The Plot Thickens

1.40 With the destruction of dynasty, the eternal family tradition is destroyed too,

And the rest of the family becomes involved in immoral practices.

1.41 When immoral practices become common in the family, O Krishna,

the women of the family become corrupted,

And from the degradation of womanhood, O descendant of Varshni, arise social problems.

1.42 As these social problems

increase, the family and those who destroy the family tradition are cast in hell,

As these is no offering of food and water to their ancestors.

1.43 Due to the evil deeds of the destroyers of family tradition,

All kinds of rituals and practices of caste and family are devastated.

1.44 O Janardana, I have heard that those who destroy family traditions dwell always in hell.

By now, Arjuna had become desperate. His arguments seemed weak, even to him. And we might wonder if they were making any impression on Krishna at all. His next attempt was to broaden the argument to include the tragic impact this war would have on future generations and the entire Kuru race.

Arjuna starts quoting the scriptures of social laws to explain to Krishna the evil state his destructive actions would bring to future generations of the dynasty.

The destruction of a noble lineage would bring about the decline in commitment to the rites and rituals that make society civilized and moral.

Arjuna then elaborated upon these immoral and unrighteous acts.

He said that women in the family would become unchaste and that mixing with other castes would follow resulting in children of mixed castes, which would be

undesirable. Those who destroy family traditions would ruin all sacred practices and lead the families into polluted progeny, and such people had no place to go but hell.

To understand what Arjuna said, it is important to understand the origin of the caste tradition in Hindu religion.

At the age of five, a child was given to the care of a spiritual master by the parents in the ancient Hindu education system called gurukulam. The master became mother, father and teacher to the child. By living in close proximity to an enlightened master, the child's personality and expression was observed. These factors, along with any spiritual experiences before puberty, determined how the youngster was trained – either for sanyas (spiritual fulfillment) or for married life. The child's natural aptitudes formed the basis for the caste classification, varnasrama. Brahmanas (priests/teachers), kshatriyas (kings/ warriors), vaisyas (merchants/tradesmen) and sudras (agricultural/ service) are these four classes.

Even at this level of understanding the truths expounded in the Gita are about personal transformation. Each verse of the Gita is a sutra, a technique that can work on your being and transform you.

The essence of Gita is about the present moment. That is how Krishna brings Arjuna into awareness. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa used to say that Gita is tagi, a corruption of the word 'tyag' that meant renunciation or surrender. Gita is about surrendering the past and the future to the present.

The Vedic gurukulam system was not concerned with whether the child's parents were brahmana or vaisya. If the

Part 5: Bhagavad Gita, Commentary by THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

guru found that the child had the natural aptitude to learn the scriptures, the child would be trained as a brahmana. Irrespective of parentage, boys and girls were taught the gayatri mantra at age seven, which allowed their natural intelligence to blossom. Those whose ability leaned towards the spiritual path and expressed this aptitude through personal development and experiences were trained in the scriptures. Others were trained in materially relevant arts and sciences so that they could re-enter the world with a mature, integrated personality.

Such was the origin of the caste system. This system was similar to the Guild system that prevailed in England thousands of years later. It is said to have contributed much to the Industrial Revolution that made England a super colonial power at one time.

Over time, this caste system was corrupted through human greed. Those who believed that they were doing more responsible work, and therefore were more respected, such as the brahmanas and kshatriyas, decided to pass on their caste qualification to their children as if it was their birthright. Such a practice had no scriptural sanction.

The son of a brahmana, who had neither the aptitude nor the knowledge to be a brahmana, ceased to have the right and qualifications to be called a brahmana. The son of a sudra, if he exhibited the aptitude and developed the skills to learn the scriptures and decided to lead a spiritual life, had every right and qualification to be called a brahmana. That is the scriptural truth.

Arjuna's doubts about caste pollution had no scriptural

base or merit. What he referred to became the societal norm because of human greed. There were many instances of caste mixture even in the great Kuru lineage that Arjuna bemoaned would be destroyed. Satyavati, his great grandmother, was a fisherman's daughter who his great grandfather, Shantanu, became infatuated with.

