Srimad Bhagavadgita-Rahasya OR Karma-Yoga-Sastra -Bal Gangadhar Tilak
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CHAPTER XV
As this fact is commonly accepted, there is not much of a necessity to compare the- Eastern metaphysical philosophy with the Western meta- physical philosophy ; [1] and the only thing which remains is the comparison of the Eastern with the Western science of Ethics or Karma-Yoga, which science according to many has not been expounded by our philosophers. But, the considera tion of even this one subject is so comprehensive, that it will be necessary to write an independent treatise in order to deal with it exhaustively. Yet, as I did not consider it proper to omit this matter altogether from this book on that account, I have touched upon only the most salient and important points in that subject in this concluding chapter. As the words ' Righteousness ' and ' Unrighteousness ', or ' Morality ' and ' Immorality ', can, strictly speaking, be applied only to the Actions of intelligent beings, it can be realised, after even a little consideration, that Morality does not rest only on Action, but rests on Reason. This is what is meant by saying : " dharmo hi tesam adhiko visesah ", i.e., " knowledge of Right and Wrong is the specific quality of man, that is, of intelligent beings ". It is true that we refer to a bullock or to a river, as mischievous or terrible respectively, having regard to the effect their action or activity has on us ; but if a bullock gives us a push, no one files a suit against him ; and if a river gets flooded and crops are washed away, and thereby " great wrong to a great many persons " is caused, no one on that account calls the river bad, or refers to it as a marauder. In answer to this position, many object: once it is admitted that the rules of Right and "Wrong apply only to the affairs of men, what is the objection to considering the Tightness or wrongness of the Action of men, merely from the point of view of the Action ? But even this question is not difficult to answer. Because, even if one leaves aside lifeless objects or animals born in the unen- lightened species of birds or beasts, and considers only the actions of human beings, yet, in as much as the wrongs committed by men in a moment of insanity or unknowingly, are considered forgivable by people, or even according to law, one has necessarily to consider, in the first instance, the Reason of the doer, that is to say, the motive with which he did the act, and whether or not he had realised the consequences of the act, when one is determining the righteousness or the unrighteousness of the doer. |
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References And Context
- ↑ A comparison of our Vedanta with Western Philosophy has been made by Prof. Deussen in his book called the Elements: of Metaphysics; and at the end of the second edition of this book, there is printed the lecture delivered by Prof. Deussen before the Royal Asiatic Society at Bombay, when he had come to India in 1893, on the subject : " On the Philosophy of Vedanta". Besides this, the work, The Religion and Philosophy of the Upanisads, Written on this- subject by Prof. Deussen also deserves to be read.