“Death is better than a vegetating or ignorant life; it is better to die on the battlefield than to live a life of defeat.”
— Swāmi Vivekānanda
Before the Māhābhārata war begins, Arjuna is shrouded in doubt. He doesn’t want to fight his brothers, cousins, uncles, and relatives in the Kaurava army. He casts aside Gāndīva, his divine bow, and slumps in his chariot.
What follows is the Bhagavad Gītā, Krishna’s discourse to Arjuna on how to live life and how to fight the enemy, not just in front of us but also inside us. Krishna tells Arjuna that straying from the path of justice – the cause that the Pāndavas are fighting for – will bring Arjuna dishonor. Everyone will consider him a coward and he will incur sin for violating his dharma. Such dishonor and sin is worse than death.
At some point, we have all been Arjuna. When we had to do our duty, sheer boredom or fear got the better of us. We made all kinds of excuses: “not capable enough”, “don’t have time”, “just can’t do this right now.”
Few things are as tragic as a life where we squander our capabilities, where we swap the struggle that fuels growth with the comfort that breeds stagnation. As the saying goes, “The two biggest sins in life are avoidable suffering and unfulfilled potential.” This is not the kind of life we should live according to Krishna.
Don’t live like a zombie. Work to make your life meaningful.