Krishna's Persuasion In 'Bhagavad-Gita'

Krishna’s Persuasion

“The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected” (Sun Tzu, 3). Warfare has existed since man first sinned and Cain killed Able. In the Bhagavad-Gita, Arjuna is faced with a dilemma. He either has to kill family, or be killed by them. In his moment of need, Arjuna prays to Krishna, a Hindu God, to seek counsel and advice. Krishna gives advice and explains that this battle is about the greater good and must be done in order for Arjuna to achieve Dharma (sacred duty). The advice Krishna gives encompasses the entire worldview of Hinduism and affects Arjuna’s decision on what to do with his life. Krishna persuades Arjuna to follow his counsel by using the teachings of Hinduism in order for Arjuna to pursue his dharma, fight for his kingdom, and achieve moksha, proving the effectiveness of this worldview.

Arjuna is faced with a

predicament that forces him to consider killing his family in order to protect the kingdom that is rightfully his. In his moment crisis, Arjuna prays to Krishna for help. Krishna, the human embodiment of Brahman, eagerly responds and becomes his charioteer and advises him on what to do. Arjuna, dejected and worn down responds to Krishna, “I see omens of chaos, Krishna; I see no good in killing my kinsmen in battle” (Miller, 27). The only profit Arjuna can see in this battle is death. He either sees the death of himself which he is less concerned about, or the death of his cousins and family.
Arjuna is dejected because of the predicament that he faces. He questions himself and his god. He sees no profit from killing family and friends. This weighs heavily on Arjuna and affects his whole countenance. “My limbs sink, my mouth is parched, my body trembles, the hair bristles on the back of my neck” (Miller, 27). In the next several lines of dialogue, Arjuna shows his main problem with the present circumstance. He sees killing family as a nefarious deed that will send him to hell. Krishna, his charioteer, god, and advisor, has to respond to Arjuna’s dejection when he cries for help. In order to change Arjuna’s mind, he must first allow Arjuna to voice his problems with the present circumstances.
Being Arjuna’s counselor, Krishna influences Arjuna to ready himself and fight his family and rid the land of the evil. Krishna begins influencing him by an insult. “Why this cowardice in time of crisis, Arjuna?” (Miller, 31). Arjuna was being a coward; he would not face his duty. Krishna continues from this point and begins indoctrinating Arjuna with the Hindu worldview in order to show Arjuna that he needs to complete in Dharma, which means “sacred duty”.
After learning of his sacred duty, Arjuna continues to seek Krishna’s advice.

Samsara, the continual death and rebirth cycle, is the beginning of Krishna’s second point. “If you think of its birth and death as ever-recurring…you have no cause to grieve” (Miller, 35). There is no cause for Arjuna to worry because in killing the enemy, they will be reincarnated and he will maintain good karma. Arjuna needs to worry about his own duty and karma rather than worry about his enemy’s fate. In order to achieve this, Arjuna will have set aside his cares of the world and focus on what lies ahead. He must listen to Krishna if he will prevail in this life and ultimately in the goal of moksha. Focusing on Krishna’s point, Arjuna begins to realize that he must face his enemies and prepare himself. He has nothing to fear, the embodiment of Brahman is at his side, and nothing he does to the enemy will harm their souls. Therefore there can be no damage unless he does not fulfill his own

dharma.
The Bhagavad-Gita is a powerful book because it combines history with the Hindu worldview. This makes the book a powerful tool. Gandhi, himself, thought this book was one of kind and held to its teaching. The reason why this book is so powerful is because it alters morality for the reader. “Even if he kills these people, he does not kill and is not bound” (Miller, 137). In this quote, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna that killing is not. This book gives them a new sense of the word “morals” because it takes an entirely different light on right and wrong. The goal of Hinduism is to achieve moksha and become one with Brahman. In order to do this, a Hindu must let go of his concern of the world and focus on himself and his own dharma, which is what Krishna is telling him to do. From an outside perspective this sounds very self-centered, but to a Hindu, this is the primary purpose in life.
Hinduism is very persuasive. This is clearly seen throughout the dialogue with Arjuna and Krishna. Arjuna brings objections and sadness while Krishna counters them with the Hindu worldview. Krishna influences Arjuna to pursue his dharma with two main points: reincarnation and dharma. Reincarnation, or samsara, allows for Arjuna to kill his family without worrying about their eternity because they will be reborn. Over a billion people believe this worldwide. It is a convincing and powerful worldview and religion. Ultimately, Krishna proved Arjuna’s arguments incorrect and proved that Arjuna should attack.