Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 3, Verse 3: How to Live Fully & Practice Detachment

Hare Krishna. So we will proceed on our journey with the 24th verse of third chapter from Bhagavad Gita. As it is, the Sanskrit was is as follows. Utsidyur ime loka nakuram karmache daham sankarasyacha karatasyam upanyam ime praja. The English translation is as follows. If I did not perform prescribed duties, all these words would be put to ruination. I would be the cause of creating unwanted population, and I would thereby destroy the peace of all living beings. Now, many people feel uncomfortable with the idea of a religious text like Bhagavad Gita advocating for war. They might be surprised to learn that Gita itself acknowledges these concerns, addressing them with profound foresight beyond a mere aversion to bloodshed. In the first chapter, The Warrior Prince Arjuna describes the widespread social destabilisation that the war brings. It decimates the able bodied, leaving vulnerable groups such as women unprotected and susceptible to exploitation by unscrupulous opportunists. Since abortion is unacceptable in any civilised culture, such exploitation results in the birth of unwanted progeny. Arjuna argues that it would be better to die unarmed and unresisting than to fight and cause such a chaos now. Krishna responds by highlighting that similar, if not worse, social upheavals would occur if society's leaders shirked their duty to protect the in the guise of pessimism. Such abdiction would enable exploitative and violent elements to seize power and assume leadership roles. When predators become protectors, they exploit the entire state machinery to oppress the people. To illustrate this point, Krishna mentions how he himself diligently performs social duties, urging Arjuna to act responsibly as a leader now. Responsible leaders should avoid violence whenever possible, as the Pandavas had done earlier. However, the purpose of peace is to foster civic order and spiritual progress in the society, an almost impossible task with exploiters in charge. If leaders in their pursuit of peace lose this very sight of its ultimate purpose, they may end up in causing more harm than any war. When war is the only means to achieve this purpose, the Gita does not shy away from this harsh reality for the sake of Pacific. Thank you everyone. We will discuss the 25th verse in the next episode. Till then, Hare Krishna.