█ The Human Disciple 3.5 - Moral Sentimentalism

Chapter Three

The Human Disciple

Note 3.5

Moral Sentimentalism

▀ ▄ ▀ Emotional Outbursts

▀ ▄ 2 Having thus rationalized his action, ,Arjuna then gets overwhelmed by the cry of the emotions. These are they for whose life and happiness are desires, our “own people”. Who would consent to slay these for the sake of all the earth, or even for the kingdom of the three worlds ? What pleasure can there be in life, what happiness, what satisfaction in oneself after such a deed ?

▀ ▄ 3 The Issue of Morality

The whole thing is a dreadful sin, - for now the moral sense awakens to justify the revolt of the sensations and the emotions. It is a sin, there is no right nor justice in mutual slaughter.

This is particularly true in the case of those who are to be slain are the natural objects of reverence and of love and those without whom one would not care to live.

It is no virtue to violate these sacred feelings. It would amount to nothing less than a heinous crime. Arjuna accepts that the offence, the aggression, the first sin, the crimes of greed and selfish passion came from the other side. He understands that the other side is therefore responsible to have brought things to such a pass.

However, in spite of this background, the armed resistance to these wrongs committed would be itself a sin and crime worse than theirs. The other side is blinded by passion and they are unconscious of the guilt.

On the other hand, on this side it would be with a clear sense of guilt that the sin would be committed. And for what purpose ? Just for the sake of maintenance of family morality, of the social law and the law of the nation ? These are the very standards that will be destroyed by this civil war. The family itself will be brought to the point of annihilation. It will engender the corruption of morals and loss of the purity of race.

This monstrous civil strife will only result in

▀ Ruin of the race

▀ The collapse of its high traditions

▀ Ethical degradation, and

▀ Hell for the authors of such a crime

Arjuna then cast down the divine bow and inexhaustible quiver given to him by the gods. He cries that “Under such circumstances it is more for my welfare that the armed sons of Dhritarashtra should slay me unarmed and unresisting. I will not fight”.

At this point, we should particularly note that :

The character of this inner crisis is NOT

▀ The questioning of the thinker

▀ It is not a recoil from the appearances of life and

▀ Turning of the eye inward in search of the truth of things.

The object is NOT the search of

▀ The truth of things

▀ The real meaning of existence and

▀ A solution or an escape from the dark riddle of the world

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The Human Disciple

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