In the previous episode, we had witnessed why Bhagawan Krishna picks out King Janaka in particular to illustrate how one can attain the highest “Moksha” through the path of “Karma Yoga”. Of course, this might be a tough path, but King Janaka walked this path with a lot of grit and determination, and this is something that impresses Bhagawan Krishna the most. In the entire Mahabharata text, wherever there are conversations / dialogues involving Bhagawan Krishna, we might not be able to spot Him giving examples of other people much. But here, if Bhagawan Himself has to point out one particular “Jeevatma” called King Janaka, we can understand the significance of King Janaka. Moreover, having said this, Bhagawan immediately trains His guns towards Himself as an example! Perhaps He realizes that He’s talking too much about one “Jeevatma”, which might not be fair, and thus, once again talks about Himself thus, “Oh Arjuna! Look at how I’m performing the “Karma Yoga” – Being your charioteer, has there been a single day wherein I’ve failed to take care of the horses of your chariot? Every passing moment, I caress the horses, feed them with water and straw, and take care of them as my own children. Why do you think I’m doing all these? Do you think “Karma” can even touch me? Yet, if I’m doing all these, I’m trying to illustrate to the world that it is important for each and every individual in this world to perform his / her “Karma” (Actions) meticulously without any hiccups!”
Saying thus, Bhagawan adds further – “Oh Arjuna! You might ask me a question – If “Karma” doesn’t matter to you, why are you still doing all these? You can sit in a corner and instruct others to perform their “Karma”, can’t you? Now let me give you an answer for this question – Oh Arjuna! If I sit in a corner without performing my duty, do you know what will the world talk about me? People will say thus, ‘Oh! Bhagawan Himself faltered in His duty! If Bhagawan can falter, why can’t we?’ Similarly, Oh Arjuna! You also have a similar stature as me – You’re a king of a territory. If you fail to perform your duty, a hundred other people behind you will follow your example and will try to escape from performing their duties! How can you let this happen? Hence, as a leader, you should be a role model to everyone around you. You should not show the path of escapism to your followers and people. If you run away from the battlefield today without fighting the war, people are not only going to make fun of you, but are also going to consider you as an example and are not going to fight for the cause of “Dharma”! If such a thing happens, how will you protect the “Dharma” as a righteous king? By doing this escapism drama, you are not only going to influence your followers to also perform a similar stunt, but also are going to accumulate all their “Paapa Karma” on yourself! Do you really want this to happen? If you’re not performing your duty correctly, oh Arjuna! Please remember – You’re accumulating your sins! If you’re not allowing others to perform their duty, their sins will also get transferred to you! Hence, my advice to you is very simple – Take your Gaandeepa in your hands and start fighting the war! By doing so, you’re doing your duty towards “Dharma”!”
What a great philosophy is Bhagawan Krishna talking about here! Important learnings for all of us here are as follows:
- As a leader, one should be a role model to others – The leader should perform his / her duty sincerely and meticulously and by observing this, people around the leader will also start following suit.
- If the leader fails in his / her duty – He / she would set a very bad example for others to follow! People will start escaping from performing their duty, which would result in utter chaos in the organization / workplace / battlefield, or wherever!
- If the leader skips his / her duty – He / she would not only accumulate the “Paapa Karma” for himself / herself, but also would accumulate the same of others as well! He / she is not only spoiling his / her own life, but also the lives of others around!
So for today, let us reflect on all these points explained by Bhagawan Krishna, and let us see how valid these points are to us in today’s context! We shall continue this discussion further in the next episode as well! Stay tuned! 🙂
The Indian Dharma 