"For the man who doeth that which he hath to do, without
affection, obtaineth the Supreme."
"He who may behold, as it were inaction in action, and action
in inaction, is wise amongst mankind. He is a perfect
performer of all duty."
"Wise men call him a _Pandeet_, whose every undertaking is free
from the idea of desire, and whose actions are consumed by the
fire of wisdom. He abandoneth the desire of a reward of his
actions; he is always contented and independent; and although
he may be engaged in a work, he, as it were, doeth nothing."
"He is both a Yogee and a Sannyasee who performeth that which
he hath to do independent of the fruit thereof; not he who
liveth without the sacrificial fire and without action."
"He who enjoyeth but the Amreeta which is left of his
offerings, obtaineth the eternal spirit of Brahm, the Supreme."
What, after all, does the practicalness of life amount to? The
things immediate to be done are very trivial. I could postpone
them all to hear this locust sing. The most glorious fact in my
experience is not anything that I have done or may hope to do,
but a transient thought, or vision, or dream, which I have had.
I would give all the wealth of the world, and all the deeds of
all the heroes, for one true vision. But how can I communicate
with the gods who am a pencil-maker on the earth, and not be
insane?
"I am the same to all mankind," says Kreeshna; "there is not
one who is worthy of my love or hatred."
This teaching is not practical in the sense in which the New
Testament is. It is not always sound sense inpractice. The
Brahman never proposes courageously to assault evil, but
patiently to starve it out. His active faculties are paralyzed
by the idea of cast, of impassable limits, of destiny and the
tyranny of time. Kreeshna's argument, it must be allowed, is
defective. No sufficient reason is given why Arjoon should
fight. Arjoon may be convinced, but the reader is not, for his
judgment is _not_ "formed upon the speculative doctrines of the
_Sankhya Sastra_." "Seek an asylum in wisdom alone"; but what is
wisdom to a Western mind? The duty of which he speaks is an
arbitrary one. When was it established? The Brahman's virtue
consists in doing, not right, but arbitrary things. What is that
which a man "hath to do"? What is "action"? What are the
"settled functions"? What is "a man's own religion," which is so
much better than another's? What is "a man's own particular
calling"? What are the duties which are appointed by one's
birth? It is a defence of the institution of casts, of what is
called the "natural duty" of the Kshetree, or soldier, "to attach
himself to the discipline," "not to flee from the field," and the
like.
