Gita 01.32 Dont Let The Means To An End Become An End That Diverts Us From The Actual Ends
kiṁ no rājyena govinda
kiṁ bhogair jīvitena vā
yeṣām arthe kāṅkṣitaṁ no
rājyaṁ bhogāḥ sukhāni ca
Word-for-word:
kim — what use; naḥ — to us; rājyena — is the kingdom; govinda — O Kṛṣṇa; kim — what; bhogaiḥ — enjoyment; jīvitena — living; vā — either; yeṣām — of whom; arthe — for the sake; kāṅkṣitam — is desired; naḥ — by us; rājyam — kingdom; bhogāḥ — material enjoyment; sukhāni — all happiness; ca — also
Translation:
O Govinda, of what avail to us are a kingdom, happiness or even life itself when all those for whom we may desire them are now arrayed on this battlefield?
Explanation:
In this verse, Arjuna gives his reasons why he feels he should not fight.
kiṁ no rājyena govinda: “O Govinda, of what avail to us is a kingdom?”
kiṁ bhogair jīvitena vā: “What will we gain from happiness or even life itself?”
yeṣām arthe kāṅkṣitaṁ no: “For the very people—”
rājyaṁ bhogāḥ sukhāni ca: “—for whom we desire this pleasure and kingdom.”
In our lives, if we are not conscientious, our sense of priority can become distorted and even perverted. We have both purposes and priorities. Purpose refers to what we want to achieve, while priority refers to what we want to achieve first.
Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, we may feel pressured—either internally or externally—to pursue a particular activity. In trying to accomplish that, we can become so caught up, so consumed, that we forget what we wanted to achieve in the first place. For example, some people seek wealth. Initially, they desire wealth to gain security, to provide for their families, and to live what is considered a good life. However, in the pursuit of this goal, they may become so engrossed in earning that their drive to acquire wealth completely skews their priorities.
If we associate too much with materialistic people, we may initially see wealth as a means to an end. However, if we are not alert, our purpose can easily become distorted. Wealth then stops being a means to an end and becomes an end in itself. We may find ourselves overwhelmed by the pursuit of wealth, so much so that we become alienated from those around us—even from the very people for whom we are working so hard. The stress of earning can make us curt, gruff, and harsh with our loved ones when we come home. This behavior, in turn, can leave us feeling extremely distressed.
It is therefore important for each of us to recognize that our actions and associations shape our vision. By pursuing wealth, we often engage in materialistic actions and associations that can cloud our sense of perspective. We may start to seek wealth as an end in itself, even if it comes at the expense of what the wealth was meant to serve. Originally, we wanted wealth to create stronger and more secure relationships, but in our obsession with accumulating it, we may become so consumed that we lose sight of our purpose. This can lead to a tragic distortion, where we no longer have anything meaningful to guide us forward.
Sometimes, we all face a moment of truth. We may be diverted off-track by small degrees, often without even realizing it. However, when a seemingly minor diversion eventually leads us to a significantly different destination, that moment becomes a revelation. When our priorities gradually shift and begin to subtly steer us away from our most important purposes, we may one day find ourselves at a crossroads. At this point, we are forced to choose between the means and the end, realizing, “My God, the means have become an end, and it has come at the expense of the actual end.” This realization brings a painful awareness: “This cost is too high—I cannot and will not afford it. This is not what I signed up for.” Such an understanding, though painful, can also be purposeful—guiding us to re-align ourselves with what truly matters.
When someone works excessively, like a workaholic, they may find themselves with little to no time for their family. Due to this neglect, their marriage may break down, or their child may turn to drugs. When they realize the consequences, they may think, “I need to concentrate my efforts on taking care of this.” As a result, they may choose to lower their job’s priority to make time for their family members.
Similarly, Arjuna feels that, in his pursuit of the kingdom and the royal pleasures it would provide, he has become so carried away that he is now fighting against the very people for whom he is fighting. Among those dear to him are his venerable elders and role models, such as his guru, Droṇa, and his grandsire, Bhīṣma, who has been like a surrogate father to him. At this point, Arjuna reflects on how, in the past, he would win laurels, defeat or subordinate other kings, and offer those tributes for the pleasure of his teachers and elders. Now, however, he finds himself standing against them.
The very people he would have fought for are now the ones he must fight against, and this presents him with a heart-wrenching dilemma. He finds himself thinking, “How can I do this? This is unconscionable. I cannot do this.”
At his level, Arjuna’s reasoning is sound. However, Kṛṣṇa reveals to him that he can fight for an even higher purpose—by raising his consciousness to the spiritual level and becoming an instrument of the divine. This deeper purpose will be explained in due course in the Bhagavad-gītā. For now, the important takeaway is that we must ensure our means never become so important to us that they undermine the very ends they were meant to serve.
Thank you.
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