CHAPTER THREE
Decay of Dharma and Rise of Adharma
3:1: Voyage to heaven came with a return ticket!
In the course of time, both Brāhmins and Kshatriyas set aside the true purpose of the Yajna, namely return of debt to the gods, and began to use it for personal gains. Coveting wealth for themselves in the form of rich fees, Brāhmins composed mantras and induced Kshatriyas to sacrifice animals and even humans to gain Karmaphalam. Brāhmins told Kshatriyas that if they wanted quick success here on earth, they must worship Vedic gods by performing Yajna: Lord Krishna explains this Brāhmanic theory: 4:12: Longing for success in action (Karma, Yajna) on earth, they worship gods; for quickly is success born of Yajna in this world of man. When the question arose as to what if one earned more Karmaphalam than one could use in this life time, the clever Brāhmins had a ready answer: Don’t worry, you will go to heaven and enjoy the company of gods hereafter. Lord Krishna explains again: 9:20: The knowers of the three Vedas, the drinkers of Soma (purified from sin, worshipping Me by sacrifices) pray for the way to heaven. They reach the holy world of the Lord of Devas and enjoy in heaven the celestial pleasures of Devas. That assurance calmed the nerves of Kshatriyas immediately. So, Brāhmins and Kshatriyas drank the inebriating Soma and performed ostentatious sacrificial rites against the oridinances of Shastras to gain wealth and power here on earth and heaven hereafter (16:12-24). (The above shloka’s true intent was completely destroyed thoughtlessly by some later authors who added the two phrases I have struck across in the parenthesis. If a Yajna earned Karmaphalam, that Karma does not purify the performer. Only Yajnas which earn no Karmaphalam purify the performers. Worshipping Lord Krishna by sacrifice does not earn one entrance to heaven. Worshiping Lord Krishna by sacrifice leads to Mōksha. The authors were more interested in converting this shloka into a Bhāgavatha and Brāhmanic shloka than to preserve its true spirit and integrity). Little did the ritualists realize that the voyage to heaven always came with a return ticket. Earning Karmaphalam this way merely condemned them to be born again on this miserable earth. Again, Lord Krishna exposes the problem with this Brāhmanic thinking: 9:21: Having enjoyed the vast world of heaven, they return to the world of mortals on exhaustion of their merits. Thus abiding by the injunctions of the three Vedas, craving objects of desires they come and go.
3.2: Nexus of Brahmins and Kshatriyas develops
To legitimize their rule, consecrate their success, and promote their power, prosperity, health, and longevity here on earth and heaven hereafter, the kings, prompted by Brāhmins, performed various highly elaborate and pompous Yajnas by Adhikāra (entitlement 2:47): Rājasooya, Vājapeya, Ashvamedha, Jyotisthoma, etc. Their Adhikāra was granted to them by various Vedic scriptures such as the Brāhmanas composed by the ritual-obsessed Brāhmins. Not anyone could perform any Yajna he liked. Priests trained in the art of Yajnas performed these increasingly complex and exacting rituals and were richly rewarded for their services. Very often petty jealousies between kings manifested themselves in the form of ever more grandiose sacrificial rites. Inevitably, such ostentatious Yajna created unnecessary jealous rage -Krōdha- among the intensely competitive kings (16:18). [3] Out of this Krōdha arose even more pompous Yajnas. Condemning these Dwandwa-ridden doers of evil deeds (4:8) an outraged Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita: 16:12-20: Bound by hundreds of ties of hope, given over to lust and jealous rage, they strive to secure by unjust means hoards of wealth for sensual enjoyment. “This today has been gained by me; this desire I shall fulfill; this is mine, and this wealth also shall be mine in the future. That enemy has been slain by me, and others also shall I slay. I am the lord, I enjoy, I am successful, powerful and happy. I am rich and well-born. Who else is equal to me? I will sacrifice, I will give alms, I will rejoice.” Thus deluded by ignorance, bewildered by many a fancy, enmeshed in the snare of delusion, addicted to the gratification of lust, they fall into foul hell. Self-conceited, stubborn, filled with the pride and intoxication of wealth, they perform sacrifice in the name of ostentation, disregarding ordinance. Given over to egoism, power, insolence, lust and wrath, these malicious people hate Me in their own bodies and those of others. These cruel haters, worst among men in the world, I hurl these evil-doers forever into the wombs of the demons only. Entering into demonica wombs, the deluded ones, in birth after births, without ever reaching Me, they fall, O Kaunteya, into a condition still lower. Since they needed each other in this whole sacrificial farce there developed a quid pro quo -I scratch your back and you scratch mine- relationship between Kshatriyas and Brāhmins. The roots of corrupt nexus between politicians (pudhāris) and bureaucrats (bābus) in independent India can be traced directly to the ancient Kshatriya-Brāhmin unholy nexus. As a result, today the Government of India enjoys the unenviable title of one of the most corrupt bureaucracies in the world.
