Between the two armies:
When the Kaurava and the Pandava armies are thus lined up and when the war is about to commence, Arjuna asks his charioteer Sri Krishna to position his chariot between the two armies so that he could have a view of his adversaries.
When the chariot is thus positioned by Sri Krishna, Arjuna takes a good look at both the armies. He immediately gets a shock because in the opposite army he sees the familiar faces of his kinsmen, teachers and friends. He curses the fate that brings him to fight his dear and near ones.
Arjuna gets perplexed, thoroughly confused and has a virtual nervous breakdown. He tells Krishna that he has resolved not to fight his own people and in support of this, he puts forth the following arguments:
“This terrible war which is about to begin will do good neither in this life nor in the next. If I win the war I may get the kingdom but I lose more than what I gain. What good is it, what happiness is it, if I have to build my empire on the graves of my revered teachers, beloved friends and my own kinsmen?
If I win, I may acquire all the wealth of the world but it will not give me any happiness or peace of mind. Will any plant sprout from fried seeds? Similarly, what enjoyment can sprout in a heart burning with the sorrow from the death of one’s kinsmen. I covet not such a kingdom because it will only be soiled by the blood of my own relatives.”
“By this cruel act, how can I get any happiness in the next life either. No doubt my cousins, the sons of Dhritarashtra, are wicked and they had tried in many ways to kill us, by poison and fire and they deserve to be annihilated. But we are not fighting them alone.
Along with them there are other relatives, friends and preceptors and we have perforce to kill them. In the name of killing wicked people like Duryodhana and others, we kill innocent people also and we ourselves become cruel and wicked and will be bereft of heaven We shall have to keep company with them in hell.”
Thus does Arjuna feel that the war would lead to happiness neither in this life nor in the afterlife. Further, he feels the war would lead to many social ills. Each and every house has sent its able-bodied men into this war. Most of them would be killed and hence the male population would diminish and women perforce might go astray.
Castes and communities would get mixed up. The social structure would crumble and immorality and vice would play havoc, undermining the whole social structure. These are no doubt some of the evils of war and we have seen all these things happening after the recent world war.
Having thus narrated the evils of war for the individual both in this life and in the afterlife and for the society as a whole, Arjuna reiterates his earlier resolve not to fight.
“It is better to beg and fill one’s belly, it is better to spend one’s life in a forest like a mendicant than kill one’s kinsmen for the sake of this earthly kingdom,” thus saying Arjuna lays down his weapons and sits dejected.
At this, Sri Krishna chides Arjuna for his lack of will and faint-heartedness and inspires him to rise to the heroic occasion befitting his birth and stature. But Arjuna is adamant. Under a heavy delusion he spurns both the kingdom of the whole earth and heaven if they were to be secured only by the slaughter of his kinsmen.
Arjuna is thus tossed between two opposing duties, duty as a kshatriya to kill the enemies and duty as an ordinary householder to show reverence to his elders and preceptors. He is confused and knows not the right path.
He is also aware that his vision is clouded by his attachment to his kinsmen and that he is using high-sounding philosophic arguments only to cover his weakness. He thus surrenders himself completely to Sri Krishna and implores Him to take him as His disciple and show him the right path.
When the Kaurava and the Pandava armies are thus lined up and when the war is about to commence, Arjuna asks his charioteer Sri Krishna to position his chariot between the two armies so that he could have a view of his adversaries.
When the chariot is thus positioned by Sri Krishna, Arjuna takes a good look at both the armies. He immediately gets a shock because in the opposite army he sees the familiar faces of his kinsmen, teachers and friends. He curses the fate that brings him to fight his dear and near ones.
Arjuna gets perplexed, thoroughly confused and has a virtual nervous breakdown. He tells Krishna that he has resolved not to fight his own people and in support of this, he puts forth the following arguments:
“This terrible war which is about to begin will do good neither in this life nor in the next. If I win the war I may get the kingdom but I lose more than what I gain. What good is it, what happiness is it, if I have to build my empire on the graves of my revered teachers, beloved friends and my own kinsmen?
If I win, I may acquire all the wealth of the world but it will not give me any happiness or peace of mind. Will any plant sprout from fried seeds? Similarly, what enjoyment can sprout in a heart burning with the sorrow from the death of one’s kinsmen. I covet not such a kingdom because it will only be soiled by the blood of my own relatives.”
“By this cruel act, how can I get any happiness in the next life either. No doubt my cousins, the sons of Dhritarashtra, are wicked and they had tried in many ways to kill us, by poison and fire and they deserve to be annihilated. But we are not fighting them alone.
Along with them there are other relatives, friends and preceptors and we have perforce to kill them. In the name of killing wicked people like Duryodhana and others, we kill innocent people also and we ourselves become cruel and wicked and will be bereft of heaven We shall have to keep company with them in hell.”
Thus does Arjuna feel that the war would lead to happiness neither in this life nor in the afterlife. Further, he feels the war would lead to many social ills. Each and every house has sent its able-bodied men into this war. Most of them would be killed and hence the male population would diminish and women perforce might go astray.
Castes and communities would get mixed up. The social structure would crumble and immorality and vice would play havoc, undermining the whole social structure. These are no doubt some of the evils of war and we have seen all these things happening after the recent world war.
Having thus narrated the evils of war for the individual both in this life and in the afterlife and for the society as a whole, Arjuna reiterates his earlier resolve not to fight.
“It is better to beg and fill one’s belly, it is better to spend one’s life in a forest like a mendicant than kill one’s kinsmen for the sake of this earthly kingdom,” thus saying Arjuna lays down his weapons and sits dejected.
At this, Sri Krishna chides Arjuna for his lack of will and faint-heartedness and inspires him to rise to the heroic occasion befitting his birth and stature. But Arjuna is adamant. Under a heavy delusion he spurns both the kingdom of the whole earth and heaven if they were to be secured only by the slaughter of his kinsmen.
Arjuna is thus tossed between two opposing duties, duty as a kshatriya to kill the enemies and duty as an ordinary householder to show reverence to his elders and preceptors. He is confused and knows not the right path.
He is also aware that his vision is clouded by his attachment to his kinsmen and that he is using high-sounding philosophic arguments only to cover his weakness. He thus surrenders himself completely to Sri Krishna and implores Him to take him as His disciple and show him the right path.
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