Fight the urges of vices with a spiritual war within. By Rajyogi Brahmakumar Nikunj Ji

Bhagavad Gita — the song of spirit or the divine song is one of the greatest contributions India has made to the world, and is ranked as one of the greatest repository of wisdom since ages. For centuries people have been daily reading and teaching the message of the Gita with great devotion and it has been the guiding post for many seekers of truth who wish to know in detail about the existence of soul, god and karma. There have been numerous interpretations, commentaries and expositions on the verses of the Gita. Still most people see it in a literal sense, because they believe that the conquest of evil was achieved by a bloody war between two armies and the good men won because they were fighting for dharma or righteousness and because God was supporting them. However, there are clear references in the Gita towards another kind of war. There are numerous verses pertaining to the subtle war against vices such as lust, anger, greed, attachment etc.

In the Gita, God tells Arjuna that by means of this war gates of heaven will open and that if anyone dies fighting this war he will go to the heaven. It is further clarified in the Gita as to who is entitled to go to heaven. When the righteousness in man gets to the highest limits of perfection, it is only then that man attains the highest and purest heaven. Hence, the war is symbolic of the spiritual endeavour to conquer all vices and make oneself pure. It is further said that in this war within the human mind, one must conquer lust and anger. Violence is born from anger so how can God promote violence on one hand and exhort us to conquer anger? Even the word warrior refers to a person who battles the vices or Maya with the weapons of spiritual knowledge and yoga. A yogi is the one who stabilises his mind on God and conquers all forms of Maya or vices. Such a person is brave, courageous and a powerful soul. His power comes not from any martial skills of warfare but spiritual knowledge and true love for God. So then why does the Gita put so much emphasis on violence and war? The word war implies strong action and decisiveness. Human souls are sleeping in a deep slumber of spiritual ignorance and even though they are living in subjugation of vices, they continue to be indolent and carry on their passive existence. Thus, when we realise that we are in a battlefield and are at war, we cannot be apathetic and careless in our thoughts, decisions and actions and we cannot go on ignorantly indulging in vices, because in a battlefield one has to be constantly attentive, alert and active. A warrior has to be skillful, agile and intelligent. He cannot afford to make mistakes or be sluggish. In a war there are only two responses — fight or flight. Hence, the realisation that vices are the soul’s enemies and have to be conquered will bring out the qualities of courage and will give power to fight this war within our mind. However, there are many who choose to take flight or to escape from vices by renouncing active life and worldly duties. They believe that is the only way to free the soul from the vicious grip of lust, greed and attachment. But the Gita espouses the path of karmayoga — which entails living in the world and yet transcending its vices. Hence, by practising true spiritual knowledge, being in yoga with the Supreme and by imbibing divine virtues, a karmayogi is able to manifest the highest level of perfection and gain victory over all vices. Moreover, such a spiritual endeavour happens on a war-footing at a time when the forces of evil and chaos are at their peak in the world i.e. at the end of Kaliyuga. Hence the war against vices is described as the great war of Mahabharata. It is at this time that Supreme being Himself is awakening humans from their deep ignorance and empowering them through knowledge and yoga to gain victory over vicious tendencies. In this way He is preparing humans to open the gates of heaven.

(The writer is a spiritual educator.)