कार्पण्य-दोष kārpaṇya-doṣa – Root Cause of all Human Crisis

This small write up is focused on the word कार्पण्य-दोष kārpaṇya-doṣa (Gita2/7) which is the root cause of all human crisis. When Arjuna was shaken up by Sri krishna’s rebuke (Gita 2.2-3), he became aware of his great weakness - the kārpaṇya-doṣa that had affected his whole being. He said:

कार्पण्यदोषोपहतस्वभावः
पृच्छामि त्वां धर्मसम्मूढचेताः।
यच्छ्रेयः स्यान्निश्चितं ब्रूहि तन्मे
शिष्यस्तेऽहं शाधि मां त्वां प्रपन्नम्॥
kārpaṇya-doṣ'opahata-svabhāvaḥ
pṛcchāmi tvāṁ-dharma-saṁmūḍha-cetāḥ,
yac chreyaḥ syān niścitaṁ brūhi tan me
śiṣyas te'haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam.

This kārpaṇya-doṣa can be literally translated as the weakness of a miser – कृपण kṛpaṇa. A miser is he who does not want to give and holds on to his possessions. In a deeper sense the one who is not open-minded or narrow, poor in spirit, is also a miser.

To allow narrowness is to violate the laws of the spirit which is all-giving and vast. This makes the spirit poor and one does not experience the joy of living with this poorness of spirit. To be affected by this doṣa is to fall into the trap of unhappiness and miseries.

In this condition of being affected by the kārpaṇya-doṣa one loses all strength and is not only bewildered in its view of right and wrong but also becomes deplorable and finds no ways to become free from the sorrow that dries up the senses इन्द्रियाणाम्‌ उच्छोषणः शोकः indriyāṇām ucchoṣaṇaḥ śokaḥ (Gita 2.8).

Therefore the message is not to allow miserliness or narrowness within oneself which is the root-cause of all crises. With the poorness of the spirit one fails to realize one’s own inner strength. नायम् आत्मा बलहीनेन लभ्यः nāyamatmā balahīnena labhyaḥ – the Atman can never be realized by the weak (Mundakopanishad 3.4).

When the humanity is affected by this kārpaṇya-doṣa at a mass level one finds exploitation of the nature everywhere. One hears only the language of taking and not giving which is alien to the laws of the nature which is all-giving. This exploitation of the nature is disrespect to the nature and when this happens the nature starts hiding its resources, its abundance, its riches. This, in turn creates imbalance in the nature. The humanity then not only faces scarcity of many things, but loses strength to face and control the calamities or disastrous situations created by the nature. And the only effective and lasting remedy to this is to follow the Nature’s way: to grow by giving. Therefore the Gita’s answer is to be in a state of नमस् namas – utter plasticity and surrender and openness. When one keeps oneself open to the Truth, Light, Divine, Beauty becomes free from the weaknesses and limitations. Self-giving and surrender lead to the vastness of the spirit. Therefore, Arjuna opens himself and surrenders by saying: शिष्यस्तेऽहं शाधि मां त्वां प्रपन्नम् - śiṣyas te'haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam: I take refuge as a disciple with thee; enlighten me (O Bhagavan)! It is then the real teaching of the Gita begins.

When there is miserliness in the place of giving ones get distanced from oneself. This distance is again the cause of all sickness and weakness, and is opposed to well-being. Therefore the one who is settled within oneself (स्वस्थ svastha) is truly healthy. The one who is not settled within oneself (अस्वस्थ asvastha) is not only unhealthy but also has narrowness, is not happy, bereft of any strength, and lives in inner poverty. A rishi therefore aspires to become free from this inner poverty and prays for a life complete and worth living by experiencing the richness of the Self: अदीनाः स्याम शरदः शतम् ‘May we never experience the poorness of the spirit’ (Yajurveda 36.24).

One who is स्वस्थ svastha lives in the vastness of consciousness and is wide, generous and understanding in mind and heart, and he is also called उदारचरित udāracarita or high-minded, high-spirited. He knows: यो वै भूमा तत् सुखम् नाल्पे सुखमस्ति yo vai bhūmā tat sukham nālpe sukhamasti - that which is bhūmā or vast is happiness there is no happiness in all that is alpam - narrow and miserly (Chandogya Upanishad, 7. 23. 1). He is not disturbed or affected by anything or being or happening. And to him belongs the eternal happiness (शाश्वतं सुखम् śāsvataṁ sukham) and the eternal peace (शाश्वती शान्तिः śāśvatī śāntiḥ).