Opinion

Karma, Akarma And Us

An exacting, serious exegesis, lucidly written, is lit up by references from modern life

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Karma, Akarma And Us
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Bibek Debroy has translated the Bhagavad Gita and is well aware that most people have not read it thoroughly. Through the book he explains the text, dispelling myths along the way and taking the tone of a mentor—a tone which translates between the pages with the requisite personalisation.

He points out that the Gita is part of the Mahabharata and belongs to the smriti tradition of Sanskrit texts; a smriti text, he explains, is one that is handed down in writing and as a result may vary from generation to generation. Thus, nothing in the Bhagavad Gita is cast in stone.

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Chapter by chapter, Debroy takes the reader on a voyage of exploration that includes Sanskrit grammar and the nua­nces of words and metre, covering the anustubh chhanda that became the seminal form of the shloka, though other variations also followed as poets found themselves requiring some creative liberty. He explains the shlokas that most people know, punctiliously setting them in their context and putting out that meanings can depend on whether the text is divorced from the main body of work or not. The one that recurs is the often quoted ‘renounce the fruits of action’, which is related to non attachment and according to the philosophy of the Gita, akarma can also be karma and vice versa.

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Debroy does not rely solely on his own translation—he quotes from Swami Vivekananda and Sri Aurobindo, making the point that the words chosen can make a difference to the meaning. For example the word used to connote fire in a particular shloka is ‘pavak’, that which purifies, rather than ‘agni’, that which burns. There is a subtler point—the Gita emphasises that the true atman is not possessive and ‘I’ and ‘mine’ are words expressive of ‘ahankara’ or ego and should be avoided in the pursuit of selflessness—Debroy is possibly demonstrating his lack of possessiveness where his translation is concerned.

The relevance of different shlokas is illustrated by allegories from modern life. The shloka on identity is amplified by references to Aadhar Cards and all those proofs that we rely on, whereas in actuality true identity does not depend on externals like relatives or possessions.

The book explores proofs of Krishna’s historicity and reveals that there are many Gitas with differing messages and several generations of Ved Vyasas. It also puts agnosticism and atheism into their contexts with relevant quotations from the philosophers who coined the words—Debroy wanders from source to source to illustrate his message with an emphasis on what might appeal to millennials. Other interesting inclusions where current relevance is concerned are a study of the castes which went beyond the four main ones to cover varnas like hunters and gatherers. Then there is the fact that non-vegetarian food is allowed from the meat of a sacrifice—something currently overlooked in the myth of Vedic food purity.

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The Bhagvad Gita for Millennials is a mythbuster for all those who profess to know what the Gita says, but have merely digested a convenient précis of the text or come to it via media. Should you believe what you see?  Debroy asks at one point. Even the sky is not really blue but a scattering of colours.

The chapters journey through  the various aspects of life, ending with the indestructible atman and the power of the being that ‘shines like a million suns’—here Debroy  brings in Oppenheimer and his atomic app­lication of the quote, underscoring the fact that the Bhagavad Gita has been selectively exploited by many people for many reasons.

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Debroy’s style is easy and he addresses his reader, suggesting that a story be read again for better understanding or bringing up a reference in an earlier chapter and asking if she remembers it. Comprehension takes time because this is one of those books that, like its source, is meant to be chewed over—especially since nothing is but what is not and that is the great maya of it.

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