Gita and Non Violence - 3, Arjuna's Predicament

The first three slokas in the second chapter of Gita is probably one of the greatest messages that Lord has for the mankind. This is proclaimed by none other than Swami Vivekananda in his lecture on Gita (Complete works of Swami Vivekananda). In no other scripture we find such a forceful exhortation. He says to Arjuna – Why are you dejected and despondent when there is a grave danger facing you? Where are all your bravery and noble instincts gone?


Kutah tva kashmalam idam vishame samupasthitam Anaryajustam asargyam akirtikaram Arjuna


Klaivam ma sma gamah Partha na etat tvam upapadyate ksudram hridayadaurvalyam tvyakta uttistha Parantapa

“Do not become a eunuch, o mighty one, this does not befit you, the noble one, shun that small weakness which has gripped you, stand up and fight.” Through Arjuna this profound message is delivered to the entire mankind, to stand up and fight the terrible battle in the field of life, to be brave and bold and face all enemies. Therefore Gita is a supreme motivator.

So war is the background and the supreme Lord is asking his disciple to fight. But again the pacifists would say – does that befit an all merciful Lord to ask one to fight a bloody battle and kill? That’s the same question that Arjuna asks now – How do I kill my grandfather Vishma and Guru Drona? Its better that I beg my food relinquishing all these kingdoms and sense pleasures. What’s the point in killing all and gaining a kingdom devoid of friends and relatives?

Being honest and guileless, Arjuna candidly describes his predicament saying that he is confused between right and wrong, concepts of vice and virtue. He cannot figure out what is right under the circumstance and therefore requests Krishna for guidance. With the kind of delusion that has set in his mind, he is unable to comprehend that by fighting this bloody war and killing all and sundry, how he is ever going to get the peace of mind to rule over a kingdom, even if that kingdom is as big and as mighty as enjoyed by the gods.

This is also a question of the intellectuals – how can one resort to violence and be in peace? What is the greatness there? Didn’t all “historical” great souls from Buddha, Christ down to Mahatma Gandhi teach us that non violence and compassion are the greatest weapons and we can win over our enemies with love and forbearance?

Let us further see what Sri Krishna has to say in response to Arjuna. At first the Lord is downright contemptuous –
Asochynanvasochastvam pragnyavadanscha bhasose gatasunagatsunscha nanusochanti panditah

“By grieving over that is unfit for grieving, you’ve also made some just comments, however the wise does not repent or worry over the departed or yet to be departed, the past or the future.” You are thinking too much about the consequences, be in the present, be practical. Do not worry about what will happen and who will die, because these are inconsequential thoughts, will achieve nothing.

Na tu eva aham jatu na asam na tvam na ime janadhipah na chaiva na bhavishyamah sarve vayam atah param

In a somewhat cryptic language He says – “it is not that we were never there (me, you and all these kings who have assembled here to fight), and it is not that we’ll never be after this.” The Lord goes on explaining this statement in the next few verses which unfolds the mystery of death - that death is but a change of state, just like youth and old age. There is a difference between the body, which is perishable, and the Atman or the Self or the Supreme Being dwelling in the human heart, which is unborn, undying, non decaying, imperishable. A realized soul knows itself to be different from the body because the body does not last. One who has identified himself with the Self as different from the body, mind and ego, knows that there is no killer and nobody gets killed because Atman is never killed, it cannot be cut, burned or washed. It is everlasting and eternal. Death is like a change of old and worn out garment. The Atman gets a new body, just as a man wears a new garment. Therefore one has nothing to grieve, because in fighting a war and in killing enemies one is really not killing as the Self cannot be killed. Later we also find that as long as one has desires or ego one cannot realize the Self.

This is a very high form of realization and it would certainly not satisfy the intellectuals. Likewise, it did not satisfy Arjuna. Intellectuals would say that then every war, every killing can be justified in the above form, that nobody is actually the killer and nobody gets killed. The whole system of morality and justice would collapse.
Here one can pay the intellectuals back their own coin saying that if non violence and compassion are to be followed then what is the need of justice? There should be compassion for all, even the killer and the fact that the killer is really an Atman or the Supreme Being, all the more justifies the compassion and non violence. Because a) Atman cannot be killed and is not responsible for any action b) The Supreme Being is the God incarnate and therefore cannot be brought under any conventional system of justice.

So the arguments of the intellectuals fall flat. However from practical perspective, only if Atman is realized by one, one can say that everybody is Atman. Without realizing one’s true nature one cannot claim oneself to be the Self. One cannot realize Atman having even slightest identification with the body or even minute traces of desire or ego. Therefore as long as we do not realize Atman we are not Atman and therefore we are subjected to the law of cause and effect and should be brought under the conventional form of justice. A killer who has not realized his Self is a killer and the person, who is identified only with his body, if killed, is killed as the body will perish. Therefore morality and justice does not collapse as a realized soul would never kill for the very reason that He will see everybody as Himself, i.e. Atman or God and therefore would never be able to kill anybody. The paradox ends here. I am sure intellectuals would never agree because they will simply not understand this. It is a matter of realization, not book learning.

Arjuna also does not comprehend and therefore he needs more reasoning.