Bhagavad Gītā: Chapter 2, Verses 7–13

Arjuna was quite sure that the conclusion he reached—to not fight—was noble. He thought that Śrī Kṛṣṇa would applaud his thought process when he gave various reasons to arrive at that conclusion. But Śrī Kṛṣṇa surprised Arjuna. He reprimanded him with strong words. Śrī Kṛṣṇa said that Arjuna’s behavior is not befitting a person of his stature, as indicated in the earlier verses. From the reaction he received from Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna started doubting himself.

Arjuna, drowning in his sorrow, concluded that he was in delusion. That is when he sought guidance. He surrendered unto Śrī Kṛṣṇa as a disciple. He pleaded for Śrī Kṛṣṇa to tell him decisively what he should be doing. Arjuna had firm faith in Śrī Kṛṣṇa. With all humility, he accepted the confusion in his heart and sought guidance.

Arjuna expresses the urgency to find the solution to his extreme grief, burning his senses. The sorrow that he felt was not because he wanted any material gains, as he indicates in this verse. That is beyond his intellectual capacity. Humbly, he surrenders to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Śrī Kṛṣṇa patiently and compassionately deals with the root cause of the problem. He shares the knowledge to dispel Arjuna’s delusion in the upcoming discourses quite elaborately.

Only Dhṛtarāṣṭra had the power to call off the war. Sañjaya hoped that he would understand that Arjuna would be victorious because he surrendered to the Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Dhṛtarāṣṭra was not only physically blind, but he was also intellectually blind. He did not understand the warnings given by wise people because of his extreme attachment to his children.

Here, Sañjaya is addressing Dhṛtarāṣṭra as Bharata, meaning descendant of Bharat. He symbolically highlights through this verse the Lord as the charioteer. The Lord, equipped with a subtle, discerning intellect, controls the horses, which represent the senses. He reassures Arjuna, who is dejectedly seated with a surrendered ego, with a smile. Then he starts speaking.

The Katha-upaniṣad explains the concept of human life and how to live life by comparing the body to a chariot. This concept is symbolically represented perfectly at this moment. Individual ego (Arjuna) sits in the body (chariot) after throwing down his egocentric activities (Gāṇḍīva). The sense organs (horses) are controlled/pulled back by the reins (mind). Then the intellect (charioteer, Śrī Kṛṣṇa) gives divine knowledge to guide the individual ego (Arjuna) to be free of sorrow.

From this verse onward start the teachings of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Arjuna’s cause for grief seems like it is the challenge of war. Upon closer examination, we can see that was not the case as indicated in the earlier verses. He did not know if this grief would go away, irrespective of whether he fought the war or not. Like a good doctor, Śrī Kṛṣṇa is removing the cause of the disease, which is the source of Arjuna’s delusion. He addresses the root of Arjuna’s confusion about his duty rather than just the symptom. This confusion is due to the delusion caused by ignorance of his true nature.

The non-apprehension of reality causes the ego, conditioned by the BMI (body, mind, and intellect), to rise. This leads to the misapprehension of one’s true nature. It creates the feeling of being bound by the limitations of the body, the emotions of the mind, and the ideas of the intellect. Śrī Kṛṣṇa starts his discourse by stating that the wise understand the truth from a spiritual level. They know that everyone is eternal. Thus, there is no need to grieve for either the living or the dead.

The same thing viewed from different levels gives a different understanding and inspiration. Each of us has four personalities: physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. When we appreciate something from an intellectual standpoint, we will not have any sorrow even if we are hurt physically or mentally. Similarly, when we look at something from a spiritual standpoint, one can be inspired to look beyond the dejection felt at physical, mental, and intellectual levels. And that is what the teacher Śrī Kṛṣṇa is trying to teach here by starting the lecture with this eternal truth.

Misconception about the Self is that we are the body, mind, and intellect. Śrī Kṛṣṇa is dealing with that misconception here. The body has nothing to do with one’s existence. The body has birth and death, but the Self has no birth or death. Self temporarily identifies with different forms to gain different experiences. Śrī Kṛṣṇa states that neither he, Arjuna, nor all the kings there came from somewhere accidentally. They are the continuation of their past. They live in the present and continue to the endless future, seemingly conditioned by different names and forms. They will live through different environments based on their karma. This is the basis for the theory of reincarnation in Hindu philosophy.

As we grow, our bodies go through various changes from childhood to youth to middle age to old age. As we pass through these stages, we consider the earlier dead while the new one takes its place. We do not grieve the death of the prior stage because we have gained so many experiences. Our current stage is possible because of the earlier one. Through all these different stages, our memory remains. This subjective experience remains constant. Śrī Kṛṣṇa asserts that wise men should not worry when the soul passes from one body to another. It’s just like a change of clothes. Hence, one need not be fearful of death. Based on the vāsanās (mental impressions) accumulated, the ego gets identified with physical equipment to express itself and seek fulfillment.