Man and Battle of life

 Man and Battle of Life

Prepared by Kumar Adhikari from Phidim Secondary School, Phidim, Pachthar

Contact no. 9843507593

 

Introduction of the Essayist

Sri Aurobindo (15 August1872-5 December1950) was born in Calcutta, India. He was an Indian philosopher, essayist, yogi, poet, and nationalist. He was born in a Bengali family. His father's name is Krishna Dhun Ghose and mother's name is Swarnalotta Devi. His father was a thoroughly Anglicised Indian doctor in British Government Service. His father wanted him to have a Solid, British education. When Aurobindo was seven,his father sent him to England for education. There he studied at St. Paul's School, London and at King's College, Cambridge. His major literary works are: The Life Divine (1919), Essays on the Gita (1922), Collected Poems and Plays (1942), The Synthesis of Yoga (1948), The Human Cycle (1949), The Ideal of Human Unity (1949), Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol (1950), On the Veda (1956).

Main theme of the essay:

The essay "Man and Battle of Life" is taken from "Essay on the Gita" has been written by a famous Indian essayist, Sri Aurobindo. The essay explains the gist of Gita with the conclusion that the teaching of Gita is not a physical asceticism, but an inner askesis. The essay develops a spiritual idea of battle of life bringing forth the reference of Hindu Myth. In this essay, the essayist examines life from the perspective of the Bhagavad-Gita as a battle and a struggle which subsists on constant change and death. The Gita is addressed to a fighter, a man of action, one whose duty in life is that of war and protection of the weak and the oppressed and for the maintenance of right and justice in the world.

Summary of the essay:

This essay has been written by Sri Aurobindo on The Gita. In this essay, the essayist appreciates the teaching of the Gita. The Gita accepts God as the creator, preserver and destroyer and thus is omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient. The essayist thinks that all human thought is active and affirmative, whether it be theistic, pantheistic and atheistic. God as universal Being or Nature shall enable us to transcend, overcome or harmonize the disagreement among the people. We have to accept human life and its aspects as a struggle and battle supports into huge crises like that of Kurukshetra. The Gita believes that great forces clash together for a huge destruction and reconstruction. Different kinds of changes like the intellectual, moral, social, religious etc. come mainly through a violent physical convulsion of strife, war or revolution. In the sense for the essayist, The Gita accepts both the moral and physical aspects. The idea of avoiding war is not possible. The essayist thinks that the gospel of universal peace has not achieved. A modern man has found a war, full of bitterness and hatred as the straightway and modern for the establishment of universal peace. One day man will spiritually think of reigning from the idea of universal peace by accepting the idea of man as a fighter. According to essayist The Gita puts the question how this aspect and function of life, which the spiritual existence.

The Gita by addressing the fighter promotes the ideal of a warrior man called Kshatriya who fights like a Knight and protects humanity. This idea come from the peculiar Indian culture and social system in the midst of which they arose, however they have universal value. The modern system is totally different. In the modern mind, man is a thinker, worker or producer and fighter all in one. Ancient Indian civilization takes man as a spiritual being. According to Aurobindo thought and knowledge, war and government, production and distribution, labor and service were carefully differentiated functions of society. The essayist thinks there are both advantages and disadvantages of a modern idea of man. It helps to greater solidarity, unity and fullness in the life of the community and a more all-round development of the complete human beings, different to that of ancient Indian civilization. But on the other hand, too logical application of it has led to grotesque and disastrous absurdities.

According to Aurobindo the chief aim of Indian civilization is to minimize the incidence and disaster of war. For this purpose, it limited the military obligation to the small class who by their birth, nature and traditions were marked out for this function and found in it their natural means of self-development through the flowering of the soul in the qualities of courage, disciplined force, strong helpfulness and chivalrous nobility for which the warrior's life pursued under the stress of a high ideal gives a field and opportunities. The main aim of Indian civilization is to reduce the disaster of war. Consequently, the military obligation to the small class was limited the military obligation to the small class was limited. According to the Gita war was an inevitable part of human life. It is destructive in bodily life of an elevation the Indian ideal of the Kshatriya, the Japanese ideal of the Samurai who denied war were the pacifists.

