Karma Kanda – Fight! (2.31 – 2.38)

1. Transcendental consciousness

Everything is performed for the sake of Krishna
No consideration of happiness or distress, profit or gain, victory or defeat
Applying to Arjuna’s case – ‘Fighting for the sake of fighting because Lord desires the battle’

2. Material consciousness – To act for one’s own sense gratification either in goodness or in passion

Result – One is subject to reaction, good or bad

3. Krishna conscious devotee is beyond obligations – Ref. SB 11.5.41 “devarsi-bhutapta…”

One who is completely surrendered to the activities of Krishna consciousness is no longer obliged to anyone, nor is he a debtor to anyone, as in the ordinary course of activities.
No obligation or debts to demigods, sages, people in general, kinsmen, humanity, forefathers.

4. Indirect hint given to Arjuna by this verse

By acting in Krishna consciousness, one is beyond all mundane obligations.

Progress Chapter 1 50%

1. Ksatriya – This is the second of the four social orders. It is meant for good administration

2. Literal meaning of Ksatriya (2.31 purport) – One who gives protection from harm (‘ksat’ – hurt / ‘trayate’ – give protection)

3. Duty of Ksatriya – Ref. Parasara Smriti explains the duty of ksatriya (2.32 purport)

To protect citizens from all difficulties
Apply violence for law and order
Conquer inimical kings
Rule the world according to religious principles
Ksatriyas are never meant for directly accepting the order of sannyasa
Non-violence in politics may be diplomacy, but it is never a factor or principle

4. Training of a Ksatriya (2.31 purport)

Trained for challenging and killing because religious violence is a necessary factor
How they are trained – Would go to forest, challenge tiger face to face with a sword and offer tiger for royal order of cremation

5. Ref. Religious law books on ‘violence’ (2.31 purport) – The following are not acts of violence:

Sacrificial animal killing by brahmanas – Animal immediately gets a human body without evolutionary cycle / Brahmana gets heavenly planets
Ksatriyas fighting on religious principles – Get heavenly planets if killed

6. Result of avoidance of duty by Ksatriyas

Infamy (2.31 purport)
Sinful Reaction – Hellish planets

7. Fighting benefits both ways (2.32 purport) – Win or Lose – (Refer to main theme above)

8. Two types of ‘Sva-dharmas’ (Specific duties) – ‘Material’ and ‘spiritual’

Spiritual ‘sva-dharma’ – Attained after liberation
Material ‘sva-dharma’ (Varnashrama-dharma)
o Definition – Duties which are performed in accordance with the religious principles, according to particular body, to gradually achieve liberation
o Must for humanity
▪ Human civilization begins at this point
▪ As long as one is not liberated, these duties are very important to perform
o Ordained by the Lord (Clarified further in Bg. Chapter 4)
▪ They are unavoidable (Man’s stepping stone for spiritual understanding)
o Benefit – If done in accordance with higher authorities, it elevates one to higher states of life

PLEASE NOTE: The remaining points of these purports are covered under the Common Theme above.

LINK BETWEEN TEXTS 2.37 & 2.38 : Krishna’s arguments give here are meant to inspire Arjuna to fight. They are a particular set of instructions that address material enjoyment (based upon identifying oneself with one’s body) as the motivating force behind Arjuna’s performance of duty. Krishna ends this section in the next verse and then takes the discussion (in Text 2.39) to the higher level of working in knowledge.

Text 2.38

THEME : Fight for the sake of duty – Krishna concludes this section by saying that Arjuna should not make decisions based on material happiness or distress, rather fight for the sake of his duty and thus be purified.
Which is sinful: “Fighting or not fighting”?

Arjuna reasoned earlier that fighting the battle would cause him to suffer prolonged sinful reactions, but here Krishna explains that no sin will be incurred by one who executes his duty in the proper consciousness.

