86. Drop both Lust and Resolve
E very culture evolved some ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ for peace in society and with the evolution of justice systems, some ‘don’ts’ have come to be recognised as punishable offences. Criminal jurisprudence holds that a crime requires both intent and action. Intent is the thought behind the crime and action is the physical part. Proof of both components is essential to convict any person of a crime. If we take the intent as sankalp (will or purpose or motive or resolve) and execution as kaam (desire), we can understand Krishna’s saying, “He whose pursuits are free from kaam and sankalp ( kaam-sankalp-varjitah ); whose actions are burnt by the fire of knowledge, him the wise call a pandit (sage)” (4.19). Society is satisfied as long as there is no crime, even if one is roaming around with criminal intent. Krishna says that we should drop kaam and subsequently should even drop sankalp indicating that both action as well as intent should be dropped. Suppression of desires ca...