The physical fact of war is only a special and outward manifestation. The Kshatriya is only the outward manifestation. War embodies physically the aspect of battle and struggle which belongs to all life, both to our inner and outer living. Aurobindo thinks that the Kshatriya is the type and embodiment of the fighter in man who accepts this principle in life and faces it as a warrior striving towards mastery of right, justice, law which shall be the basis of the harmony towards which the struggle tends. The Gita accepts this aspect of the world-energy and the physical fact of war. It addresses itself to the man of action, the striver and fighter, the Kshatriya.

According to Sankhya philosophy, there are three essential qualities or modes of the world energy. First is sattva. It refers the mod of poise, knowledge and satisfaction. Second is rajas. It is the mode of passion, action and struggling emotion. Third is tamas which is the mode of ignorance and inertia. Tamas man does not so much the rush and shock of the world-energies. The tamasic man seeks only somehow to survive, to shelter himself in the fortress of an established routine of thought and action, and to reject the demand which is higher nature makes upon him. The rajasic man makes the struggle itself a means of increasing inner mastery, joy, power, possession. Sattva man seeks in the midst of the strife for a principle of law, right, poise, harmony, peace and satisfaction. All the attitudes adopted by the human mind towards the problem of the eitherderive from the domination of one or other of these qualities or else from an attempt at balance and harmony between them. But the man's problem might not be solved by these three qualities. At that time, he seeks a higher solution quite superior to these qualities. It aspires to an absolute peace and unconditioned existence or to a dominant calm and superior existence. The natural movement of the former attitude is towards the renunciation of the world, sannyasa; of the latter towards superiority to the claims of the lower nature. The former is the first impulse of Arjuna. Arjuna is the Kshatriya, the rajasic man who governs his rajasic action by a high sattwic ideal.

Synnyasa is the renunciation of life and action and of the threefold modes of Nature, but it has to be approached through one or other of the three qualities. The impulse may be tamasic, a feeling of impotence, fear, aversion disgust, horror of the world and life; or it may be the rajasic, quality tending towards tamas, an impulse of weariness of the struggle, grief, disappointment, refusal to accept any longer this vein turmoil of activity with its pains and its eternal discontent. Or the impulse may be that of rajas tending towards sattwa, the impulse to arrive at something superior to anything life can give, to conquer a high state, to trample down life itself under the feet of an inner strength which seeks to break all bonds and transcend all limits. or it may be sattwic, an intellectual perception of the vanity of life and the absence of any real goal or justification for this every -cycling world-existence or else a spiritual perception of the Timeless, theInfinite, the Silent, the nameless and formless Peace beyond. The recoil of Arjuna is the tamasic recoil from action of the sattwa-rajasic man.

Questions

Short Answer Questions

1. How can you distinguish between theistic, pantheistic and atheistic?

Ans: Theistic is an adjective that is a belief in the existence of one God viewed as the creative source of the human race and the world who transcends yet is immanent in the world.

Pantheistic is the belief that reality is identical with divinity or that all things compose on all encompassing, immanent god.

Atheistic is an adjective that is used to describe things that involve atheism. It is also known as the belief that there is no supreme being or deity.

2. In what sense is man a thinker, worker or producer and a fighter all in one? Explain.

Ans: In a modern sense, man is a thinker, worker or producer and a fighter all in onebecause human should play different kinds of role in the daily life. Sometime he/she plays a role of a thinker. We are social animals so we should think about different kinds of subject matter about our daily life activities. On the other hand, human as a worker because to achieve something he/she should do work hard. To be a successful person, we should participate in daily activities. Man as a producer means in his life he should play different role like teacher in school, doctor in hospital, father in the house. He should produce children also. Finally, man as a fighter because to achieve something he/she be a fighter.

3. Pacifism is the belief that war or violence is wrong. What can be the way of making peace in the world?

Ans: Pacifism is the belief that war or violence is wrong. A pacifist rejects war and believes there are no moral grounds which can justify resorting to war. War, for the pacifist, is always wrong. War or violence always create problems in our life. They are always destructive in nature and create various problems among humans and other animals. By applying different kinds of measures like create happy atmosphere and situation on the basis of universal peace. By making a personal commitment to nonviolence.

4. What, according to the Sankhya philosophy, are the three essential qualities or modes of human nature? Discuss them briefly.

Ans: According to the Sankhya philosophy, there are three essential qualities or modes of human nature are sattva, rajas and tamas. First issattva thar refers the mode of poise, knowledge and satisfaction. Second is rajas that is the mode of passion, action and struggling emotion.Third is tamaswhich is the mode of ignorance and inertia.

5. 'Not a physical asceticism, but an inner askesis is the teaching of the Gita.' Explain.

