BHAGAVAD-GITA 2:27

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BHAGAVAD-GITA 2:27

 

jatasya hi dhruvo mrtyur

dhruvam janma mrtasya ca

tasmad apariharye 'rthe

na tvam socitum arhasi

 

WORD FOR WORD

 

jatasya--of one who has taken his birth; hi--certainly; dhruvah--a

fact; mrtyuh--death; dhruvam--it is also a fact; janma--birth;

mrtasya--of the dead; ca--also; tasmat--therefore; apariharye--of that

which is unavoidable; arthe--in the matter; na--do not; tvam--you;

socitum--to lament; arhasi--deserve.

 

TRANSLATION

 

One who has taken his birth is sure to die, and after death one is

sure to take birth again. Therefore, in the unavoidable discharge of

your duty, you should not lament.

 

PURPORT

 

One has to take birth according to one's activities of life. And after

finishing one term of activities, one has to die to take birth for the

next. In this way one is going through one cycle of birth and death

after another without liberation. This cycle of birth and death does

not, however, support unnecessary murder, slaughter and war. But at

the same time, violence and war are inevitable factors in human

society for keeping law and order.

 

The Battle of Kuruksetra, being the will of the Supreme, was an

inevitable event, and to fight for the right cause is the duty of a

ksatriya. Why should he be afraid of or aggrieved at the death of his

relatives since he was discharging his proper duty? He did not deserve

to break the law, thereby becoming subjected to the reactions of

sinful acts, of which he was so afraid. By avoiding the discharge of

his proper duty, he would not be able to stop the death of his

relatives, and he would be degraded due to his selection of the wrong

path of action.

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.