Page 3 Vs Chapter 3

(Consumerism versus Nishkaam Karmayog)

Vishwa Mohan Tiwari, Air Vice Marshal (retd)

In Nov. 1970, Rupert Murdoch’s tabloid The Sun created uproar. The editor of
Sun had been told by Murdoch that either he increases the circulation of The Sun or
else. In desperation Larry Lamb, the editor, took a controversial and risky step of
publishing a ‘topless’ photo of a sexy young lass. He cleverly chose full page 3 for
his design. Page 1 and rear page would have been highly risky; page 3 was just
right, not too obvious nor too hidden. Those days publishing of nudes was highly
risqué although bikini clad sexy girls were being published freely. The risk, though
created uproar, paid handsomely, the circulation of ‘The Sun’ increased.
Since then colourful page three has become indispensable for media, both
electronic and print; indeed it has become so rampant that every page is used as
page 3 ! A beauty pageant, anywhere in the world is a must for the media. Under this
concept, ample colourful photos of models, actors, sports persons and entertainers
etc are given prominent place but not appropriate place to a lecture by a scientist
even on the burning issue of global warming. These are called celebrities who
nonetheless are fake creations of media for their own devices. All these super
ambitious super celebrities would do anything to remain on the Page 3. Media,
celebrities, Ad agencies, technology and industrialists act in unison to create market
for commodities produced by the industry. Most of the time, the commodities are
redundant if not superfluous. The proverb ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ has
been turned on its head to ensure that ‘invention becomes the mother of necessity’.
Industry invents and the consumers consume those as necessary. Of course a sense
of freedom is given to consumers by providing them with choices; the choices given
are few which eclipse the earlier choices that were abundant. The profit, which is the
sole motive, goes to the machinators or plotters comprising ad agencies, media and
industrialists, and also to celebrities. And the profit goes from the pockets of
ignorant consumers who are made to think that this is essential to become modern
and happy. This entire machination is projected mainly with the help of ‘topless
models’ who are topless in both the senses. But what is surprising is that they make
the consumer behave as if he is topless!
Had the situation remained so, it wouldn’t have been too bad. In the race for
becoming the top consumer, the consumer becomes topless and totally self-centered.
As nobody else can consume for him, he has to consume the commodities himself to
be ‘happy’. His aim of life becomes to be a top consumer and therefore totally self
centric. Money and commodities become the symbols of success, achievements,
status, self respect, modernity and happiness. His relationship with the world
becomes that of a consumer and the supplier. Even the marital relationship becomes
‘business like’, in that, both look at each other as a source of fulfillment of desires.
The moment one does not fulfill the other’s desire trouble erupts like a dormant
volcano. Where is the love that sacrifices and understands ? Where would the love
for elders, even infants be in the consumers’ world? Infants can be left to TV or
baby sitters, while the couple remains busy with earning and ‘pleasure seeking’. A
person is exposed to the media’s colourful machinations from childhood and is
therefore becomes a confirmed consumerist before he can realize it. If consumerism
is the aim of life then the consumerist youth in their hunt for pleasures may use any
method including violence. A spurt in criminal activities involving alcohol, sex and
money confirms this impact of this mindless consumerism.
Apart from using page 3 culture, media uses ‘cheap’ entertainment
programmes to confine the mind of the viewer to trivialities to reduce him to a
zombie. In India where healthy food is available, why should one enjoy junk foods
like hamburgers, or drinks e.g. Colas when they have been proven to be harmful.
What more can demonstrate our intellectual bankruptcy then the fact that we do not
have faith in scientists but in celebrities! We are day dreaming to become a
‘krorepati’ whilst making celebrities, ad agencies, media and industrialists
multikrorepaties.
Even the politicians have joined the band wagon of the celebrities et al. After
all, the progress that India has made in last few years is mainly due to consumerism.
Cars, colour TVs, sexy entertainments, telecommunications, refrigerators, washing
machines, shoes, clothes, 5 star hotels etc are the symbols of progress – economic
and industrial and therefore of happiness. If aim of life is consumerism then any
wise person would eulogize the agents of consumerism.
