Hare Krishna. India Train Crash: A Bhagavad Gita Perspective

India has been shocked by one of the most horrific train accidents, which took place in Orissa near Balasore, where several hundred people have tragically lost their lives and many more are injured. It stands as one of the most horrific accidents in post-independence India. I offer my heartfelt prayers to all those who have lost their loved ones and friends, and I also offer prayers for the departed souls.

What can the wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita offer us in such times of tragedy?

I will discuss this from three perspectives—three points, or three “S”s.

First S: Seriousness
The Bhagavad Gita urges us to take our work and our role in society seriously. Each of us has a role to play in the maintenance of the world, and our responsibilities should be taken with great seriousness. Until now, there has been no evidence of deliberate malice that caused this crash—perhaps the driver went down the wrong rail, or the signal person was negligent, or something else occurred. We live in such a complicated, interconnected world that one person’s small mistake can snowball into a catastrophe that affects hundreds or even thousands.

Sometimes, as we realize how vast the world is, we may start thinking that our role is insignificant. People who drive trains, who manage signals at crossings, are not considered high-profile or glamorous roles. Because of this, they may devalue their work. We, too, might devalue our own work, thinking it’s not important. However, tragic events like this make us aware of how a single mistake in any work can lead to disastrous consequences. At such times, rather than placing blame solely on the person who made the mistake—yes, they are responsible—we all can take our work more seriously.

The Bhagavad Gita encourages us to treat our work as an offering, like a form of worship. If we were performing Aarti, we wouldn’t be distracted by a TikTok video in one hand while offering it. Similarly, we should approach our work with the same focus and devotion.

Second S: Strength
In times like this, where do we draw our strength from? Typically, we might draw strength from our wealth, power, social position, social media following, or physical fitness. While these things are important in their own right, they are all fallible—temporary sources of strength. As the Srimad Bhagavatam points out, these things leave us vulnerable.

At our core, we are spiritual beings. We are the Atma, and the Atma is invincible and indestructible. Our soul has an inalienable relationship with the Paramatma, with God—Krishna. It is to the extent that we find shelter in our soul and in our relationship with Krishna that we can face tragedies like this with steadiness and grace.

Krishna assures us that the soul can never be destroyed. For those who have lost loved ones, or for those who have witnessed the horrifying scenes of mangled bodies, it is a shocking experience. But knowing that they are souls and that they continue their spiritual journey with Krishna beside them can give us the strength to face this tragedy.

Third S: Service Attitude
What can we do in such situations? In response to tragedy, we might swing between two extremes. One extreme is bitterness—thinking that life is terrible, and nothing makes sense. We might become cynical, saying that everything is pointless because terrible things keep happening unexpectedly.

The other extreme is to misuse philosophical concepts like karma and become judgmental, saying, “All those people who died must have been terrible people; that’s why this happened.”

In the Mahabharata, in the Bhagavatam, when a catastrophe is imminent—not a train crash, but a famine threatening to cause mass starvation—King Prithu doesn’t blame the citizens or say, “It’s all your bad karma.” Instead, he takes immediate action to solve the crisis. Similarly, we must avoid bitterness and judgment. Instead, we should adopt a service attitude.

Krishna, who spoke the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna, also consoled Arjuna after the brutal death of his son, Abhimanyu, on the thirteenth day of the Kurukshetra war. Krishna tells Arjuna that adversity befalls everyone—both the wise and the unwise. The difference between them is that the unwise act in ways that make things worse, while the wise act in ways that make things better.

We might ask, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” One possible answer is to say that life is meaningless, and there are no answers. Or we might become judgmental, attributing everything to karma. But the Bhagavad Gita redirects the question. Instead of asking “Why do bad things happen to good people?” we should ask, “What do good people do when bad things happen?”

In times like this, we can choose to act in ways that make things better. The way karma works is often difficult to understand, and it is never about blaming or shaming the victims of tragedy. Karma’s true purpose is to show us that our actions matter. There are times when we might not see the immediate impact of our actions, but ultimately, we have two choices: either we believe that our actions don’t matter and that life is arbitrary, or we believe that our actions do matter and can make a difference, no matter how small.

So in such situations, we should look at what we can do to make things better. If we are in a position to offer practical help to those affected by the accident, we should do so. If we can provide emotional support, we should do that. If we can offer philosophical wisdom that might help people cope with their suffering and find meaning in it, we should do that. The Bhagavad Gita stands ready to offer such guidance. But, no matter what, we should focus on service.

When we act with the attitude of service, we align ourselves with the divine. Krishna is the well-wisher of everyone. He is not the cause of our suffering; He is the cure. By serving Krishna and His creation, we may find ourselves aided by a greater power. That power can work through us to help make things better—even if only in a small, yet significant way.

The world is indeed a dark place, and incidents like this are sobering reminders of its dangers. But if we take our responsibilities seriously, seek strength in our spirituality, and act in the mood of service, we can each play our part in making our corner of the world a little brighter, rather than darker.

Thank you.