Verse 23
He who, casting aside the ordinances of the
scriptures, acts under the impulse of desire, attains neither perfection nor
happiness nor the supreme goal.
There are certain norms that have
been set forth by ancient Masters, who recorded their experiences and their
impressions in texts called Shastras—such
as the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Gita and the Smrtis.
These Shastras give us a norm of conduct and behavior prescribed in the
light of the ultimate aim of life. Shastras,
or scriptures, lay down the necessity to place oneself in a harmonious state of
affairs in the context of dharma, artha, kama and moksha.
The normal way of looking at
things, the vision of things based on our independent thinking, is materially
construed, and desire-filled. Thus, the necessity to consult and work according
to the injunctions of the Shastras is considered here as imperative.
The necessity for material
amenities is something well known to people. We require certain physical
comforts, but we cannot have so much of it as would deprive others of an equal
share of it in this world.
Therefore, dharma is supposed to be a restraining order, a principle of
limitations set on the desires even for material need.
Kama is
the need for fulfillment of emotional requirements.
Dharma puts a limit
on our asking for things in this world, whether material or emotional, in the
light of the ultimate aim of all beings, the liberation of the spirit, which is
moksha.
The four Purusharthas - Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha are dealt in a detailed manner
in the following post in KARMA theme posts
We will not attain perfection if
we reject the scriptures completely, and try to work according to our own whim
and fancy and predilections that change from moment to moment, according to the
weakness of our rationality.
Such a person cannot be happy. A
person who is totally independent in his behavior, who cares not for the
welfare of others, and who has no consideration for the injunctions of the
great scriptures that are intended for the welfare of everybody, such a person
will not reap success in this world, nor will it be possible for him to be
happy in this world
Chinmaya pens powerful stroke on such men and
writes,
“The consequences of such an unintelligent and
naughty disregard of the right-way-of-life is clearly indicated here. Propelled
by desires, coaxed by greed, torn by anger and constantly dancing to the
changing tunes of the lusty flesh, an individual comes to live a life of restless
agitations and tyrannical passions. Such a man cannot feel any happiness or
attain any cultural development.”
“Therefore, O Arjuna, scripture is
your final authority in matters of doubt.”
We should look at the experiences
of great saints and sages and see how they conducted themselves when they were
confronted with problems of various kinds. That will be a solution for us.
But suppose we have such a
peculiar, fantastic difficulty whose solution cannot be found in the Vedas or in the Smritis, and even saints had not passed through that experience,
then we should go to our Guru. If we do not have a Guru, we should close our
eyes and ask the Atman our own
conscience, “What is good for me?” If we are honest and sincere and repentant,
the light within will tell us what is good for us.
Verse 24
Therefore, let the
scripture be the authority in determining what ought to be done and what ought
not to be done. Having known what is said in the ordinance of the scriptures,
thou shouldst act here in this world.
With clarity on the above verses, the seeker of
an ampler life must necessarily follow the authority of the Scriptures in
planning his way-of-life. The right conduct in life can be determined only when
the individual has correct knowledge of what is to be pursued and what is to be
avoided.
The grand road to Truth is the same for all. It
cannot be determined by each pilgrim according to his own whims and fancies.
Therefore, every seeker is required to
study intelligently the Scriptures, which are the reports left for our guidance
by those who successfully walked the 'Path' earlier.
Not only must one gather true knowledge from
scriptures / from a realized master, but they should contemplate, get
convinced, undertake relentless meditation and practice what they have learnt
and lead their life accordingly.
With this, we conclude the 16th chapter,
“The Yoga of the Division Between the Divine & the
Demoniacal”
Love.
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