Sartre in Kurukshetra

Abstract

Jean Paul Sartre has been scholarly divided into two-parts-early and later Sartre, but due to the limited scope of this paper I will try to not delve into these intricacies and try to use my general understanding of Sartre.Jean Paul Sartre starts his belief in Free Will as a necessary state of Humans, as he says in the text Nausea, that "Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does."(he makes a deliberate use of deterministic vocabulary to suggest there is no foreknowledge and nothing can escape freedom), this is the fundamental block of Sartre's inalienable position (which is in first-person singular-My Freedom).Sartre suggests that all such choices are equally valid or invalid and one must bear the consequences of their choices responsibly.Further Sartre believes that human existence is full of anguish, "The anguish comes from understanding that we can't make any excuses but are responsible for everything we do.But the anguish is worse because, according to Sartre, whatever I do with my life is a kind of template for what anyone else should do with their life.If I decide to marry, I'm suggesting that everyone should marry; if I decide to be lazy, that's what everyone should do in my vision of human existence.Through the choices I make in my life I paint a picture of what I think a human being ought to be like." 1 Sartre's position also includes the idea that one ought to act as if one is always under constant notice of the others, and to be watchful of each move.Sartre claims that "In fashioning myself, I fashion Man", suggesting that the individual's action will affect and shape mankind. 2 According to Sartre, one creates themselves, "I am what I do; the choices I make in a world without fixed values.This makes me "ME".Sartre suggests the necessity to choose, even a choice of negation or inaction would also be a choice, and he also allows the possibility of action due to bad faith. Krishna's positionFor the purpose of this paper I am using Krishna, as represented only in the Bhagavad Gita.The text of Gita begins with Arjun being in a situation of disillusionment and confusion.He is in a dilemma about which path to take.Krishna tries to instill in him a sense of urgency to decide, while also suggesting that if he were to decide to not act, that will also be deemed as an action of choice. 3he Vishad of Arjun which might lead him to inaction is the primary focus of Krishna's discourse, Krishna is trying to help curb Arjun from doing away with his duties in the situation.Arjun's position is that of a person who is perplexed as to which path to take in this time of urgency.As he believes that the comparison is not in between a desirable and an undesirable but between two undesirables (losing family on adversarial side vs. losing the battle and family on the same side). 41