Bangalore, India
(Below is a continuation of the post The Untrue Reality)
The next verse is,‘Na mam duskrtino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah. Mayayapahrta-jnana asuram bhavam asritah’.
When you behave with others in a way you would not like others to behave with you, then you will be called a wicked person. Aversions in the mind lead to feeling of wickedness.
Here, Lord Krishna speaks about those who are wicked and do wrong deeds.
Who is a wicked person? One who treats others in a way in which he himself would not like to be treated is a wicked person.
When you behave with others in a way you would not like others to behave with you, then you will be called a wicked person. Aversions in the mind lead to feeling of wickedness. They cause wickedness to become part of a person’s behaviour and this leads to wrong deeds.
Lord Krishna says, ‘Those who are foolish and ignorant, and who do wrong and wicked deeds never surrender to Me. Such a person’s actions are of the lowest kind among men, and such a person can never know Me and My true nature, nor take refuge in Me. Such a person will never think of Me and nor will he ever believe in Me. Those who hold on to demonic qualities; those who are deluded by Maya and have lost their wisdom and control over their senses will never focus on Me’.
A person who engages in wrong deeds is never able to reach his inner self. He constantly remains focussed outward on the external world. Why is this so? It is because once a person turns inwards, to the Self, he finds so much peace and happiness from within. And a happy person can never do something wrong. This is a true and simple fact. Even the most wicked person of all will do not do any wrong deeds once he happy and peaceful. There are no wicked people, there are only those who engage in wrong deeds. And such people commit wrong deeds because they are not connected with themselves (they are not centered). They are not connected to their own Self, nor to any Guru, nor do they have any faith in God. It is such people who do wrong deeds.
I have heard that the movies made in India in the past 10-15 years portray a devotee as the wrongdoer or a criminal, while the villain is shown dressed as a holy person, with a tilak (sacred mark on the forehead made using vermillion, ash or sandal paste).
A tilak on someone’s forehead usually means that he is a devotee, but here in movies he is shown as a villain doing wicked deeds. So those who falsely portray a villain as a devotee of God are even bigger villains!
They try to show the villain as a great devotee of God, whereas he is engaged in all wrong activities.
Someone who is devoted to the Divine, will surely find happiness within himself, and such a happy person can never commit any wrong act. Such a person would neither remain ignorant nor will he perform wicked deeds. Those who actually do wicked deeds are not intelligent at all. Can they be called intelligent?
Lord Krishna says, ‘It is impossible. He cannot be intelligent, he is ignorant.’
He is unable to see that he will suffer the consequences of his wrongdoings, much more than the harm he does to others. He is simply unaware of this truth, which is why he does such wrong deeds.
Someone who is devoted to the Divine, will surely find happiness within himself, and such a happy person can never commit any wrong act. Such a person would neither remain ignorant nor will he perform wicked deeds.
Generally, when a person does something wrong, something will prick him from inside. But such a person cannot even feel the prick from within for his wrong action because he is so ignorant and foolish. It is like a sharp thorn is stuck in his mouth, yet he continues to chew the thorn. Instead of spitting out the thorn, he keeps on chewing it (thereby hurting himself more and more). This is ignorance.
So Lord Krishna says, ‘The lowest kind among mortals are those who are ignorant. Those whose minds are deluded by Maya, who have lost their awareness, and who are driven by negative feelings and qualities. Such people can never reach Me’.
So here, Lord Krishna has said two things: One is that you can overcome Maya only through His Grace. And secondly, He speaks about those kinds of people who do not surrender to Him and take His refuge. He says, ‘I am showering grace upon everyone, still some people do not take refuge in Me. It is because they are ignorant and foolish. Why else would someone refuse to come to Me?’ This is why I often say, that only an intelligent person is capable of walking the spiritual path. The one who is ignorant thinks he is the king and stays away from all this, but in reality he is actually a beggar. No matter what he may do, he remains a beggar though he thinks of himself as a king.
What would you call a person who cannot understand a few words and thinks of himself as a professor? You will call him ignorant.
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(Note: The discourse was given in Hindi. Above is a translation of the orginal talk.)
