April Gītā: 6.14

dambho darpo ’bhimānaś ca
krodhaḥ pāruṣyam eva ca
ajñānaṁ cābhijātasya
pārtha sampadam āsurīm

‘Pride, arrogance, conceit, anger, harshness and ignorance – these qualities belong to those of demoniac nature, O son of Pṛthā.’
Bhagavad Gītā 6.14

These demonic people, says Krishna, are the enemies of the whole world. They flourish  through harmful and destructive work. They amass great wealth and destroy those they perceive as their enemies. They believe only in their own rules and that no one is their equal.  As if that wasn’t bad enough, Krishna admits to overseeing the constant birth and rebirth of these hateful people. So history is littered with their infamous names and the legacies of their actions. 

What kind of God would do such a thing? If Krishna was the “real deal” surely there’d be a whole lot of smiting going on. 

Imagine giving Krishna a hit list. 

Who’d be at the top of yours? It wouldn’t be an easy decision. 

Watch or listen to any news bulletin on any given day and you’d be spoilt for choice. The way things are right now, you or  someone you know is likely to be watching a conflict helplessly, if not actually caught in the middle of it or taking part. Who is to blame for this ? The absolute rights and wrongs of these conflicts are almost impossible to pin down. Most people involved have little or no choice over which “side” they find themselves on. And as we are only too aware: one persons concept of evil is another’s version of righteousness. 

If all this sounds too hopeless, the Gita also tells us that evil is not born fully formed but created by conditioning and fed by delusion. Our actions in this world create the conditions for the next. Our decisions are just as likely to be misguided as the next person’s. The only demons we can really slay are our own. That’s a gargantuan task. But the Gita keeps reminding us that it’s neither in vain nor impossible.