In this chapter, Arjun reiterates to Shree Krishna that he is unable to cope with his current situation, where he has to kill his elders and teachers. He refuses to take part in such a battle and requests Shree Krishna to be his spiritual teacher and guide him on the proper path of action. Then the Supreme Lord starts imparting divine knowledge to Arjun. He begins with the immortal-nature of the soul, which is eternal and imperishable. Death only destroys the physical body, but the soul continues its journey. Just as a person discards his old clothes and adorns new ones, the soul keeps changing bodies from one lifetime to another.
The Lord then reminds Arjun that his social responsibility as a warrior is to fight for upholding righteousness. He explains that performing one's social duty is a virtuous act that can take him to the celestial abodes, while dereliction only leads to infamy and humiliation.
At first, Shree Krishna tries to motivate Arjun at a mundane level. Then he moves deeper and starts explaining to Arjun the Science of Work. He asks Arjun to perform his deeds without any attachment to their fruits. This science of working without desire for rewards is called the yog of the intellect or buddhi-yog. He further advises that the intellect should be used to control the desire for rewards from work. By working with such intent, the bondage-creating karmas get transformed into bondage-breaking karmas and a state beyond sorrows can be attained.
Arjun is curious to know more about those who are situated in divine consciousness. Shree Krishna, therefore, describes how persons who have attained transcendence are free from attachment, fear, and anger. They are undisturbed and equipoised in every situation. With their senses subdued, they keep their minds always absorbed in God. He also explains the progression of afflictions of the mind—such as greed, anger, lust, etc. and advises how these can be overcome.
1.To describe Arjun's feelings, Sanjay uses the word kṛipayā, meaning pity or compassion. This compassion is of two kinds. One is the divine compassion that God and the saints feel toward the souls in the material realm, on seeing their suffering in separation to God. The other is the material compassion that we feel upon seeing the bodily distress of others. Material compassion is a noble sentiment that is not perfectly directed. It is like being obsessed with the health of the car while the driver sitting within is famished for food. Arjun is experiencing this second kind of sentiment. He is overwhelmed with material pity toward his enemies gathered for battle. The fact that Arjun is overcome by grief and despair shows that he is himself in dire need of compassion. Therefore, the idea of his being merciful upon others is meaningless.
In this verse, Shree Krishna is addressed as "Madhusudan." He had slayed the demon Madhu, and hence gotten the name Madhusudan, or "slayer of the Madhu demon." Here, He is about to slay the demon of doubt that has arisen in Arjun's mind and is preventing him from discharging his duty.
2.The word Arya in our sacred books does not refer to any race or ethnic group. The Manu Smṛiti defines an Aryan as a highly evolved and cultured person. "Aryan" connotes goodness, like the term "perfect gentleman." The aim of the Vedic scriptures is to induce humans to become Aryans in all respects. Shree Krishna finds Arjun's present condition in conflict with that ideal, and so reprimands him by calling attention to his confusion in how to live up to this ideal state of being under the current circumstances.
The Bhagavad Gita, or "Song of God," effectively begins from here because Shree Krishna, who was quiet until now, starts speaking in this verse. The Supreme Lord first begins by inducing in Arjun a hunger for knowledge. He does this by pointing out that his state of confusion is dishonorable and inappropriate for virtuous persons. He then goes on to remind Arjun of the consequences of delusion, which are pain, infamy, failure in life, and degradation of the soul.
Rather than comforting him, Shree Krishna is making Arjun uncomfortable about his current state. We all feel uncomfortable when we are confused because it is not the natural condition of the soul. That feeling of discontentment, if properly channeled, can become a powerful impetus to search for true knowledge. The suitable resolution of doubt helps a person acquire a deeper understanding than before. Thus, God sometimes deliberately puts a person in turmoil, so that he or she may be forced to search for knowledge to remove the confusion. And when the doubt is finally resolved, that person reaches a higher level of understanding.
3. Successfully treading the path of enlightenment requires high spirits and morale. One needs to be optimistic, enthusiastic, and energetic to overcome the negativities of the material mind, such as sloth, the rut of habit, ignorance, and attachment. Shree Krishna is a skillful teacher, and thus having reprimanded Arjun, He now enhances Arjun's internal strength to tackle the situation by encouraging him.
By addressing Arjun as the son of Pritha (another name for Kunti), Shree Krishna invokes him to remember his mother Kunti. She had worshipped Indra, the chief of the celestial gods, and with his blessings Arjun was born. Hence, he was endowed with extraordinary might and valor, similar to that of Indra. Shree Krishna is reminding him of this, encouraging him not to yield to this impotence, which does not befit his illustrious parentage. Again, He addresses Arjun as Parantapa, or conqueror of enemies, indicating to him to vanquish the enemy that has arisen within him, namely, the desire for dereliction of his dutiful action as a Kshatriya, or warrior class prince.
Shree Krishna goes on to explain that the way he is feeling is neither moral duty nor true compassion; rather, it is lamentation and delusion. It has its roots in weakness of mind. If his behavior was truly based on wisdom and mercy, then he would experience neither confusion nor grief.
4. In response to Shree Krishna's call for action, Arjun presents his confusion. He states that Bheeshma and Dronacharya are worthy of his respect and adoration. Bheeshma was the embodiment of chastity, and remained a lifelong celibate to fulfill the vow he had made to his father. Arjun's military preceptor, Dronacharya, was a genius in the science of warfare, and it was from him that Arjun mastered the art of archery. Kripacharya was another respectable person on the other side, whom Arjun had always held in veneration. To treat these men of high merit as enemies now seemed abominable to the noble-minded Arjun. If even arguing with these venerable elders was improper, then how could he ever think of attacking them with weapons? His statement thus implies, "O Krishna, please do not doubt my courage. I am prepared to fight. But from the perspective of moral duty, my duty is to respect my teachers and to show compassion to the sons of Dhritarashtra."
5. It could be argued that Arjun needed to fight and win the kingdom to maintain his livelihood. But, Arjun refutes that line of thought here. He says that he would prefer to live by begging than commit this heinous crime. He further believes that if he does indulge in this heinous act of fighting the war and kills his elders and relatives, his conscience will not allow him to enjoy any of the fruits of his action in this world, such as riches and power.
Shakespeare's play Macbeth carries a telling example of a person not being able to enjoy even the natural state of sleep due to guilty conscience, let alone enjoy any wealth and power that comes along by immoral conduct. Macbeth was a nobleman of Scotland. Once while travelling, the king of Scotland came to rest the night at his house. Macbeth's wife incited him to murder the king and usurp his throne. Macbeth got swayed by her advice and assassinated the king, and thereafter, he and Lady Macbeth were crowned as the king and queen of Scotland. However, for years after that, Macbeth would be found walking in his palace, fully awake at night. The author writes, "Macbeth hath killed sleep, and so Macbeth shall sleep no more." The queen would be found repeatedly washing her hands, as if to remove imaginary blood stains. In this verse, Arjun commiserates that, if he did kill these noble elders, tainted with their blood, his conscience would not let him enjoy all the royal benefits of ruling the kingdom.