Brave Arjun, standing on his chariot beneath the flag of Hanuman, then took hold of his bow and drew out a deadly arrow. He eyes locked upon their targets, when a mysterious, unseen arrow of emotion suddenly pierced him without warning. (20)

"Krishna," he said, "Draw my chariot between the armies and halt there." Krishna glanced downward, disapproving the halt.

Arjun explained, "Is there not one last chance for peace?"

"One last chance?" Krishna shook His head incredulously, "We've tried everything, Arjun! For peace you accepted a year of anonymous slavery. For peace you embraced twelve years of exile in the forest. You traded your kingdom for a desert in hopes of peace. What did Duryodhan do? He waited for you to turn the desert into paradise, then seized it from you by gambling and cheat! Hey Arjun, have no more illusions about peace! I myself went to them as a humble messenger of peace, willing to forfeit our kingdom and accept five villages in exchange. Did it work, Arjun? Nothing worked, and nothing will work. Duryodhan is beyond peace! War is no longer an option, it is a duty. Drive forward and fight for justice and truth!"

"No Krishna," Arjun replied with unsettled eyes. "Halt. If not for peace, then to observe the enemy before fighting him."

Krishna would not let Arjun hide his true feelings so easily. "You have known them all your life, Why do you need to see them again now?"

"Yes, I know Duryodhan, but who has joined him?" Arjun's voice became increasingly colored by anger. "He who sides with evil becomes evil. I want to see who has sided with evil Duryodhan." (21-23)

 Krishna, the Lord who relishes serving His own servants, drove the chariot as Arjun ordered. Arjun, the conqueror of delusion, tried to polish his inner feelings with the gloss of explanation, but Krishna sees into the hearts of all. He knew Arjun's emotions precisely. He knew Arjun's weakness. Thus he led Arjun's chariot before his beloved Grandfather Bhishma and respected Guru Drona, saying, "Here, Arjun - see who has sided with evil." (24-25)

His soft, saintly heart pushed to the brink of tears, Arjun said, "Krishna! When I see my family here so eager for war my limbs start to shake and my mouth goes dry." He cast another look upon the noble grandfather to whose lap as a child he so often ran for safety. "My body quakes! My hair stands up! O Krishna my bow slips out of my hand, and my skin burns like fire." (27-29)

Gripping his own arms as if to overcome their shaking, Arjun's tears crossed their brink and slid hotly down his cheeks.

"O Keshav, I cannot stay in this place! My mind is reeling. Everything I see that could possibly bring me happiness will bring me only misery.

"Victory in this war is no reward - it is a punishment! It means the death of my family and friends! I don't even want to win!"

"But they have stolen your kingdom..." Krishna attempted to say.

"No kingdom, no happiness is worth this price!" Arjun shouted, "Govinda, What use is a kingdom, pleasure, or even life itself when those with whom we long to share it are killed in the war to gain it?" (30-32)

Krishna became stern, "Arjun! You may not want to fight them, but they will fight you. They will kill you!"

"Nevertheless," the great archer pleaded, "they are still my gurus, fathers, sons, grandfathers, brothersŠ Even if they are ready to die and kill, why should I be? O Janardan, is a kingdom really worth the sin of killing one's own family!? Let alone a kingdom, I would not kill them even for the three worlds! What happiness will come from killing Dhritarashtra's sons?" (33-35)

Krishna's beautiful eyes shone as He tried to navigate Arjun through the intricate maze of right and wrong. "Arjun, under normal circumstances there can be no cause to even quarrel with one's elders. Certainly there can be no grounds to kill them. But you know better than I, Arjun, that these are not ordinary circumstances. These men are no longer your relatives. They tried to poison your brother. They tried to burn you and your brothers alive with your mother. They openly attacked you at the end of your anonymous slavery. They stole your property and land. They tried to strip your wife, Arjun! Don't you remember these things? They called her a whore! What kind of "family" are they? They are your enemies, aggressors!"

