Manmohan Singh and Bhagavad Gita

Justifying India's vote on the Iran issue at theInternational Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),ManmohanSingh has sought to draw support from the BhagavadGita.He is supposed to have said "One has to do one'sduty unmindful of the consequences" as reported in TheHindu dated 2nd October.Has the prime ministermisinterpreted the 47th stanza of second chapter ofthe Gita? "Karmanyevaadhikaaraste maa phalesu kadaachana" isprobably the most quoted phrase of Bhagavad Gita.Itmeans:"Your right is to work only;but never to thefruits thereof."This does not mean that one must beblind to consequences of one's actions.This stanzaonly exhorts us not to be disappointed in case theexpected results fail to materialise.The Gita does notnegate the Newtonian logic that every action has anequal and opposite reaction.If one desires to preventa particular reaction,one should avoid the action thatleads to that reaction. The next stanza further elaborates the theme ofnon-attachment to rewards (as against'non-consideration of consequences').It says,"Performactions,abandoning attachment,remaining unconcerned asregards success or failure.This evenness of mind isknown as yoga.'Samatvam yoga ucyate'"(2.48)The Gitadoes not preclude consideration of possibleconsequences before commitment of action. The 50th stanza shows how misconceived Manmohan'sinterpretation is."Yogah karmasu kausalam."Thatis,"Yoga is efficiency in action."We can improveefficiency by increasing output or improving outcomefor the same level of input.Our action is theinput.Consequence or outcome is the output.The Gita'smessage is that through yoga,one can maximise outputor rather the expected output.In case the actualoutput is less than the expected output,we should notfeel disheartened,but should carry onnevertheless.Unless we make an upfront appraisal ofpossible outcomes of our various options regardingaction,we cannot improve ourefficiency.Therefore,Bhagavad Gita certainly enjoinsus to weigh,in advance,the consequences of our actionor 'look before we leap'.There is also the ethicalimperative that in case the consequences of our actionare harmful or unwelcome,we are not supposed toindulge in that action.The Gita does not advocatereckless action unmindful of consequences.Through yogawhich is defined as 'equanimity of mind' and'efficiency in action',we can ensure that ourbehaviour is positive and conducive to growth. Unless we are mindful of the likelyconsequences,our actions are likely to bevitiated.Acting unmindful of the consequences isirresponsible;on the other hand,acting without an eyeon the rewards is yogic.The two are worlds apart.Howcan one be mistaken for the other? Performance of duty oblivious of its consequencesis oxymoronic.Voluntary action that heraldsdeleterious consequences cannot be glorified asduty.Such an action is anarchic and cannot attract anyscriptural approval.It is foolhardy to suppose thatdisregard for consequences will result in righteousaction.One only hopes that Manmohan Singh did not meanwhat he said.The prime minister is expected to explainthe justification for our stand in IAEA instead ofdrawing a red herring through a sophisticmisinterpretation of Lord Krishna's utterances.