GITA AND UNDERSTANDING THE ROOT CAUSE OF OUR PROBLEMS

Hello everyone. I am back after an extended hiatus. I have spoken so far on (a) Gita – Myth v/s Reality and (b) Gita and the Art of Conversations. I will now talk about what is the root cause of our problems.

If we read Chapter 1 of the Gita we find that it was Arjuna’s attachment to his mentors, his seniors and relatives which was impacting him in his duty to fight. In fact the knowledge of the Gita came to be known to us all as a consequence of him failing in his duty.

A lot of people I know, have asked – How is it possible to give up attachment? How can I do a job by not being passionate about it? How can I not be attached to my family and my possessions? These are logical questions Let me explain by a few examples how attachment wrecks duty:

• A doctor of great fame who would have performed 1000s of surgeries will find his hands trembling if he/she has to operate a family member.
• An examiner will find it difficult to evaluate the examination paper of his/ her child
• A person finds it difficult to appraise the performance of a kin/ friend at work

Hence we can conclude that “Attachment” was the root cause of Arjuna’s problems and is also the cause of my problems and for each of our problems.

Organisations are also aware of this phenomenon. Hence “Conflict of Interest” Policy is an essential part of Corporate Governance. It is believed that wherever there is a vested interest, it will result in conflict with duty. This definition of Conflict in my view is restricted. Gita gives much broader strokes to it.

These conflicts are not linked to related parties alone. It is linked to who or what we are attached to. And such attachment is an emotion which could be positive or negative. One’s objectivity in dealing with a situation gets lost when we react depending on whether we like or dislike a person or situation. Our attachment to our jobs for example will mean we will reserve all authority and not groom talent for the future or will put self before the organisation. Attachment in a nutshell is in conflict with objectivity. Lack of objectivity in turn leads to sub optimal performance of duty.

Arjuna, the great warrior faced the same dilemma. His valor and skills at war and the need to be at war got shrouded in the cloud of attachment to his kin.

This matter led me to suspend some of my established beliefs and mull over this profound wisdom contained in the Gita. It cannot be implemented all at once. What we need to do is first be aware where we our judgement is getting muddled due to our attachments. We should not try to deal with difficult attachments to begin with. Go slow and gain small wins and then we will find that we are slowly being able to bring more objectivity in our perspectives. This is an interesting topic and needs lots of introspection. It is a journey from react to respond which needs to be treaded with patience.

I will continue this discussion in my next topic where we will discuss Attachment and the Ladder of Fall and what our conduct should be. Thanks so much! I hope I have been able to arouse some thoughts in you. Do share your perspectives because it is always together that we learn! Thanks!