Sambodhi 1989 Vol 16

Author(s): Ramesh S Betai, Yajneshwar S Shastri
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 14

rigorous discipline. We must cleanse the mind of all distraction and purge the heart from all corruption, to acquire spiritual wisdom”. (Ibid., p. 12.) There is no doubt that the yoga discipline that thc Gitā speaks of becomes relevant in this context as a systematic mode of cleansing the body and the mind, acquiring a control of the senses, achieving mental concentration and a state of samadhi in which there is a perception of reality. It is evident that the author of the Gita uses the (Patañjala) yogaśāstra for this purpose and finds a valid place for it in the life of man.
But before man gets spiritual-minded and starts preparing himself for receiving the truths of spirit, he has to live his common life and confront the day-to-day situations. He has to act, and accept the consequences of his actions, whatever they may be. This is the problem of the common man. The world in which man lives is a staggering reality to him, which he cannot suppress or deny. The question is whether this is a different order of reality from the order of spiritual truth. And a further question is if the two orders are different, are they related ?
In the language of philosophy the two orders of reality are called transcendental and empirical. The direction of philosophical thought has generally been towards regarding the enpirical order as on a lower level. sometimes as an impediment to progress to the higher order of the spirit. A school of thought came near dismissing the empirical order as an illusion treating it, at least, as not worthy of the name of reality in relation to the transcendental order. Such a philosophical attitude, however valid. is not likely to help man much in solving his practical problems of life. The greatness of the Gitā as a gospel of life is bound to be universally felt in this particular context. The Gitā does not connive at such situations as life poses. In fact, the opening section of the Gitā raises the question of the problem of human action. Arjuna stands as representative of humanity who is completely baffled and bewildered by the problem of his duty. In the first few chapters the teacher of the Gita provides an answer to the question of man's duty and action.
The answer is, of course, well-known. What is worthy of note is the combination of the pragmatic conception of action and the doctrine of devotion that is brought to bear on this problem. In recognising karman as the very life of the universe, the cause of its continuity and functioning, the Gitā not only accepts the necessity of action but also the reality of the universe which is operated by action. The talk of renouncing karman is, therefore, idle; for, it means only substitution of one action by another kind of action. If renunciation is necessary, it must come