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Neither Fiction Nor History

The Teaching of the Gita ~ Non-violence in the Gita written by Mohandas K. Gandhi

The Gita Teaches Ahimsa

We should not mix up the historic Krishna with the Krishna of the Gita who was not discussing the question of violence and non-violence. Arjuna was not averse to killing in general, but only to killing his own relatives. Therefore, Krishna suggested that in doing one's duty one may not treat one's relations differently from other people. In the age of Gita, the question, whether one should or should not wage war, was not raised by any important person. Indeed, it appears to have been raised only in recent times. All Hindus in those days believed in Ahimsa (Non-violence), but what amounted to and what did not amount to violence was a question debated then, as it is debated now. Many things which we look upon as non-violent will, perhaps, be considered violent by future generations. For, we destroy life when we use milk or cereals as food. Therefore, it is quite possible that posterity will give up milk production and the cultivation of food-grains. Just as we consider ourselves as non-violent in spite of our consumption of milk and foodgrains, so also in the age of the Gita fighting was such a common thing that no one thought it was contrary to Ahimsa. Therefore, I do not see anything wrong in the Gita having used warfare as an illustration. But, if we study the whole of the Gita and examine its descriptions of Sthitaprajna, Brahmabhutta, Bhakta and Yogi, we can reach only this conclusion that the Krishna of the Gita was the very incarnation of Ahimsa, and his exhortation to Arjuna to fight does not detract from his greatness. On the other hand, if we had given him different advice, his knowledge would have been proved inadequate, and he would not have been entitled to be called Yogeshwara (the Prince of Yogis) and Purna Avatara (the Perfect Incarnation.)

—The Diary of Mahadev Desai : p. 93.