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Bhagavad Gita, a holy text of Hindu religion and philosophy, starts with a scene of an epic battle that is about to commence. A legendary warrior Arjuna and his brothers gathered a large army to wrestle a kingdom that rightfully belonged to them from their cousins. In the last moment, Arjuna suddenly loses his famous courage at the sight of the enemy host. One of the most renowned heroes of the world refused to fight despite all his bravery.
However, Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu, convinced Arjuna to change his mind. At first, Arjuna was determined to avoid bloodshed and fratricide, as he did not see any good coming from killing kinsmen (Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, 1998, p.74). He saw killing relatives in this battle as a sinful deed that would dishonor his familys future generations. Arjuna even expressed a wish to die on the battlefield, unarmed and unresisting (Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, 1998, p.89). Nevertheless, this strong pacifist stance was overridden by two vital concepts of Hindu philosophy: reincarnation and dharma.
Arjuna was confused because a brave warrior like him never felt an aversion to fighting before. He asked Krishna for counsel, and Krishna presented two arguments that might have forced Arjuna to reconsider his decision and eventually go into battle. Firstly, he alleviated Arjunas concern about killing friends, teachers, and relatives. Perhaps, material bodies are mortal, but the souls are indestructible; he is not slain when the body is slain (Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, 1998, p.124). Krishna went even further and compared bodies to clothes, which souls change when the old ones become useless (Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, 1998, p.124). Therefore, he convinced Arjuna that all friends and kinsmen who might fall in battle would not cease to exist. Their everlasting souls would remain the same for eternity, so there is no sense in hesitating to destroy the temporary shells.
It is possible to argue that the second argument for going to battle was based on fear of loss. Hindu worldview puts a great significance into dharma: a law, a duty, a moral obligation to do what is right (Lief, 2010). At first, Krishna reassured Arjuna: in the unavoidable discharge of duty, you should not lament (Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, 1998, p.136). After that, Krishna elaborated his argument, claiming that avoiding the battle will incur sins for neglecting your duties (Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, 1998, p.145). As a devoted believer and a kshatriya, a member of the warrior caste, Arjuna could not disgrace himself by avoiding the duty of any respected warrior. He had to follow Krishnas guidance and begin the battle or commit a significant sin and tarnish his reputation.
In addition, Krishna had already explained that killing enemies in battle would not destroy their immortal souls. Therefore, Arjuna would not commit any sin if he kills on the battlefield; however, he would incur sin and dishonor by neglecting his warriors duty. As a result, the idea of reincarnation reconciled Arjuna with the inevitable deaths of his relatives in the enemy ranks, and dharma forced him to choose duty out of fear to commit an actual sin of negligence.
When applied to modern reality, the decision to fight does not mean resorting to violence in achieving the goals. For instance, Gandhi was a pacifist and a fighter for his countrys independence at the same time. Overall, one might interpret Arjunas decision as choosing action over idleness and overcoming internal fear by doing what is morally right. In the end, Arjuna achieved a decisive victory against his hesitation and insecurity which is one of the life lessons that Bhagavad Gita offers to the reader.
References
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, A.C. (1998). Bhagavad-Gita as it is. The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
Lief, Oliver. (2010). Invitation to World Literature: Bhagavad Gita (WGBH/PBS) [Video]. Vimeo. Web.
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