Gita 2.6
Sankhya Yoga
न चैतद्विद्मः कतरन्नो गरीयो यद्वा जयेम यदि वा नो जयेयुः | यानेव हत्वा न जिजीविषाम- स्तेऽवस्थिताः प्रमुखे धार्तराष्ट्राः ||६||
na caitad vidmaḥ kataran no garīyo yad vā jayema yadi vā no jayeyuḥ | yān eva hatvā na jijīviṣāmas te 'vasthitāḥ pramukhe dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ ||6||
In essence: Victory or defeat—both lead to the same place: a life not worth living once those we love lie dead by our hands.
A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply
Sadhak-Guru Dialogue
Sadhak: "I've thought it through from every angle, Krishna. Win or lose, we're destroyed. If we win, we're murderers who killed our own family. If we lose, we're dead. What's the point?"
Guru: "You have analyzed well. Your mind has seen the full tragic scope of the situation. And yet—you are still asking me what to do. Why?"
Sadhak: "Because I can't move. I'm frozen. Every path leads to ruin. I'm hoping you see something I've missed."
Guru: "What if I told you that you haven't missed anything? That your analysis is correct as far as it goes?"
Sadhak: "Then there's no hope. We should just drop our weapons and let them kill us."
Guru: "Is there no third option beyond winning and losing, living and dying?"
Sadhak: "What third option? Those are the only possibilities! This is a battlefield, not a philosophy class."
Guru: "And yet here you are, philosophizing. Perhaps there's a way to act in this world that is neither victory nor defeat—a way to fulfill your duty while remaining untouched by its fruits."
Sadhak: "That sounds like word games. How can you fight without trying to win?"
Guru: "That, dear Arjuna, is precisely what I am about to teach you. Your analysis has brought you to the edge of human wisdom. Now we must step into the divine."
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🌅 Daily Practice
Identify a situation in your life where you feel stuck between bad options. Instead of trying to solve it, simply acknowledge: 'My current way of thinking cannot resolve this.' This admission of limitation opens space for insight beyond the calculating mind.
When analysis leads to paralysis, pause and ask: 'What would I do if I wasn't trying to control the outcome?' Sometimes our attachment to specific results blinds us to right action that would be obvious if we could let go.
Reflect on the phrase 'we would not wish to live.' What actions would so violate your deepest values that life would feel meaningless? This is not morbid thinking but clarification of your core commitments. Knowing what you cannot do helps illuminate what you must do.