3.3: Kāmya Karma
In the course of time the upper classes became so obsessed with gaining Karmaphalam for themselves that they completely forgot their original purpose, namely to repay the debt to the gods for their benevolence (3:12). This was equivalent to modern day politicians and bureaucrats abusing their authority to enrich themselseve, forgetting the fact that they are servants of taxpayers. In private sectors, we can see such behavior in the unscrupulous CEOs of businesses. Yajnas based on various Vedic scriptures such as Brāhmanas, became the means by which they attempted to obtain desires of their hearts here on earth and heaven hereafter (2:43). Brāhmins, their hearts full of Kāma (hankering) for hefty fees, performed various grandiose Vedic sacrifices against the ordinances of scriptures for the benefit of vain Kshatriya nobles, whose Sankalpa (intention/goal of the Yajna, 6:1-4) was to invoke Vedic gods to reward them with pleasure and lordship here on earth and heaven hereafter. Yajnas meant to liberate one from the burden of debt to the Vedic gods became merry, drunken barbecue parties. These desire-driven Yajnas based on Vedic teachings came to be known as Kāmya Karma (18:2) [4]. The net result of all this was that epithets such as Kāma, Krōdha, Sangas, Mōha and Sankalpa came to be associated with Brāhmanic Dharma in general and performers of Kāmya Karma in particular. Lord Krishna tirelessly condemns these epithets throughout the text of the Bhagavad Gita. When Lord Krishna said, “decay of Dharma” in 4:7, He was referring to the corruption of Brāhmanism due to its obsession with Kāmya Karma. When Lord Krishna said “the doers of the evil deeds” in 4:8, He was referring to the Kāma-ridden Brāhmins and Sankalpa-ridden Kshatriyas who were performing Kāmya Karma. When Lord Krishna said, “rise of Adharma” He was also referring to the Adharma of decadent Brāhmanism in addition to the rise of heterodox Dharmas such Lokāyata.Kāmya Karma became the outstanding symbol of corruption and degradation of Brāhmanism. Lord Krishna mercilessly scolds the greedy Brāhmins who performed sacrifices against the ordinance of scriptures: 16:21-24: Triple is the gate of hell, destructive of the self -lust, anger and greed; therefore should one abandon these three. The man who is liberated from these three gates to darkness, O Kaunteya, practices (selfless Yajna) what is good for him and thus goes to the Supreme Good. He who acts (performs sacrifices) on the impulse of desire by casting aside the ordinances of scriptures (which say that Yajna must be performed selflessly) does not attain perfection. Nor does he attain happiness (here on earth), or the Supreme Goal (Nirvāna hereafter). Therefore, let the scriptures be your authority in deciding what ought to be done (selfless Yajna) and ought not to be done (Kāmya Karma). Having known what is said in the ordinances of scriptures you should act here.
