Sankhya Yoga 2.6

Image Courtesy: Anusha Jekay 

Verse 2.6 

न चैतद्विद्म: कतरन्नो गरीयो

यद्वा जयेम यदि वा नो जयेयु: |

यानेव हत्वा न जिजीविषाम

स्तेऽवस्थिता: प्रमुखे धार्तराष्ट्रा: || 2.6||

na chaitadvidmaḥ kataranno garīyo

yadvā jayema yadi vā no jayeyuḥ

yāneva hatvā na jijīviṣhāmas

te ’vasthitāḥ pramukhe dhārtarāṣhṭrāḥ

na—not; cha—and; etat—this; vidmaḥ—we know; katarat—which; naḥ—for us; garīyaḥ—is preferable; yat vā—whether; jayema—we may conquer; yadi—if; vā—or; naḥ—us; jayeyuḥ—they may conquer; yān—whom; eva—certainly; hatvā—after killing; na—not; jijīviṣhāmaḥ—we desire to live; te—they; avasthitāḥ—are standing; pramukhe—before us; dhārtarāṣhṭrāḥ—the sons of Dhritarashtra

We do not even know which result of this war is preferable for us—conquering them or being conquered by them. Even after killing them we will not desire to live. Yet they have taken the side of Dhritarashtra, and now stand before us on the battlefield.

Arjuna does not know which is preferable; winning or losing the war. He says he would not want to live after slaying the people of Dhiritarashtra who stood in front of him. He argues even if he wins the battle, he would not be able to enjoy the fruits of his victory since he had shed the blood of his relatives and teachers. The guilt he would experience will overshadow the joy from the victory. Again Arjuna expresses his concern in different words. He is confused about what is right and what is wrong. This confusion is because he is enveloped by delusion and attachment to his relatives and teachers. He also expresses his doubt as to who will win the war. A warrior can not have both these confusions, whether he would win the war and whether winning or losing the war is preferable . If he entertains these sorts of doubts in the battlefield, his ability to indulge in the war will be curtailed.

In the pursuit of self knowledge, a spiritual aspirant faces the same sort of questions at the beginning of his journey. He is confused as to whether to continue doing what was required of him socially and if his doings have any negative implications on his spiritual quest. Must he give up his social undertakings completely and surrender to his path of self realization or should he continue to do what is rightful and dutiful? How can one continue to do his duties and remain unaffected by the results of those actions? Also, how can one determine if such and such things are one’s swadharma? Arjuna’s justifications on why he needs to quit fighting are only the reflections of what lingers in an aspirant's mind during the initial and middle stages of his spiritual journey.