Avinash Posted March 27, 2008 Report Share Posted March 27, 2008 Imagine that you were aware of Mahabharata story from the start till where Arjuan lays down his arms and says that he shall not fight. Suppose you did not know anything after that. This means you were not aware what reply Krishna gave. You were not aware whether He asked Arjuna to fight or He supported Arjuna in his decision not to fight. You were not even aware whether the war happened or not. I mean you were not aware of anything in Mahabharata after Arjuna laying down his arms. If somebody asked you whether Arjuna's decision not to fight was right or wrong, what would you answer? And what reason would you give in support of your answer? I know it is difficult to imagine such a thing because you already know that Krishna convinced Arjuna to fight. But please try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tackleberry Posted March 27, 2008 Report Share Posted March 27, 2008 Very imaginative. I'd say it's wrong, because Arjuna was a Kshatriya and it's Kshatriya Dharma to fight evil. OTOH, had Arjuna been a brahmin or a sanyasi, his decision would've been correct. Because, from my PoV, a brahmin/sanyasi must practice ahimsa at all costs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kulapavana Posted March 27, 2008 Report Share Posted March 27, 2008 If somebody asked you whether Arjuna's decision not to fight was right or wrong, what would you answer? And what reason would you give in support of your answer? I was actually very surprised that Arjuna laid down his weapons and decided not to fight. It was very unexpected, and not at all in Arjuna's character. Clearly it was Krsna's arrangement. Arjuna had all the reasons to fight, and it was his duty to stand by his brothers. It was a good fight, and a good reason to stake his life on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimfelix Posted March 27, 2008 Report Share Posted March 27, 2008 By the time the Mahabharata reaches the Bhagavad Gita in the Bhishma Parvan (Book 6) the debate over dharma is well advanced. In the Vana Parvan and again in the Udyoga Parvan we find disagreements in the Pandava camp over whether waging war was consonant with dharma. However, Yudhishthira is usually the person who is most opposed to war and at one point states that kshatriya dharma is sin and no better than the behaviour of dogs fighting over a piece of meat. In the Gita, Arjuna seems to be cast in the role of Yudhishthira. Krishna has already shown himself to be on the side of war and argues consistently for that course of action. In the Gita, however, he presents new arguments to support that position and has relatively little to say about kshatriya dharma. The main points he makes in favour of war are firstly the immortality of the soul, then the Karma Yoga, then God as the controller of life and death and finally the supremacy of bhakti. In a sense the Bhagavad Gita is one of several contributions to a debate that runs throughout the Mahabharata. Even at the very end it is not resolved: Yudhishthira does not accept that Duryodhana has a right to heaven just because of his adherence to kshatriya dharma. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shivaduta Posted March 29, 2008 Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 It was another time and another period with a different set of values then those we hold dear today... so i guess it would be difficult to reply as to if Arjuna's decision not to fight was right or wrong, However history is written by the victor... And the pandavas emerged victorious... and thy wrote history. Imagine what the history mythology and all hindu scriptures would have been if the kauravas had won the war... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ganeshprasad Posted March 30, 2008 Report Share Posted March 30, 2008 Pranam If somebody asked you whether Arjuna's decision not to fight was right or wrong, what would you answer? And what reason would you give in support of your answer? I was actually very surprised that Arjuna laid down his weapons and decided not to fight. It was very unexpected, and not at all in Arjuna's character. Clearly it was Krsna's arrangement. Arjuna had all the reasons to fight, and it was his duty to stand by his brothers. It was a good fight, and a good reason to stake his life on. Very interesting I am not surprised at all why Arjun had reservation fighting, for he was faced with fighting his Guru and above all Grand father BhismaPita whom he loved so dearly. We have a saying in Hindi Jo kisise nai harte woe upnose harjate hey, meaning one who is never defeated by others is easily defeated by his own. Faced with such a scenario the decision is tough, perhaps my judgement is clouded because BhismaPita is my favourite personality. But on grounds of Dharma he has no choice other then to fight besides they had already exhausted all other avenues of peace but still I understand Arjun’s grief. Having said that, his adversary was Duryodhan and when BhismaPita chose to side with Kovrav because of his own reasons that’s no fault of Arjun and as such I would advise Arjun to fight with a heavy heart. Jai Shree Krishna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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