Post by You_Got_A_Stew_Goin_Baby on Feb 9, 2018 6:17:26 GMT
Alrighty, so I've read chapter 3, in which Krishna tells Arjuna that he must fulfill his dharma in a selfless state of mind, that is not caring about the results of his actions. So, in order to attain a closer connection to his atman, Arjuna must kill his cousins and their cohorts on the battle field without and hope for glory or whatnot. Seems somewhat sociopathic to me. You're a warrior, and the dharma of a warrior is to fight and kill on the battle field. In order to fulfill your dharma successfully, practice karma yoga, and attain a closer connection with your atman, you must kill and maim with no selfish desire for the potential outcomes...yea, sounds kind of sick-in-the-head. No empathy or concern? Again, if you have a connection with your atman, why the hell should the mortal duties of a particular dharma even matter? Hell, Krishna even mentions the discipline of jnana yoga: that is the contemplative, passive path towards enlightment as a potential path towards reaching a conscious level with Arjuna's atman, but then Krishna just drops it in favor of karma yoga. Later on, Krishna says:
But, isn't Arjuna fighting to put his brother on the throne of Kurukshetra? That is, if Arjuna follows his dharma, and selfishly fights as a warrior, won't he be fighting to fulfill his brothers dharma and not his own (his brother's dharma being the successor to a royal seat)? Is not Arjuna trading his honor for the another's? And, is his brothers intent honerable, or is his brother pursuing earthly, selfish desire? I imagine a lot of this is lost on me because I have not read a whole lot of the Mahabharata backstory, so the whole war seems like a petty dynastic struggle instead of a righteous, holy war.
It is better to strive in one's own dharma than to
succeed in the dharma of another. Nothing is ever
lost in following one's own dharma, but competition
in another's dharma breeds fear and insecurity.
succeed in the dharma of another. Nothing is ever
lost in following one's own dharma, but competition
in another's dharma breeds fear and insecurity.
But, isn't Arjuna fighting to put his brother on the throne of Kurukshetra? That is, if Arjuna follows his dharma, and selfishly fights as a warrior, won't he be fighting to fulfill his brothers dharma and not his own (his brother's dharma being the successor to a royal seat)? Is not Arjuna trading his honor for the another's? And, is his brothers intent honerable, or is his brother pursuing earthly, selfish desire? I imagine a lot of this is lost on me because I have not read a whole lot of the Mahabharata backstory, so the whole war seems like a petty dynastic struggle instead of a righteous, holy war.