Does Bhagavat Gita Promote Violence?

Ramachandran

Why do you drag Bhagavat Gita in to this workshop on “Living with Awareness”? You as a healer talk about forgiveness, love and thanks, while Bhagavat Gita promotes violence. The Gita talks about Kshatriya Darma (warrior’s responsibilities), fighting, killing, etc. You seem to be contradicting.

Naran S. Balakumar

One can interpret Gita in many ways. There are so many criticisms, controversies and commentaries for Gita. This shows the popularity of the Bhagavat Gita.

How a healer should understand it? Gita does not promote violence. It promotes detachment.  It says, “Do your duty without attaching yourself to the mind”.  

What does Krishna mean when he said, “Arjuna, you are a Kshatriya (warrior) and therefore your duty is to fight”. He categorically said that the battleground is a place of implementation and not a place for analysis.

Did Krishna Promote Violence

My answer to your question, “Did Krishna promote violence through Gita”, is “NO”.

Krishna said, “Arjuna, you had already taken a decision, based on Darma. This is the battleground, where one has to activate the Kshatriya part (military part) of the mind. The decision was taken already. The battleground is a place of implementation. A jawan should just carry out the orders of his superiors. The Jawan (soldier) should fight but cannot question the Major General. There is no right or wrong in the war front. Fight is the order. There is no violence in the war front. The Military mind is fighting to protect. Arjuna, your duty now is to fight. Activate that part. Deactivate other parts.”

Conclusion

Gita does not promote violence. It promotes detachment. “Do your duty without attaching yourself to the mind.”

If Arjuna asked his questions/doubts when Pandavas were deciding for war instead on the battleground, Krishna would have answered differently and different Gita would have been with us today.

During the discussion before the war Arjuna instead of activating his Brahminical part activated his Kshatriya mind and clamoured for war. Strangely, he activated his Brahminical part in the war front instead of his Kshatriya part. That is why today’s Gita was born!

Next Post on Living with Awareness Series Part III:

How to Practice Living with Awareness in the way mentioned by Bhagavat Gita?

Does Bhagavat Gita Encourage Casteism?

Living with Awareness Series Part I

Introduction

What does Krishna meant when he said, “Arjuna, you are a Kshatriya (warrior caste) and therefore your duty is to fight”. Do this Krishna’s words indicate that he believed in the caste system? (In ancient India there were four main castes – Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vysya and Sudra)

Naran S. Balakumar believes Krishna meant something else. Read this post to know the insights of Naran on this topic.

Different Castes in place

The beauty of human being is that a person can play different roles in life. The mind is a multi-faceted energy field. It thinks and analyses in parts.

When one part of the mind discusses, then it is the policy-maker within. The part of the mind that takes a decision after deep analysis based on darma, justice and fairness – rights and wrongs, is the Brahminical part. For some, it is the dominant part. The mind can take a decision in many ways, based on circumstances and environment. If one takes the decision based on darma, we are activating the Brahminical part of the mind. We can call that part as the analytical or the logical part.

If you base the decision on anger and violence, you are activating the Kshatriya part of the mind. It is nothing but the military part (protection by fighting).

If you take the decision based on adjustments and compromises, you are activating the Vysya part (Vysya – trader).

If you cannot take a decision, and you depend on others (considered by us as superiors) for our decision, you are activating your Sudra part (submissive, indecisive part).

Thus, Caste is nothing but playing different roles in our lives.

Initiating Castes

How you are activating these parts? It is due to influence by desires coming out of Ego and Pride.  

Desire to control belongs to Brahminical mind and Kshatriya mind. For the Brahminical part, ego is more dominant and for the Kshatriya part, pride is dominant. Desire for approval, appreciation or recognition is the Vysya part. Desire to feel more secured is there in all four parts. However, this is more in the Sudra part.

 If a person predominantly takes a decision activating only one part, then that part of the mind becomes his personality. This is how Casteism was born. Many were responsible for bringing in castes in Indian society.

While walking on the path of healing let us not drag ourselves into confusion by thinking about caste, race and religion. They are aberrations of the society and let us ignore them.

Next Post on Living with Awareness Series Part II:

Does Bhagavat Gita Promote Violence?