Chapter 2 verse 34
“People too will recount your everlasting dishonor; and to
one who has been honored, dishonor is more than death”
In our traditions or even other religions, there is always a
call to the higher divine in you or the baser ego. Krishna started the chapter
of prajnapanam (information) with appealing to the higher order in Arjuna by
telling him about his own true Self and how killing others in the battlefield
is not really killing but now he switches the appeal to the baser ego where in
the previous sloka he was taking to fear tactics warning Arjuna about Punya and
Paapa and we saw that this may appeal to fear tactics or even intellectual “I”
if you think doing punya shortens your path to Moksha. In this sloka Krishna is
resorting to shame. If all else fails, human beings could be shamed into doing
things. This is adopted by lots of marketing agencies to get people to buy
their exercise products, donate to “free services” such as libraries, public
museums etc. In this case, Krishna is appealing to the warrior in Arjuna and
says that all the accumulated honor from years of valor in battle or otherwise
will be lost if he chooses not to fight in this battle. For years, I have
wondered how does Gandhi or other famous people whose fame exists in the world
centuries after they have passed away get the benefit or flak for the same. The
law of karma probably is done when that avatar of theirs is over on earth.
Technically they shouldn’t be affected by how their name is used after they are
gone- fame or shame! Other than their deeds affecting their residual vasanas
and pending karmas for the future, I don’t think there is any impact. However
when alive, Shame works wonders to goad people to act in line with societal
norms. If it doesn’t , that perhaps what they used to call “asuras”? Isn’t it?
Point to ponder!
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