Bhagavad Gita 1.1

dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca

dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre

samavetā yuyutsavaḥ

māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caiva

kim akurvata sañjaya

 

“Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: On Kurukshetra’s righteous field,

Where warriors stood with weapons to wield,

My sons and the Pāṇḍavas, eager for fight,

O Sañjaya, what did they do using their might?”

 

My dear Lord, I often find myself trapped in the tendency to think of others’ interests as being in conflict with my interests, to divide the world into simple, neat groups of those who are my people versus those who are against my people. Blinded by my own limited vision, I forget that this “we-they” mentality is the fundamental duality that leads to conflicts, which can grow into conflagrations, devouring not just communities but even countries and civilizations.

Through your words of wisdom, you mercifully remind me that we all belong to one cosmic family—your family.  The more I strive to align my heart with yours, the more I can become free from the selfishness that leads to blindness. And when, by your mercy,I am granted even a small drop of the mood of selfless service to you, then  I may gradually see that all living beings are your parts, even those who oppose your interests, even those with whom I sometimes need to contend.

It is only through a service attitude that I can hope to avoid unnecessary conflicts and minimize the damage caused by unavoidable ones. Bless me, O Lord, with the divine wisdom that grants this sublime vision—to see the commonality underlying all differences and to live in the light and service of that spiritual unity.

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01.01 Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: O Sañjaya, after my sons and the sons of Pāṇḍu assembled in the place of pilgrimage at Kurukṣetra, desiring to fight, what did they do?