Arjuna himself had wives who were not of kshatriya lineage by birth.

Arjuna talked as if mired in total confusion when he linked practice of rites and rituals with morality and chastity. He talked about women becoming unchaste as a result of families not following rites and rituals. His logic was distorted.

Rites and rituals, as prescribed in the scriptures, are an expression of one's inner awareness. They become useful when one is aware. Awareness is not created by blind practice of rites and rituals. How many people do we see muttering their prayers and mantra, rolling their rosary beads while thinking of something else? God's name is on their tongues but their shopping lists are on their minds.

Arjuna mouthed the sentiments of organized religion and priesthood, which derive their power and monetary base from such rites and rituals. They use these rites and rituals, and their sole authority to perform them, as a factor of control over the rest of the masses. This is how, in each culture and religion, the power of the priestly class was established, as if they were the sole intermediaries to God.

Arjuna talked about ancestral worship and implied that the offspring of mixed castes has no right to make offerings to their ancestors, leaving them lost in the realms beyond death. It is the confusion that has prevailed over the ages that Arjuna captured and presented. He raises doubts on behalf of mankind and seeks clarification. The dementia was not only Arjuna's, but also of mankind's.

There are no ancestral spirits waiting to be pacified by us. If the spirit is enlightened it merges with the infinite energy. If not, it gets reborn within three kshanas, three moments between thoughts. Spirits do not hang around waiting to be pacified. Nor do they go to hell if they are not pacified.

There is no hell or heaven in the sense that we have been taught. Hell and heaven are in our minds. They are psychological spaces, not geographical places. We are in hell because we are depressed, guilty and in suffering. We are in heaven when we feel and express love, joy and gratitude. Hell and heaven are spaces in our mind, not locations that we travel to after death. We pass through hell and heaven even as we live, day-to-day, hour-to-hour and minute-by-minute. We do not have to wait for our death to taste hell or heaven; we are in them right now.

A small story:

A preacher attracted a large number of disciples promising them that when they died he would take them to heaven. He said, 'Serve me well, and I shall take care of you in the hereafter.'

One day the preacher died. His two closest disciples committed suicide. They were sure he would

go to heaven, and did not want to miss out on their chance to follow him. So they died too.

All three reached the pearly gates. The preacher saw his two disciples and was immensely pleased. 'See. I told you I would take you to heaven. That is where we are now.'

The person who greeted them took them to a large palatial building. He told them, 'whatever you wish will be available to you. Enjoy yourself.'

The preacher and his disciples were ecstatic. All they had to do was think of something and it was there. Food, music, wine and women, everything came to them even as they thought of it. They indulged themselves completely. Many things that they dared not do on Earth were no longer taboo. In any case they could not help it. Even if they tried to suppress a desire, as soon as it arose in their minds it was fulfilled.

After a few days they grew tired of this. There was nothing to do since there was no effort involved in fulfilling their desires. It became a suffering to have things brought to them even before the desire was fully formed. If this was heaven, they had enough of it.

They called for the guard. When he appeared they told him politely that they had had enough of heaven for a while and that they would now like to take a look at hell for a change.

The guard looked confused and then he understood. He smiled broadly at them and said, 'Where do you think you have been all this time? You ARE in hell!'

Religions and religious authorities have created the concepts of hell and heaven, to insert guilt and motivation in people, to control others. They have also created the concept of sin. There is no sin in true spiritual terms. Where there is sin there is also merit. It is the principle of Tao. There can be no good without evil, and no evil without good. The only sin we are in, the original sin, is the ignorance of our own divinity.

Arjuna is not a fool. He understands all this perfectly. Yet, he voices his doubts as if ignorant, as if confused. He acts out of compassion for humanity when he articulates these doubts so that the Divine Krishna can answer, to everyone's benefit.

A thoughtful man like Arjuna cannot talk about the lack of chastity of women without blaming the men who are equally responsible. He reflects here the superior attitude of men over the ages, those who have treated women with undue superiority. The doubts he voices are those of the society he lives in, and those doubts have not changed in thousands of years.