3.4: Further degradation of Yajnas
There came a time when the greedy priests gave so much importance to the performance of the increasingly complicated Yajnas in violation of their original intent that they claimed that without their performance the universe itself would be destabilized! The performance of sacrificial rites became more important than even the gods for whom they were supposed to be dedicated! For every affliction of society, there was only one cure: performance of sacrifices (2:42); more sacrifices, and more elaborate, expensive, vulgar and pompous sacrifices (2:43; 16:15). To top it all, gruesome animal sacrifices became rampant and important part of Vedic sacrificial rites. Thousands of innocent horses, cows, buffaloes, bulls, goats, and birds were slaughtered mercilessly every year all over the country. In the words of the Buddha, “They composed mantras then and there, approached Okkaka (king) and said, ‘Your riches are abundant. Sacrifice, you have much wealth. Sacrifice, you have much money!’ Prompted by the Brāhmins, that king, a bull among warriors, sacrificed up horses, humans, and animals and offered Vājapeya in unbridled fashion; and he gave riches to the Brāhmins: cows, beds, clothes, finely decked women, etc. “ As described in Suttanipāta, “cows sweet as lamb, filling pails with milk, never hurting anyone with foot or horn -the king had them seized by the horns and slaughtered by the sword.” This is how “Kshatriyas and self-styled Brāhmins and others protected by rank destroyed the repute of their caste and fell prey to desires.” Gradually the sacred Vedic Dharma degenerated into despicable irreligion (Adharma 4:7).
3.5: Lord Krishna’s rage
In the Bhagavad Gita an outraged Lord Krishna mercilessly chastises these corrupt Vedic ritualists: 3:12-13: A thief verily is he who enjoys what is given by them (Vedic gods) without returning them anything. The good who eat the remains of Yajna are freed from all sins (Karmaphalam); but the sinful who cook food only for themselves, they verily eat sin (earn bad Karmaphalam). In other words, those who indulged in Kāmya Karma were earning (sin) bad Karmaphalam, since they were literally stealing Karmaphalam of the Yajnas from the Devas. Even if they thought they earned good Karmaphalam, they would merely perpetuate the cycle of birth, death and rebirth after their Karmaphalam was exhausted (9:20-21). Elsewhere in the Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna mercilessly scolds the Vedic ritualists as vain (3:16), unwise (3:25), egoistic (3:27), dullards (3:29), ignorant (4:40), evil doers, deluded, lowest of men (7:15), misguided (7:20), idiots (7:23), stupid (7:24), fools (9:11), men who fall or perish (9:24), demoniacal (9:12), hypocritical, proud and arrogant (16:10), self-conceited, stubborn and ostentatious (16:17), insolent and egoistic (16:18); worst among men (16:19), so on and so forth.
3.6: Varnāshrama Dharma degenerates
There was another issue which symbolized corruption of Brāhmanism. Because Kshatriya needed Brāhmins to perform elaborate Yajnas and Brāhmins needed Kshatriyas to pay them rich fees in gold and cows, they developed an unholy alliance. The nexus of these two upper classes developed pathological vested interest in perpetuating the class system. They even demanded to be worshipped by the lower classes (2:4; 17:14). The upper classes became progressively alienated from the rest of the society. The lower classes suffered untold injustice in the hands of the upper classes. To no small extent this elitism led to the revolt and establishment of egalitarian Dharmas such as Buddhism and Jainism. Buddhism insisted that one must be judged by his conduct and character, not his birth class. In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna tirelessly advocates equality of all beings (5:18-19) and recommends that one strive for the “welfare of all beings” (5:25; 6:29, 31), not just the upper classes.
3.7: The stage is set for revolt against Brāhmanism
As the Brāhmanic Dharma decayed the prestige of the sacred Vedas and the moral authority of Brāhmins steadily declined. There arose much disaffection and antipathy for Brāhmanism in the society. Loss of nobility and purity in the practice of the Ancient Dharma (11:18) led to much turmoil in the post-Vedic society resulting in disastrous consequences. As the upper classes suffered Dwandwam of mind in pursuit of Karmaphalam by means of Kāmya Karma, millions of Shōkam-ridden people began to abandon Brāhmanism and join heterodox Dharmas that had arisen in revolt.
______________________________________________
[3] The beginning of the Mahābhārata war could be traced to the Rājasooya Yajna performed by Yudhistira, the eldest Pāndava prince, to consecrate his ascendance to the throne of Indraprastha.
[4] In the Mahābhārata, Drupada, the king of Pānchāla performs Kāmya Karma to obtain a son who would destroy his arch enemy Drona.