The Common Good (Lokasamgraha) and Liberation
Despite its generally conservative attitude to caste, the Bhagavadgita
(3:20) commends action that is motivated by lokasamgraha or concern
for the well-being of the world. The wise person is urged to act for the
common good with the same resolve and energy that an unwise person
employs in the pursuit of personal desires (3:25).7 Lokasamgraha, one
must strongly argue, is not served if the basic goals of life (artha, kama,
dharma, moksha) are not available for all, if persons are oppressed
because of gender, and if they have no freedom and control over their
lives. Lokasamgraha requires the empowerment of human beings to
achieve life’s goals; and discourse about it is meaningless without
diligent inquiry into and a passion for overcoming human suffering
occasioned by poverty, injustice, and oppression.