Whilst this is certainly true that consuming (actually nourishing) is essential
for life, but the question is ‘how much’? We must understand the difference between
consumerism i.e. ‘bhogwaad’ and consuming which is nourishing i.e. ‘bhog’. If
one’s aim of life is bhog then it is bhogwaad. If one has bhog as a necessity for
living, then it is not bhogwaad but bhog. Surprisingly, for consumerists luxuries are
necessities. The correct meaning of the two words depends upon the worldview of
an individual. For a consumerist or a bhogwaady luxury is essential. A consumerist’s
worldview is well expressed by what an American thinker Ken Schoolend in his
book ‘A Guiding Principle of Life’ states, “ Your property is your life’s total earning,
result of the hard work in cultivation of the field of life. It is the gift of your
invaluable time, the product of your energy, toil and intellect.” What is clear is that
his aim in life is to earn property ! The progress and happiness of a consumerist’s
society is measured by what and how much it consumes. Is it not an animalistic, nay
demonic world view? Whole world is asking for more and better to consume, at
least 10 % more every year. Every person is busy like a blinded bull pushing an oil
mill.
Did consumerism begin with Page 3? No, consumerism was born when the
concept of heaven was born! Not surprisingly, religions and poverty kept a control
on the urge for consumerism in this world, and it was left for heaven after death.
After the Second World War, the giant of consumerism woke up. All the big
machines and their technology, suddenly shocked with a void of demands at the end
of the war, were ready to produce like a cornucopia. People were also demanding
better life after the poverty stricken unending days during the war. After the War the
victors had control on all the resources, trades and markets etc. With the mass
production technology, the giant machines were producing more than the necessities
which of course had to be sold. People had to be brainwashed into buying the
unlimited products. Here the ad agencies and the media played the role of pimps and
soon capitalism came into form and consumerism became the world view. That is
why youth, certainly in India, works like a blinded bull, 12 hours a day to earn to
become a multi millionaire, but ends up making the consumerists machinery
comprising ad agencies, media, topless models, sport persons, entertainers and the
industrialists multimillionaires. Everybody is too busy running the blindfolded race
to have either time or vision to see through the demonism of consumerism. The
youth in this treadmill becomes sick and effete before reaching the old age and
unfortunately his sons are ready to takeover his yoke.
It is not that in the West nobody has opposed this demonic consumerism. Karl
Marx opposed it. He rightly said that in capitalistic mode, a ‘thing’ or a commodity
becomes an object of worship. But he favoured his model of consumerism which is no
less demonic. Famous thinker Thornstein Weblen described this phenomenon as
‘Conspicuous Consumption’, and said that media has glorified it as a status symbol.
Famous philosopher H. D. Thoreau, who was influenced by Indian philosophy, said
that instead of consumerism, simple living should be the world view. Economist Scot
Nearing, anthropologist and poet Gary Snider, Gandhi’s follower Richard Greg etc
opposed consumerism in order to wrest the control of life from commercial
establishments. Later on ‘Conservationists’ joined the movement and gave it strength.
Demand for ignoring the ads was made but has not been able to defeat the strong army
of ‘topless’ girls. The reason for lack of success of this anti – consumerist movement
in the West is lack of a convincing alternate world view.
 It should be obvious that there is sufficient on this earth for the needs of the
people of the world, but not sufficient for the greed of even one individual. But
consumerism, the supreme greed, is growing like the mouth of Surasaa, the demon
described in the epic Raamaayan. Obviously the answer is what Hanuman did by
becoming smaller, not larger, than the body of Surasaa.
The West had already created a division in the society by accepting
individualism as an important value of life, which weakened the social and family ties.
Now with consumerism, not only the joint family system has died, even the nuclear
family system is under stress. Now consumerism is glue by which the family remains
united. But we ought to know that consumerism can not unite humans, because it
creates a deadly competition among the members for enjoying commodities which are
invariably insufficient. Competition breeds rivalry and not love among the members.
