Conflict and Conscience: The Bhagavad Gita’s Nuanced Teachings
Bhagavad Gita is a call to courage beyond calm.
Bhagavad Gita, the song of God, sung by Lord Krishna himself to his disciple Arjuna, a deluded man who suddenly dropped his weapons from the fear of hurting his family. This same Arjuna had waited so long for vengeance against his unjust and cruel cousin, Duryodhana. Upon seeing his grandfather Bhishma, and his beloved guru, Drona, Arjuna, a warrior by nature, suddenly wanted to renunciate the world in the name of respect for elders, love for his cruel brothers, and peace for the world.
Arjuna asked Krishna if he would turn against his grandfather and teacher. Even if the elders did something wrong, at the end of the day they are still superior and should only ever be treated with respect (Prabhupada, 1983, p. 72). Arjuna goes as far as to say that it was better for him to live in the world as a beggar than to incur the sin of killing great souls like Bhishma and Drona (Prabhupada, 1983, p. 72).
Upon seeing this behavior of Arjuna, Krishna revealed to him the secrets of liberation through action, even if it is a violent action against our own family. Dharma takes priority even over our relationships. Arjuna’s dharma at the time was to fulfill his duty as a warrior, and not to run away from his duty in the name…
