Why didn’t Arjuna want to fight?
A person who does not feel hungry is not inclined to cook. Similarly, because Arjuna thought the fight would bring no positive results, he was not inclined to fight.
There was a problem with the pages of explanations for verses 1.31 to 1.39 and 1.40 to 1.43 of the Gītā I posted last few weeks. The text for verses 1.31 to 1.39 was missing, and instead the page contained the text for verses 1.40 to 1.43. Here I’m posting the text for all these verses so you can get everything:
Arjuna's reasons for not fighting (Bg 1.31 to 1.39)
Verse 31: na ca śreyo ’nupaśyāmi, hatvā sva-janam āhave
na kānkṣe vijayam kṛṣṇa, na ca rājyam sukhāni ca
I do not see how any good can come from killing my own kinsmen in this battle, nor can I, my dear Kṛṣṇa, desire any subsequent victory, kingdom or happiness.
Verse 32-35: kim no rājyena govinda, kim bhogair jīvitena vā
yeṣām arthe kānkṣitam no, rājyam bhogāḥ sukhāni ca
ta ime ’vasthitā yuddhe, prāṇāms tyaktvā dhanāni ca
ācāryāḥ pitaraḥ putrās, tathaiva ca pitāmahāḥ
mātulāḥ śvaśurāḥ pautrāḥ, śyālāḥ sambandhinas tathā
etān na hantum icchāmi, ghnato ’pi madhusūdana
api trailokya-rājyasya, hetoḥ kim nu mahī-kṛte
nihatya dhārtarāṣṭrān naḥ, kā prītiḥ syāj janārdana
O Govinda, of what avail to us are a kingdom, happiness or even life itself when all those for whom we may desire them are now arrayed on this battlefield? O Madhusūdana, when teachers, fathers, sons, grandfathers, maternal uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons, brothers-in-law and other relatives are ready to give up their lives and properties and are standing before me, why should I wish to kill them, even though they might otherwise kill me? O maintainer of all living entities, I am not prepared to fight with them even in exchange for the three worlds, let alone this earth. What pleasure will we derive from killing the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra?
Verse 36: pāpam evāśrayed asmān, hatvaitān ātatāyinaḥ
tasmān nārhā vayam hantum, dhārtarāṣṭrān sa-bāndhavān
sva-janam hi katham hatvā, sukhinaḥ syāma mādhava
Sin will overcome us if we slay such aggressors. Therefore it is not proper for us to kill the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra and our friends. What should we gain, O Kṛṣṇa, husband of the goddess of fortune, and how could we be happy by killing our own kinsmen?
Verses 37-38: yady apy ete na paśyanti, lobhopahata-cetasaḥ
kula-kṣaya-kṛtam doṣam, mitra-drohe ca pātakam
katham na jñeyam asmābhiḥ, pāpād asmān nivartitum
kula-kṣaya-kṛtam doṣam, prapaśyadbhir janārdana
O Janārdana, although these men, their hearts overtaken by greed, see no fault in killing one’s family or quarreling with friends, why should we, who can see the crime in destroying a family, engage in these acts of sin?
Verse 39: kula-kṣaye praṇaśyanti, kula-dharmāḥ sanātanāḥ
dharme naṣṭe kulam kṛtsnam, adharmo ’bhibhavaty uta
With the destruction of the dynasty, the eternal family tradition is vanquished, and thus the rest of the family becomes involved in irreligion.
A person who does not feel hungry is not inclined to cook. Similarly, because Arjuna thought the fight would bring no positive results, resulting in the killing of his kinsmen, he was not inclined to fight. He understood that avoiding the battle would deprive him of a kingdom, and therefore was ready to go to live a life of frustration in the forest. He was also afraid of sinful reactions in killing superiors like Bhisma and Drona, and afraid of causing the collapse of family traditions by killing the husbands of so many women, and so on.
In general, there are five reasons for the reluctance of Arjuna to fight demonstrated in the first chapter:
1) Compassion: Although a brave warrior, Arjuna was a pious and kind soul, a pure devotee of the Lord, therefore, he felt compassion for the soldiers on the other side and the perspective of them being injured or killed.
2) Fear of personal loss: Even if Arjuna were to win the battle, how would he be able to enjoy life afterward without his friends and relatives? This feeling is based on an identification with the body and bodily connections. Based on this misunderstanding, Arjuna considered that he would be happier in retiring to the forest and living a secluded life of frustration.
