Clarity in Krishna's message

The Hindu

16-07-2025

Lessons from the Bhagavad Gita are innumerable. Chapter II, verse 27, delivers one of the scripture's most profound truths: 'Death is certain for the one who is born and birth is inevitable for the one who has died; therefore, you should not lament over the inevitable.' This ancient wisdom speaks directly to humanity's eternal struggle with mortality and moral duty, said Swami Mitranandaji.
When the warrior Arjuna, overwhelmed by the prospect of battle, seeks to abandon his responsibilities and free from the battlefield, he cites death as complete destruction. His paralysis represents more than personal fear — it embodies the human tendency to avoid difficult but necessary action when faced with life' s harsh realities.
Lord Krishna's response is not one of comfort, but of clarity. The divine teacher refuses to allow Arjuna's sentimental lamenting, and instead calls him to decisive action. Krishna's message is uncompromising: avoiding dharma, one's righteous duty, is worse than death itself. In a society that has become adharmic, living without purpose or moral foundation renders existence meaningless.
The Gita's teaching transcends individual morality to address societal responsibility. When dharma is abandoned, society itself becomes spiritually dead. Krishna emphasises that birth and death are merely two sides of the same coin, natural transitions in the eternal cycle of existence. What matters is not the inevitability of death, but how one lives — whether in accordance with dharma or in opposition to it.
Throughout Hindu tradition, divine beings have taken up arms whenever adharma crossed all boundaries and force became the only means to restore righteousness. This principle extends beyond ancient battlefields to contemporary challenges where moral courage demands action over inaction.
Krishna's counsel to Arjuna remains relevant today, when faced with moral imperatives, sentiment must yield to righteous action. A life lived in accordance with dharma, however brief, surpasses a lengthy existence devoid of purpose and righteousness.