The malaise and the cure

5 September 1984, Prasanthi Nilayam

Professor Kasturi's English.

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had fought many battles, but he had never experienced any sorrow or attachment then. In the war, however, the same felt that those ranged against him were his own uncles, grandparents and teachers, and he became despondent. He was the victim of the bondage of 'myness' and of his attachment to his kith and kin. When set out on His mission of peace, was keen on waging war with his cousins, the , and he tried to persuade to see that His peace mission would not succeed. pleaded with with all the strength he could command, ", this issue cannot be settled by negotiations. The won't agree to any compromise. Why talk words of peace? They will never accept them. Let us not indulge in this mission! Will the arrogant lot agree to our proposals? Why do you waste your efforts, ?" What was the reason for 's attitude at that time and later, on the battlefield? When he did not see his enemies face to face, his attitude was impersonal. But once he beheld his opponents on the battlefield, he saw them as relatives, teachers and friends, his eyes were clouded and he became dizzy. He said, ", I won't be able to fight. I am laying down my armour."

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Ignorance of is responsible for his anguish When heard these words, He was very angry and rebuked : "This weakmindedness is unbecoming in a renowned warrior like you, 'esteemed as an unrivalled hero. You seem to be suffering from timidity. The battle is about to be joined. Preparations for the war have been on for the past three months. If you had shown this hesitation in the beginning itself I would never have taken on this task. But, after securing the help of our allies and kinsmen and assembling them and their forces, if you withdraw from the fray, you are false to the (right action) of a true . You are appearing as a faint-hearted poltroon. Coming generations will jeer at your cowardice. You are known by the name . Remember the meaning of this name." means sacredness and purity. Ignorance of himself was the only reason for the anguish which overcame him. Being fully aware of the nature of this particular disease, prepared Himself to treat it. could have straightaway taught "," " " and " ," to . He did not do so. In fact, started speaking only in the second chapter. The first chapter of the is devoted to the narration of the grief and anguish of . allowed him to have his say. began his teaching: from the 11th verse of the second chapter. Until then, listened with extreme patience to. everything said. Then He asked , "Have you said all you had to say?" was silent. told him, "The malady of weak-mindedness is afflicting you. I know how to cure it. I'll do it. Your ignorance is responsible for this attachment and infatuation." Then He instructed in "" (the path of ).

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Distinguish between the eternal and the transient "" enables one to distinguish between the eternal and transient, '' and '.' It implies the awareness of the basic truth, but a person suffering from ignorance, how would he be able to understand and ? Still, when a patient is in great danger, the doctor has to see that he gets out of danger. Afterwards he can undertake the regular treatment. Unless the patient is saved from danger, other remedies will be futile. When a person is drowning, we have to first take him out of the water to the shore and then offer the necessary treatment. We don't start the' treatment while the person is struggling frantically. So gave at the outset a strong injection of courage to save him from sorrow and dejection. He explained the principle of and to him. ", with fear you will not be able to accomplish anything. Don't give way to fear; you are the fearless . It is only in that state of Athmic awareness that I can make you achieve victory." In truth is ',' is caught in the '' ignorance. said, "I would like to explain things related to you and Me. Let us suppose that I were to become you, and you were to become Me. If I were to become you, I would also become weak-minded, but it is impossible for such weakness to enter Me. On the other hand, if you want to become Me, then you have to follow Me!" Then said, ", I will follow your command implicitly." After instilling courage into , He directed him to enter the battle.

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Body, mind and intelligence are temporary agents said: ", you think that these people are your relatives and friends. But, consider this :who is a relative? Who is the body? Who is the Indweller? All bodies are like bubbles on water. You and I and these friends and relatives have been in existence in many previous lives. Body, mind and intelligence are all temporary agents. They are like the clothes we wear and discard. They are inert. Why develop such a close attachment to these things, subjecting yourself to sorrow and infatuation! Do your duty: all the honour and other things due to you as a prince, will be showered on you. On the battlefield, there can be no room for faint-heartedness. You can't play two roles at the same time when one role is opposed to the other. Now you are on the battlefield and have come to fight. So, FIGHT!" In the very opening verse of the , we find asking : ", what are my people doing, and what are the doing on the battlefield of , which is a ?" It is a place where sacrifices are performed. The children of "" used to play on that very field. Therefore it is called . Sacred and auspicious acts had been done on that very spot. So it is , as well. Our body itself may be called a . For, when a child is born, it is pure and without blemish. It is not a victim yet of any of the six 'enemies of man' - anger, greed, lust, egotism, pride and jealousy. It is always happy. It cries only when hungry. Whoever fondless, king or commoner, saint or thief, child is happy. The child's body is not affected by any of the three (innate qualities) and is a . As the body grows, it begins collecting qualities such as jealousy, hatred and attachment. When these evil tendencies develop the body becomes a '.'

