Srimad Bhagavadgita-Rahasya OR Karma-Yoga-Sastra -Bal Gangadhar Tilak
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CHAPTER XII
THE STATE AND THE ACTIVITIES OF THE SIDDHA (PERFECT)
It is not that the Karma-yogin Sthitaprajna disregards the religious doctrines of behaving non-inimically towards everybody, not doing evil to evil-doers, or not getting angry with those who are angry with one. But, instead of accepting the doctrine of the School of Renunciation that 'Non-inimicality' (nirvaira) means inactivity or non-retaliation, the philosophy of Karma Yoga says, that 'nirvaira' means merely giving up 'vaira ' or 'the desire to do evil'; and that in as much as nobody can escape Karma, one should perform as much Karma as is- possible and necessary for retaliation or for social welfare, without entertaining an evil desire, and as a matter of duty,- and apathetically, and without Attachment [1]; and therefore, instead of using the word 'nirvaira' by itself, the Blessed Lord has placed the important adjective 'matkarmakrt’ before it, in the stanza: matkarmakrt matparamo madbhaktah sangavarjitah I which (word 'matkarmakrt') means 'one who performs Action for Me, that is, for the Paramesvara, and with the idea of dedicating it to the Paramesvara' ; and the Blessed Lord has thus interlocked non-inimicality with Desireless Action, from the point of view of Devotion. And it has been stated in the Samkarabhasya and also in other commentaries that this stanza contains the essential summary of the doctrine of the Gita. It is nowhere stated in the Gita that one should give up all kind of Action, in order to make one's mind non inimical (nirvaira), or after it has become non-inimical. When a man in this way performs that amount of Action which is necessary for retaliation non-inimically and with the idea of dedicating it to the Paramesvara, he commits no sin what- soever; but what is more, when the work of retaliation is over, the desire to wish the good of the person whom he has punished, by Self -identification, does not leave his mind. For example, when Bibhisana was unwilling to attend to the obsequial ceremonies of Havana, after the sinless and non-inimical Ramacandra had killed him (Ravana) in war, on account of his (Ravana's) evil doings, Sri Ramacandra has said to Bibhisana: — maranantani vairani nivrttam nah prayojanam I that is; "the enmity (in the mind of Ravana) has come to an end with his death. My duty (of punishing evil-doers) has come to an end; now he is my (brother), just as he was your (brother); therefore, consecrate him into the fire". This principle mentioned in the Ramayana has also in one plaoe been, mentioned in the Bhagavata [4]; and the same principle is conveyed by the traditions in the Puranas that the Blessed Lord had afterwards benevolently given an excellent state to those very evil-doers whom He Himself had killed. Sri Samartha has used the words "meet impertinence by impertinence" [5]on the basis of the same principle ; and in the Mahabharata, Bhisma has, on the same principle, said to Parasurama: — yo yatha vartate yasmin tasminn evam pravartayan I |
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