As the two armies stood poised for battle on the sacred field of Kurukshetra, Arjuna, the mighty warrior, gazed upon his kin and felt his heart overcome with dread. He turned to Krishna, addressed as Keshava, and spoke with trembling voice, “I see omens of misfortune, nor do I foresee any good coming from killing my own people in battle. I do not desire victory, Krishna—not kingdom, nor pleasures. What use is a kingdom, O Govinda, or enjoyment, or even life itself?” Arjuna’s anguish deepened as he looked at those gathered for war. “Those for whose sake we desire kingdom, enjoyment, and happiness stand before me, ready to sacrifice their lives and wealth. Teachers, fathers, sons, grandfathers, maternal uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons, brothers-in-law, and other relatives—all are here. I do not wish to kill them, O Madhusudana, even if they attack me. Not even for sovereignty over the three worlds would I harm them, let alone for the sake of this earth.” He lamented further, “By killing the sons of Dhritarashtra, what joy would we gain, O Janardana? Only sin would result from slaying these aggressors. Therefore, we ought not to kill our own kinsmen; for, O Madhava, how could we ever be happy after killing our own people? Even if these men, blinded by greed, do not see the wrong in destroying the family or the sin in betraying friends, why should we, O Janardana, who see the evil clearly, not turn away from this sin?” Arjuna’s mind raced with the consequences. “When a family is destroyed, its ancient duties perish. With the loss of duty, lawlessness overwhelms the entire family. With the rise of lawlessness, O Krishna, the women of the family become corrupted, and when women are corrupted, O descendant of Vrishni, confusion of castes arises. Such confusion leads only to hell for the destroyers of the family and the family itself; their ancestors fall, deprived of the offerings of food and water. By these faults, the eternal duties of caste and family are uprooted. For those whose family duties are lost, O Janardana, we have heard their dwelling in hell is unending.” Despairing, Arjuna cried, “Alas, what a great sin we are resolved to commit, driven by greed for the pleasure of a kingdom, as we prepare to kill our own people. If the sons of Dhritarashtra, armed with weapons, should kill me in battle while I am unresisting and unarmed, that would be better for me.” Sanjaya, narrating the events, saw Arjuna, having spoken thus on the battlefield, sit down on his chariot seat. He cast aside his bow and arrows, his mind overwhelmed by sorrow. In this moment, Sanjaya continued, Arjuna was overcome by compassion, his eyes filled with tears and troubled, and he was despondent. To him, Madhusudana, Krishna, spoke these words: “From where has this dejection come upon you at this crisis, Arjuna? It is unworthy of the noble, leads not to heaven, and brings infamy. Yield not to impotence, O Partha; it does not befit you. Cast off this petty weakness of heart and arise, O scorcher of foes.” But Arjuna, still tormented, replied, “How shall I fight with arrows in battle against Bhishma and Drona, O Madhusudana, who are worthy of my reverence, O destroyer of enemies? It would be better for me to live in this world on alms than to slay these great-souled teachers. If I kill my teachers, even though they desire wealth, I would only enjoy pleasures stained with their blood. We do not know which is better for us: whether we should conquer them, or they should conquer us. Those sons of Dhritarashtra, after killing whom we do not wish to live, stand before us in battle.” Arjuna’s spirit faltered. “My nature is overcome by the weakness of pity; my mind is confused about what is right. I ask you: tell me clearly what is best for me. I am your disciple; instruct me, for I have taken refuge in you. I do not see what could dispel my sorrow, which dries up my senses, even if I were to gain a prosperous, unrivaled kingdom on earth, or even sovereignty over the gods.” Sanjaya observed: Having spoken thus to Hrishikesha, Gudakesha, the scorcher of foes, declared to Govinda, “I will not fight,” and then became silent. Then, Hrishikesha, Krishna, spoke to him, smiling gently, as he was despondent between the two armies. Krishna spoke: “You grieve for those who should not be grieved for, and yet you speak words of wisdom. The wise do not mourn for the dead or the living. Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor these rulers of men; nor will any of us cease to be hereafter. Just as, in this body, the embodied soul passes through childhood, youth, and old age, so also it attains another body; the wise are not deluded by this.” He continued, “O son of Kunti, contacts with sense objects produce cold and heat, pleasure and pain; they come and go, are impermanent. Endure them, O Bharata. That person whom these do not disturb, O best among men, who is steady in pleasure and pain, is fit for immortality. There is no existence for the unreal, nor is there non-existence for the real; the truth of both has been seen by those who perceive reality. Know that which pervades all this is indestructible; no one can bring about the destruction of this imperishable.” Krishna revealed the true nature of existence: “These bodies are said to be perishable, but the embodied soul is eternal, indestructible, and immeasurable; therefore, fight, O Bharata. He who thinks this kills, and he who thinks this is killed, both do not understand; this does not kill, nor is it killed. It is never born nor does it ever die; having once existed, it does not cease to be. It is unborn, eternal, everlasting, ancient; it is not killed when the body is slain. O Partha, whoever knows this as indestructible, eternal, unborn, and unchanging, how can that person cause anyone to be killed or kill anyone? Just as a person discards worn-out garments and takes up new ones, so the embodied soul abandons old bodies and enters new ones. Weapons do not cut this, fire does not burn this; water does not wet this, nor does wind dry it.” Thus, Krishna began to dispel Arjuna’s sorrow, revealing the eternal truth of the soul and urging him to rise above his grief and confusion.