Gita Rahasya -Tilak
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CHAPTER II
THE DESIRE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ACTION
(KARMA-JIJNASA) i.e. " it is better first to protect one's Self (atman) before protect- ing one's wife, children or property[1] Yet, noble souls have willingly sacrificed their lives in the fire of duty, in order to obtain something much more permanent than this peri- shable human body, e.g. for their God or religion, or for the sake of truth, or for acting according to their avowed purpose or sacred vow, or their professed course of conduct, or for protecting their reputation, or for the sake of success, or for the benefit of the entire world ! There is a story in the Raghuvamsa tha Dilipa, while offering his body to a lion in order to protect the cow of Vasistha from him, said to him : " People like me are indifferent towards the human body which is made up of the five elements; therefore, look at my virtuous body rather than at my physical body " [2]and the story of Jimutavahana having sacrificed his own body to an eagle in order to protect the lives of serpents, is to be found in the Kathasaritsagara, as also in the Nagananda drama. In the Mrcchakatika [3] Carudatta says :- na bhito maranad asmi kevalam dusitam yasah | visuddhasya hi me mrtyuh putrajanmasamah kila II that is : " I am not afraid of death; I am unhappy only because my reputation will be tarnished. If my reputation remains untarnished, then even if I have to suffer death, I will be as happy about it as if a son were born to me"; and on this same principle, the king Sibi, in order to protect a kapota bird, which had surrendered itself to him, took the form of a syena bird and cut off pieces of flesh from his own body and offered them to the Dharma who was hunting the kapota bird; and when a sword made out of the bones of a rsi named Dadhici was needed for killing Vrtra, the enemy of the gods, all the gods went to that rsi and said to him : " sariratyagam loka- hitartham bhavan kartum arhati " i. e. "O Rsi, be pleased to give up your life for the sake of the benefit of all ", and thereupon, that rsi most willingly gave up his life and allowed the gods to take his bones. These stories are to be found respectively in the Vanaparva and the Santiparva of the Bharata. [4] |
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