I understand your valid point. But how do you propose to deal with groups of collectivities which wilfully distort Truth, twist the human mind, and block the future advance of mankind by capturing the mind of the race with regressive ideas! What advice would one have or the stance one would take if one were a witness to the Nazi holocaust or the brutal, merciless plunder of Somnath! Yes, it is good not to take sides as far as the individual’s progress is concerned, but the individual does not hang in a vacuum. His life is connected with the earth life and the life of humanity, unless, of course, he has chosen the path of individual salvation. If there is Truth is not just a silent impersonal witness awaiting its discovery, then yes, let each discover it in one’s own way, even if the way be a complete decimation of all-life and turning this wonderful earth into a big bazaar for sale or a graveyard for the dance of Death. But if Truth is not just a passive solitary witness but seeks to manifest itself dynamically, in and through the life of the individual as well as the collectivity, then taking a stand and choosing one’s side as the Gita insists has its own relevance and spiritual justification.
I don’t see how it contradicts faith in the Truth if Arjuna deliberately chooses Krishna or Rama, the very embodiment of Dharma, who removes the Rakshasa ideology to protect a higher and nobler humanity and help man advance towards a diviner rather than a Titanic type of self-exceeding.
Affectionately,
Alok Da
