusion, gain clarity and imbibe courage and enthusiasm in one’s life. The very ‘I’, man repeatedly refers to as the subject of all his actions, experiences, memory and will, is in fact an assertion which anoints man with the status and sovereignty of the Soul. This inward identity always triumphs and excels over all that man thinks, does, enjoys or suffers.
Here in the third chapter also Krishna is taking Arjuna back to the same supreme inmost Self in order to derive the correct vision, strength and mastery. In the Soul-awareness reigns a full answer to all questions and doubts. Now Krishna concludes the discussion on kama by giving a summary exhortation:
Thus, comprehending That which is greater than even intelligence, and gaining sufficient self-mastery over all levels of your personality, win over the deadly enemy in the form of desire (kama) which is otherwise very difficult to subdue.
“Evam” means in the manner Krishna has explained and identified matters, tracing the sequence of superiority inward, leading the seeker to the supreme infinite Self within him. Much depends upon how the seeker is able to take to the process wholeheartedly.
The Self is invisible, internal. The access to It is then not like that to the objects of the world. You have to get to the Self through inward reflection, rumination. Knowing that everything in the world and in our own personality is far inferior to the Self, considering the Self to be supreme, one should develop self-control.
It is wrong to think that we are slaves before the world or its allurements. The power and presence to accept or reject anything sensory, mental or intellectual is there amply in us. The question is solely one of recognizing this great fact and acting upon the recognition well in time.
Spend some time reflecting upon the Soul. Grasp how great, lofty, infinite and all-encompassing the Self is. Relate these inner dimensions and potentials to the external plights you want to avoid or overcome. Holding always that you have the power and scope to do so, confidently proceed. In that confident note, not alone the onslaughts of the mind’s whims and the obstinacy of the intelligence, but the titillations of everything else will be extinct.
There are many instances wherein the worst of sinners have, by the touch of a spiritual awakening or a timely response to a Saint’s or Knower’s message, turned to be virtuous and benign; the weaklings have suddenly grown strong ; the unfortunate have shone as the most fortunate.
Krishna says: With attention and contemplation fixed unfalteringly on the Self, conquer the onslaught of passion, desire, which is otherwise hard to overcome. This message of self-mastery is powerfully laid in the chapters of Bhagavadgita. The unique lesson and message of Bhagavadgita is that of sense-control, nay sense-regulation. In achieving it, Krishna does not admit any one’s excuse or weakness. He constantly emphasizes that everyone is immensely strong, if but he wishes to be. He has to realize his strength and apply it judiciously and sternly over himself.
“Atmaiva hy-atmano bandhuh Atmaiva ripur-atmanah” (6.5) is a great reminder. You alone are your true friend, and you alone your enemy too. In making yourself your friend lies your heroism and fortune.
Spirituality is the right redress for all adverse plights of man. In it alone is man’s fulfilment. To make man spiritual none other than the spiritual Self is needed. No one can displace or steal the Soul heredity, the Soul power and the Soul status from man.
(From the Series Essential Concepts In Bhagavad Gita-Book 2)
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