The Oblivious Misunderstand the Absolute Self

य एनं वेत्ति हन्तारं यश्चैनं मन्यते हतम् |

उभौ तौ न विजानीतो नायं हन्ति न हन्यते ||2.19||

Meaning of the Shloka: Whoever believes the Absolute Self kills or gets killed does not understand it. The Absolute Self is never the slayer nor is it slain. (Bhagvad Gita 2.19)

Context: The Absolute Self or the Eternal Truth forms the basis of the actions but does not constitute the actions themselves. When Arjuna wanted to retreat from war, he was under the impression that his actions would do harm to the Absolute Self.

Krishna helped him realize the true nature of the Absolute Self or the Divine (also known as God) by explaining how it is beyond matter.

The Basis of Phenomena

Everything we perceive, interact with, or imagine goes through the cycle of creation and destruction. It includes tangible things like the objects we own and intangible things like thoughts and memories.

Some might argue that a supreme being is doing it all. A god is pulling the strings of the cosmos, resulting in an endless cycle of creation and destruction.

However, the reality is different.

The creation and destruction of everything is in the very nature of the universe itself. Any entity within the universe going through creation, existence, growth, transformation, decline, and destruction is merely exhibiting its trait.

This is true for any kind of phenomenon we observe.

A seed from a mango will lead to a mango tree, not because anyone does it manually. It happens because that’s the nature of the seed.

Similarly, people committing crimes are not the result of a malevolent god, devil, or Satan. They occur because the desire to hurt others is in the DNA of arrogant and entitled individuals. These people operate under the assumption that doing so will bring them happiness, and they are simply living it out.

The Absolute Self, the Eternal Truth, or God, is the basis (or the foundation) of everything. Mathematical formulas and theorems explain the nature of things, tangible and intangible. They don’t ‘do’ anything themselves.

Gravity doesn’t pull you down. Being pulled down is a natural consequence of remaining in the sphere of Earth’s gravitational field.

Salvation is About Embodying the Truth

As I mentioned briefly above, people’s actions depend on their understanding of reality. If someone believes that being corrupt and undisciplined is acceptable, there is no way you can change their mind, regardless of whatever you use to entice them.

When our subjective perception aligns with the eternal truth, it starts to reflect in our actions and that state is known as salvation.

For instance, when people deprioritize body comfort and the acquisition of material goods for the sake of pleasure, they move closer to God and the Absolute Self. 

Again, when I mention ‘God’, I do not mean the definition from the Abrahamic Religions. In this book, the term refers to all things eternal, like knowledge, truth, and the Multiverse. It encompasses both good and evil because God is absolute by definition.

So, the bigger question is how can you embody the eternal truth?

Conclusion: Selfless Duty is the Truth

It has become widely common for people to choose their actions based on the potential reward, whether it is physical comfort or material pleasure. Consequently, we perform actions that aren’t righteous or abandon actions that are.

For example, people being messy pigs because their family takes care of them is an example of choosing your course of action based on comfort.

Similarly, individuals hustling to make millions exploit themselves because they are motivated by the material reward, rather than passion and a desire to get better through life.

At the same time, we often see people easily sacrifice comfort and pleasure to pursue meaningful goals, even if it means they return empty-handed. It is common for men and women to sacrifice their freedom for the sake of family and community, even in today’s world.

The truth is, you know what you are supposed to do. This includes physical actions like eating healthy and cleaning up after yourself and mental exercises like having patience and remaining calm in stressful situations.

For Arjuna, it meant going to war, without thinking of the potential reward or loss, because at that time, that was the right thing to do.

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Next Chapter: The Absolute Self is Beyond Creation and Destruction

Previous Chapter: Knowledge (Absolute Self) Is Metaphysical

Index (with Prologue): Krishna Said That: Prologue