Gita is the science or study of Yoga, It preaches karmayoga by which although man remains active, he still does not become enchanted or bound (11-50). It is also called skill in actions.
Thus niskama karma is not inactivity but rather action, with an intention of submission to God, having relinquished the desire of result. Sri Krishna preached the same sermon to Arjuna in the Gita. And it is hi order to establish die propriety of this that He presents the numerous arguments in Gita.
Two types of elements:
According to the metaphysics of the Gita, the world has two elements-true and false, permanent and transitory. Truth can never be destroyed and falsehood has no existence
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The soul is true. It is undependable, indestructible, permanent and immutable. That which is unchangeable is true and that which is changeable is false. Thus the body is false because it is born and it dies.
It is vacillating, destructible and transitory. That which is barn must die. The scholars do not worry about whatever comes and passes away. All objects of the world are destructible. The body must come to an end one day or the other. None can put a stop to its birth and death.
Support of war on the basis of metaphysics:
It is on the basis of this same metaphysics that Lord Krishna advocates the efficacy of war having before preached unattached action. At the inception of Gita’s moral situation, Arjuna lays down his weapons considering slaughter bad and sits flustered and undecided.
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Consequently, Sri Krishna advises him to right and proves the propriety of this advice by many arguments. Killing and dying are qualities of the body, not the soul. The soul is immortal and undying, being immune to man or any supernatural entity.
It cannot even be transformed because it is the real element. Thus, any apprehension towards killing in war is without foundation and useless. It is body which dies and a change in its form is essential. Thus, to think of it, when confronted with duty, is futile.
Practical advantages of war:
Going to war has its practical advantages. Death will result in heaven and victory means the rule of the world. Even if not looked at from the viewpoint of selfish interest, it is still a duty because fighting is the duty of kshatriyas and it is incumbent upon every person to this duty.
This duty is essentially to be fulfilled as it is God himself who has divided the different varnas according to quality and actions. Whatever takes place does so at the will of God.
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Those who deserve to die have been already exterminated. Aijuna was only an essential instrument in the process. Those who deserve to die will die whether he fights or not Aijuna’s morality is implied in his becoming a successful instrument of this divine purpose, desiring to do so and contemplating this divine work of his own volition.
In this way, if Arjuna joins the combat he will not be attached by his action. If he does abstain from this fighting, he fails in his duty having violated a divine mandate. The soul forms merely an essential cause in the activity of God.
Action is man’s inherent nature and his senses will engage him in work even when he desires otherwise. Thus, it is sensible to perform one’s duty as prescribed.
War is a good activity:
Yajna, tapa, dana and surrender towards God have also been treated as good by the Gita (XVII-26 and 27). Activities directed at the feeding of living beings of this world are yajna.
Actions caused by desire for the mutual consumption of necessities by human are dana or benevolence while those done for the appropriation of the soul are called tapa. This viewpoint, too, decrees that it becomes Arjuna’s duty to fight
War is the duty of Kshatriya:
Great importance has been attached to social consolidation in the Gita. People with knowledge and even gods perform activities which are beneficial to the public. Gita maintains the theory of incarnation.
It is for a learned person to performing his ordained activities without any desire after having ended all attachments. The inherent duty of a Kshatriya is to fight, thus it was Arjuna’s duty to fight.
War from the religious viewpoint:
Even the religious viewpoint confirms Arjuna’s duty of fighting. The implication of realisation of the universal self in the Gita is to show to Arjuna that God is doer, guardian and destroyer of the entire world.
This realization gleaned from Aijuna, all his doubts. Self-submission, as described hi Gita means becoming an instrument of God. This is niskama karmayoga Aijuna decided to abstain from war only because he came to look upon himself as the doer and destroyer and treated the transient relations of the world as permanent; due to his enchantment Sri Krishna pointed out that no one is anybody’s father, son, etc.
All these relations are transitory and destructible. The soul is the sole truth and thus one should follow one’s duties giving up enchantedness.
Voluntary fulfillment of duty:
The moral importance of approximating the subject of niskam karmayoga in different ways contained in eighteen chapters is that a man should pursue his duties of his own volition. To be deviated from duty or to do it under obligation is immoral.
Only that activity which is done with personal motivation and of free volition has any moral importance. Niskam karma and fighting are not contradictory because niskam karma means the fulfillment of God’s order without any desire for the result the kshatriya has been ordered by God to defend the society. Thus it is Arjuna’s duty to fight without any desire for the result
In this way Gita has synthesize – abstinence and activity, inception and consummation. From all points of view, be it knowledge, devotion or action, niskam karmayoga is the practical as well as spiritual end.