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of motivating Arjuna to get ready to fight, he is exhorted to fight for the social cause without any thought of self-interest in terms of pleasure and pain, gain and loss and victory and defeat." These are the empirical grounds on which Arjuna is persuaded to meet the demands of duty to fight. Arjuna is shown the egoistic consequences of not fulfilling his duty along with social considerations. Thus the advice given by Krşņa to Arjuna is out and out teleological in character. The duty is tied up with the consideration of consequences either affecting one's own self or society. It may be noted here that Krşņa must have arrived at the decision of fighting when all the efforts of peaceful settlement between the two parties failed. He must have evaluated the consequences of fighting and not fighting before he is convinced to fight. Thus the advice of the Gītā to fight seems to be consequent upon the goodness of the consequences.
Being an astute ethico-religious philosopher with a deep understanding of human nature, Krşņa coaxes Arjuna to do his duty after considering the egoistic and utilitarian consequences of his actions. Yet uitimately he establishes the supreme worth of utilitarianism and brushes aside egoistic considerations. The evidence for this is that the man whose delight is in the self alone and who is satisfied with the self has no work that needs to be done (for himself).14 Again, in this world he has no interest whatever to gain by the actions. He does not depend on the beings of the world for any of his interests. 15 In other words, such a man has overcome all his egoistic inclinations and consequently he will never be motivated to work by such considerations as are termed egoistic. But the Gītā proclaims that the ideal Karma-yogi dedicates himself to performing social actions for the maintenance of society (Lokasargraha). 16 The ordinary man will follow the example of such a person.'? The Gītā seems to maintain that 'the great men are the path-makers who blaze the trail that other men follow'. In the same spirit Krşņa says "There is not for me, O Arjuna, any work in three worlds which has to be done nor anything to be obtained which has not been obtained; yet I am engaged in work. If I cease to work, I shall be the creator of disordered life.18 Thus the ideal Karma-yogi has nothing further to accomplish for himself, he works for the sustenance and proper education of society. In
Jaina Mysticism and other essays..........
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