"Whatever they are," Arjun burst, "they are our brothers and friends. It is sinful to kill them. Krishna, you are the husband of the goddess of fortune. Is there anything fortunate to be had by killing one's family? I know that the protectors of the nation can kill an aggressor without sin, but forgiveness is a higher principle. "

A sigh of frustration escaped Krishna's lips.

"It is sinful, Krishna." (36)

" Arjun," Krishna commanded, "do you know right and wrong better than your Guru and Grandfather!?"

Bewilderment conquered Arjun's eyes.

"They have to fight the same family you have to fight. Do they run away from the battlefield? If it was wrong, would they not desist?"

Arjun's open palms faced the sky as he pleaded,

"My grandfather is not in the same situation as I. He is bound by an oath to support the throne of Hastinapur. To follow that oath is his duty. Even if it means siding with Duryodhan and fighting one's own family -upholding his oath cannot be irreligious."

Krishna smiled, what Arjun said was true.

"As for Dronacarya," Arjun continued, "in this trying moment perhaps he cannot see the devastating effect of this war, and is thus prepared to fight. However, I can see the effect, and therefore cannot raise my weapons."

"You see more clearly than your guru?" Krishna probed with sarcasm, "What makes him so blind?"

"Perhaps it is his greed. After all, poverty, which made him unable to properly care for his wife and son, drove him to beseech Drupad, and eventually reach Hastinapur. Perhaps these economic considerations cloud his vision and compel him not to see the disaster that will result from this war." (37-38)

"What 'disastrous effect'?" Krishna pushed.

" Just look around you!" Arjun offered with frustration, "Has there ever been a war of this magnitude? 18 aukshohinis - that's 64 million soldiers! There is scarcely one kingdom whose army is not present on either side. What will happen to society when all these kings die? These kings maintain the moral conduct of society, What will happen without them? How many of these 64 million soldiers is not a husband, elder brother, father, or grandfather? How many fathers, grandfathers, uncles, elders, and kings can we kill? How many nations and families can we destroy just to win a kingdom?"

A dry wind blew over the armies. Arjun's words were as accurate as his arrows.

"When family is destroyed, religion is destroyed," he continued. "That is the verdict of scripture. When religion is destroyed, the family becomes wicked. A wicked family does not honor women; who thus become debased and corrupt. Unwanted children then flood society. O Krishna, a society of unwanted children is a living hell, both for the family and for those who destroyed it! It is hellish even for ancestors who have already died - when the family loses their religious traditions, the rituals to protect the deceased are ceased." (39-41)

His voice was raising to a shout, "Destroying the family destroys everything that is good! The Lord of Death reserves a place in hell for those who endanger religion and family! We have heard it!"

Again quiet, he said, "Krishna, You are the one who maintains the prosperity of all people. Can you expect me to fight this war and destroy society?" (42-43)

Krishna's eyes, like lotus petals in a morning's new moisture, saw Arjun's mighty body quake with tears. They saw his face fall into his two hands. Through those hands Arjun let out a sound of anguish and said with great effort, "How strange it is, how strangeŠ We righteous Pandavas have implicated ourselves in such ferocious sin! For the sake of a kingdom we are ready to kill our own family.

"I cannot fight."

"Arjun," Krishna gently said, "What will you do if you do not fight? You will have no kingdom. No place to live. No occupation."

Raising his head from his hands, Arjun said, "Let me go and beg in the forest if I must. I shall not fight this war."

"They will not give you the chance to leave for the forest. Do you think Duryodhan will follow the codes of moral warfare? They will attack you and kill you unarmed."

"Let it be, Krishna. Even such an inglorious death is better than the sin of fighting this war." His unconquerable bow fell to the floor, and arrows spilled from his quiver. His arms fell limp to his thighs; and bright eyes overcast with the clouds of grief. Thus the mighty hero Arjun fell backward into the chariot's seat, hiding his face in his hands. (44-46)

© CHAKRA 17-May-2000

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