3) Destruction of the family traditions: If all the men died in the battle, what would happen to their families? Who would take care of the wives and educate the children? Families are the fabric of any civilized society, where moral and cultural values are transmitted to the next generation. The Vedic society of which Arjuna was part was a very sophisticated society, based on solid moral principles. If the families were destroyed, this culture would be lost, and society would enter into disarray, resulting in suffering for all.
Krsna, however, could see deeper into the situation and had a better plan. He desired to liberate all the soldiers on the battlefield and install pious King Yudhiṣṭhira on the throne, so he could protect all the people and teach the principles of dharma. Arjuna running from the battle would have the opposite effect, setting a bad example that would make people further deviate from dharma, contributing to the degradation of society he hoped to avoid.
We can see how a lack of knowledge can cause us to perform actions that end up bringing opposite results to what we desire. Krsna, possessing perfect knowledge, had formulated a better plan, and Arjuna had only to cooperate in it.
4) Fear of karmic reactions: Ordinarily, injuring and killing people bring sinful reactions that create future suffering. What would be the benefit of gaining a kingdom if Arjuna had to suffer for many lives afterward? Would it not be better to avoid the fighting and the resulting suffering?
This sounds like a good argument, but it is also the fruit of misunderstanding since Arjuna would incur karmic reactions not for fighting, but for refusing to fight and thus neglecting his duty. This will be explained in more detail later in the Gītā when Krsna explains karma and akarma. Often, what superficially looks like an activity that makes us entangled in the cycle of karma is in reality something that liberates us, and conversely, often doing nothing causes bondage. Someone with a small child who would neglect his duties and let the child die could end up going to jail, precisely for doing nothing.
5) Indecision: Although before he was determined to fight for the just cause, now Arjuna became reluctant, considering if taking Duryodhana out of power would be worth the lives of so many people. This is a situation we frequently face in life. Such indecision comes from attachment, which covers our intelligence and prevents us from reaching correct conclusions.
The way Arjuna calls Krsna in these different verses is also significant, revealing additional detail. In verse 32, Arjuna calls Krsna "Govinda", pledging Him to satisfy his senses by helping him to avoid the fight. He thus misses the central aspect of bhakti-yoga, which is to try to satisfy the senses of the Lord through our actions, instead of engaging the Lord as an order supplier to fulfill our material desires. Krsna wants us to be happy, but he understands that the path to true happiness is the opposite of the material sense gratification we often strive for. He thus plays the long game, trying to gradually bring us to this eternal happiness in our original position as pure souls.
In verses 35 and 38, Arjuna calls Krsna "Janārdana". This name has two meanings. It means "the maintainer of all living entities", but also "the killer of the person". Arjuna calls Krsna Janārdana to argue that the Kurus should not be killed, arguing that "O maintainer of all living entities, I am not prepared to fight with them even in exchange for the three worlds, let alone this earth. What pleasure will we derive from killing the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra?" At the same time, by calling Krsna Janārdana, he indirectly argues that if they had to at all be killed, to fulfill Krsna's mission of removing the burden of the Earth, or any other purpose, it would be better than Krsna would kill them Himself, just like He had already killed numerous demons before. In this way, Arjuna reinforced his desire not to take part in the battle.
In verse 36, Arjuna addresses Krsna as "Mādhava", the husband of the goddess of fortune, indirectly questioning why He desired to engage him in this battle that, by his calculation, would bring only misfortune.
Main points in the purports of Srila Prabhupada:
"I do not see how any good can come from killing my own kinsmen in this battle, nor can I, my dear Kṛṣṇa, desire any subsequent victory, kingdom or happiness."
a) Attraction to bodily connections and the hope of material happiness appear due to a lack of knowledge about our relationship with Krsna.
b) Due to lamentation, Arjuna did not even properly consider material happiness. As a kṣatriya, fighting in the battle would make him eligible to be elevated to the sun, where he would enjoy great happiness. Due to attachment, however, he was considering avoiding the fight, which would not bring him any good results.
c) Not fighting in the war would deprive Arjuna of all means of subsistence. His only option afterward would be begging or living a life of frustration in the forest.
