The Gita in Congress

Nice column here from Steve Prothero discussing Tulsi Gabbard being sworn in to Congress--with the Gita instead of the Bible. Of course, getting sworn in, with hand on ascripture to seal the deal, is a performative gesture, and may or may not signal the swearee's adherence to any or all of the doctrines contained in the text. But it's clear from Prothero's discussion with Gabbard that she takes the teachings in the Gita seriously. As a worldly person of action (a politician), she clearly emphasizes the "karma yoga" strand in the text, which advocates undertaking action, but with a healthy dose of the yogi's distance and equanmity: we are meant to renounce the fruits (consequences) of our actions and give them up as a sacrifice, ultimately to God/Krishna. All our lives we are told to pay attention to the consequences of our actions, so this recommendation seems a little counter-intuitive. If we don't make decisions and undertake actions on the basis of their consequences, then what could possibly provide us with a rationale? The answer: dharma, duty, unchanging principle. Figure out who you are, what your role is (socially, politically, even personally), and act as that principle dictates--and when it comes to the results, damn the torpedoes. How are we supposed to calculate all of the consequences of our actions anyway? Think of the "butterfly effect": there's no way to think through all possible results of our actions to the point that we have a reasonable degree of security--especially in our moral decision-making. So we need a more stable foundation. Looking at this this way, the Gita's teaching perhaps makes more sense. Of course, we might question whether a Congresswoman armed with an unassailable sense of a priori moral principle (though Prothero's article does not tell us whether she believes herself to possess such) and equanimity in the face of success or failure--a Congresswoman who ultimately leaves things "in God's hands"--is someone to be praised or watched out for. The power of the Gita's karmayoga doctrine is as she describes: especially when we face difficulty on conflict on the battlefield that is life, distance, equanimity, and adherence to one's own mission and principle can be powerful weapons indeed. And yet, especially in our current political climate, we must also be cognizant of the danger of dogmatism and inflexibility. I believe the Gita itself has many resources for tempering this danger...but that is a different story. For now, congratulations to Tulsi Gabbard...may she stand firm (stitho'smi, says the reinvigorated Arjuna at the end of this text) in the battles to come.