Chapter IV (VERSES 7 & 8)
Jnana Karma Sanyasa Yoga – The Yoga of Renunciation of Action with Knowledge
CHAPTER IV
(Verses 7)
यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत ।
अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम् ॥ ४-७॥
Whenever there is a decay of righteousness, O Bharata, and a rise of unrighteousness, then I manifest Myself.
“Whenever there is a decline of Dharma, I create for Myself a body.” The term Dharma has already been exhaustively explained. Dharma, “The Law of Being” is a sacred truth, and when the majority of the members of a community do not obey this great Truth, there is a conquest of the world by a herd of biped-animals, and not a co-operative happily-living family of men, pursuing life in their full dignity as intelligent social beings. In all such dark periods of history, some great Master comes to present himself as the leader of men to revive ‘the-standard-of-life’ and its moral values. This is generally done, not only by giving a fillip to the existing nobler values, but also by a corresponding policy of total elimination of the wicked.
It is for this purpose that the Infinite, from time to time, wears the “matter-apparel” and appears on the scene of activity, like the owner of an estate, who now and then puts on his gumboots to inspect and reorganise his estate. Even while he is on the work-spot, in the burning sun, among his workers, he is conscious of his lordship over, and ownership of, the entire estate. Similarly, the Supreme, which is the substratum for the pluralistic world, puts on the body-gown and, as it were, walks into the dusky atmosphere of the immoral life of mankind, for the purpose of re-organising and conducting a thorough spring-cleaning of the bosom of man.
In the descent of God explained here, it is very clearly said that the Lord takes upon Himself, a body, projected for the purpose by Himself, and that He reserves for Himself the Divine freedom to be IN it, and yet not OF it: “THEN I BODY MYSELF FORTH.”
FOR WHAT PURPOSE ?
(Verses 8)
परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम् ।
धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे ॥ ४-८॥
For the protection of the good, for the destruction of the wicked and for the establishment of rightenousness, I am born in every age.
It is quite evident that the Infinite cannot project Itself forth unless there is some “desire.” The State of Desirelessness is but the State of Actionless-ness. Without some equipment or the other, electricity cannot, of its own accord, manifest itself. Similarly, the Supreme cannot, and need not project out into a Divine, or an undivine form — as an Immortal Omniscient God or as a mortal foolish ego — unless there is some desire, or the other, to precipitate the manifestation A super-saturated solution, if left alone, undisturbed, can carry its extra quantity of crystals in itself; but the moment a minutest particle of the same substance is thrown into that beaker, immediately, all the extra crystals get thrown out in crystal-form. Similarly, the Dynamic Supreme, the Womb of Infinite potentialities, cannot bring forth any form, or forms, unless there is an intention — it may be Divine, it may be good, it may be bad.
Then the DESIRE that made the Supreme assume the Divine form of Krishna — the Enchanting Cowboy, the Blue Lover-of-All-is here explained in Vyasa’s own words. In the stanza, Vyasa makes Krishna confess His initial “desire,” that caused His manifestation.
The divinest of all “desires” is, indeed, a selfless thirst to serve the world; but all the same it is a DESIRE. In order to “PROTECT THE GOOD,” when the Absolute starts Its Godly career, it is the very necessity of Maya that He, the very Lord of Delusion, has to take upon Himself one more added mission,” THE DESTRUCTION OF THE WICKED.”
Here ‘DESTRUCTION’ is not annihilation of the individuals as much as the REMOVAL OF THE WRONG TENDENCIES in the individuals. It is a process of refitting the wardrobe wherein some old clothes are irredeemably spoiled, and have to be eliminated in order to make more space for newly-made and other refitted items. Similarly, Prophets, when they come, they encourage the good, sometimes they rejuvenate the bad, and often eliminate the poisonous specimens from the garden-of-life.
This much Lord Krishna was compelled to explain about Himself because it was perfectly evident that Arjuna was blissfully unaware of the true Divine nature of Krishna. The line of arguments adopted by Arjuna in the opening chapter to justify his conduct in his friend’s eyes would be meaningless if Arjuna did not, in fact, believe that he was addressing a human being. It would, in such a case, suggest that Arjuna was an utter atheist who would not rely for his victory upon his Divine companion. All the same, when Krishna comments upon Arjuna, characterising him as a non-caviller, a friend and a devotee, deserving His assistance, Arjuna appeals to Krishna, with a childlike simplicity: “DO TEACH ME, I AM THY DISCIPLE.” This was undeniably an attitude of profound respect but no indication that Arjuna treated Krishna as God-Almighty, Himself.