So this is the first section of the Bhagavad Gita (BG) in terms of Krishna’s instruction to Arjuna. From 2.11 to 2.30, Krishna describes to Arjuna that he should not lament because all souls are destructible, flight!
After describing this, Krishna takes the discussion to the next level, a higher level. What is that? In this level, Krishna describes that if we know that I am not this body, I am soul, okay, I understand. But how do I act in life? Sometimes people say that this material existence is considered to be an illusion, it is temporary, it is transitory. Okay, it is temporary, it is transitory, but how am I supposed to live? How do I come out of this illusion? It is not that today I hear I am not this body, I am soul, and tomorrow I stop acting on the bodily platform. I can try to avoid acting on the bodily platform, but still, I have to live in the material body as long as I have this body, and only at the end, I will become liberated. So how do I go about doing this? For that, one needs to work carefully, one needs to work systematically.
So how to do this? One needs to think about how to raise oneself from bodily conception. The first step, Krishan suggests Arjuna to practice is Karma-Kanda: “Arjuna, you are not indestructible; therefore, you should fight. Do your duty, and attain victory, attain glory. So here, by acting on the Karma-Kanda level, Karma-Kanda provides material enjoyment, but it is within a Dharmic framework. It leads to gradual elevation. So the section from 31 to 38 is answering Arjuna’s second argument, which was about enjoyment. Arjuna believed he would not be able to enjoy if he fought and killed his relatives. Krishna says, ‘No, if you don’t fight, you will not be able to enjoy.’ That is what Sri Krishna describes from 2.31 to 2.38.
BG 2.31
dharmyad dhi yuddhac chreyo ‘nyat
SYNONYMS
sva–dharmam — one’s own religious principles; api — also; ca — indeed; avekshya — considering; na — never; vikampitum — to hesitate; arhasi — you deserve; dharmyat — for religious principles; hi — indeed; yuddhat — than fighting; sreyah — better engagement; anyat — any other; kshatriyasya — of the kshatriya; na — does not; vidyate — exist.
TRANSLATION
Considering your specific duty as a kshatriya, you should know that there is no better engagement for you than fighting on religious principles; and so there is no need for hesitation.
sva–dharmam api cavekshya, avekshya thinking about, perceiving.
Sva-dharmam api cavekshya, avekshya thinking about, perceiving.
Sva-dharmam api cavekshya, if you consider your specific Dharma or sva-dharma (Brahman has their specific dharma, Kshtriya has their own, etc.), what will you find? Na vikampitum arhasi. ‘Kampa’ means trembling, so there is no need for you to hesitate, Arjuna, there is no need for you to tremble. Na vikampitum arhasi. So it is not only external trembling; Arjuna was saying, ‘My limbs are quivering, my body is trembling.’ That external trembling was because of internal weakness. So Krishna says, ‘Arjuna, there is no need for you to tremble like this, na vikampitum arhasi.’ There is no reason for ‘Kampan’ if you consider your Sva-Dharma. Why? Dharmyad dhi yuddhac chreyo ‘nyat, from the point of view of dharma yudha, there is no greater Shreya. Kshatriyasya na vidyate, there is no greater glory for Kshatriya than to fight a righteous war.
In verse 2.7, Arjuna surrendered and asked, ‘What is Shreya? What is my long-term goal?’ Now Krishna will talk about multiple levels of Shreya, but here He is saying for a Kshatriya, there can be no higher good than the righteous war, dharma-yudha. Kshatriyasya na vidyate. So, all of us in our current life have two sets of duties.
All of us have two types of duties: material duties and spiritual duties.
- Svadharma can refer to material duties, the process of Varnashram, and duty towards parents, children, etc.
- Sadhana Bhakti refers to spiritual duties, our process of Sadhana by which we realize our spiritual nature.
Both duties have to be performed harmoniously. Here Krishna is telling us to perform Svadharm (material duty). For a Kshatriya, the svadharma is to fight for a good cause, for righteousness.
Srila Prabhupada mentioned in the purport, where he has quoted from scriptures and says that actually, for a Kshatriya to die in the battlefield and for a Brahmana to perform Yajna and for a Sanyasi to leave the body at the end of Sanyas, all these are very auspicious. So, of course, here Srila Prabhupada quotes two specific things: a Kshatriya and a Brahmana. If a Brahmana does a Yajna and there is some fault in it, still, the Brahmana will be elevated because the Brahmana is following the path of dharma. And even if a Kshatriya has to kill in the course of a dharmic battle, the Kshatriya will be elevated.
In the scriptures, there are references to animal sacrifice, which Srila Prabhupada has explained based on Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Chand Kazi’s talk in CC. There is a conflict, a tug of war between the principle of Ahimsa that is there in scriptures, and at the same time, in Yajna, animal sacrifices are done.
Animals were killed in various ways, sometimes by mantra, animals were killed just by chanting mantra and live animals fall down. Sometimes by weapons. But if they were killed in a proper way, they would be elevated to a higher body because they have died in a righteous, dharmic context. Beyond that, there is always an inclination from Manu Smiti onwards to avoid animal sacrifice completely. For example, Ramanujacharya, Madhvacharya, when they talk about animal sacrifices, they say that actually these sacrifices are meant for those who want meat eating. This was a kind of regulation, and those who do not want sacrifices can use other things. For example, instead of animal sacrifice, a replica of an animal can be made by Ata, floor, grains, etc., and can be cut and offered during the sacrifice.
Mother Kali is Vaishnavi, Durga is Vaishnavi Janmoheni SB says, Kali is her rupa in a more ugra form. She doesn’t like blood, but people like flesh and blood to eat, so she accepts that. But those who want to avoid it are told to give something red to her. So it is mentioned that a red-colored flower should be offered to her instead of blood.
In general, Acharyas do not directly reject certain things if they are given in Vedas, but they contextualize them. For example, in the second chapter, Krishna says, ‘Traygunya Vishya Veda Nistraygunyo Bhavadr Arjuna.’ Krishna told Arjuna to go beyond the three modes of material nature in 2.45. Acharya or Krishna never rejects Vedas. They explain how within the context, it can be understood. So, for people who are attached to meat eating and want to elevate their consciousness, animal sacrifices are recommended. But for those who are at a higher level of consciousness, animal sacrifices are not recommended or required. That is why they are not talked about. So, whoever does the prescribed duty will be elevated.
So, if a Kshatriya dies in a righteous war, they will be elevated. That doesn’t mean that a Kshatriya has to provoke war to get elevated. We see that the Pandavas have tried everything possible to avoid the war. Krishna went as Shanti doot and just asked for 5 villages, then showed the universal form. Even at the end, Bhima was also ready to negotiate for peace.
So this sort of glorification of dying in the warfield is not a license for indiscriminate violence. If we look at the full cultural context, we see that violence is never the first option for resolving difficulties or conflicts. Violence is the last option. These kinds of statements that are there in the scriptures, glorifying Kshatriyas who lay down their bodies in a war field and attain heaven/Swarga, are primarily meant to encourage or inspire people so that they don’t flinch while fighting on behalf of dharma. That means they understand that even if I have to die, it doesn’t matter. I will attain heaven by fighting. So that is to inspire people to stick to dharma. The purpose is not to condone or recommend violence. Krishna is saying that for Kshatriyas, it is very fortunate to get a dharmic war. Srila Prabhupada writes a principle over here: ‘Discharging one’s specific duty in any field of action in accordance with the orders of higher authorities serves to elevate one to a higher status of life
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