All Questions!!!

[Jaldhar H. Vyas]

On Mon, 19 May 1997, VP Nandakumar wrote:

> Jaladhar, you've lost me! If Karma and Jnana are not interlinked, what would
> the
> jnani do after attaining enlightment?

Presumably he would live out the rest of his prarabdha karma then die
never to return.

> Wouldn't his wisdom be wasted if he just
> sat around?

Maybe but there's plenty more where that came from.

> Isn't it his duty to spread his wisdom and work towards the
> betterment of the world?

Would that be the same world he has just realized is less than real?

> And goodness, which is an attribute of the Brahman,  not
> naturally lead him towards karma?
>

As said previously, for the sake of lesser beings he may continue to do
work but there is no obligation.  This is in contrast to a householder who
commits a great sin by failing to perform his duties.  Also what is really
good may not be obvious at first sight.  Look at the Bhagavad Gita.
Krishna Bhagavan is ordering Arjuna to wage a war which will result inthe
deaths of hundreds of thousands of people.  That's not what most people
would consider social work!

> And doesn't one's dharmic duties include service to the needy?

No.

> And whose dharmic obligation is it to feed the poor?

It is the obligation of each person to feed themselves.  No one else is
responsible.

> If service and help to the needy isn't Karma
> Yoga, then what is?
>

To perform the duties set forth in the shastras as appropriate to ones,
age, gender, caste, and station in life.

> PS : And how're Socialist do-gooders responsible for India's woes???
>

Political discussions are rather off-topic for this list but I will say
that for all its apparent heartlessness the capitalist free market system
has benefited far more people than socialism ever could.

--
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