In a consumerist culture, where love beween couples has been restricted to mean sex,
the difference between an animal and a human being is hardly significant. In humans
and animals food, sleep, fear and sex are common. In a consumerist society, sacrifice,
humane love, ethics, compassion, truth etc. are relegated to lower priorities, if they are
allowed at all. No wonder, consumerism ultimately turns a man into a beast. Noida,
where I live, has witnessed such demonic acts that humanity is put to shame. And
Noida is not an exception, but a rule in Indian cosmopolitan cities. Is humanity safe in
India? Famous thinkers like Andre Malraux, Alfred Toynbee etc, after experiencing
the decay in the West, had been looking at India for saving humanity. Now who will
save humanity? Shrimadbhagawad Geetaa, especially its chapter 3, has the answers, if
someone would care to follow them.
In the first two chapters, Lord a is trying to convince Arjun to fight the war
which has been imposed by his blindly selfish cousin Duryodhan. For three reasons
Arjun does not wish to fight the war: respect for his grand uncle and Guru
Dronaachaarya together with compassion for people; killing is a sin, and to save the
society from the decadence resulting after the death of huge number of soldiers (1.40).
On basis of Saankhya philosophy, a tells him that the soul is immortal, hence a war
need not be feared, indeed he must fight it and either win it and enjoy the kingdom, or
accept death and enjoy the heaven. He does not accept this advice as it does not satisfy
his three reasons for not fighting the war. Realizing that Arjun is not able to
understand the purport of immortality, a then tells him that he should follow ‘Buddhi
yog’ which is to establish himself in the Self, and to perform an action without getting
attached to it, and accepting the outcome with equanimity. He further tells him that
Buddhi yog is far superior to ‘Karm’. This confuses Arjun as it appears to him that
sometimes a recommends action and sometimes thinking. The chapter 3 begins with
such a question. Therefore a now explains ‘Nishkaam Karmayog’ to him. With this the
three doubts of Arjun would be calmed. Nishkaam Karm simply means performance
of action not motivated by desires, which is an extremely difficult concept to
understand. a explains it in the chapter 3.
Not performing an action is not Nishkaam Karm, nor its renunciation. One
cannot live for a moment without performing an action. The actions that have to be
performed, must be performed for this body cannot survive without actions. If
someone does not perform an action by controlling his organs of action yet
contemplating the same in his mind, then he lives in a false world. Actions are
performed under the force of nature. Let us analyze. Do we eat and drink out of our
desire? Or is it hunger and thirst that force us to eat and drink. The only choice we
have is to choose what to eat and drink. But if thought wisely, we ought to eat and
drink that which is within our means and is most beneficial to the body, and not what
the celebrities coax us. Most of the bodily actions are urged by the body. Earning our
lively hood is basically motivated by our body and our family’s needs, unless we have
been brainwashed by the consumerist culture. In the consumerist culture our desires
start controlling our actions, and not the needs of the body or the family or the nation.
It should be clear that all our actions are performed under the force of ‘nature’, and we
ignoramus and egoists think that it is we who are controlling our actions. Actually we
are under a delusion of our ego, our so called identity which clouds our thinking and
make us believe that we are the ‘doers’. We do not even know ‘who we are?’ If we
were to ask our body, “Are you the doer of the actions?” The body would reply, “I am
performing actions as per the strict rules of the nature, I am merely an instrument of
nature.”
a says, that wise persons, knowing that it is the forces or ‘gunas’ of nature that
are interacting with each other, do not get attached to or overwhelmed by actions
performed by their body. It may appear to be opposite of what is taught by
management gurus viz. ‘Get involved if you want success’. Getting involved means
the task is yours, it is your responsibility, you will get rewarded if you succeed, and
get punished if you fail, and so on. The performer is worked up; he has a fever so to
say, of the action. a tell Arjun to fight the war without its fever, without hope and
without involving ego’. a’s view is closer to the reality. Once freed from the tensions
of success and failure, the mind functions at its best, and continues to do so as the
tensions do not get accumulated like in the opposite view, Involve means get attached,
and a is advocating non- attachment. It also means a step closer in the spiritual
evolution, because going above the mind towards the Atman is the goal of spirituality.
Arjun asks Krishn, “Why does a man commits sin even against his will?”
