THE TEACHINGS BEGIN

[Ms Tercy Lonan]

THE TEACHINGS BEGIN
Then Krishna tells him: “This idea of yours is because of your lack of knowledge; it is
because of your ignorance. You are adducing arguments like a lawyer in a court of law. You are
trying to argue with Me, but yet your mind is full of confusion and ignorance. That is why you are
refusing to act. You think that you are going to kill someone. Who can kill whom? Do you know?
These beings whom you, with your sthula drishti, gross outer vision, characterised by unknowing
and ignorance, think to be perishable beings whom you will destroy, do you know what they really
are? They are immortal, imperishable, eternal. Weapons cannot injure them, fire cannot burn them,
water cannot wet them, wind cannot dry them. They are unborn, eternal, beyond time. Who are you
to say that you are going to kill something which is imperishable and immortal? One who says that
he is killing someone or one who thinks that he is being killed, both of them are in ignorance. The
Reality never ceases to be. And the unreal is never really there; it is only an appearance; it never
exists. To think that you are sending something unreal out of existence is ignorance. So, first of all,
clear your brain of avidya, this ajnana. Have clear perception, know properly, understand properly.
Then let us see whether you talk about killing, destroying, and all that.”
Therefore, Lord Krishna, first and foremost, brings Arjuna to an awareness of his ignorance.
He says: “O Arjuna, listen, this tendency of yours to run away from action is not the answer to your
dilemma and your problem. You must open your eyes, have an inner understanding and see clearly.
It is not a question of action and inaction. The wise thing is to know that there is a third way, which
is the right and proper way, and that alone is the solution and answer to your present situation. And
that way is wisdom-filled action.
“For it is ignorance that is making you feel this terrible way, and it is ignorance that is
making you shy away from action. Let Me tell you one thing. Whether you want to or not, act you
must. The very nature of this life on earth, the very nature of the human individual, is such that the
drive to activity is inherent in that nature. And, whether you want it or not, you are part and parcel of
this Cosmic Nature that has brought manifestation into being. The Cosmic Nature contains within
Herself this inaccessible impulsion to action. Understand this clearly. Forcibly you will be made to
engage in action.
“It is better, therefore, to prefer to act in a wisdom-filled manner and thus liberate yourself
from the consequences of action, than to either engage in foolish action or foolishly try to give up all
action. The choice is not just between the total giving up of action or acting with ignorance. There is
a wise alternative choice, which is to act with knowledge and understanding. Such action cannot
bind the individual. Such action goes beyond the operation of the law of action and the inevitable
experience of the fruits of action. It is almost like engaging in action, yet being actionless. This is
the great secret of action.
“Therefore, do not think that turning away from action and trying to merely become a
mendicant, trying to go into a life of spiritual quest, a life of meditation and contemplation, is the
only alternative, the only way out. Rather, here and now you have to elevate action to a higher
dimension by bringing into it a clear knowledge of the realities of the human situation in this
universe.”