Duty And Cosmic Will-5-1.

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 5. Discrimination : 1.

Again there is another kind of difficulty regarding duty.

We are often in a condition in which different duties come into conflict.

This refers obviously to our duty to the world.

It was such a conflict that Arjuna had, and he had to get his instructions from Krishna.

These instructions constitute the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita.

The conflict really arises because one sometimes is unable to find out which duty is to be emphasised more than the other.

For instance,

to take an ordinary example, we speak of Ahimsa or non-injury.

Suppose a tiger is attacking a man.

Is it the duty of an onlooker to kill the tiger, or to let the tiger attack the man?

The principle of Ahimsa might be interpreted to mean Ahimsa or non-injury to the tiger as well.

In that case the man would die.

If he kills the tiger and saves the man, he will be saving one soul at the expense of another.

Can he be sure that the soul of a man is superior to the soul of a tiger?

In such cases what is the answer to be given?

The answer must come from within oneself.

If according to the best of the onlooker’s intelligence, as it has been given to him, he thinks that saving the soul of a man at the expense of the soul of a tiger is better, he must save the man.

It is therefore, ultimately a solution reached by himself.

Sri Swami Sadananda
To be continued  ....




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