Krishn tells him that it is because a man is under the control of his desires and the
force of anger attached to it, these two are sins like unquenchable fires and therefore
his enemies. The meaning of sins here are actions that take one away from the
spiritually evolutionary path. The desires and the attached anger cloud up the state of
‘Jnyaan’, which prevents realization of Self. Jnyaan tells makes us realizes who we
are, or what is the Reality. Ajnyaana tells that we are this body, mind and intellect, and
thus covers the Jnyaan. If one looks within oneself, one would find desires, anger,
greed, delusion, ego, jealousy etc crowding the horizon of the mind. And the desires
are endless, therefore whoever thinks that by fulfilling his desires he would get
happiness is under delusion. The entire cosmos is ever changing, and therefore so are
the desires. A consumerist is one who wants to fulfill his desires in search of
happiness, and therefore ends up chasing a mirage. A consumerist is a willing slave of
his desires, and a slave can never be happy.
Krishn tells Arjun, “You control your organs of sense and actions and annihilate
these desires which are inimical to both jnyaan and science. One might say control of
desires by intellect is understandable, but their destruction is totally incomprehensible
and impractical. No action is performed without its motivating desires. No desire
therefore would mean no action, and therefore no life. We ought to understand that
actions are indeed performed by the forces of nature in our body. We under false
knowledge introduce desires in between. Desires are also entered by the mind when
not under control of a developed intellect. Desires that do not meet the real needs of
the individual are the culprits and need to be controlled and eradicated through
wisdom.
Actions that are needed for living must be performed, desire or no desire. So
why desire, which only builds ego. And thus these actions can be performed with full
vigour, capability and equanimity. Such actions do not bind a man. Actions that are
not needed, but merely arise out of desires generated by the consumerist conglomerate
are to be negated; and such desires are to be extirpated. Thus one becomes desireless
and yet performs to ones best ability. This is ‘Nishkaam Karm Yog’. Performance of
such karmas is Yog because it ultimately leads to union with Brahman, leads to Bliss
and to eternal happiness. Contrary to miseries of chasing mirages, one realizes that
one is Brahman, SatChitAanand, ie. Existence, Consciousness and Bliss.
Lest one might interject that this sate of Bliss is utterly selfish, it must be
clarified that on the contrary this state leads to the most altruistic state. It is so
because after that realization, one feels unity not only with Brahman, but also with
every being on the earth if not in the universe. Such a person loves his neighbour not
because some great soul has commanded him to, but because he realizes that he
himself is the neighbour. He actually lives all the principles of ethics such as
compassion, sacrifice, truth, brotherhood, equality etc. because they are so natural to
him. He not only becomes ‘Free’ from fear, but also from all the passions, yet he
remains full of love for all the beings.
End of desires, actually freedom from desires is not the end of ‘bhog’ that is
nourishing of the body, but the end of ‘Bhogwaad’ i.e. Consumerism. It should be
clear that ‘Consumerism actually consumes the consumer and others’. Thus chapter 3
of Geetaa redeems one from consumerism and liberates him from the miseries thereof.
Further, it makes a humane world possible which can make progress with all the
science and technology, without making one a slave of technology. Technology is a
good slave but a very cruel master. The world needs this world view of ‘Nishkaam
Karmyog’ if it is to be saved from the decadent life caused by chasing mirages of
happiness but resulting in miseries.
India is the place where such a world view was born and nurtured, but
unfortunately India is also going the way of consumerism. It is the result of ignorance
about our great heritage, which is the outcome of slavery of a thousand years. The
situation has been further aggravated after independence because of willing
acceptance of dominance of English language over Indian languages. Out culture and
heritage can be transmitted to us in our languages and not though a foreign language.
Education in India through English medium would bring consumerism lock stock and
barrel, because that is the culture of the West. English should be learnt but not at the
cost of Indian languages. However till it can be done, let us follow Nishkaam
Karmyog and save ourselves, and the world, from consumerism to the extent we can.
It may be mentioned that Larry lamb, the erstwhile successful editor of The
Sun, before his death regretted the introduction of Page 3 culture, of course it was too
late; or is it?