Krishna continues to recite and explain the Bhagavad Gita in this episode of Mahabharata
Krishna tells Arjun that should he win this war, he will enjoy success and a kingdom. But if he were to die fighting, he will still attain heaven for fighting evil. Arjun asks why should he care about success, Heaven or a kingdom, if he doesn’t desire any of them now. Krishna states that he must not think about desire, of victory and defeat, of gain or loss, or of happiness or sadness. Because it is those desires that will mire him in an earthly existence.
Krishna asks Arjun to start thinking about Duty. He states that performing one’s duty is true merit in and of itself. Performing one’s duty does not entitle one to its benefits. A Duty must be performed without consideration of its consequences. When Arjun asks Krishna how one can act without thinking of its rewards or hazards, Krishna reminds Arjun that a person always acts. Even by not acting, he acts. Therefore, since acting is inevitable, a person must choose which actions to perform, based on whether those actions are in accordance with duty or not.
Krishna then explains that attachment to worldly objects or people creates desire. Desire leads to anger when it cannot be satisfied. And anger in and of itself creates more desires, desire for vengeance and absolution. And eventually, desire makes you stupid. But only by strictly performing one’s duty can one be truly unperturbed. And only those who are unperturbed can increase their wisdom.
Mistaking wisdom for knowledge, Arjun asks if it would be better for him to live as a sanyasi and attain knowledge, but Krishna explains that someone who just rejects the world and shuts himself off, is only lying to himself. Because true wisdom isn’t completely shutting off the senses; true wisdom is in controlling your senses to perceive what you need to observe. Krishna states that true wisdom comes from acting on those observations in accordance with duty.
Krishna explains that duty is defined as actions which benefit society as a whole. Someone acting purely based on desires will only act selfishly. Even altruistic acts degenerate to selfish acts if they were done purely for selfish reasons. He then states that avenging Draupadi is a duty because if she could be molested in spite of her high status, then no woman is safe. Thereby, avenging Draupadi protects all women.
Dhritharashtra listens to it all and grows more and more agitated, because Krishna’s Logic is irrefutable.
Tropes found here are
- Attack on One Is an Attack on All: Krishna states that rape and molestation is an attack on all womankind.
- For the Greater Good: Krishna defines all actions performed strictly for this reason alone as “duty”.
- The Hermit / Hikikomori: Krishna deconstructs such a mindset, calling it self delusion and cowardice, since these people run away from the world instead of trying to improve it.
- Passion Is Evil: Krishna states that acting purely out of desire makes you act selfishly, and can cause harm to others.
- The Stoic: Krishna states that only an unflappable stoic individual who doesn’t let things affect them, is ever going to be competent at performing utilitarian duties.
- Übermensch: Krishna defines his own version of this concept by assigning utilitarianism and selfless duty as his hallmarks.
