Krishna says, “Na hanyate hanyamane sharire: nobody is killed when his body is killed.” In the first place Krishna says that violence is impossible, it is a misnomer. But it does not mean that we should freely indulge in violence. While violence itself is not real, violent mind is real. It is the truth, ‘you can desire to kill someone, although he cannot be killed’. This is a different thing- that one cannot be killed- but if we desire to kill him then this desire is real, and this desire is sinful. At the core violence is not a sin, but the will to violence, the violent mind is certainly a sin. It is different thing that we cannot kill, but our desire to kill is in itself sinful. In the same way it is a virtue if we desire to save someone. Whether he will be saved or not is a different matter, but the fact that we want to save him is enough unto itself- this desire is virtuous. For example, someone is dying, he is a terminal case, and we are trying to save him. He is going to die the next day, but we have already earned the merit by trying to save him.
The desire to hurt others is sinful, and the desire to help others is virtuous. But Krishna sours still higher and expects Arjuna and us to sour to that level. He says one can transcend both violence and non-violence, vice and virtue, pleasure and pain, and then there is nothing- neither violence nor non-violence, neither vice non virtue. They all are illusory. If we know for ourselves they are illusory, and then in very knowing- realizing, all our violent thoughts and feelings will drop, we will be free of them. When we realize no one is killed, then why will we think of killing? When we know that no one is saved, we will not be bothered with the problem. And if, in the light of truth, we know our mind with all its urges and emotions, we will attain heaven. Then it is not a question of going to heaven in some future time, we are already in heaven.
When we attain to a state where pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat are all alike, when we transcend all dualities and divisions, when we realize the integrity and oneness of life then we are in heaven. This state of equanimity and evenness itself is heaven. According to Krishna, this samatvabuddhi, this balance and steadiness, equanimity and evenness of intelligence is called Yoga. Krishna says there are two kinds of illusions. One is that we can kill someone or save some one, and the other illusion is we can kill or we can save someone. When we are released from the first illusion, then the second illusion will drop by itself. The idea of vise and virtue is part of the same ignorance which makes us believe that life and death is a reality. If life and death is an illusion, then what is, is. Then vise and virtue are equally illusory. And to know the false is false is knowledge. It is wisdom. And one established in wisdom does not do a thing on his part; he allows everything within and without to happen on its own. It is a state of total acceptance. Let us contemplate not just to understand the words but to realize the ultimate reality- the truth.
Wishing you good health & happiness,
Dr. Dwarakanath, Director, Mitran foundation- the stress management people
Mitran foundation- the stress management people
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