Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 2 (BG 2.2) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

The Lord gazed upon a king who called himself noble, now standing bewildered upon the battlefield, and marveled at this sight. For the true nature of a noble one—a person of excellence—is to remain unmoved by the circumstances of life, never wavering from inner composure, but rather to meet all trials with wisdom and turn them to his advantage. By conducting oneself with proper discipline, even the most adverse and difficult circumstances can be transformed into joyful success. All of this depends upon the wisdom of the human being—how he directs himself through the rises and falls of life toward the right path. Here the Lord calls Arjuna's conduct ignoble. The noble person remains ever vigilant and striving toward the call of life's highest ideals, purity, and dignity. Seeing Arjuna in this state of grief-stricken confusion, Sri Krishna marveled because He had long known him well, and such grief and delusion were entirely contrary to Arjuna's true nature. Therefore He speaks here: "You speak these words in this place of adversity..." and so forth. It is the conviction of the Hindu tradition that one born into the warrior caste has the duty to fight for dharma, and should he lay down his life upon the battlefield in this righteous cause, such a hero attains the celestial realms.