Gita 1.33

Sadhak: "Guruji, Arjuna says 'those for whose sake we desire kingdom.' But didn't the Pandavas fight for justice, not just for their family?"

Guru: "Justice was the banner; family was the motivation. Be honest about your own life—when you work hard, is it really for abstract principles, or for the concrete faces of those you love? Arjuna is simply admitting what most people hide: our highest ideals are often fueled by our most personal attachments."

Sadhak: "Is that wrong? To be motivated by family?"

Guru: "Not wrong—but limited. And it becomes contradictory when the family itself becomes the obstacle. Arjuna wanted kingdom for his family; now his family stands between him and the kingdom. His motivation has turned into his obstacle. This happens more often than you think."

Sadhak: "He says they've already given up their lives and wealth. But they're still alive—they haven't died yet."

Guru: "Anyone who enters a battle has already given up their life in intention. The body may survive, but the attachment to survival is released the moment you pick up the weapon. Arjuna sees that Bhishma and Drona are already dead in a sense—they have accepted death. Killing them is not taking something they're holding; it's just completing what they've already begun."

Sadhak: "That makes it sadder, not easier."

Guru: "Exactly. If they were clinging to life, killing them might feel like defeating an enemy. But they're willing to die for their cause. They're not villains; they're devotees of their own dharma. Killing devotion is harder than killing villainy."

Sadhak: "So both sides think they're right?"

Guru: "Both sides are right by their own standards. That's the tragedy of dharma-sankata—when two legitimate duties collide. The Kauravas had the legitimate king; the Pandavas had the legitimate claim. Who is right? The question cannot be answered at the level where it's asked. This is why Krishna will elevate the discussion beyond right and wrong."

Sadhak: "I've worked so hard 'for my family.' Hearing Arjuna, I wonder if that was always honest."

Guru: "It was probably both honest and dishonest—as most human motivation is. We do love our families; we also use that love as justification for ambitions we might otherwise question. Arjuna's crisis is also an opportunity for self-honesty. What do you actually want, and who are you actually doing it for?"

Sadhak: "I'm not sure anymore."

Guru: "Good. That uncertainty is more honest than false clarity. Arjuna's confusion is more truthful than Duryodhana's certainty. Keep asking."