What Is Sacrifice?

Every nation has its own set of beliefs.These beliefs have
been sustained for centuries. Ancient scriptures
especially the Vedas, the Upaniṣhads, the Bhagavadgita
and the puranas-are the final authority in the religio
spiritual fields, where the mind or the
intellect cannot penetrate.

Sacrifice is not limited to material possessions,. The fact is, lasting friendships, successful business partnerships,well adjusted children, and long-term marriages don’t just happen. They’re the result of hard work and commitment and sacrifices.

Every relationship, romantic or otherwise, requires a certain level of sacrifice to achieve success.
Marriage is a solemn promise to share your life with another person rather than going it alone. That means putting
your heart into the relationship and embracing a mindset of “we” rather than “me” and of “what’s mine is now ours.”

Behind every good kid are parents, or caregivers, who understand the importance of raising them that way. That means offering them your unconditional love and making the sacrifice that enables them to flourish and reach their true potential.
Life is all about choices; you get to decide what you’re willing to give up in order to gain what you cherish most.
Sacrifice means differently to different people. In war, where soldiers fight so hard to win and do above all odds or enough to save the lives of their fellow soldiers is always known by the survivors.

Parents work and ignore rest, just to ensure that the family
is able to strive on. A parent goes through burnout and
fatigue that eats away from within just to ensure the
well-being of the child. A teacher spends time away
from his or her own children to build the development
of other children. An entrepreneur gives away
profits to a local fundraiser so that, eventually, the
community is able to prosper.
The routine that we go through and the sacrifices that we make does not necessarily beget the results that we want. With the right intentions, the comforts of paradise will be waiting at the end of our seemingly long, arduous journey.

When the spouse has to quit job since he is getting transferred on promotion, it is also sacrifice in a way.
May be, a nice little pat on the back. By making a sacrifice for your partner, you’ve proven to yourself that you have what it takes to be a good relationship partner.
No doubt,there is a feeling of Inauthenticity.
By giving up something you want, or doing something you don’t want to do, all for the sake of your partner, you run the risk of feeling like you aren’t being true to yourself.
You may find yourself in a situation where you are the one who is always expected to give up and give in. Over time, there may be resentment,frustration and negativity.

In reality the sacrifice is more often done by
the innocent and the most intelligent and efficient
one( boy or girl) in the family.
Their over generosity is taken advantage of by
other siblings and parents too.
In sea voyages this had been a common occurrence.
Some stuff ,either packages or human beings have
to be thrown into the sea in order to avoid sinking
of the ship and to save hundreds of lives.
From a philosophical standpoint, the intentional
killing of innocents, may well be morally permissible,
based on utilitarian and other philosophical arguments.
The strictly philosophical view is that
if we must choose between killing a few and letting
many die, it is better to kill the few.
But from a legal standpoint, courts have come
to the opposite conclusion. Courts have
suggested that it is difficult to see
how there is a benefit to society in the intentional
killing of innocents even though the action results
in the saving of lives.

During Nazi holocaust a group of jews were hiding
from Nazis.A small child from the hiding place started
crying, and the people silenced the baby by killing it so
that they could not be traced.
The judge analysing the facts observed that the action was
excusable since the baby would however been definitely
killed by Nazis if the Nazis have located the Jews.

