Krishna, in Chapter 2, answers a number of misgivings shared by Arjuna. One of the concerns Arjuna shared was that they, the Pandavas, wouldn’t be able to enjoy the riches or the kingdom even if they won the war. In short, Arjuna didn’t see any enjoyment at the end of the war. Krishna, in verses 31 through 37, replies to this concern and argues that there is indeed enjoyment at the end of this war for both the winners and losers!
Passage
The following are the verses:
TEXT 31: Considering your specific duty as a kṣatriya, you should know that there is no better engagement for you than fighting on religious principles; and so there is no need for hesitation.
TEXT 32: O Pārtha, happy are the kṣatriyas to whom such fighting opportunities come unsought, opening for them the doors of the heavenly planets.
TEXT 33: If, however, you do not perform your religious duty of fighting, then you will certainly incur sins for neglecting your duties and thus lose your reputation as a fighter.
TEXT 34: People will always speak of your infamy, and for a respectable person, dishonor is worse than death.
TEXT 35: The great generals who have highly esteemed your name and fame will think that you have left the battlefield out of fear only, and thus they will consider you insignificant.
TEXT 36: Your enemies will describe you in many unkind words and scorn your ability. What could be more painful for you?
TEXT 37: O son of Kuntī, either you will be killed on the battlefield and attain the heavenly planets, or you will conquer and enjoy the earthly kingdom. Therefore, get up with determination and fight.
Yesterday, we heard that the soul is indestructible. One may ask, how should I act in life? The body is transitory, but then how am I supposed to live. To answer this, Krsna speaks these seven verses and explains that one should do one’s dharma. Doing dharma provides material enjoyment and leads to gradual elevation. This is varnashrama dharma. Srila Prabhupada defines varnashrama as specific duties in terms of the specific modes of nature of the body obtained. Varnashrama often gets misunderstood as the caste system. People mistakenly attribute the caste system to Bhagavad Gita. The caste system is based on birth, where one’s occupation is fixed as soon as he is born. Varnashrama is a system where a person’s nature is evaluated and a specific occupation is recommended for him/her. Arjuna has the nature of a warrior and thus, his recommended occupation is to be a king. The Sanskrit term for warrior class is Kshatriya. The dharma of Kshatriya is to protect society from harm by intelligent administration and assertive protection. For a Kshatriya to be on the battlefield and to become non-violent is akin to a surgeon quitting to touch a scalpel in the middle of a surgery. Krsna’s message is that irrespective of success or failure in doing the social dharma, one is guaranteed elevation to higher consciousness.
On another note, Krsna’s insistence on social dharma is not one of the main ideas of the Bhagavad Gita. It shouldn’t be taken in isolation from other teachings. Krsna is creating a foundation for the main idea of the opening chapters – Karma Yoga. As we will hear tomorrow, Karma yoga is the performance of action without any desire for personal gain. Thus, we shouldn’t take varna-dharma out of context but see it as an introduction to the main teaching of karma yoga. A few years ago, the Russian orthodox church made a campaign against the Bhagavad Gita, stating that it is encouraging religious violence. Somehow, the government fell for it and banned the Bhagavad Gita. There was a big uproar. People from all walks of life, academicians, Hindus, philosophers, and deep thinkers all came in support of the Bhagavad Gita. They wrote to the government in support of the Bhagavad Gita that violence is not the message, but it is being taken out of context. The government understood its mistake and repealed the ban on the Bhagavad Gita. The orthodox church inadvertently made the Bhagavad Gita!
My Takeaways
Krsna is raising the argument gradually. Since I have read through Gita multiple times, I recognize that Krsna hasn’t spoken the highest principles yet. He is slowly slowly opening up to Arjuna. I have this habit of sharing too much with others without recognizing where they are. Not that I am some elevated soul, but whatever my realization, one must learn from Krsna’s example and unfold spirituality one petal at a time.
Varnashrama dharma, or working as per one’s nature, is such an important principle for our current society. It is encouraged in our society that one go for an occupation that gives the most money. Krsna, on the other hand, states that there is enjoyment and elevation when one identifies one’s nature and works according to that. A good friend of mine spent 4 years doing engineering and got a great job but wasn’t satisfied. It occurred to him that he liked debating more than anything else. He took a sabbatical and went for law courses and four years later, he was a happier attorney. I feel that our society can benefit considerably from career coaching that’s based on varnashrama dharma.
Question
Finding one’s nature can be confusing. Therefore, for many, it takes courage to adopt professions that are in sync with their nature. Can you think of a few people in your life who work in harmony with their nature and who don’t? Did you observe any difference in their happiness and maturity levels?
