Non-Violence.
When your mind and heart are truly open abundance will flow to you effortlessly and easily.
Question:
Why did Mahatma Gandhi, in spite of being an ardent follower and admirer of Bhagavad Gita, use non-violence against the British, while Krishna encouraged Arjuna to be violent against the Kauravas in the battle of Kurukshetra?
Response:
This is a deeply discussed question, and so it is unlikely that we can resolve it entirely here. I will only say that Krishna encouraged Arjuna, a warrior, in the context of amassed armies on the battlefield, to follow his dharma as a soldier whose life purpose is to protect society. The instruction was that by following one’s dharma with full self-awareness, he will transcend his dilemma between his mind and heart. But the solution wasn’t simply to fight, for the sake of fighting. Krishna asked him to fulfill his role as defender of society from an elevated state of consciousness that was free from anger, hatred or a sense of individual control over the outcome. He was asking him to act from a state of consciousness of deep purpose. In that sense, the message wasn’t so much about fighting or violence as much as it was about how every person should think, feel and act from this state of authentic awareness connected to their spiritual path.
Gandhi’s path of non-violent resistance is also based on the principle of performing action, or peaceful disobedience from a state of non-attachment and awakened awareness known as Aparigraha. Seen from this perspective, Gandhi’s is following Lord Krishna’s teaching in the Gita that there is no absolute correct action for every individual in all circumstances. What matters is knowing what your life purpose is and then fulfilling that dharma from the awakened state of self-realization.
Love,
Deepak