The story of Barbarika in Mahabharatha is a classic
example of such sacrifice conceived by Krishna.
Barbarik was the grandson of Bhima and the son
of Ghatotkacha.
Barbarik was supposed to be a brave warrior
having learnt the art of warfare from his mother.
It is said that Barbarik was so powerful that according
to him the war of Mahabharata could end in
1 minute if he alone was to fight it.
The story goes like this:
Barbarik promised his mother that he would join
the side that was weaker. Saying this he set up
on the journey to visit the battlefield.
The first arrow was supposed to mark all the
objects that Barbarik wanted to be destroyed.
The second arrow was supposed to mark all the
objects that Barbarik wanted to be saved.
The third arrow was supposed to destroy all the
objects marked by the first arrow OR destroy
all the objects not marked by the second
arrow.He was able to prove this also.
This incident scared Lord Krishna about the
phenomenal power of Barbarik. He concluded
that the arrows were truly infallible.
Krishna took advantage of Barbarika's promise
to join the weaker side. Krishna explained that
since he was the greatest warrior on
the battlefield, which ever side he joined would
make the other side weaker. So eventually he
would end up oscillating between the two
sides and destroy everyone except himself. Krishna
(still disguised as a Brahmin) asked for Barbarik's
head in charity to avoid his involvement in the war.
Krishna agreed to place Barbarik's head on top
of the mountain that overlooked the battlefield.
The one who sacrificed his life witnessed the entire
battle with his head and was fortunate to have
vishwaroopa darsan of Lord krishna.
Even Karna's charitable disposition was taken
advantage of by Lord Krishana and he got all the
fruits ( karma phalas) of Karna by way of charity.
The person who sacrifices gets nothing but a few
commendations after his death while others rejoice.
This is a hard core reality as observed from epics and
history.
Despite its potential shortcomings, will there be a
justification for homicide in extreme circumstances?
When a person is faced with a choice of evils, will
the law tolerate the better moral decision,
rather than vainly attempt to oppose the human instinct of
self-preservation?
But when the person sacrificed ,does it with his own
knowledge and concurrence with the motive of
saving many others in the process,it is understandable.
But when the innocent ones are
victimized because they have nobody to support,the case is
entirely different.
In political crimes, some innocent victims always
are kept handy and they are threatened under
false charges to save the rich goons.
Is it always right for one man to sacrifice his
life to save many?
A million dollar question which has no answer.

Can Barbarika, Abhimanyu or Ghatotkacha come in
person and clarify our doubts?
What do the philosophers and psychologists suggest?
Change the language of ‘sacrifice’ to the language
of ‘choice.’
“Most people are deeply scripted in… the
Scarcity Mentality.
With a scarcity mentality, you subconsciously
focus on what is wrong, what you don’t have,
on limitations, or on what you have ‘lost’.
With a global catastrophe like COVID-19
taking a steamroller to our way of life, to our
economies, jobs and families – it’s hard not
to see this year from a scarcity mindset. So
much seems to have been
taken away from us – we have sacrificed
so much just to stay afloat.
Imagine approaching life from the opposite
angle, by seeing abundance instead of
scarcity? Instead of what’s missing from your
life, you see fullness and gratitude. Instead
of limitations, you see opportunities.
Instead of sacrifice, you see choices
and priorities.

If you start to reframe your experience, your
‘sacrifice’, through this abundance mindset,
you are actually empowering yourself.
If you take ownership of the experience and
your choices, you can no longer feel
resentment or suffering – instead you
feel positive and empowered.
Is this the real concept and meaning of
'Karmanyeva Adhikaarasthe
maa phaleshu kathaachana'-Gita
A simple game of 'Renaming'?
Jayasala 42

 

Dear Messed up,Perhaps you are correct.many of the sacrifices we tend to make is out of selfish motives.
Jayasala42

 

Duty,sacrifice,self interest are inter linked.Sacrifice may be just to get a name and fame.Whatever the motive be, some good action is there.Give any nomenclature you like.In ancient days people were tempted to make sacrifices to have divine vision. Now people may no longer be interested in that Viswaroopa darshan which they have seen in pictures on many occasions.Sacrifice sems to be an indefinanable term.That is why Krishna calls all activities as Karma and we have sway only over the karma and not over fruits of action.

Jayasala 42

 

Ha,Ha! ultimately you have left it to TOSS-to take or give up? Now a days we can decide on tossing and leave the effect to 'tossing' and leave unhurt without feeling guilty.

Jayasala 42

 

I too agree with you.The 'Abundant' concept is being suggested by some philosophers and psychologists.On many occasions their ideas attract us a little but on deep thought, it does not suit practicality.

Jayasala 42