"O Govinda, of what avail to us are a kingdom, happiness or even life itself when all those for whom we may desire them are now arrayed on this battlefield? O Madhusūdana, when teachers, fathers, sons, grandfathers, maternal uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons, brothers-in-law and other relatives are ready to give up their lives and properties and are standing before me, why should I wish to kill them, even though they might otherwise kill me? O maintainer of all living entities, I am not prepared to fight with them even in exchange for the three worlds, let alone this earth. What pleasure will we derive from killing the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra?"
a) Arjuna addresses Krsna as Govinda, expecting that he would satisfy his material senses by giving some easy solution for the problem. This illustrates the general tendency to use God as an order supplier. This, however is the wrong approach. When one tries to satisfy the senses of the Lord, instead of one’s own senses, then by His grace, all desires are satisfied.
b) Arjuna's doubt appeared due to a mixture of natural compassion and material calculation of gain and loss based on attachment. Transcendental life is different, based on satisfying the desires of Krsna.
c) Arjuna desired that if there was at all a need to kill his relatives, Krsna would kill them personally instead of engaging him. Krsna however had already killed them before the battle, and Arjuna was just going to be an instrument for His will.
d) As a devotee of the Lord, Arjuna was prepared to forgive the wrongdoing of his cousins, but the Lord had already made a plan to kill all of them due to their offenses against the Pāṇḍavas. A devotee may not want to retaliate against a wrongdoer, but the Lord does not tolerate any mischief against His devotees.
"Sin will overcome us if we slay such aggressors. Therefore it is not proper for us to kill the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra and our friends. What should we gain, O Kṛṣṇa, husband of the goddess of fortune, and how could we be happy by killing our own kinsmen?"
a) Six types of aggressors may be killed without fear of sinful reactions. This is fit to a common man, but as a pure devotee, Arjuna however wanted to deal with them in saintliness. His attitude, however, was not fit for a kṣatriya, as it can be observed in the example of Lord Rama, who although fulfilling the highest standard of saintliness, didn't fail to punish Rāvaṇa.
b) A kṣatriya should be saintly, but at the same time, he should not act cowardly and fail to punish an aggressor.
c) Arjuna, however, considered that this principle didn't apply to his case, because Bhīṣma, Droṇa, and other seniors were not common aggressors, but seniors and exalted personalities who should be forgiven on the basis of religious principles. Apart from that, why would he risk his life and salvation for some temporary material gain?
d) He addresses Krsna as Mādhava, arguing that he should not engage him in a fight that, in his calculation, would bring him misfortune.
"O Janārdana, although these men, their hearts overtaken by greed, see no fault in killing one’s family or quarreling with friends, why should we, who can see the crime in destroying a family, engage in these acts of sin?"
a) Arjuna had been challenged to fight by the party of Duryodhana, and ordinarily a kṣatriya is bound to fight when defied. However, an obligation is binding when the effect is good. In this case, Arjuna considered the result would be unfavorable and thus considered it would be best to neglect such a duty and not fight.
"With the destruction of the dynasty, the eternal family tradition is vanquished, and thus the rest of the family becomes involved in irreligion."
a) Arjuna considered that such a fratricidal war would cause the destruction of the Kuru dynasty. With the death of the elderly members, the family traditions would be lost, and the surviving members would lose their spiritual culture and become irreligious. This added weight to his conclusion to not fight.
How unwanted progeny destroys society (Bg 1.40 to 1.43)
Verse 40: adharmābhibhavāt kṛṣṇa, praduṣyanti kula-striyaḥ
strīṣu duṣṭāsu vārṣṇeya, jāyate varṇa-sankaraḥ
When irreligion is prominent in the family, O Kṛṣṇa, the women of the family become polluted, and from the degradation of womanhood, O descendant of Vṛṣṇi, comes unwanted progeny.
Verse 41: sankaro narakāyaiva, kula-ghnānām kulasya ca
patanti pitaro hy eṣām, lupta-piṇḍodaka-kriyāḥ
An increase of unwanted population certainly causes hellish life both for the family and for those who destroy the family tradition. The ancestors of such corrupt families fall down, because the performances for offering them food and water are entirely stopped.
Verse 42: doṣair etaiḥ kula-ghnānām, varṇa-sankara-kārakaiḥ
utsādyante jāti-dharmāḥ, kula-dharmāś ca śāśvatāḥ
By the evil deeds of those who destroy the family tradition and thus give rise to unwanted children, all kinds of community projects and family welfare activities are devastated.
Verse 43: utsanna-kula-dharmāṇām, manuṣyāṇām janārdana
narake niyatam vāso, bhavatīty anuśuśruma
O Kṛṣṇa, maintainer of the people, I have heard by disciplic succession that those whose family traditions are destroyed dwell always in hell.
When Arjuna says that from the degradation of womanhood comes unwanted progeny, he invokes the concept of varṇa-sankara, or unwanted progeny, which is an important concept in Vedic culture.
