How a Fake 'Lord' underlines his ignorance on Gita...

In my school, there was a practise amongst the students to underline key points in a written exam and highlight their knowledge as well as focus the attention of teachers (who had to correct many papers). This was an easy way of getting good marks. Needless to say, I followed it without realising this rationale and sure wasn't scoring marks. My dad a man of few words and once asked me to bring my test papers and remarked, you have underlined and highlighted your ignorance! He did not elaborate, but I read my underlined sentence and got the rationale. Anyway, when I read this article about Lord Desai's questions to students reminded me of this incident.


Indian government recently intervened in the interesting case in Russia just to make sure they don't loose out on this to BJP again. Now its Lord Desai. How will our government intervene now? I often felt that there are a few Indians who disown their past before western society and assume that they are fully knowledgeable of India's past, mythology, philosophy and Hinduism etc. I have seen quite a few Indians when I lived in the US and now in UK who fall into such a category and I used to laugh it away as I am self-aware about my shallowness in such debates.


After reading this Q&A, I am disturbed that how could a well learned man like Desai ask such questions? In fact he questions Gandhi's closeness to Hitler and quotes "How could someone of Gandhiji's intellect make mistake on Hitler?"


I ask the "Fake Lord" Desai: "How could someone of Desai's intellect make the mistake on Gita". One doesn't need intellect, a mere common sense would do. Let me try narrating Gita in the context of Mahabharatha and see if common sense helps.

1. Pandavas (5 in number) and Kauravas (100 in number) are cousins, Kauravas very early in their childhood, take hatred  to Pandavas and consistently try to destabilise the five brothers.
2. The 5 had to go through all types of humiliations such as "their wife disrobed in front of the courtroom", "attempt to burn them down", "12 years of forest dwelling" and  "an year of complete exile" and so on.
3. Prior to the war, Pandavas follow the 4 step peace process that's supposed to be followed by Kings before entering into a war and that includes sending a messenger of peace. Krishna as the messenger asks a minimum of 5 villages. But Kauravas ridicule and pose that they wouldn't even give a land to the size of a tip of the needle.
4. Prior to War, Lord Krishna chooses to help both cousins as he himself is a relative to both cousins. He in-fact gives the choice and type of help that each could decide. Kaurava actually gets Krishna's full scale army, whereas Pandavas with full trust on Krishna, seeks only him as an Individual. Kauravas later realising this big disadvantage, takes a promise from Krishna that he wouldn't use any of his super-human powers or ultimate Weapons of Mass Destruction as well as not to help Pandavas more than two times in the event of an actual war. Krishna agrees to those requests too.

So Kauravas created as many disadvantages as possible and then enter into the War. The war rules were agreed and the warring armies assembled. In spite of following all the righteous steps, Pandavas were left with no choice but war but in the battlefield, Arjuna gets emotional and decides to give up everything as he doesn't want to war on his own family. But up hold a king's duty as well as right of law and not to set a bad precedent Lord Krishna presents his  sermon.In the contemporary world, where nations take to war for oil and wealth but on pretext of democracy, this was a war of righteousness and a war for the brothers who had faced a lifetime of follies and deceits by Kauravas. 


In such a context, Gita was played out. 


I am sure many people who have not read Mahabharatha would find Gita to support violence. But Gita was sermonised to Arjuna to uphold righteousness and in fact to choose to act to war on your own paternal and maternal uncles, brothers and even your teacher. To uphold personal virtues, Socrates said to have drank the hemlock and here its case to uphold the right of rule/law and Arjuna had to war on his own family.


Now Mr. Desai, may we learn Mahabharatha and get initiated into Gita in this new year through a well-learned guru who may bring enlightenment to all of us.


PS: As a beginner, I do not want to go into the philosophical debate of Gita, but let us start with a basic commoner view and then may be into the philosophy.


Om Shanthi!