Death

When I began reading The Bhagavad-Gita, Arjuna’s concern with the welfare of others made me think of One, the song from last Monday in class. In the song, the main character talks about the horrors of war and how he is unable to escape even now that he is back home since people treat him differently. Arjuna is similarly concerned about the horrors of war. When he reaches the center of the battle-field, he is overcome by the fact that people will be dying and he no longer wants to kill for the sake of a kingdom. However, the author’s true intent becomes clearer as the story goes on. Arjuna needed this moment of self-doubt in order for Krishna to come in and explain that there was nothing to fear in war. The argument made by Krishna about death and war parallels that found in the end of Apology. When Socrates addresses the jurors who voted to acquit him, he says that he has nothing to fear in death since it is either annihilation or transmigration. Either way, he reaches the conclusion that a good citizen has nothing to fear in either life or death. Krishna makes this exact argument to Arjuna, saying “As a man discards/worn out clothes/to put on new/and different ones/so the embodied self/discards/its worn-out bodies/to take on other new ones” (Gita 35). Since the belief in reincarnation exists, Krishna tells Arjuna that he has nothing to fear in killing others since they are going to come back in some form. This shows that the authors were truly concerned with people accepting their own death as well as the death of others as a blessing rather than a curse. Because of Krishna’s teaching, the authors wanted to show that death is not something to be afraid of, but to welcome with open arms if it is thrust upon you.