I had promised a few days ago to post my article on war in the Bhagavad Gita. My basic thesis is twofold: (a) that Western critics who condemn the text as violent because of Krishna's advice to Arjuna to fight would do well to attend to the genocidal actions enjoined in parts of the Bible (and to note the differences between these injunctions and the far more limited and rule-bound warfare of ancient India), and (b) that the war in the Gita is in any case to be seen from a transcendental perspective as the war upon our lower nature (an interpretation hinted at numerous times in the Gita itself).

The good-hearted soul who transcribed this article and posted it online (it was originally published in Prabuddha Bharata) has unintentionally incorporated a number of typographical and grammatical errors that were not part of my original text. But the basic sense still comes through. The content (for better or worse) is my responsibility. There are a few minor parts here and there that I would change were I writing it today, but on the whole I feel I can stand by it.

Comments will be most welcome. I am always open to corrections and fresh insights.

Here is the link: http://www.esamskriti.com/essay-chap...vadgita-1.aspx