Learnings from Purport 2.38

1. Transcendental consciousness

Everything is performed for the sake of Krishna
No consideration of happiness or distress, profit or gain, victory or defeat
Applying to Arjuna’s case – ‘Fighting for the sake of fighting because Lord desires the battle’

2. Material consciousness – To act for one’s own sense gratification either in goodness or in passion

Result – One is subject to reaction, good or bad

3. Krishna conscious devotee is beyond obligations – Ref. SB 11.5.41 “devarsi-bhutapta…”

One who is completely surrendered to the activities of Krishna consciousness is no longer obliged to anyone, nor is he a debtor to anyone, as in the ordinary course of activities.
No obligation or debts to demigods, sages, people in general, kinsmen, humanity, forefathers.

4. Indirect hint given to Arjuna by this verse

By acting in Krishna consciousness, one is beyond all mundane obligations.

Progress Chapter 1 50%

1. Ksatriya – This is the second of the four social orders. It is meant for good administration

2. Literal meaning of Ksatriya (2.31 purport) – One who gives protection from harm (‘ksat’ – hurt / ‘trayate’ – give protection)

3. Duty of Ksatriya – Ref. Parasara Smriti explains the duty of ksatriya (2.32 purport)

To protect citizens from all difficulties
Apply violence for law and order
Conquer inimical kings
Rule the world according to religious principles
Ksatriyas are never meant for directly accepting the order of sannyasa
Non-violence in politics may be diplomacy, but it is never a factor or principle

4. Training of a Ksatriya (2.31 purport)

Trained for challenging and killing because religious violence is a necessary factor
How they are trained – Would go to forest, challenge tiger face to face with a sword and offer tiger for royal order of cremation

5. Ref. Religious law books on ‘violence’ (2.31 purport) – The following are not acts of violence:

Sacrificial animal killing by brahmanas – Animal immediately gets a human body without evolutionary cycle / Brahmana gets heavenly planets
Ksatriyas fighting on religious principles – Get heavenly planets if killed

6. Result of avoidance of duty by Ksatriyas

Infamy (2.31 purport)
Sinful Reaction – Hellish planets

7. Fighting benefits both ways (2.32 purport) – Win or Lose – (Refer to main theme above)

8. Two types of ‘Sva-dharmas’ (Specific duties) – ‘Material’ and ‘spiritual’

Spiritual ‘sva-dharma’ – Attained after liberation
Material ‘sva-dharma’ (Varnashrama-dharma)
o Definition – Duties which are performed in accordance with the religious principles, according to particular body, to gradually achieve liberation
o Must for humanity
▪ Human civilization begins at this point
▪ As long as one is not liberated, these duties are very important to perform
o Ordained by the Lord (Clarified further in Bg. Chapter 4)
▪ They are unavoidable (Man’s stepping stone for spiritual understanding)
o Benefit – If done in accordance with higher authorities, it elevates one to higher states of life

PLEASE NOTE: The remaining points of these purports are covered under the Common Theme above.

Text 2.38

Arjuna reasoned earlier that fighting the battle would cause him to suffer prolonged sinful reactions, but here Krishna explains that no sin will be incurred by one who executes his duty in the proper consciousness.

Learnings from Purport 2.38

1. Transcendental consciousness

Everything is performed for the sake of Krishna
No consideration of happiness or distress, profit or gain, victory or defeat
Applying to Arjuna’s case – ‘Fighting for the sake of fighting because Lord desires the battle’

2. Material consciousness – To act for one’s own sense gratification either in goodness or in passion

Result – One is subject to reaction, good or bad

3. Krishna conscious devotee is beyond obligations – Ref. SB 11.5.41 “devarsi-bhutapta…”

One who is completely surrendered to the activities of Krishna consciousness is no longer obliged to anyone, nor is he a debtor to anyone, as in the ordinary course of activities.
No obligation or debts to demigods, sages, people in general, kinsmen, humanity, forefathers.

4. Indirect hint given to Arjuna by this verse

By acting in Krishna consciousness, one is beyond all mundane obligations.

Progress Chapter 1 50%