To beget good children who can be educated in spiritual values and thus propagate the spiritual culture is considered one of the main duties in family life. This demands a very appropriate mindset, where children are conceived by their parents not only inside of marriage but with proper consciousness. The consciousness of the parents determines what kind of soul will take shelter in the womb, and in old times, couples would follow the process of garbhādhāna samskara with the idea of attracting an enlightened soul. However, when the families are destroyed, the helpless women can be seduced by unscrupulous men, and such children born out of base carnal desires and adultery will have a much lower consciousness, introducing all kinds of problems in society and ultimately leading to its destruction.
Children are not tabula rasas, but bring their previous impressions, personal traits, and desires from past lives. The upbringing and the education a child receives from the parents and tutors play a great role in who he or she is going to become, but a great deal is brought from his previous life. A highly enlightened soul will be able to ascend to the highest level of spiritual practice with just a little help, while a soul at a lower level of spiritual development may struggle to follow basic moral principles even with the best education.
The problem of the world is not overpopulation, but the increase in people with low consciousness. When good children take birth, everything becomes auspicious. The point is thus not about decreasing the population but increasing the proportion of good children. If the world would be overpopulated with pure devotees, it would be heaven. Nowadays, it is practically impossible for regular people to follow this Vedic process for begetting good children, but the same result can be achieved by the spread of Krsna Consciousness.
The Garuḍa Purana mentions:
oṃ apavitraḥ pavitro vā, sarvāvasthāṃ gato ’pi vā, yaḥ smaret puṇḍarīkākṣaṃ, sa bāhyābhyantaraḥ śuciḥ, śrī viṣṇuḥ śrī viṣṇuḥ śrī viṣṇuḥ
"Whether one is pure or impure, or having passed through all states of existence; whoever remembers the lotus-eyed Lord Viṣṇu, becomes purified both externally and internally."
One may be pure or impure, but if he remembers the Lord, it doesn't matter, because by chanting His holy names, he or she becomes immediately purified. By chanting the holy names, we are protected at every step. Hiraṇyakaśipu was a great demon, but because he inadvertently pronounced the name of Viṣṇu when he was with his queen, he ended up conceiving a pure devotee, Prahlāda Maharaja. Therefore, even if people are not very rigidly following devotional principles, they may still conceive enlightened children who can change the world if they can remember the holy name of Krsna. Such is the power of the holy names.
In verse 41, Arjuna invokes another important component of Vedic culture, which is the offerings to ancestors.
Pious people who are attached to their families and follow the path of pious fruitive activities recommended in the Vedas (karma-kanda) have the opportunity to meet their ancestors in Pitṛloka and remain there as long as their descendants honor them and provide them with offerings of food and water (piṇḍa). In other words, pious people can extend their current identities and remain connected with their family members if they can perform their family duties properly and leave pious descendants who can continue the family tradition. That’s why in Vedic culture, the offerings to the ancestors are considered so important. When this chain is broken, all the ancestors fall from Pitṛloka and receive their next bodies according to their karma, and the family is thus permanently destroyed.
The same offerings have the purpose of saving ancestors from different types of ghostly or hellish life if that's the case. However, as Prabhupada explains in his purport, "Simply by performing devotional service, one can deliver hundreds and thousands of forefathers from all kinds of misery." One who simply adopts the path of devotional service benefits his ancestors more directly than any karma-kanda rituals may do. The purpose of all Vedic ceremonies and rituals is to satisfy the Lord, and therefore, when one directly serves the Lord, there is no need for doing anything else.
Main points in the purports of Srila Prabhupada:
"When irreligion is prominent in the family, O Kṛṣṇa, the women of the family become polluted, and from the degradation of womanhood, O descendant of Vṛṣṇi, comes unwanted progeny."
a) One of the main priorities of the varṇāśrama system is to create conditions for the birth of enlightened souls who can bring prosperity to society. For this, the women should be properly protected by elderly members, since if the women become degraded, unwanted population appears.
b) When the family tradition is destroyed, adultery is introduced in society due to the free mixing between the genders and the actions of irresponsible men. This leads to the birth of degraded souls, which is followed by the degradation of society, with war, pestilence, etc.
"An increase of unwanted population certainly causes hellish life both for the family and for those who destroy the family tradition. The ancestors of such corrupt families fall down, because the performances for offering them food and water are entirely stopped."
a) Those who are not on the path of devotional service have to perform different types of rituals prescribed in the Vedas, including the offering of prasāda from the worship of Lord Viṣṇu to the forefathers to free them from different types of miserable life they may have fallen into.
b) One who is engaged in devotional life, however, doesn't need to perform such rituals, because just by serving the Lord, he or she can save hundreds and thousands of ancestors from all kinds of miserable existence. By the performance of devotional service, all other obligations are automatically fulfilled.
