उत्सीदेयुरिमे लोका न कुर्यां कर्म चेदहम्।
सङ्करस्य च कर्ता स्यामुपहन्यामिमाः प्रजाः।।3.24।।
These worlds would be ruined if I did not perform action. And I shall become the agent of intermingling (of castes), and shall be destroying these beings.
Osho’s Commentary
Krishna’s words are now even more stark. “If I do not act, these worlds will perish.” The presence of an enlightened one is like the central pillar that supports the entire edifice of society. His actions maintain the delicate balance, the harmony. If he withdraws, the structure will collapse. “I would be the cause of sankara,” he says, the confusion of the natural order. This refers back to the idea of varna as a psychological type. If the leader, the enlightened one, abandons his duty, then the whole system of natural functions will be thrown into disarray. The Brahmin will try to be a warrior, the warrior will try to be a merchant. Everyone will be out of their natural place. This creates chaos, not just in society, but in the individual soul. And in this chaos, he says, “I would be the destroyer of these people.” His inaction would lead to their ruin. This is the great compassion of an enlightened being. He continues to act, to participate in the play of life, not for his own sake, but for the sake of the world, for the sake of holding it together, for the sake of guiding it towards the light.