2.7. Commentary: "kārpaṇyadoṣopahatasvabhāvaḥ pṛcchāmi tvāṁ dharmasammūḍhacetāḥ" – Although Arjuna did not consider complete withdrawal from battle as the supreme course in his mind, yet, to avoid sin, he saw no other alternative but to desist from fighting. Therefore, he wished to withdraw from battle and considered that withdrawal a virtue, not the fault of cowardice. However, when the Lord termed Arjuna's withdrawal as cowardice and the petty weakness of heart, then from those unambiguous words of the Lord, Arjuna felt that withdrawal from battle is not proper for me. This is indeed a kind of cowardice, which is completely contrary to my nature because in my Kshatriya nature, there is neither meekness nor flight (turning the back). Thus, accepting the fault of cowardice stated by the Lord as present within himself, Arjuna says to the Lord: Firstly, due to the fault of cowardice, my Kshatriya nature has been, in a way, suppressed; and secondly, I am unable to decide anything regarding dharma with my intellect. My intellect has become so deluded that regarding dharma, my intellect is not functioning at all.
In the third verse, the Lord had clearly commanded Arjuna: 'Giving up the petty weakness of heart, the cowardice, arise for battle.' From this, Arjuna should have had no doubt regarding dharma (duty). Yet, the reason for doubt remaining is that on one hand, destroying the family and killing revered elders in battle appears as adharma (sin), and on the other hand, fighting appears as the dharma of a Kshatriya. Thus, seeing his kinsmen, he should not fight, and from the perspective of Kshatriya-dharma, he should fight – caught between these two, Arjuna fell into a moral dilemma. His intellect became confounded in deciding dharma. In such a state, to get a decision on 'What is my specific duty at this time? What is my dharma?' he asks the Lord. 'yacchreyaḥ syānniścitaṁ brūhi tanme' – In the second verse of this very chapter, the Lord had said that you, who are withdrawing from battle due to cowardice, this conduct of yours is 'anāryajuṣṭa' meaning noble persons do not behave thus; they only conduct themselves in that which is for their welfare. Hearing this, it occurred to Arjuna's mind that I too should do what noble persons do. Thus, the desire for his welfare awakened in Arjuna's mind, and with that, he asks the Lord about his welfare: 'Tell me that which will lead to my definite welfare.'
That there is agitation (viṣāda) in Arjuna's heart and now here he asks about his welfare proves that if a person remains content in whatever state he is situated, the awakening to his true purpose does not occur within him. The awakening to the real purpose – welfare – happens only when a person becomes dissatisfied with his present state, cannot remain in that state.
'śiṣyaste'ham' – Upon asking about his welfare, this feeling arose in Arjuna's mind that the matter of welfare is asked from a Guru, not from a charioteer. With this, the feeling of being the charioteer's master that was in Arjuna's mind, due to which he was ordering the Lord, 'O Achyuta! Place my chariot between the two armies,' that feeling vanishes, and to ask about his welfare, Arjuna becomes the Lord's disciple and says, 'O Lord! I am your disciple, I am fit to receive instruction, tell me about my welfare.'
'śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam' – The Guru will certainly give instruction, will impart knowledge of the path unknown, will give full illumination, will explain everything completely, but the disciple himself will have to walk the path. The disciple himself will have to accomplish his welfare. I do not desire that the Lord gives instruction and I practice it; because that will not accomplish my purpose. Therefore, why should I keep the responsibility for my welfare upon myself? Why not leave it entirely upon the Guru! Just as an infant dependent solely on mother's milk falls ill, then to cure his illness, the medicine has to be taken by the mother herself, not by the infant. Similarly, if I too completely take refuge in the Guru alone, become entirely dependent on the Guru, then the full responsibility for my welfare will fall upon the Guru alone, the Guru himself will have to accomplish my welfare – with this feeling Arjuna says, 'I have taken refuge in you, instruct me.'
Here, Arjuna speaks of taking refuge in the Lord with the words 'tvāṁ prapannam', but in reality, he has not taken complete refuge. If he had taken complete refuge, then his saying 'śādhi mām' 'instruct me' would not be appropriate; because upon taking complete refuge, the disciple has no duty of his own left. Secondly, later in the ninth verse, Arjuna will say, 'I will not fight' – 'na yotsye'. That statement of Arjuna also goes against complete surrender. The reason is that after surrendering, the question 'Shall I fight or not fight; what shall I do and what shall I not do' – does not remain at all. He does not even know what the refuge-giver will make him do and what he will not. His only feeling remains that now whatever the refuge-giver makes me do, that alone I shall do. To remove this deficiency in Arjuna, later on the Lord had to say 'māmekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja' (18.66) 'Take refuge in Me alone'. Then Arjuna too, by saying 'kariṣye vacanaṁ tava' (18.73) 'I shall act according to Your word,' accepted complete surrender.
In this verse, Arjuna has said four things – (1) 'kārpaṇyadoṣo... dharmasammūḍhacetāḥ' (2) 'yacchreyaḥ syānniścitaṁ brūhi tanme' (3) 'śiṣyaste'ham' (4) 'śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam'. Among these, in the first matter Arjuna asks about dharma, in the second he prays for his welfare, in the third he becomes a disciple, and in the fourth he takes refuge. Now, considering these four matters: In the first, the person one asks is free to tell or not tell. In the second, for the one prayed to, telling becomes a duty. In the third, for the Guru whose disciple one becomes, the special responsibility of showing the path of welfare to the disciple comes upon him. In the fourth, for the refuge-giver in whom one takes refuge, he necessarily has to liberate the surrendered one, meaning the refuge-giver himself has to strive for his liberation.
Connection – In the previous verse, Arjuna takes refuge in the Lord, but it occurs to his mind that the Lord's inclination is only to make him fight, but I do not consider fighting as righteous for myself. Just as He earlier commanded 'uttiṣṭha' for battle, similarly He may now also command to fight. Secondly, perhaps I have not placed the feelings of my heart fully before the Lord. With these thoughts, Arjuna, in the next verse, clearly describes the state of his heart in favor of not fighting.
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