Gita 01.38 To restrain a violent madman, their restrainers may have to fight like the madman

Thank you Bhagavad Gita 1.38 Arjuna speaking here Katham Nageyam Asmābhi Papad Asmānyavartitam Kulakṣet Katham dosyam Prpasthati Bhirjanārdanam Katham Nageyam Asmābhi Katham So speaking and saying why not Katham Nageyam Asmābhi Katham Nageyam Asmābhi don't, we know it.

When we know it, that we know that this is wrong, this is sinful, we can see that this is grievously wrong. So when we know it, how can we do it? So actually these two lines complete the argument which is there in this verse. And the first line argues that, yes they don't know because they are blinded by lust, by desire, by greed rather.

But we do know. We are not blinded by greed. So just because they are doing something wrong, being blinded by greed, doesn't mean that we should also become similarly blinded.

We shouldn't stoop to their level. Why not? Because we shouldn't stoop to their level because they are, they are like deceased. That when the consciousness is covered by something, then people can't see.

So just because they are being, they are blinded, doesn't mean we have to act like blind people. So if one blind person is going into a ditch, that doesn't mean that other people who can see need to go into the ditch following them. This is Arjuna's argument.

That when they are not able to see the wrong in what they are doing, but we are able to see, then why should we do what they are doing? So the answer here is that we should not obviously. But the situation is not like that here. The situation is that people are blinded or people are deafened and they are attacking us.

What do we do at that time? If there's a madman and the madman goes on a rampage attacking others, obviously we don't want others to become similarly mad and go on a rampage. But the security in charge will have to take strong action to subdue and maybe sedate one who is aggressive at an external level to a neutral observer. Both might appear deranged.

Both might appear as if they got some screws loose on them. Neither of them is able to pursue properly and both of them are fighting. Though of course the reality is that one of them is perfectly okay.

The security guards or the doctors in charge, they're okay. So if person A has gone mad in attacking person B, person B certainly should not go mad. Although in trying to control person A, person B might look mad to persons, to observers C and D and do not know what is happening to A. So basically Arjuna is saying that they are blind but we are not blind.

But the reality is that Arjuna is also at this stage blind in a different way. There is the blindness of greed which is recognized as blind by everyone. But there is a blindness of bodily misidentification which is not recognized as blind by most people.

But even if it is not recognized that doesn't mean that they're not blind. So Arjuna's blindness is simply subtler, not that easy to see. Arjuna's blindness is simply a blindness that is so common that it is not seen as blindness.

Until that blindness, it will be removed by Krishna's word. So we could say there's a world over there where there's a hierarchy of blindness. So some, when people are greedy, they can't see even the material consequences of their action.

When people are materially impious, even their material vision becomes distorted. They can see the consequences. They are so greedy that they can't see what is the cost of what they are seeking.

Beyond that, when they are just in bodily consciousness, they are still blind to the spiritual consequences of their actions. They will be aware of the material consequences of their actions. But they aren't seeing the spiritual side of things.

So Krishna is encouraging Arjuna to see spiritual reality. So if there were no spiritual reality, Arjuna's argument would be very right. But there is a spiritual reality.

And when one person is attacking, the other person may parry or duck or tolerate if it's only that person involved. That person may have the readiness to tolerate like that. But if there are many other people involved, there is going to be a social cost of that madman going on a rampage.

And that social cost cannot be borne. And especially if, say, in a madhouse, if the security person, security in charge decides to become a pacifist, when one of the madmen has turned violent, then the security in charge will be culpable of not doing what they could and should have done for protecting other people who will otherwise be hurt by the madman's rampage. So Arjuna's pacifism is, in that sense, will be hurtful because he's not seen that the Kauravas being alive will cause a huge amount of damage to everyone.

And that damage will ultimately be in that they are adharmic and they do not want and they will not let Dharma be established. And establishing Dharma is so vital a duty that if it is neglected, then chaos will reign supreme in the world across. To prevent this chaos from reigning supreme, it's important that the Pandavas and Arjuna as their foremost warrior, take up arms.

And this will be the message that Krishna will give through the Bhagavad Gita as his turn comes to speak and he.