The Existential Chakravyuha
The German philosopher Martin
Heidegger describes individual human existence as ‘Geworfenheit’ or
‘thrownness’ to express the arbitrary and inscrutable nature of being thrown into
this world. The word Geworfenheit
signifies ‘the matter-of-fact character of human finitude’ that begins with human
beings arbitrarily ‘thrown-in’ to the world and ends with similar arbitrariness of being ‘thrown-out’ of
the world and the compulsion thereof to be in continuous engagement with the world. This
projection into, and engagement with, a personal world is a never-ending
process of involvement with the world as mediated through projection of one’s
self.
In one sense each one of us from our
birth is thrown into a Chakravyuha and like the epic young hero Abhimanyu, does
not know to come out of it. Our existential chakravyuha consists of concentric
circles of relatives, friends and acquaintances that keep rotating clockwise
and anti clockwise and makes it difficult to penetrate through the circular
rings to get out. Thus through our entire lifespan we remain incarcerated
within the circles. Chakravyuha thus represents the character of human finitude.
Given the inalterable facts of thrownness and caught in a chakravyuha, our
options are limited to circulating around the multi-layer formation till such
time when we get fully engulfed and fall down. Life is nothing but a spinning
death machine. But it is given to every individual to battle his/her way
through the concentric rings and seek the infinite that is beyond. Though there
are no statistics available as to how many penetrated beyond the chakravyuha
and reached the blissful( so it is told) infinite, the presence of countless
number of people in this world testifies to our singular failure to cross the Rubicon. This following quote from Samuel
Beckett’s Waiting for Godot confirms
the increasing number of people hemmed in by the circular rings.
The tears of the world are a
constant quantity. For each one who begins to weep somewhere
else another stops. The same is true of the laugh. Let us not then speak ill of
our generation, it is not any unhappier than its predecessors. Let us not speak
well of it either. Let us not speak of it at all. It is true the population has
increased.-
So the question arises as to what is
to be done trapped as we are in the existential and eternal chakravyuha. It is
futile and foolish to attempt breaking it and getting out. Even Abhimanyu,
Arjuna’ son and Krishna’s nephew failed. The only difference is Abhimanyu
entered the chakravyuha while we have been thrown into it. Abhimanyu died
fighting valiantly while we await a pathetic and unheroic death.
Given the facticity of thrownness and
being-in-existence, (geworfenheit and
dasein) what are our limited options?
The concentric rings of which ‘I’ or the individual is at the centre comprise
those of family, friends and acquaintances which include the good, the bad and
the indifferent. There are other spherical rings spinning around the common
centre that comprise society, community, nation and the world. Pets, beasts,
animals and other beings have also their own habitats within these spherical
rings that are in constant motion. Willy nilly we individually have to live
with the different sets of inhabitants who revolve round us. The first ring –
that of family is a ‘given’. No one can claim to choose or design the family
into which s/he is thrown. We are born into a family without having a say in the
selection. The second is that of those we choose-persons we know, we like and
we trust. It is a choice we consciously make and not a choice that is imposed
on us. If we select friends under pressure, the ring cannot hold them for long.
They will be relegated to the third and the largest ring of acquaintances.
Similarly those who become intimate and for whom there is mutual regard,
liking, affection, and loyalty move with ease into the first ring as though
they belong to the ‘given’ circle. The second ring is made up of personal
relationships formed at different periods in our lives outside of home and they
have a staying power that is more than that of the family. The personal bonding
among friends, though not genetic , has stronger roots as it results from
shared emotional , intellectual and spiritual experiences. The last circle
represents acquaintances- persons acquired by a relationship less intimate than
friendship. These relationships are social and professional and acquired for a
variety of reasons. The definition of acquaintance as given by Ambrose Bierce in
The Devil's Dictionary is a person whom we know well enough to borrow
from, but not well enough to lend to. It works both ways as the acquaintance
will also be interested in borrowing rather than lending. This exchange, if profitable
makes for good acquaintances, if tricky, it results in enmity and if neutral,
it becomes indifferent. This is the largest circle as we come across a very
large number of persons daily - while in schools and colleges, in office as
professional colleagues, or in our day to day dealings at home and outside of
home. We cannot ignore this circle as it
thrusts itself on us whether we like it or not.
Can we break
free of these rings within rings and step out from the centre? More pertinent is
the question as to why do we want to break free as we are not programmed to
live in isolation. Even a little bird wants to break free from the secure
hideout inside the nest. It waits impatiently to take wings. Every growing adolescent
tries to break free of the family to establish his/her identity, but only to
realize that the second and the third ring close in on him and deny him his
freedom to live on his own. This is the
existential paradox that is succinctly encapsulated in Rousseau’s comment in
his The Social Contract that ‘Man was
born free, and everywhere he is in chains’. Being-in- existence is to be within
the confines of the chakravyuha comprising friends and foes, relatives and kin
groups. As each of these circular formations rotates simultaneously in opposite
directions, it is impossible to escape confinement within them. In other words the concentric circles rotate
in adherence to rules and laws codified by family, society, community, nation
and the world. Often these codes conflict with each other and demand dutiful
obedience to them. The freedom to be an individual with rights to his/her own
living clashes with the duties imposed by the different denizens of the rings,
giving rise to the unresolvable problem of how to subordinate the individual
good to that of the community or society in which s/he has to move. The fact of
being thrown into this world denies one
the freedom to be an individual and forces him/her to be a part of the society
or community , a citizen of a nation and then by extension a citizen of the
world. No one can break free of this chakravyuha. Wisdom lies in accepting
chakravyuha as the ‘given’ and organize one’s life to stay within it by
striking a balance between right to freedom and duty to those with whom one is
engaged.
This is the essential paradox of all
human existence: can we humans
simultaneously live singly and collectively? Is it possible to walk freely without
treading on others toes? Can we bring back integrity in our life so that we
live? Is it wise to bristle against the charavyuha that has been laid for us
from our birth? Can we stay within the chakravyuha and accept life’s spins
round and round? It is possible if we restore self integrity as we gyrate
through the rings . Given below are a few steps that are easy and practicable:
1. Be authentic with yourself-be
aware of your full range of thoughts and feelings and live true to them
2. Find what is it that interests
you and that you can do well, and when you find it, put your whole soul into
it-every bit of energy, ambition and your natural ability.
3. Be authentic with others. Assume
responsibility for every one of your actions that will impact others. Always be
truthful in all your relationship. Develop empathy and compassion and become a
channel for good.
4. Consciously create a circle of
authenticity around yourself both within the family and outside of home. This
is possible by consciously looking at what you can do to make your situation
better and make your relationships in the family and in the workplace more
meaningful.
The following words of Buddha sum up
all the above listed efforts towards achieving integrity in life:
The thought
manifests as the word;
The word manifests as the deed;
The deed
develops into habit;
And habit
hardens into character.
So watch
the thought and its ways with care,
And let it
spring from love
Born out
of concern for all beings.
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