The Power of Detachment - Rohini

A clear, detached mind has always the power to act with conviction and concentration.

It is a paradox in life that helplessness can become a source of power. When Arjuna turns to Krishna and says, ‘I surrender to you’, the Lord clears his mind and thus injects fresh energy into him. A clear mind is always a powerful mind that can act with conviction and concentration on the goal.

Arjuna allowed himself to be led by Krishna; he placed his life in the hands of the Lord and that is why Krishna is called Parthasarathy (the charioteer of Partha or Arjuna, son of Pritha).

Daily we face the battle of life. We have to empower ourselves, flex our muscles in fighting off and defeating the evil forces and negative tendencies within us. Our own mind is Kurukshetra – the battlefield with constant conflicts between the good (Pandava) and the evil (Kaurava). Arjuna was wise; he ensured the Lord’s service. So can we. Krishna waits for each of us to ask him and avail of his services.

Uncertain Values

T S Eliot, the renowned poet of the 20th century, diagnosed modern man’s lack of power and happiness in everyday life as the result of uncertain values and confusion. "Should I act strictly in my home and in my office? Will I become unpopular if I punish the erring folks who are in my charge? Am I worthy enough to exercise authority?" Such doubts pull his mind to pieces so that he becomes ineffective and unhappy. This is the kind of denseness and weakness that assails Arjuna.

However, when Arjuna opts to be led by Krishna, the murky situation is illuminated. Krishna offers a fresh perspective.

"It (the soul, Atma) is not born, and does not die at any time. Nor indeed did it come into being, nor does it exist in the present, nor will it exist in the future. It (the soul) is unborn, eternal, permanent and primeval. It is not slain when the perishable body is slain."

The soul, which is a particle of the Supreme Lord, has qualitatively all the attributes of divinity. The body and mind undergo changes from birth to death, but the soul remains the same. The soul cannot be killed or harmed. Krishna, the master logician, asks Arjuna in the next verse, "How can the soul that is unborn and eternal kill another soul that is also indestructible?"

We may say that these lofty thoughts are fine but the actual situation in material life is different. What we perceive is bloodshed, agony and bereavement, because human attachment has colored our perception. When we punish a child, we feel the pain, because of our bonds and attachment.

Higher Vision

The Gita juxtaposes a vaster and higher vision. The identity of a parent should not make us forget that we have other roles (identities) as well. When a child cheats in an examination, as a parent you may be tempted to hide the fact, but you are also a citizen and in that role you are encouraging an anti-social and lawless action (cheating). As a human being with ethical values, you are misleading another human being (the child) by okaying a morally wrong act.

Expanding Roles

All of us have expanding roles. The narrowest role is a person’s mind-body ego. Larger than this, is that of our role in the family. In the joint family system, the individual always puts family interests above his own. He refuses well-paid jobs abroad because he wishes to give emotional support to his ailing father. When he brings gifts, he brings these equally for all the women and children in the extended family.

Whenever there is a clash between the family and the clan, it is the interest of the clan that takes precedence. In this way, there are expanding circles of the individual, the family, the group, the country, the world. For instance, an individual, say, Suresh keeps his family name and honor above that of his personal desire.

Today, we talk of globalization and environmental safe-guards. A country cannot dump its industrial wastes in the ocean because this hurts the interests of the world.

Krishna expands Arjuna’s vision beyond the universal level and wants him to identify with the everlasting soul that has no birth or death. "Since you are the eternal soul, Arjuna, and since those in the enemy line are also eternal, do not hesitate or think that you are harming your brothers." "This is Krishna’s strategy of taking away guilt feelings from Arjuna.

We must remember that the decision to go to war was taken with great deliberation and serious appraisal and after all efforts at peace had failed. So, for Arjuna to put in his best effort as a warrior and Kshatriya was not a selfish or egoistic attitude.

Detachment is Essential

If after due consideration and deep thought, we have decided to punish someone, we may hesitate at the crucial moment out of a sense of weakness and inadequacy. Such confusion can be overcome only by detachment. Detachment is essential for skilful performance of duty.

T S Eliot wrote about "the sharp compassion of the surgeon’s knife." There is an unwritten code among doctors that a surgeon shall not operate on his wife and children, since attachment to the body may affect a dispassionate approach to the disease.

Krishna tells Arjuna that he (Arjuna) is the soul with limitless power and wisdom. Arjuna, thus, is infused with vigor and detachment.

© "Tattvaloka" (August 2003) published by Sri Abhinava Vidyatheertha Mahaswamigal Education Trust, Abhinav Centre, # 4 (Old # 19), Cooperative Colony, Chennai 600 018. Website: www.tattvaloka.com. Reprinted with permission.

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