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Identification with body and senses leads to tragedy The battle between the and the did not last more than 18 days, but the war between good and bad qualities in us is waged all through life. and (qualities of passion and inertia) are associated with the ego and the sense of 'mine.' The word Pandava itself stands for purity and sathwik nature. means whiteness and purity. The children of , the five , were pure. The war between the and the signifies the inner war in each of us - the war of '' against the other two , and . Answering 's question, said, "Why do you ask me what they are doing? Since they have all gathered for war, they are of course fighting." There is, however, an inner meaning to the question. This is to be found in his use of the word . hoped, "My children are bad and wicked, but since they have entered the Field of '' (), it is possible their minds may be transformed into good." "" means one who considers things which do not belong to one as one's very own. He is not the body; but he owns it. He is not the senses, but he derives pride in owning them. A person who considers the kingdom which does not belong to him as his own, is a "." Every person of 's lineage identified himself with the body and the senses that led to the tragedy.

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Consequences of acting without foresight Among the , there were some who were superior to in some respect. , the eldest brother, was more serene. Why then was the sacred not taught to him? In terms of physical prowess, was a much stronger person. Why was it not directed to .:' Why was it taught to ? was the embodiment of , no doubt. But, he did not have the foresight to visualise the ravages of war. He did not consider what the consequences of his action would be. He became wise only after the event. had enormous physical strength and valour, but he did not have enough intelligence. But, had foresight. He told , "I would rather be dead than fight against these people, because, if I should win, it would be at the cost of putting them to death and causing much suffering." In contrast to this, waged the war and when he lost his kith and kin, he sat down in gloom regretting all that had happened!

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The need for the relationship of and disciple When one acts without foresight, one has to repent for the consequences of the indiscriminate action. This was the case with King . In the war between the gods and the demons, he fought on the side of the , taking Queen , the daughter of the king of with him. She was well-versed in the art of warfare. It was who taught the strategy of war and the art of archery to . While was engaged in the battle, one of the wheels of his chariot was about to come off as the linchpin of the axle had come out. saved the situation by using her finger as a pin to hold the wheel in position. After the end of the battle, noticed that 's hand was bleeding profusely. Seeing her plight and realising her courage and sense of sacrifice, told her, ", you ..can ask from me two boons." He did not specify what type of boon she should ask of him or when. He promised these boons without any thought of the consequences. asked for these boons later, at a time which was advantageous to her but disastrously mortal for him! considered as the fittest person for imbibing the . foresaw the aftermath of the war and that was why he shied away from the fight. He knew the consequences would be terrible. Only a pure heart can feel sorry for something even before the event takes place.

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and were inseparable companions for seventy-five years, because 's was a pure heart. Although they had lived together for so long, had not instructed , because during all that period was moving with as his brother-in-law. He was conscious only of the family relationship. The moment surrendered and accepted discipleship, stood forth as his teacher. If we really desire to acquire higher knowledge from some one, it will be possible only when there is the relationship of (preceptor) and (disciple).

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Develop the capacity to face adverse situations When told , "You are my father; you are my mother; you are my.teacher; you are my wealth and my everything," surrendering himself completely to , then only did reply: "You are my disciple; you do my work; do everything for Me and I shall take care of you." While dealing with "" taught how to surrender totally to His Will. freed from the sense of identifying his body with the (the indwelling Divine Spirit). As long as that overwhelming body-consciousness persists, we will not be able to practise any spiritual discipline of , or . In fact, attachments pollute the heart. Without cleansing the heart of these impurities, it is not possible to fill it with holy feelings. "," said , "you are steeped in body-consciousness. Cast off that delusion, then only will I be able to fill your heart with wisdom and bliss." Ignorance is the most important cause of sorrow. "Have you yearned for God, for ? When you cry out for God and for , the yearning becomes (spiritual effort). You clamour for a number of things, but when there is a decline in ',' you must cultivate courage. You must develop the capacity to face adverse situations. Today you should have immense courage and unshakable determination. Avoid blind and foolish courage. One should have the capacity to discriminate and behave in accordance with the time, place and circumstance. Here and elsewhere, you should always have courage in your heart and the determination needed to accomplish the task." Thus did exhort .