Five thousand years ago, a Mahabharata had taken place, the war for dharma, re-establishing the moral order. As we contemplate today over the idea of a super power India, the real Mera Bharat Mahan, we need to think of strategies for doing it and take a look at our strengths and weaknesses. None can doubt that our overwhelmingly large young population is the cornerstone of the so-called demographic dividends that we want to reap. But a directionless and dejected young population can become the greatest weakness.
This is a major challenge today, to lead and motivate this young population. Obviously, there has to be somebody who is capable of doing this. What better option than to invoke Shri Krishna. Krishna the preacher, Krishna the motivator, Krishna the leader, to awaken millions of young and confused Arjunas who must be aroused to fight for re-establishing the order of dharma.
Teachers’ Day and Janmashtami coincided this year. A fitting occasion to recapitulate Krishna’s role. It was Krishna who charged a dejected, despondent Arjuna to pick up the Gandiva, and decimate adharma. Krishna, the yogeshwar, who was the real hero in the battle of Kurukshetra. Krishna who played a very active role, yet was not involved. Krishna a dispassionate and detached leader, a true yogi.
A Krishna is needed today like never before. A Krishna to warn the many Duryodhanas that they will have to pay for their misdeeds, to caution the many Dhritarashtras that anyone turning a blind eye to adharma will have to pay a heavy price. To tell the likes of Bhishma, Karna and Dronacharya that taking sides of adharma cannot be justified. We need a Krishna to enlighten the many Arjunas that fighting against evil is the duty of man. The young parths need a Parthasarathi, the charioteer, to show them the path of dharma. To awaken them and motivate them.
It was Krishna who persuaded a reluctant Arjuna to fight. Young Indians need the leadership of Krishna to be reminded of their duty. The central teaching ofGita was to uplift the aspirant from the lower levels of reluctance and alienation to loftier heights where the call of duty becomes supreme. For such people, moral rigourism becomes the way of life, and dharma becomes the highest goal. They become yogis dwelling in clam and ceaseless contemplation and acquire an equanimous mind. Beyond the feelings of pleasure and sorrow, profit and loss.
They are transformed like Arjuna, who in the beginning of the Mahabharata war was horrified at the very thought of picking up his bow and arrow to fight his relatives and friends. For him this was a meaningless crusade. But subsequently Arjuna becomes a warrior carrying out his duty to fight the evil and uphold dharma.
Human beings come to this world with a divine objective to fulfil, and Gita made Arjuna realise that. The svabhava or the basic human nature and the svadharma or the basic human duty are the two fundamental issues that Krishna seeks to resolve through the Gita. There can be no better teacher than Krishna to deliver these lessons to the youth. The karma or the duty has to be done and it calls for three things — honesty of purpose, dedication to duty and sincerity of efforts. May lord Krishna enlighten the young Indians.
The writer teaches management at Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad (Jharkhand). He can be reached at ppathak.ism@gmail.com