Everybody wants an ounce of flesh from this body. This is a feeling shared by many in this world. The worst part is that people do not want an ounce of flesh to eat, to give you satisfaction that at least you flesh was put to some use, rather, they just want that ounce of flesh to either ensure maximum utilization of their tools, or for getting a sadistic pleasure, or just to prove their "superiority". Many people across societies and organizations share this feeling.
Probably one of the biggest reasons for this feeling is that the inner disconnection is growing stronger day by day. The entire humanity is participating in a mad race for materialistic targets. In this mad race, nobody has time to stop for a minute and look inside. Due to that, we are losing awareness of the inner self day by day, and as a result, we are all growing more and more insecure. There is a very strange correlation between material well-being and insecurities. It is a well-documented fact that people in developed countries are more vulnerable to mental disorders, and that's why a significant proportion of their population is undergoing treatment from a psychiatrist. On the other hand, mental disorders are quite rare in the communities where people live hand to mouth. An empty mind is the abode of the devil. Till our stomach is empty, our mind is busy somehow gathering ways and means to survive. However, the moment the stomach is full, it needs a purpose.
Unfortunately, a person who is disconnected from his inner self doesn't have any awareness of love, compassion, freedom, truth, justice, and fairness, which are the qualities of the soul. He is quite afraid and insecure and wants to cling to the outer possessions, by hook or by crook. If money provides him security, he wants to earn money using any fair or unfair means. If power provides him security, he wants to get powerful positions using fair or unfair means. If relationships provide him security, he wants to manipulate relationships. People get to know the ins and outs of a close relative and then use that information to manipulate them. People understand their emotional vulnerabilities and use this information to manipulate the behaviour of their relatives to their advantage. People get hooked to their belief systems and do not shy away from even killing others in the name of faith. People develop their image of being good and can even kill others to maintain that image.
How would such an insecure mind get to appreciate the qualities of the soul? Such self-obsessed people use everybody around them as a tool. The problem is that the more they use people around them and the more insecure they become. The people with that inner connection have the qualities of love and compassion, and due to that, they are often prone to manipulation. Arjuna was also prone to manipulation. That's why, after entering the battlefield, he refused to fight against his cousins. He thought that it would not be good to fight against his own relatives. Then Krishna made him understand the reality through the Gita. The most critical message of the Gita is that the truth should be the center of the decisions and not our relations. If we are connected to our soul and our actions are guided by the qualities of the soul, such as love, compassion, truth, fairness, and freedom, then we will not have any fear. Arjuna was running away from the battlefield because he was making relationships and social validation the center of his life. The moment he made truth and fairness the center of his decision, he immediately understood that it would not be fair for the millions if they continued to be ruled by the Kauravas. With that understanding, he decided to fight the battle.
A clingy mind can't grasp the message of the Gita. Its clinginess clouds reason, rendering it blind like Dhritarashtra, ignoring every warning from intellect, just as Dhritarashtra overlooked the cautions of Vidura. Even if Krishna reveals his Vishwaroop, it will dismiss it as mere Maya. Insecurity combined with arrogance is the worst mix, and adding a bit of cleverness makes it lethal. The insecurities and greed of Dhritarashtra, the arrogance of Duryodhana, the cleverness of Shakuni, and the power of Karna created a deadly combo that destroyed Hastinapur. We allow our inner Dhritarashtra to grow stronger by shutting our eyes to reality, disconnecting from our inner self, and, in turn, becoming insecure and greedy. By fostering arrogance and rejecting the sound guidance available from all the saints and spiritual traditions, we crown the inner Duryodhana as the ruler of our inner Hastinapur. We empower our inner Shakuni by cultivating "stupid cleverness"—stupid because it is self-destructive, yet clever because it achieves immediate goals. We strengthen our inner Karna through developing undesirable ambitions fueled by comparisons with colleagues. Collectively, these traits create chaos in our lives, turning us into life vultures, scavenging for the flesh of fellow human beings. Once we meet inner Krishna, we have no choice but to battle against our inner Kauravas, even if they are our own cousins and relatives.
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