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Chapter 2. Contents of the Gita Summarized TEXT 21 vedavinasinam nityam
SYNONYMS  veda--in
knowledge; avinasinam--indestructible; nityam--always; yah--one
who; enam--this (soul); ajam--unborn; avyayam--immutable;
katham--how;
sah--he; purusah--person; partha--O Partha (Arjuna);
kam--whom; ghatayati--hurts; hanti--kills;
kam--whom.
TRANSLATION O Partha,
how can a person who knows that the soul is indestructible, unborn, eternal
and immutable, kill anyone or cause anyone to kill?
PURPORT Everything has
its proper utility, and a man who is situated in complete knowledge knows
how and where to apply a thing for its proper utility. Similarly, violence
also has its utility, and how to apply violence rests with the person in
knowledge. Although the justice of the peace awards capital punishment
to a person condemned for murder, the justice of the peace cannot be blamed
because he orders violence to another person according to the codes of
justice. In Manu-samhita, the lawbook for mankind, it is supported
that a murderer should be condemned to death so that in his next life he
will not have to suffer for the great sin he has committed. Therefore,
the king's punishment of hanging a murderer is actually beneficial. Similarly,
when Krsna orders fighting, it must be concluded that violence is for supreme
justice, and, as such, Arjuna should follow the instruction, knowing well
that such violence, committed in the act of fighting for Krsna, is not
violence at all because, at any rate, the man, or rather the soul, cannot
be killed; so for the administration of justice, so-called violence is
permitted. A surgical operation is not meant to kill the patient, but to
cure him. Therefore the fighting to be executed by Arjuna at the instruction
of Krsna is with full knowledge, so there is no possibility of sinful reaction.
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