Ans: I fully agree with the above statement 'Not a physical asceticism, but an inner askesis is the teaching of the Gita'. According to Bhagavad Gita human life is full of battles. Human never shirks in fear. Physical fact of war is only a special and outward manifestation of a general principle in life. War always symbolizes the aspect of battle and struggle which belongs to all life, both to our inner and outer living. According to Bhagavad Gita the Kshatriya is the type and embodiment of the fighter in human who accepts these principles in life and faces it as a warrior striving towards mastery of right, justice, law etc.

6. What is the essay about? What does it tell us about human life and their nature?

Ans: The essay is about the teaching of the Gita in relation to the human beings and the battle of their life. It is also about a spiritual idea of battle of life bringing forth the reference of Hindu myth.Bhagavad Gita says that the human life is full of battles. They can not run away from the war. The supreme power has created an even human beings in a separate way. It also says that the person whose mind is always free from attachment, who has subdued the mind and senses and who is free from desires, attains the supreme perfection of freedom from activity through renunciation.

7. Justify the title of the essay.

Ans:  The title of the essay is crystal clear. According to the Bhagavad Gita human life is full of battles because in every step of human life different kinds of tasks have to do. To achieve success in our life we should play different kinds of roles in daily life. Bhagavad Gita says that the human being as an actor because on the basis of situation, human should change their views and thought. On the basis of various situations, we should change our mind and participate in different activities.

Long Answer Questions

1. Do you believe in the existence of God? Why or why not?

Ans: Yes, I believe in the existence of God because God is a supreme supernatural or preternatural being that is the creator or sustainer or ruler of the universe and all things in it, including human beings. In many religions God is also conceived as perfect and unfathomable by humans, as all powerful and all knowing, and as the source and ultimate ground of morality.

Believing that God has a plan helps people regain some sense of control, or at least of acceptance. Another motivational factor is self-enhancement. The existence of God has been in question for as long as mankind has existed and thought logically. Many questions have plagued the human mind in regards to God, and there have been many arguments drawn with the hopes of proving the existence of a supreme being whom we know as God. The 'God' question has been presented to every individual at some point in their lives. It is a topic that will bring forth never-ending questions and an equal numberof attempted answers. Many philosophers have formulated different rationales when examining the topic of God, some of which include how the word itself should be defined, what his role is in human existence, whether or not he loves us

2. Swami Vivekananda said, "You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself ". Do you agree with him? Give your arguments in support of your answer.

Ans: Yes, I agree with Swami Vivekananda because God is said to be the life inside us. If we hurt ourselves, or do not believe in ourselves then, we simply aren't believing in God. If we think that we are on earth by chance and not for a purpose then also, we will lose faith in ourselves.

We need to believe in ourselves in our abilities, skills and passions to take the leap into entrepreneurship or any other aspiration. Believing in yourself is the lynchpin of exceptional leadership, because self -confidence lets us manage and inspire others with assurance and direction.

When we believe in ourselves, we're accepting who we really are. We're not afraid to give our opinion and we're going to be proud of this person we're becoming. When we believe in ourselves, we feel like we can handle the world! Positive energy and a little confidence gives a major lift.

So it is important to believe in ourselves because self -belief makes us relax, feel more capable, and we can see things with crystal-clear clarity. In such situations, we're able to perceive not just one but a myriad of solutions to the problem at hand. Self-belief gives off an intoxicating aura. It both enchants and captivates others.

3. Victory for peace, love and harmony over the principle of war, discord and struggle should be the pursuit of life. Discuss.

Ans: Victory for peace, love and harmony over the principle of war, discord and struggle should be the pursuit of life because peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace, love and harmony are commonly used to mean a lack of conflict and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. Throughout history, leaders have used peacemaking and diplomacy to establish a type of behavioral restraint that has resulted in the establishment of regional peace or economic growth through various forms of agreement or peace treaties. Such behavioral restraint has often resulted in the reduced conflict, greater economic interactivity, and consequently substantial prosperity.

Peace and harmony are important for our life because they create happy environment. War, discord and struggle are always bad for every life. They always create different kinds of problem in every step of life. War and discord are harmful for human beings. Due to the war we have to lose our life, properties and natural resources. To create happy atmosphere, we should follow peace, love and harmony. Absence of peace, love and harmony development process is not possible. If we can't follow peace, love and harmony, we unable to move according to time and situation. They are the key features of human life.