Yaksha asked Yudhistira about the greatest wonder of this world, and he replied that people die every day on this Earth, and yet we remain so sure that we are never going to die. That appeared to be the greatest wonder to him. Another great wonder of this world I often get amazed by is that people like Bhagat Singh could give their lives for the country's freedom, while most people will not mind taking others' freedom for petty benefits if they do not fear the law. People like Socrates will drink poison for expressing their thoughts freely, while some would agree with outright stupidity at the drop of a hat just to get small favours. While some people will work painstakingly for years to put on that space suit to get a glimpse of space, many would spend their entire life in their mental stories full of jealousy and hatred. How come the same human body and mind manifest so differently?
I feel that the strength of character that should have been the greatest virtue of a human being has been relegated to become the biggest burden. Humanity has become very meek. If the children are told from the very beginning that the purpose of their lives is to get an attractive package, enjoy the comforts of life, have fun, procreate, arrange the means to have the same fun and comforts for their children, and die, how will humanity grow? I would have talked to thousands of people. It's really hard to find a few people with a purpose in life beyond these things. Obviously, if, since childhood, someone has been repeatedly told that the purpose of life is limited to these things, how will they gather the courage to stand for freedom? To stand for freedom, one needs to first understand its value. Something profound would have happened to Mahatma Gandhi when he was thrown off the train. So many of us are thrown off the train every day. We decide to travel by second or third class. That's easy. Fighting for freedom is not so easy, but very fulfilling.
If we ask Gandhi ji, going back to the moment when he was thrown off the train and decide again, what would he choose? He would make the same choice again every time he is given a choice. Because he has experienced the fulfilment of living life with freedom, however painful that life may be. On the other hand, if we ask people stuck to their comforts to choose afresh, they would choose the same comforts again because they have never experienced the freedom and fulfilment.
It's one of the greatest puzzles I haven't been able to solve yet. However, with experience, I have realised one thing. Ego thrives on ignorance. We remain "sure" till we decide to be sure. Till then, nobody can make us realise anything. When the ego is pushed into a corner, with no options left, it sometimes surrenders. Arjuna is very sure in the first chapter of the Bhagwat Geeta as to why he should not fight the battle. He has dozens of reasons not to fight the battle. He is not asking Krishna, the God himself, who has himself chosen to be his guide. He is, in fact, telling Krishna why he has decided not to fight the battle. However, Krishna challenges his conviction and logically explains the nature of reality to him. Yet Arjuna is not convinced, and finally Krishna has to show him his Vishwaroop. For that, Krishna has to give "Divya Drishti" to Arjuna, and even after having a glimpse of that Vishwaroop, Arjuna requests Krishna to become normal.
When it was so difficult for Krishna, the God himself, to convince Arjuna to fight for freedom, how will ordinary people like us understand the play of the ego? That's why nature plays its tricks. Sometimes Mother Earth decides to shake a little, and we have disasters in the form of Earthquakes. Sometimes viruses outgrow, and we have disasters like COVID-19. Sometimes the divine decides to corrupt the brain of some powerful person, and we have wars. These incidents show us the Vishwaroop of Krishna. We get frightened. Yet, as soon as the disaster is over, we are back into the grip of our petty greed for pleasure and comforts. The "underlying ignorance" is so strong that disasters of even this magnitude do not shake us. We want to remain stuck to something that gives us mental comfort, even if that is the root cause of our pain. I think that's why "Moksha" is the most prized attainment of human life. Though Moksha does not mean leaving this body, rather it means being free of ignorance while being in this body. That's why whenever we see somebody being guided by freedom, despite ignorance all around, the whole of humanity can't stop appreciating the soul. Even the British rulers couldn't stop praising Bhagat Singh and Mahatma Gandhi.
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