Who is aggressing whom? *

Srila Prabhupada: Lord Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna had no need to fight in the Battle of Kurukṣetra, but they fought to teach people in general that violence is also necessary in a situation where good arguments fail. Before the Battle of Kurukṣetra, every effort was made to avoid the war, even by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but the other party was determined to fight. --BhG 3.20

After delivering a two-day seminar on the Bhagavad-gita, the manager took me aside and asked me: « Why is Krishna, who is God, insisting that Arjuna fights a war in which millions of soldiers on both sides will die? »

Her question was perfectly legitimate, yet I had already been very careful to explain this point during the seminar.

 Evidently, she hadn’t fully grasped it.The Mahabharata clearly shows the numerous occasions on which Krishna acted as an ambassador on behalf of the Pandavas when they were forced to exil. He repeatedly tried to persuade King Dhritarastra and his son to return even a small portion of the kingdom —just five villages would have sufficed— in order to find common ground and avoid war. Each time, however, his peace efforts fell on deaf ears.

Sadly, from the expression on her face, I could tell she remained unconvinced. 

When most people read or hear the Bhagavad-gita, which is often the only part of the Mahabharata they know, it can indeed seem as though the decision to go to war was made at that very moment on the battlefield, and that Krishna is the one pushing for violence, even the aggressor. 

Arjuna himself says: "O Krishna, seeing my friends and relatives standing before me ready to fight, my limbs grow heavy and my mouth becomes dry… I do not see how any good can come from killing my own kinsmen in this battle, nor do I desire any subsequent victory, kingdom, or happiness." 

And Krishna replies: "My dear Arjuna, how have these weakness come upon you? They are wholly unbecoming a man who knows the progressive values of life. They lead not to higher planets but to infamy. Do not yield to this degrading impotence. It does not befit you. Give up such petty doubts and arise, O chastiser of enemies!"

* Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the 7 Oct. massacrer of Israeliens by Hamas.