Difference Between Goal & Means

1 year ago By Yogi Anoop

There Should Not Be Any Difference Between The Goal & The Means.

Naturally, to achieve any goal, the use of means is required. Generally, those means are different. During the time of Mahabharata, the Pandavas had to fight the Kauravas to establish truth, violent means were used to establish non-violence and truth.

Should one adopt violent means to bring stability and peace to the mind?  What should one do to end the tension between a husband and a wife? One should show wisdom and become peaceful. Through this peace, the tension will loosen. Just like how adding ghee, which stimulates fire, into fire will increase its intensity, adding tension to tension will cause chaos.

If we look at modern India, we can see the use of means and ends in politics. There have been very few people in history who have combined spirituality and politics in a unique way. If we go back to our Indian history, we can see that whatever was done to achieve a goal, the means were completely different. That is, there was a big difference between the objective and the means. For example, let's talk about Lord Rama. Whatever means were used to bring back his wife Sita, who was abducted by Ravana, were all violent. That is, in order to obtain Mother Sita, the support of war was taken and we know what weapons are used in war such as bows and arrows, maces, etc. It is also true that even after explaining and convincing Ravana, he did not listen, so what other option was left? Ideal Rama did not say to keep Sita and return himself.

Similarly, Lord Krishna also did the same. He also used means that were violent in some way to establish truth, such as bows, arrows, maces, swords, etc.

The main point here is that other means were used to establish truth. Arjuna asked Lord Krishna why all this bloodshed, only because Duryodhana took away our kingdom? In response, Lord Krishna said that this war is for establishing truth. In other words, the war in which so many people were killed was used to establish truth.

Note: This is not about proving something true or false, it is about increasing one's own intellectual level. We should try to see events from every perspective so that we can develop mentally.

In modern times, Mahatma Gandhi became known for his unique approach to politics. He practiced truth in order to attain truth and used nonviolence as his method. He did not rely on the support of weapons, and although some may say this was a weakness, it became the spiritual strength of himself and his country. Gandhi chose this path in what is known as the Kali Yuga, an era said to be characterized by extreme ignorance, and he attempted to use the means that were appropriate for spiritual development for social development as well.

Please note that I am not trying to prove that only Gandhi brought about independence. Rather, I am trying to establish that in life, we should use meaningful means to achieve meaningful goals. Truth can only be attained through truth. That would be permanent. It is not possible to achieve truth through dishonest means. For example, it is impossible to attain a state of thoughtlessness through thinking.

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