Arjuna's Killing - The Supreme Science of Devotional Violence
The Bhagavad-gītā centers around a profound moral crisis: the order to kill. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that while mundane violence is always condemned, Arjuna's specific act of killing on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra was a supreme act of devotion because it was executed entirely without personal motive, strictly under the direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
The Reluctance of a Vaiṣṇava
A pure devotee of the Lord naturally possesses all good qualities, including compassion. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that Arjuna, being a saintly person, was initially horrified by the prospect of killing his own family members simply to gain a temporary earthly kingdom.
- Actually, Arjuna was not willing to fight, because he is a Vaisnava. He does not want to kill, even if he is. . . even if he was put into so many difficulties. That was his attitude.
- Arjuna considered that rather than kill his own kinsmen for political reasons, it would be better to forgive them on grounds of religion and saintly behavior.
- I do not see how any good can come from killing my own kinsmen in this battle, nor can I, my dear Krsna, desire any subsequent victory, kingdom, or happiness. Bhagavad-gita 1.31 .
- When teachers, fathers, sons, grandfathers, maternal uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons and all relatives are ready to give up their lives and properties and are standing before me, then why should I wish to kill them, though I may survive? Bhagavad-gita 1.32-35.
The Illusion of Material Compassion
Although Arjuna's reluctance appeared noble, it was actually flawed. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that Kṛṣṇa identified Arjuna's compassion as being rooted in the bodily concept of life, driven by a subtle desire to enjoy the kingdom with his relatives rather than executing his absolute duty.
- Arjuna told the Lord that it was not possible for him to enjoy the kingdom after killing his own kinsmen. This decision was based on the body because he was thinking that the body was himself.
- When Arjuna was speaking - "If I kill my brother, if I kill my grandfather on the other side..." - he was simply thinking on the basis of the bodily concept of life.
- He (Arjuna) thought that by killing his kinsmen there would be no happiness in his life, and therefore he was not willing to fight, just as a person who does not feel hunger is not inclined to cook.
- Materially it may seem very pious that he (Arjuna) is giving up his claim for a kingdom and refusing to kill his relatives, but Krsna did not approve of this because the principle for Arjuna's decision was to satisfy his own senses.
The Order of the Supreme Lord
Action cannot be judged independently of its director. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that while killing on one's own whim is a severe sin, killing under the direct order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is an act of perfect justice and carries no karmic reaction.
- Killing the body of anyone without authority is abominable and is punishable by the law of the state as well as by the law of the Lord. Arjuna, however, is being engaged in killing for the principle of religion, and not whimsically.
- Since he was not risking rebirth of the soul, Arjuna had no reason to be afraid of being affected with sinful reactions due to his killing his grandfather and teacher.
- Arjuna engaged in the art of killing, and although killing is, of course, violence, he killed the enemy simply on Krsna's order. In the same way, if we commit violence as it is necessary, by the order of the Lord, that is called natihimsa.
- Arjuna did not like to kill his brothers, but Krsna said that "This is My desire." "All right, I shall kill." This is krsna-bhakti. When Krsna says, we can do everything, not for our personal self.
Acting as the Divine Instrument
To achieve perfection, the soul must abandon the false ego of being the ultimate doer. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that Kṛṣṇa had already arranged the deaths of the opposing warriors; He simply wanted Arjuna to act as His instrument and take the glorious credit.
- Arjuna was then advised by God to fight and take credit; otherwise the party of Duryodhana would be killed anyway by the will of the Lord. Arjuna was advised just to become the agent and take the credit for killing great generals like Bhisma and Karna.
- If you (Arjuna) want to become famous as the hero of the battlefield and thus enjoy the booty of war, then, O Savyasaci, just become the immediate cause of this killing and thus take the credit.
- Arjuna, in Bhagavad-gita, was trying to accept for himself the responsibility for killing his grandfather and teacher in the fight, but he became freed from that proprietorship of action when he acted under the direction of Krsna.
- All the activities of a pure devotee are executed on behalf of the Lord (Krsna) because a pure devotee of the Lord has nothing to do for his personal interest. Arjuna's killing was as good as killing by the Lord Himself.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the act of killing performed by Arjuna is a profound lesson in the science of devotional service. As Śrīla Prabhupāda masterfully clarifies, Arjuna's initial refusal to kill was not based on elevated spiritual vision, but rather on material attachment and the bodily concept of life. He was calculating his actions based on his own sense gratification. However, the Bhagavad-gītā teaches that the supreme standard of morality is to completely align one's will with the desire of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Because the opposing forces were already destined to die by the divine arrangement of the Lord, Arjuna's execution of his martial duty was entirely free from sin. By overcoming his false, material compassion and acting purely as an instrument of Kṛṣṇa's will, Arjuna's act of killing became the ultimate, perfect expression of unalloyed devotion.
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