Our dealings have to be structured according to the person in front of us. An unrighteous individual must be treated differently from a righteous one – The Bhagavad-Gita begins with Lord Krishna asking Arjun the reason behind his present state of mind and the source of the negative emotions in his mind. Arjun was least expecting such a reaction. He thought that Krishna, being his friend would sympathise with and understand his state of mind and be in agreement with him.
However, Krishna wants to know how this impurity has entered his mind. He is of the opinion that while standing on the battlefield such emotions are not right and should not be entertained. Mercy and pity are good, but they should be felt for the right person, under the correct conditions and at the appropriate time.
Emotions are relational and, therefore, relative. To treat all situations as equal and respond to them in the same way is not correct. One must be aware that God resides in all people, but one must respond to situations and people according to the circumstances. One can see God’s presence in the cow and the tiger, but whereas one may embrace the cow, one should refrain from doing the same with the tiger.
During the Mahabharat war, Lord Krishna gives a live demonstration of the meaning behind his words. At one point during the war, while Arjun and Karna were engaged in battle, the latter’s chariot got stuck in the mud. Karna was forced to dismount in order to release the wheel. At this time, seeing that he was unarmed, Arjun stopped fighting but Krishna told him to carry on regardless. Karna, after all, was an unrighteous person.
Our dealings have to be structured according to the people we are dealing with. An unrighteous person must be dealt with differently from a righteous person. Such situations are created in the
Mahabharat to set us thinking about the various aspects of dharma.
If some foreign matter, inimical to us enters our body, it is rejected at once, without any remorse. Intrinsically, the body knows what to do. Likewise, we must reject what is bad.
Krishna reminds Arjun of the righteous cause that he is fighting for and wants him to remember that he is a leader, on whom so many people are dependent. This does not mean that He is advocating war. Given the circumstances, the politics and the social situation, the war had
become inevitable.
Certain actions, though unpleasant, become unavoidable in certain situations. Krishna is only advocating that Arjun must perform his duties, even though these are not conducive to his mindset.
Krishna tells Arjun to give up the weakness of his heart and stand up and fight the war. This dynamic statement of Krishna reminds one of the statements of the Kathopanishad in which the rishi says, "Uthishte jagrata" (stand up and gain the supreme Knowledge). Here Arjun is being advised to work or fight.
Krishna tells Arjun to give up the lower feelings and face life. He does not denounce emotions, but asks him to give up emotionalism. Sometimes we need to show anger, but this should be done without getting angry. Emotions are a part of our personality, but they should not be allowed to overpower us. Everybody has a role to play in this life and we must play our part without giving in to likes and dislikes.
