Page 11 - All India Magazine Oct-2020

Equality and action
A condition of perfect samata can be established in which
one sees all as equal, friends and enemies included, and is
not disturbed by what men do or by what happens. The
question is whether this is all that is demanded from us. If

so, then the general a itude will be one of a neutral indiffer-

ence to everything. But the Gita, which strongly insists on a
perfect and absolute samata, goes on to say, “Fight, destroy
the adversary, conquer.” If there is no kind of general action
wanted, no loyalty to Truth as against Falsehood except for
one’s personal sadhana, no will for the Truth to conquer,

then the samata of indifference will suffice. But here there is
a work to be done, a Truth to be established against which
immense forces are arranged, invisible forces which use vis-
ible things and persons and actions for their instruments.
If one is among the disciples, the seekers of this Truth, one
has to take sides for the Truth, to stand against the Forces

that a ack it and seek to stifle it. Arjuna wanted not to stand

for either side, to refuse any action of hostility even against
assailants; Sri Krishna, who insisted so much on samata,
strongly rebuked his a itude and insisted equally on his

fighting the adversary. “Have samata,” he said, “and seeing
clearly the Truth, fight.” Therefore to take sides with the

Truth and to refuse to concede anything to the Falsehood

that a acks, to be unflinchingly loyal and against the hos-
tiles and the a ackers, is not inconsistent with equality. It is

personal and egoistic feeling that has to be thrown away;
hatred and vital ill-will have to be rejected. But loyalty and
refusal to compromise with the assailants and the hostiles
or to dally with their ideas and demands and say, “After
all we can compromise with what they ask from us”, or to
accept them as companions and our own people — these

things have a great importance. If the a ack were a physical

All India Magazine, October 2020