Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1, Verse 36 (BG 1.36) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

# BG 1.36 — Commentary Despite Arjuna's lengthy protestations, Lord Sri Krishna remains silent like a statue. Therefore, Arjuna abandons his former eloquence and, with gentle emotion, begins to offer heartfelt arguments in the manner of one explaining a matter to a friend of limited understanding. His altered approach, set against the Lord's unbroken silence, appears utterly absurd. In this verse, Arjuna first declares that slaying Duryodhana and his kinsmen will bring no good whatsoever. Yet seeing Sri Krishna standing silent as wood, he cannot fathom the reason for this silence. Suddenly, it occurs to him that the Kaurava family are aggressors, and according to the laws of dharma, an aggressor must be slain immediately—whether teacher, elder, or Vedic scholar. There is no sin in killing an aggressor. One who attacks another unjustly is called an aggressor. Actions contrary to our pure, divine nature are called sin. It is not the mark of a noble person to identify oneself with body, mind, and intellect and act accordingly. Actions performed with ego and selfish desire erect a formidable wall of desire between ourselves and the pure, conscious atman. These are called sin. Arjuna's unwise resistance to slaying his enemies is the result of not understanding the scriptures. To act according to one's own limited understanding is to destroy one's own culture. Therefore, Lord Sri Krishna neither praises nor criticizes Arjuna's arguments. He knows that Arjuna must be allowed to speak his mind. For one afflicted by mental turmoil, this is the finest remedy. Thus his heart finds peace.