Arjuna As a Kṣatriya - The Duty of a Vedic Warrior
In the modern world, the lines between different social and occupational duties are often blurred, leading to widespread confusion regarding life's purpose. However, the Vedic system of varṇāśrama-dharma provides clear, scientific divisions based on a person's natural qualities and work. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains this concept vividly through the historical crisis of Arjuna. As a royal warrior facing a terrible dilemma, Arjuna had to learn that true spiritual advancement comes not from abandoning one's duties, but from executing them perfectly for the Supreme Lord.
The Obligations of the Warrior Class
According to Vedic civilization, a kṣatriya is bound by a strict code of honor and duty. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that a true military man cannot refuse a legitimate challenge to fight or gamble. Arjuna belonged to this noble class, and his primary responsibility was to establish justice and protect religious principles, which necessitated fighting the envious party of Duryodhana.
- A ksatriya is not supposed to refuse to battle or gamble when he is so invited by some rival party. Under such obligation, Arjuna could not refuse to fight because he was challenged by the party of Duryodhana.
- Arjuna was a military man, and born of the nature of the ksatriya. Therefore his natural duty was to fight. But, due to false ego, he was fearing that by killing his teacher, grandfather and friends, there would be sinful reactions.
- As a ksatriya, he requires a kingdom for his subsistence, because the ksatriyas cannot engage themselves in any other occupation. But Arjuna has had no kingdom.
- Arjuna did not know whether he should fight and risk unnecessary violence, although fighting is the duty of the ksatriyas, or whether he should refrain and live by begging.
The Illusion of False Compassion
When Arjuna saw his worshipable grandfather, Bhīṣma, and his teacher, Droṇa, assembled on the opposing side, he was overwhelmed by bodily affection and proposed a path of nonviolence. Śrīla Prabhupāda strictly points out that for a kṣatriya to act like a saintly brāhmaṇa or a beggar on the battlefield is the philosophy of fools. Such nonviolence is actually a deviation from religious duty.
- He (Arjuna) wanted to become nonviolent in the discharge of his specific duty. For a ksatriya to be in the battlefield and to become nonviolent is the philosophy of fools.
- He (Arjuna) was saintly by character, and therefore he wanted to deal with them (the aggresors) in saintliness. This kind of saintliness, however, is not for a ksatriya.
- Arjuna as a ksatriya should not abandon his duty out of fear that his grandfather and teacher - Bhisma and Drona - will die in the battle.
- Arjuna appears to have even forgotten the moral codes for a ksatriya.
The Chastisement of the Supreme Lord
Lord Kṛṣṇa did not sympathize with Arjuna's lamentation. Instead, He heavily chastised His friend. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that Kṛṣṇa accused Arjuna of acting like a non-Aryan, warning him that abandoning the fight would not result in spiritual elevation, but would completely destroy his reputation and lead him down a royal road to hell.
- Although Arjuna was a ksatriya, he was deviating from his prescribed duties by declining to fight. This act of cowardice is described as befitting the non-Aryans.
- Arjuna, the ksatriya, was refusing to fight despite being directly ordered by the Supreme Lord. He was thus chastised by the Lord as belonging to a non-Aryan family. Anyone who is advanced in the devotional service of the Lord certainly knows his duty.
- Krsna said to Arjuna: "This is not for the Aryan. You are ksatriya, you are meant for fighting for justice, and you are denying to fight? Oh, this is not good. This kind of proposal, cowardice, can be proposed by the anarya."
- If he (Arjuna) abandoned the battle (of Kuruksetra), he would not only neglect his specific duty as a ksatriya, but he would lose all his fame and good name and thus prepare his royal road to hell.
Attaining Perfection in One's Position
The ultimate message of the Bhagavad-gītā is not the artificial renunciation of action. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that after hearing Kṛṣṇa's instructions, Arjuna did not change his social order to become a meditating sage in the Himalayas. He remained a kṣatriya and a householder, but he achieved the highest perfection by executing his martial duties purely for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord.
- Arjuna, although he was fighter, Arjuna did not change his position. He did not become a brahmana. After hearing Bhagavad-gita it is not that he gave up his profession as a ksatriya and went to Himalaya to become a brahmana, meditation.
- Arjuna was a householder and a military general, and therefore it was better for him to remain as such and perform his religious duties as prescribed for the householder ksatriya.
- Krsna says (to Arjuna) that - Don't try to imitate the business of a sannyasi or a Brahmin. You are ksatriya. You . . . your duty is to fight, so you should follow your own prescribed duty. Don't try to imitate others."
- A brahmana can serve the Lord by using his intelligence, and the ksatriya can serve the Supreme Lord by using his military arts, just as Arjuna served Krsna. Arjuna was a warrior; he had no time to study Vedanta or other highly intellectual books.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the character of Arjuna as a kṣatriya teaches us that spiritual life does not require an artificial change of our natural occupation. Śrīla Prabhupāda masterfully clarifies that Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not a call to escape from reality, but a call to act in reality with divine purpose. By attempting to avoid the Battle of Kurukṣetra, Arjuna was actually following the "philosophy of fools," misidentifying false compassion as saintliness. Lord Kṛṣṇa's sharp chastisement was necessary to remind Arjuna that for a warrior, nonviolence in the face of injustice is a sinful act of cowardice. The ultimate perfection achieved by Arjuna was his realization that he could serve the Lord perfectly within his own field of work. He did not need to become a scholar or a forest ascetic; he simply needed to fight as a dedicated instrument of the Lord's will. Ultimately, this narrative serves as a vital lesson for all living entities: whatever our natural position within varṇāśrama may be, we can attain the highest spiritual platform by dedicating our specific talents and duties to the pleasure of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Arjuna As a Ksatriya. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience the teachings in their direct, verbatim form.