Sambodhi 1982 Vol 11

Author(s): Dalsukh Malvania, H C Bhayani, Nagin J Shah
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 15

M. P. Lakhani
him to take one path or the other, he is free to choose. But says the fatalist, there are a hundred and one things that affect his decision : heredity, gestation, birth, nature, education, religion, vocation, politics, sex. An illustration will make the point clear. Mohan along with a party went to Kashmere. They were going to Gandharbal in a house-boat. It was 9 pm, and it meant three more hours work to reach their destination. They decided to pass the night on the way. Moban and his sister Jamuna walked along the bank to find a suitable place where they could halt their boat. They spied so.ne Ight which came from a hut which happened to be the hut of the Forest Officer in charge there. He had his police-guard with him and he advised them to stop their boat in front of hiz hut. The Forest Officer, his guard, Jamuna and Mohan walked towards the bank to reach the boat that was coming up slowly. Jamuna was a couple of steps ahead of the rest. Just at ihe place where she wanted to get into the boat the bank of the river was cut into the land making a semi-circle. It was a dark night and she did not observe this cut. She slipped and fell into the river. Mohan's first impulse was to go after herand then : "the bank is slippery, the rush of the waters is great and I am not a swimmer, not only will I am not be able to save her but lose my self also after her"-these thoughts rushed through his brain in a fraction of a second and he stood rooted at the spot. The officer's guard however jumped into the icy cold, rushing waters, luckily caught her by the waist, clung to the bank and was pulled out along with his precious burden.
Now here are two individuals viz. Mohan and the guard whose conduct needs to be analysed. There were two ways open to them: to go after Jamuoa and endeavour to save her or not to go after her. What affected their respective decisions ?
Because of the natural love for his sister and the value of human life Mohan did very much want to save her, but cool reasoning told him that it was folly on his part to attempt the rescue. His training as a student of science and of rational thinking prevented him from obeying his impulse to rush after her. Thus it was not he who decided what path to take; it was his training that affected his decision. The guard, on the other hand inspite of the fact that he had a boil on his foot and it was very bad for his foot to be soaked in water, jumped immediately at the risk of his own life (considering rush of the water, the boat ahead and the icy cold water). He was a swimmer, it is true, but still why should he have risked his life or endangered his foot for a mere stranger. It was not he who decided his action but it was his training as a swimmer and hence the capacity to rescue, and his vocation as a guard to protect and to save that decided. Thus there is no freedom in our decisions.