"By the evil deeds of those who destroy the family tradition and thus give rise to unwanted children, all kinds of community projects and family welfare activities are devastated."
a) The breaking down of family traditions and the consequent collapse of the varṇāśrama system bring chaos to society. People become spiritually blind, forgetting the ultimate goal of life. Being a kṣatriya, Arjuna was a leader in society, and he felt he would be personally responsible.
"O Kṛṣṇa, maintainer of the people, I have heard by disciplic succession that those whose family traditions are destroyed dwell always in hell."
a) Arjuna bases his argument on what he heard from authorities, which is positive. This is the basis for receiving real knowledge. One cannot obtain real knowledge without being helped by a person who already has this knowledge.
b) In the general path of the Vedas, one who performs sinful activities in life should perform a process of expiation (prāyaścitta) before death to avoid punishment in hell. However, without senior family members to guide them, even this would not be possible for the surviving members. Arjuna feared that both he and the rest of the family would go to hell as a result of the battle.
Arjuna decides not to fight (Bg 1.44 and 1.45)
Verse 44: aho bata mahat pāpam, kartum vyavasitā vayam
yad rājya-sukha-lobhena, hantum sva-janam udyatāḥ
Alas, how strange it is that we are preparing to commit greatly sinful acts. Driven by the desire to enjoy royal happiness, we are intent on killing our own kinsmen.
Verse 45: yadi mām apratīkāram, aśastram śastra-pāṇayaḥ
dhārtarāṣṭrā raṇe hanyus, tan me kṣema-taram bhavet
Better for me if the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, weapons in hand, were to kill me unarmed and unresisting on the battlefield.
The reasons given by Arjuna in the first chapter are correct from an ordinary moral standpoint. Although Arjuna was confused and afraid due to material attachment, he was presenting his arguments based on what he had heard from authorities.
On the other hand, we can see that this knowledge is not sufficient to solve his dilemma. In the following chapters, Krsna will give him superior knowledge that will gradually destroy all his doubts and indecision.
Ordinarily, peace is better than war, and forgiveness is better than seeking justice. According to the Vedas, six kinds of aggressors may be killed without incurring sin, including one who gives poison, one who sets fire to one's house, one who attacks with deadly weapons, etc. The Kauravas did all of these to the Pandavas, and Arjuna was still prepared to forgive and allow them to keep the kingdom they stole, which speaks volumes about his magnanimity. As Prabhupada mentions, "As a pure devotee of the Lord, Arjuna had no desire to fight with his cousins and brothers, but he was forced to come onto the battlefield by the obstinacy of Duryodhana, who was never agreeable to any peaceful negotiation."
There is, however, a greater principle that is the concept of dharma. In Varṇāśrama society, different duties are assigned to different people. Forgiveness is very appropriate for a brāhmaṇa, but Arjuna is not a brāhmaṇa, but a kṣatriya, and as such, his dharma is not forgiveness, but applying justice. A brāhmaṇa may forgive exactly because someone else, a king or law enforcer, can take care of making justice. As a kṣatriya, Arjuna is precisely such a person, and he has the duty of fighting to uphold the principles of dharma. Just as it is sinful for a brāhmaṇa to take weapons and kill, for a kṣatriya it is sinful to refuse to fight when there is real necessity.
A still higher principle, however, which will be presented later in the Bhagavad-gītā, is that Arjuna should fight because that is the desire of the Lord. The Lord has a plan, and cooperating in the Lord's plan is the highest dharma.
We can see that dharma is a complicated concept. It is multifaceted and multilayered, and what appears to be correct on one level is not necessarily correct on a higher platform or in a different situation. However, acting in devotional service and dedicating our activities to the Lord is beyond mundane dharma, and when we learn this art, as Krsna explains in the Gītā, we can find our way out of the cycle of birth and death.
Main points in the purports of Srila Prabhupada:
"Alas, how strange it is that we are preparing to commit greatly sinful acts. Driven by the desire to enjoy royal happiness, we are intent on killing our own kinsmen."
a) People can kill even close family members for some personal gain, but Arjuna is aware of moral principles and wants to avoid such a situation. "Better for me if the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, weapons in hand, were to kill me unarmed and unresisting on the battlefield."
a) To avoid the fight, Arjuna is prepared to be killed without offering resistance. This is due to his soft-heartedness due to him being a great devotee.
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