Krishna Explains to Arjuna Why He Doesn't Fight

Before the war began, Arjuna had a question that had been bothering him.

Arjuna: "Madhava, you are the greatest warrior. Your Sudarshan Chakra alone could end this war in a day. Why do you choose to hold reins instead of weapons? Why be my charioteer when you could be my army?"

Krishna: "Would you like me to fight?"

Arjuna: "I... I want to understand."

Krishna: "If I fight, what happens to you?"

Arjuna: "I watch. I become a spectator to my own war."

Krishna: "Exactly. And what do you learn? What do you grow? If father does all the homework, does the child become wise?"

Arjuna: "But this is war, not homework! People will die!"

Arjuna: ""People will die either way, Arjuna. The question is whether their death serves a purpose. If I kill the Kauravas, it's just another powerful being destroying weaker ones. The world sees it and learns nothing except that might makes right."

But if YOU kill them — if a man bound by love, paralyzed by doubt, torn by moral conflict, still chooses dharma — THAT teaches something. That shows the world that righteousness can be chosen even when it's painful. Even when it costs everything."

Arjuna: "So I am your... lesson to the world?"

Arjuna: ""You are your own lesson to yourself. I am just here to make sure you don't fail before you learn it. That is why I hold the reins — I will guide you, protect you, steer you toward your destiny. But I will not take your destiny from you."

Besides, I made a vow not to lift weapons in this war. And unlike humans, I keep my vows absolutely. Not because I am incapable of breaking them, but because my word must mean something. If God's promise can be broken, what hope is there for truth in the universe?"

Krishna: "But Duryodhana asked you for your army. You gave him the Narayani Sena. Surely that's taking a side?"

KRISHNA (laughing): "He wanted my army. You wanted me. He got ten thousand soldiers. You got the one who commands all armies of the universe. Tell me, who made the better choice?

And here's the deeper truth — I am on both sides. I am in you and I am in Duryodhana. When he dies, it is I who dies. When you kill him, it is I who kills. This war is me playing with myself. But from within YOUR perspective, I choose to guide dharma. I do not fight FOR you — I fight THROUGH you."

Arjuna: "That makes my head hurt."

Krishna: "Good. When the head hurts, the heart opens. Stop thinking so much and just trust. I am your charioteer. Where I steer, you will go. And where you go, you will find victory — not because I fight your battles, but because I ensure you are capable of fighting them yourself."