Modern Politics and Mahabharat

After having read a lot of the Bhagavad Gita and seen the whole of Mahabharat, this post will act as my summary, which I shall also try to relate to modern politics, government and society. Sorry its not in a very readable format, but my guess is that only those who really want to know will read it anyway:

• The downfall of a society is marked by four signs: corruption within politics, the mistreating of women, people bringing children into the world who are not looked after with proper attention, and the overwork and underpay (hunger) of a society
1. When corruption comes within politics, the entire country is destroyed and war is the result. Every politician and citizen should put their country before themselves and actively contribute to the welfare of their country. In modern times, most people are selfish and only look after their own needs and never consider their contribution to their country
2. Women are the heart and blood of any society, and their protection and welfare should be the most important focus of any government. Any person who dishonours a woman has dishonoured the entire of womankind and will be destroyed by God
3. A parent's duty is to bring up children with good values and respect for others. Parents which do not have the time to bring up their children have committed a great sin by bringing a child into a world which does not care about them. Also a parent should never give their children their ambitions, but allow the child to find their own path in life, otherwise it results in anger and self-destruction
4. Anger arises within a society which is over-worked and hungry, and where the poor are over taxed and the rich not taxed enough. A society should be well fed, and people should only be taxed according to what they can afford
• Gambling can have a hold over a human being and destroy his intelligence. A lot of banking and stock market trading is like legalised gambling which ultimately leads to the destruction of society. Banking is not a horse which can be tamed by rules, it must be totally reinvented to bring the welfare of society into its core purpose instead of money.
• Truth, devotion, humility and forgiveness are the highest human ideals which should be practised at every stage of life. Truth means never speaking a lie and having integrity at every level of life. Devotion means having a focus of love, whether a project, God or a Guru. Humility means treating one's own parents, elders and teachers with respect. Forgiveness means to forgive yourself and the mistakes and wrongs others have done to you
• Even the most righteous person can fall under temptation of six things which completely destroy a human's intelligence and the ability to think with clarity:
• (1) greed (gambling or running after wealth)
• (2) lust (uncontrolled sexual activity)
• (3, 4) anger and jealousy (towards yourself or others who have insulted you)
• (5) attachment (to assets, friends, family, partners) and
• (6) ego (always thinking about yourself before society, or caring too much about what people think of you)
• Our mind, desires and senses should always be kept under our own control through:
• (1) knowledge (gyan) - by understanding that the aim of life is learning to conquer these desires, that we are inherently abundant even without anything, life is about learning to remain steady through both sorrow and happiness and continue doing one's duty in spite of it so any thought or desire which is wrong or harmful should be discarded just like a conspiring employee is fired
• (2) action (karam) - by practising self-restraint, meditation and selfless service
• Action is better than no action - and all action should be selflessly done without desiring the reward or worrying about the outcome, but rather focussing on doing your duty in the present moment to the best of your ability
• Two atomic bombs should never be used as they could destroy the whole world [Correction 06/03/2012]