Sunday, February 28, 2010
Eternally Confused
Arjuna seems to be very lost and uncertain in this chapter. After he noticed that it is wrong to fight his own relative, he is really confused about whether he should fight him or not. Krishna, who's driving Arjuna's chariot, tries his best to convince him that he must fight. He says that it's his duty and since Arjuna thinks it is a big sin to kill people, Krishna tries to convince him by telling him that bodies of humans might die, but the the soul of a person cannot be destroyed:
"Our bodies are known to end, but the embodied self is enduring, indestructible, and immeasurable; therefore, Arjuna, fight the battle!" (p. 34)
I sort of agree with most of what Krishna said in this chapter, but I don't really like how he's using this belief to convince Arjuna to kill people. He even says that great warriors who battle in war are welcomed in heaven when they die. Arjuna does seem to understand Krishna's concept very well but I think he starts to feel even more confused afterward. He still doesn't seem to feel confident about battling his cousin, and I don't think he ever will because he knows that he's supposed to be battling but something in his head doesn't let him. And now, he has more questions in his mind because of Krishna's explanation. Whatever Arjuna decides to do later on (to battle or not to battle), he will never be sure whether he did the right thing or not.
I'm starting to like this book because it seems to have some kind of a teaching for every chapter. But, it might be a bit better if the book kept on with its story now.
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