Solutions to Conflicting Verses

A critic says: “In the Gita, III.33, it is said, ‘Even a wise man acts in accordance with his own nature; beings follow their nature; what can restraint do?’ What then is the use of our attempt at controlling the senses and the mind when our nature is so powerful and overwhelming? How can our Sadhana overcome it?”

In the very next verse, Lord Krishna distinctly advises us to control likes and dislikes. Our nature can be subdued by Sadhana. When studying the Gita you should not confine the meaning to one verse exclusively, but see its connection with the previous and succeeding verses of the same discourse as well as of all the other discourses. You have to frequently make cross references before you get the right answer.

Those who disregard the Lord’s commandment: “Renouncing all actions in Me, with the mind centred in the Self free from hope and egoism and from mental fever, do thou fight”, and who sit quiet, renouncing their own duty, will not derive any benefit by such renunciation. The power of Maya is invincible to even wise men; then how much more difficult it would be for worldly men to conquer it! For them, renunciation of work without attainment of knowledge is undesirable. They will be caught in the clutches of Maya. Of what avail is their effort to control the senses, or what can restraint do in their case? These worldly men cannot escape the clutches of likes and dislikes.

Even the residual good tendencies in the wise men work in accordance with the qualities of their nature, namely, Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas. The wise too are affected by the three Gunas when they are not actually in the state of Samadhi. But they have no attachment to the body and other objects of enjoyment and, therefore, are not affected mentally. They are ever serene, self-contented and self-satisfied. They do not long for objects not attained nor weep over things lost.

Another objector says: “In the Gita, XVIII.61, Lord Krishna says, ‘The Lord dwells in the hearts of all beings, O Arjuna, causing all beings, by His illusive power, to revolve as if mounted on a machine!’ Is man then a perfect slave? Is he like a straw tossed about here and there? Has he not any free will to act?”

Krishna tries His best to persuade Arjuna to do his duty. He wants to extract work from him.

So He speaks of Arjuna’s utter helplessness. In VI.5, Krishna preaches about right exertion: “Let a man lift himself by his own Self alone, let him not lower himself; for this self is the friend of oneself and this self alone is the enemy of oneself”.

Being under the sway of one’s nature, the natural duties can never be forsaken. One’s duty should in no case be ignored. The Lord, the inner ruler, is the director of the individual soul. As long as one is not free from ignorance, one is bound to one’s duty. Arjuna’s duty as a Kshatriya was to fight; and Lord Krishna wanted him to do just that. The Lord has also said that “one’s own duty is good”.

Yet another critic says: “In XV.7, the Lord says: ‘An eternal portion of Myself, having become a living soul in the world of life, draws to itself the five senses with the mind for the sixth, abiding in Nature’. It is quite clear that the individual soul is a part of Brahman, the Absolute. How can we say that it is identical with Brahman? The doctrine of Advaita is therefore wrong”.

In VII.17, the Lord says: “Of them, the wise, ever steadfast and devoted to the One, excels; for I am exceedingly dear to the wise and he is dear to Me”. Here He speaks of identity. The doctrine of non-dualism is quite correct. Non-dualism is the highest realisation. The Lord gives instructions according to the aspirant’s qualification. Advaita philosophy can be grasped only by a microscopic few. So, He speaks of other philosophical doctrines in different places to suit different kinds of aspirants. From the absolute point of view there is neither the individual soul nor Self-realisation; Brahman alone exists. Dualism, qualified monism and pure monism are different rungs in the ladder of realisation. The truth is that the individual soul and Brahman are one in essence. All these schools eventually reach the Advaitic goal of oneness. Understand things in their proper light.