Bhagavad Gita Discourse 16-18
Discourse 16-18
Krishna talks about the divine qualities and the demonic qualities that possess men in their lifetimes. He lists the many Devaic or transcendental qualities like fortitude, purity, generosity, and several others. He reassures Arjun that he is born of and possesses transcendental qualities. And tells him that his end will lie in heaven. Krishna also talks about the demonic or the Asuric qualities that lead men down the path of hell. Krishna then describes the actions and behavior of men who act from these demonic qualities. These people are consumed with material desires and hate God as well as themselves. They seek to amass wealth, exercise wrath, greed, and pride. They lie to themselves and seek to elevate themselves through material possessions. These men are never freed from the cycle of life and death but are instead doomed to be reborn in lower births every time. Krishna adds that the individuals who live a whimsical life without consideration of Vedic knowledge are doomed to an unhappy existence completely without perfection, while those that live in conjunction with the Devaic qualities and Vedic Knowledge attain union with the Supreme God.
Arjun asks Krishna about the fate of those that offer sacrifice to the supreme in faith but without the knowledge of the Vedic scriptures. Krishna says that the faith of man is determined by the content of his nature. Those invested in the Sattva nature pray to the gods of light, while those of Rajas pray to the gods of power and wealth, and those of Tamas pray to ghosts and spirits of darkness. Their sacrifice is affected by their nature, for the sacrifice given with the expectation of reward is paid to the darkness and not the supreme. Krishna talks about the different kinds of food, and the nature of gifts, emphasizing that those who perform charity and sacrifice for the benefit of reward gain nothing. He then talks about the sacred mantra OM TAT SAT which translates as 'Om is the truth' and describes it as the eternal truth for all of creation, and is thus given such importance by the Vedic scriptures. Those who utter these words in sacrifice must be considering the Brahman and not the reward of their action.
Arjun asks Krishna to explain renunciation and surrender. Krishna explains that an embodied soul cannot renounce all actions, but that salvation can be attained through surrendering all the fruits of one's action. Krishna goes through the knowledge of Sankhya to reiterate the prime importance of the selfless performance of one's duty. He enumerates the Varnas and briefly describes their social roles, the Brahmin serves through his wisdom, the Kshatriya through noble rule and war, the Vaishya through honest agriculture and commerce, and the shudra through service. He adds that those who perform their function in society with purity and devotion certainly attain liberation. He tells Arjun that he is certain to fight the war due to his role as a Kshatriya but it would be right for him to fight it willingly with his focus on Krishna. He tells Arjun that those who study and learn the teachings imparted to Arjun will find salvation in him, along with those who listen to it with complete faith. Krishna then asks Arjun if his delusions have been dispelled about the nature of his duties and the actions that he must perform. He finishes with the assertion that all those that would bear him true love and devotion would certainly find salvation from their karma and be delivered to Him.
Sanjay finishes his account to Dhritarashtra and expresses the joy he experiences in retelling the sacred teachings of Krishna and considers him to be the supreme God.
Analysis
Krishna had in the earlier discourse revealed that the Gunas of nature greatly determine the actions of a being, and now tells Arjun about the Devaic and Asuric qualities that an individual possesses from birth. The qualities are gathered over several lives and are a direct consequence of Karma. Krishna confirms here that Arjun's proclivity to true wisdom is in part due to the Devaic qualities that he received at birth. He explains that those with the Asuric qualities are possessed by the Rajas Guna and so are consumed with actions that fulfill worldly desires. These individuals are incapable of achieving liberation as their sacrifices are tainted by their desires for material possessions. In several instances across the Gita, Krishna has advocated the legitimacy of Vedic knowledge. However, he clearly states that the knowledge of the Vedas is subsumed in the paths to transcendence that he has highlighted to Arjun.
Arjun seeks to find out if the Vedic teachings can be abandoned and sacrifice performed with merely the right devotion and harmony. Krishna stresses that Vedic scriptures possess knowledge that can be applied beneficially but stresses that focus on the wrong Guna can nullify the effect of the sacrifice, food, or freely given gift. Krishna also admonishes the path of asceticism since the followers of this path surrender the duties of their Dharma in pursuit of spiritual advancement. Krishna has repeatedly praised Karma yoga and even Bhakti yoga over the path of Jnana yoga.
Krishna charges Arjun with the responsibility of ensuring that the Bhagavad Gita is passed to the receptive Hindus so that it can serve as the means of keeping Dharma balanced in the world. Sanjay concludes the telling of the conversation, and despite being an adviser to the Kauravs, he expresses his reverence for both Krishna and Arjun. In this way, the victory of the Pandavs over the Kauravs is foreshadowed in the Mahabharata.
