Krishna Janmashtami is being celebrated for the second year in succession under the threat of Corona. To make things worse the possibility of a third wave still haunts us. The birthday celebrations of Lord Krishna, then, is again going to be a low-key affair. Same Precautions, and same Corona protocols need to be observed. But should that dampen our spirits? Remember Lord Krishna’s central message to Arjuna. Fight the battle. Pandava Prince was in a dilemma, reluctant to pick up his bow and arrow. Lord Krishna then chose to recite the Gita to arouse the fighting spirit of the Kshatriya Prince. The message was clear. Fight, not flight. Life is a Kurukshetra where you face challenges in the form of Kauravas. The pandemic also is like a battle of Kurukshetra for the entire humanity. A battle that must be fought. The initial response to avoid and escape took a heavy toll while we tried to live with one shut down after another. Doubts and depression got the better of us. But we now realise that wishing coronavirus away was not the best strategy. It is time to brace for the fight. With all our resources and all our might. This is the lesson that Lord Krishna delivered to Arjuna who was in complete distress seeing the famed warriors of the enemy camp. Let us recapitulate the lessons of Gita. In this war of attrition, we all are like Arjuna, full of doubts and anxieties. Let us take clues from the eternal wisdom and prepare to take the battle to the enemy’s camp. We need to muster courage, sharpen our wit and garner our resources to fight the Corona. That is what Lord Krishna exhorted. Gita offers the most practical lessons for facing life. Life is full of challenges and we can face those only with the grace of God. But to get that we must believe in him and have full faith. Initially, Arjun was in doubt and this made him avoid the fight. The Gita lesson begins from this. Lord tries to enlighten him that running away is not the answer. Doubts make people shy away from challenges but they are not aware that by not fighting you are losing the battle even before it has begun. So, fight you must, not thinking of the outcome that is not in your hands. During the pandemic we saw many people give up the fight even before it started. The outcome was disastrous. Lord Krishna says do your karma and dedicate it to Me. The rest will be taken care by Him. Thinking of the outcome weakens the resolve. We need to fight and leave the result to the Lord. But we must understand that Lord Krishna has never said that fight without preparation. This is the misconception that many nurse. Being brave doesn’t mean throwing caution to the winds. That is foolhardiness. Fighting with full preparedness is needed. This is what we must do while facing the challenge of Corona. Many thought that following Corona protocol was a sign of weakness. Certainly not. Bravery is making full use of your arsenals and face the attacks of the enemy. It is an objective assessment of the challenge. Focus on the strengths but don’t let the weaknesses come in the way. All battles are strategic challenges to be met with grit and wit. The battle against Corona is no different. Let us revisit the Gita and face the threat that Corona has posed.

Pathak is a professor of management, writer, and an acclaimed public speaker. He can be reached at ppathak.ism@gmail.com