Gita 01.38 To Restrain A Violent Madman Their Restrainers May Have To Fight Like The Madman
kathaṁ na jñeyam asmābhiḥ
pāpād asmān nivartitum
kula-kṣaya-kṛtaṁ doṣaṁ
prapaśyadbhir janārdana
Word-for-word:
katham — why; na — should not; jñeyam — be known; asmābhiḥ — by us; pāpāt — from sins; asmāt — these; nivartitum — to cease; kula-kṣaya — in the destruction of a dynasty; kṛtam — done; doṣam — crime; prapaśyadbhiḥ — by those who can see; janārdana — O Kṛṣṇa.
Translation:
“O Janārdana, how can we, who clearly see the fault caused by the destruction of the dynasty, not refrain ourselves from committing this sin?”
Explanation:
Arjuna says:
kathaṁ na jñeyam asmābhiḥ : “How can we not know
pāpād asmān nivartitum : to refrain ourselves from the grievous sin
kula-kṣaya-kṛtaṁ doṣaṁ : the fault caused by the destruction of the dynasty
prapaśyadbhir janārdana : while seeing it clearly, O Janārdana?”
These two lines complete the argument presented in this verse. In the first line, Arjuna asserts that the Kauravas are blinded by greed and therefore fail to recognize their sinful actions. However, he emphasizes that he and his allies are not similarly blinded—they can see clearly. Just because the Kauravas, driven by greed, are acting wrongly does not mean Arjuna and his side should follow suit. They must not stoop to that level.
We shouldn’t stoop to their level because they are like the diseased, their consciousness covered and clouded. When a person’s consciousness is obscured, they cannot see things clearly. Just because the Kauravas are blinded by greed doesn’t mean we should act like blind people. If one blind person is heading toward a ditch, that doesn’t mean others, who can see, should follow them into the ditch.
This is Arjuna’s argument—when the Kauravas cannot see the wrong in their actions, but we can, why should we follow their example? The answer is clear—we should not. However, the situation is not so straightforward. The reality is that people are blinded, or deafened, and they are attacking us. What should we do in such a case?
Consider an example—if a madman in an asylum goes on a rampage, attacking others, we don’t want others to become similarly mad and join in the rampage. But the security personnel are required to take strong action to subdue and possibly sedate the aggressor. To an external observer, both the madman and the security personnel might appear deranged, as if they both have lost their composure. Neither of them is able to pursue things properly, and yet both are engaged in a form of conflict.
Of course, the reality is that one of them is perfectly okay—the security personnel or the doctors in charge are in the right. If person A has gone mad and is attacking person B, person B certainly should not go mad in response. However, in the process of trying to control person A, person B might appear mad to observers C and D who do not understand the situation. To the untrained eye, both person A and person B might seem equally disturbed, even though person B is actually acting in a necessary, controlled manner to handle the aggression of person A.
Basically, Arjuna is saying that the Kauravas are blind, but we are not. However, the reality is that Arjuna himself is also blind, though in a different way. There is the obvious blindness of greed, which everyone recognizes as blindness. But then there is the blindness of bodily misidentification, which most people do not recognize as blindness. Even if it is not recognized, that does not mean it isn’t blindness. Arjuna’s blindness is subtler—it is not so easily seen.
Arjuna’s blindness is so common that it often goes unnoticed. This form of blindness will be removed by Kṛṣṇa’s words, which will help Arjuna see clearly beyond his bodily attachments and misidentifications.
We could say there is a hierarchy of blindness that exists in the world. When people are driven by greed, they cannot even see the material consequences of their actions. When people are materially impious, their vision becomes distorted on a deeper level—they are so consumed by their desires that they fail to perceive the true cost of what they are seeking. Beyond this, when people are entrenched in bodily consciousness, they remain blind to the spiritual consequences of their actions. While they may be aware of the material outcomes, they are oblivious to the spiritual dimension of their behavior.
Kṛṣṇa is encouraging Arjuna to see beyond the material world and recognize the spiritual reality. If there were no spiritual reality, Arjuna’s argument would be entirely valid. However, there is a spiritual dimension, and this changes the perspective. When one person is attacking, the other might choose to parry, duck, or tolerate the attack, especially if only those two are involved and the situation is manageable. The person being attacked may have the readiness to endure such aggression.
However, when many others are involved, and there is a potential social cost to the actions of the aggressor, the situation becomes different. The social cost of allowing a madman to continue his rampage cannot be ignored. For example, in a madhouse, if the security-in-charge decides to adopt a pacifist stance while one of the madmen is being violent, he would be neglecting his responsibility. In such a case, the security-in-charge would be culpable for failing to take necessary action to protect others from harm. The duty to protect the well-being of others outweighs the passive approach.
Arjuna’s pacifism, in this sense, would ultimately be harmful, as he fails to recognize that allowing the Kauravas to remain alive will result in immense damage to everyone. The root of that damage is their adherence to adharma, and their refusal to allow dharma to be established. Establishing dharma is such a vital duty that its neglect would lead to chaos reigning supreme in the world.
To prevent this chaos, it is crucial for the Pandavas, and for Arjuna as their foremost warrior, to take up arms. This is the message that Kṛṣṇa will convey through the Bhagavad-gītā, when his turn comes to speak, and he begins to offer detailed instructions.
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