Philosophically, are certain activities in certain modes – is fighting in passion or can it be in goodness?
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Transcript
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So philosophically, is it that there are certain activities in goodness, certain in passion, certain ignorance? Personally, you might apply differently. Kshatriyas are defined to be in the mode of passion.
Vaishyas are in passion, ignorance. Shudras are in ignorance. But then you also have daily varnashram, where everybody is meant to serve Krishna.
So, is it that Vaishyas and Shudras and Kshatriyas, they would all come to goodness and then they will serve Krishna? Then if they are already in goodness or in transcendence, then how are they Kshatriyas? So, we have to understand that what is goodness for a Kshatriya will be different from what is goodness for a Brahmana. In 18.42 and 43, in 18.42 Krishna says that kshama, forgiveness. Kshama, peacefulness, forgiveness.
That is the characteristic of Brahmana. But then for a Kshatriya, the characteristic is yudhe chaapya phalayam. And if there is conflict, the Kshatriya does not run away from the conflict.
He is ready to fight fearlessly over it. So, these two are opposite qualities. One is conflict, forget and forgive, get over with it.
If there is a conflict, fight it out. So, for a Kshatriya, the psychology is different. For a Brahmana, Brahmanas are usually not managers.
So, at an individual level, if somebody is wrong with me, I may be ready to forgive them. But at an institutional level, if I am managing an institution and somebody has done something wrong, I have to see that forgiveness is the best policy. Justice might be the best policy.
Social order has to be maintained. So, the mode of goodness does not necessarily mean spending hours and hours studying Shastra. For a Kshatriya, the mode of goodness would mean, they are going to do their fighting, they are going to do their managing, they are going to do their ruling.
But, when saintly people come, But, it is not that they are going to go and live in a forest and hear 24 hours FM. So, that means, my understanding would be that goodness will also be different. A Kshatriya will follow scriptural guidelines and that is their goodness.
But it is not that Kshatriyas will have to become like a Brahmana to be in goodness. So, in Devi Varnashram, when we say that we do everything for Krishna, that simply means that according to our particular psychophysical nature, we regulate ourselves as per scripture and then we work accordingly.