Bhagavad Gita is a powerful message of courage, both in the physical and the metaphysical domains. This message is the message of boldness, the message of valour and the message of bravery. By referring to the battlefield as Dharmakshetra and Kurukshetra in the very beginning of the scripture, it has been implied that life is an arena of constant conflict, where one ought to fight boldly for righteousness. The teachings of Gita exhort one to courageously oppose that which is unjust. The dialogue between Arjuna and Krishna is a long journey, a pilgrimage from confusion to confidence.
By tradition and training, Arjuna belonged to the warrior class whose duty was to protect society. A warrior was expected to be brave and even lay down his life in the line of duty. But seeing his kinsmen standing on the battlefield, Arjuna was overwhelmed with compassion and sadness. He refused to fight citing various reasons such as emotional attachments, loss of family traditions, a decline of religious beliefs, other societal consequences, fear of incurring sin; and also the possibility of losing the war. He said that he preferred to live by begging than to kill his loved ones and respected beings. Krishna wondered how Arjuna, the great archer, had yielded to such cowardice, in that hour of crisis. He, therefore, reminded him of his duty as a warrior. Krishna admonishingly told Arjuna that such behaviour of mental weakness does not behove men of a noble mind. Cowardice can neither bring a good name nor can it lead to heaven i. e. fearfulness could bring glory neither in this world nor in the life after. Arjuna was, therefore, asked to get ready to fight and conquer the enemies (whole of chapter 1 and shlokas from 2.1 to 2.10).
Krishna urged Arjuna to give up impotency. He appealed to his sense of honour and the martial traditions. To re-ignite the spark of bravery and the pride of ancestry in him, Krishna repeatedly addressed Arjuna as Maha-boho (the mighty-armed), Parantapa (vanquisher of the enemies), Purusha-vyaghra (the tiger among men), Kuru-pravir (the best of Kuru warriors), Bharatsattam (best of Bharatas), Gudakesha (the conqueror of sleep), Dhananjay ( winner of wealth), Savya-sachin (the one who can shoot arrows with both hands) and many other such titles. By addressing Arjuna like that, Krishna has sent a message of bravery to mankind in general and the warrior class in particular.
Sri Krishna has also described the qualities of a warrior. It has been stated that a warrior must have a tendency to not flee from the battlefield. He must have valour, vigour, steadiness, dexterity, generosity ; and other leadership qualities (shloka 18.43).
The duties of a warrior have further been elaborated in shlokas from 2.31 to 2.38. For a warrior, there can be no greater good than a battle mandated by duty. With determination, one must fight for that which is right. If he is victorious, he would enjoy earthly glory; and if he is killed, he shall attain heaven. Therefore, treating victory and defeat alike, a warrior must remain ready for the battle, for a righteous cause. It has further been stated that if one does not fight a lawful battle, he not only incurs the sin of not fulfilling his duty but also loses his reputation as a brave man. Those who leave the battlefield out of cowardice, they lose their respect in society; and for a respectable person, dishonour is worse than death.
Krishna abhors cowardice. After appealing to his sense of honour and martial traditions, elucidating the doctrine of the indestructibility of the soul, explaining how action should be performed; and revealing to him the ultimate purpose of creation, Krishna asked Arjuna to get ready to fight and conquer the enemies. He could, thus, enjoy a prosperous kingdom and gain glory (shloka 11.33). Arjuna was further advised to fight remembering the Supreme Lord all the time, fixing his mind and intelligence in Him (shloka 8.7).
What applies in the field of the phenomenal world, equally applies in the moral and the spiritual realms. One has to, thus, fight the inner war with equal determination. Lust has been stated to be the all-devouring sinful enemy of the world (shloka 3.37). One must conquer inner enemies like lust and anger with courage and determination. Such courage and determination emanate out of firm faith in the Divine. One lives in the comfort of the belief that God is always with him. There is, thus, no cause for cowardice or grief.
Pangs of self-doubt faced by Arjuna in the battlefield at Kurukshetra might not be very different from the challenges confronted by a common man, in his day-to-day life. Therefore, the advice of Sri Krishna (one’s inner voice) to face the challenges of life boldly and smilingly, is as relevant today as it might have been thousands of years ago.
Bhagavad Gita, thus, does not condone escapism. It has asserted that cowardice can never be covered by artificial moral sermons. Gita teaches that an action which ought to be done should never be avoided. A duty that ought to be performed, must be performed even in the most difficult of circumstances.
To conclude, while doing anything, one must do it with courage and determination. There can be no valid excuse for cowardice.
