Man and Battle of Life
by Sri Arubindo (Arubindo Ghose
Exploring the Text
1.
What does the author say about the
existence of God?
Arubindo
says God is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient. He says that God is present
in every good and evil. Further, he states that God is in peace and panic which
makes him the observer of all the movement of the cosmos.
2.
How does the author equate the battle of
life with the battle of Kurukshetra?
The
author has illustrated life as a constant battle that is equipped with clash
and struggle. Whether it is a physical battle or mental battle men cannot be
the exception to the war of life. Humans by nature, always want to be supreme
over others. He has equated that human life is full of struggle and battle
mounting into supreme crises such as Kurukshetra. He further asserts that a
period of transition and crisis clashes the forces for huge destruction and
reconstruction similar to the Mahabharata.
3.
What does the author say about modern
efforts for peace?
The
author claims that modern efforts for peace are only the accommodation between
conflicting interests which may minimise the recurrence of the worst forms of
conflict. Though modern people believe it establishes universal peace, it
results in a monstrous mutual massacre; a universal war full of bitterness and
hatred.
4.
According to the author, what is the
function of a government?
According
to the author, the function of a government is to protect the weak and the
oppressed for the maintenance of rights and justice in the world.
5.
How does a modern mind understand a man?
A
modern mind understands man as a thinker, worker or producer and a fighter all
in one.
6.
How did ancient Indian civilization
interpret man?
The
ancient Indian civilization focused on individual nature, tendency and
temperament. It didn’t consider man primarily as a social being but as a social
being in process of formation and development for spiritual formation.
7.
How does the author differentiate social
beings from spiritual beings?
The
author says a social being is full of his social existence at the highest level
but a spiritual being is a person who individually proceeds toward their
spiritual development and self-perfection.
8.
What does the Gita say about the war?
The Bhagavad
Gita teaches that it is important to follow dharma. Therefore, it
is the duty of Kshatriya, to fight wars. The Bhagavad Gita believes it is
negative not to fight against evil. However, the motive must be defense, or to
protect the innocent and not to gain land, power, money or as an act of revenge
or anger.
9.
Why is war an outer
manifestation of inner struggle?
War is an outer
manifestation of inner struggle because all the realization of right or wrong,
justice or tyranny and success or struggle, everything begins from our inner
self. The inner thought gets practical implications in the war physically.
10.
Why is Kshatriya an
embodiment of war?
According to the writer,
Kshatriya is an embodiment (personification) of war because Kshatriya is a man
who accepts the principle of battle as a warrior to protect right, justice and
law. The Kshatriya are only the outward manifestation of the conflict all
people have inside them.
11.
According to the
author, what are there gunas and how are they different from each other?
According to the author,
three Gunas are Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Sattva is the mode of poise (dignity),
knowledge and satisfaction. Rajas is the mode of passion, action and struggling
emotion. Similarly, Tamas refers to the modes of ignorance and inertia (inactivity).
12.
Why does a man with
tama guna feel complacent (satisfied) within himself?
A man with tama feels
complacent within himself as he only seeks to survive or to shelter in an
established routine of thought where he feels protected from the battle.
13.
What does the author
mean by nirguna?
By the term nirguna, the
author refers to an absolute peace and superior existence. Nirguna is the state
of mind in which the mind recoils (starts) from the whole problem and is dissatisfied
with the solutions given by the threefold mode of nature.
14.
How is Arjuna an
embodiment of raja guna?
Raja Guna (Rajas) is the
mode of passion, action and struggling emotion. Arjuna is an embodiment of raja
guna as he is in bewilderment (confusion) about the reason of war which makes
him dejected to fight. However, he advances upon the tamas by a high sattwic
ideal eventually.
Expanding the Horizon
1.
What does a man
achieve when he wins the battle of his mind?
The essay illustrates how
human beings always have to face struggles and battles in every aspect of life.
A man, even after mastering over three Gunas, also seeks for absolute peace and
superior existence. A man attains the supreme perfection of freedom from
activity through renunciation (rejection) when he wins the battle of his mind.
2.
How are three Gunas Tama,
Raja and Sattva interrelated with each other?
According to the author,
three Gunas are Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Sattva is the mode of poise (dignity),
knowledge and satisfaction. Rajas is the mode of passion, action and struggling
emotion. Similarly, Tamas refers to the modes of ignorance and inertia (inactivity).
A man can only master over his mind after getting over the Trigunas. A man
reaches the timeless, infinite and silent peace after passing the stages of
fear and horror of the world (Tamasic), refusal, struggle and grief (Rajasic)
and the highest state of superiority and tranquillity (Sattva). Hence, the
three Gunas are inseparable to get the ultimate freedom from the physical
world.
3.
What do you mean by
Sannyasa? Is it the solution of all the battles?
Sannyasa
is a form of self-discipline, is marked by the renunciation (rejection)
of material desires and prejudices, represented by a state of disinterest and
detachment from material life, and has the purpose of spending one's life in
peaceful, spiritual pursuits.In my opinion, if we can detach from the ego, greed and lust there is no need of abandoning
family and society; or becoming a Sannyasi. Becoming a Sannyasi doesn’t guaranty
our higher state of mind, rather a man with a higher level of spirituality can
lead his life peacefully even in material pursuits. For me, Sannyasa is not the
solution to all the battles but our mindset is.
4.
How does Aurobindo
glorify the Gita and the lord?
In the essay, Sri
Aurobindo has appreciated the teaching of Gita and God. It has glorified Gita concerning
human beings and the battle of life. Gita says that human life is full of
battles and nobody can run away from it. Further, it says that supreme power
has created human beings in separate ways. The Gita accepts God as the creator,
preserver and destroyer and thus God is omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient.
5.
Why do you think
there is always conflict between righteousness and unrighteousness?
According to Gita, the conflict
between righteousness and unrighteousness is a necessity in nature to create an
ideal society. In my opinion, a major reason for the conflict between
righteousness and unrighteousness lies in the greed of human beings to persue
the materialistic gain. Whenever the deeds of people are led by selfishness and
power-gain then the righteous people have to offend it to preserve the value of
goodness and virtues. An unrighteous path of people creates a negative effect
on the whole civilization which eventually lead to the end of the world. Hence,
the conflict between righteousness and unrighteousness occur to protect the
truth and spiritual value for a peaceful life.
6.
Was the battle of
Kurukshetra a just war? Explain.
I think the battle of Kurukshetra was a just war for many
reasons. Lord Krishna reincarnated on earth to remove evil,
destroy evil souls and restore peace and Dharma (Virtue). He also wanted to
give a message to the world that “Those who are on the path of truth and dharma
will achieve victory”. He also said he wouldn’t hesitate or even flicker to do
anything to save dharma (virtue). So, he may even resort to deception or
trickery if there is no other choice to win over the evil souls. Lord Krishna
clearly states in the Mahabharata that sinning for Dharma is not a sin at all.
The battle was the last resort to protect righteousness from unrighteousness.
