Gita 1.36

Sadhak: "Guruji, Arjuna says these are 'ātatāyinaḥ'—aggressors. Doesn't that mean he's allowed to kill them?"

Guru: "Legally, yes. The shastras are clear: one may slay an aggressor without incurring sin. But notice Arjuna doesn't dispute the law. He questions the outcome. 'What pleasure will there be?' The law permits; the heart protests."

Sadhak: "Isn't that just weakness? If something is righteous, shouldn't he do it regardless of feelings?"

Guru: "Is it weakness to ask whether victory will taste like ashes? Arjuna is not refusing his duty—he is interrogating its meaning. There is courage in this questioning. Many soldiers have won wars and lost their souls."

Sadhak: "But if he doesn't fight, injustice wins. Duryodhana keeps the kingdom. Isn't that worse?"

Guru: "You are running ahead. Right now, Arjuna is simply honest about his experience. He will receive Krishna's answer. But first, he must fully articulate the problem. Have you never hesitated before a necessary but painful action?"

Sadhak: "Yes. When I had to fire someone at work. Legally right, practically necessary, but I felt sick for days."

Guru: "Exactly. You experienced what Arjuna anticipates. The question is not 'Was it permitted?' but 'How do I live with having done it?' This is precisely what the Gita will address—how to act when action wounds the actor."

Sadhak: "So Arjuna's question is actually profound, not cowardly?"

Guru: "It is the most important question a human can ask: How do I do what must be done without destroying myself in the process? The Gita exists because Arjuna had the courage to ask this before lifting his bow."

Sadhak: "What is the answer? How do you act without being destroyed by your actions?"

Guru: "That is what seventeen chapters of Krishna's teaching will unfold. But the seed of the answer is already here: 'pāpam eva āśrayet'—sin would attach to us. Who is this 'us' that sin attaches to? That question opens the door to everything Krishna will reveal."