Dear Ariel Hello! Hare Krishna! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! Just a note to let you know I have received an very much appreciate your letter. At the moment I have very limited access to the net so I will try to say a little below. Your question as to why Krishna is inciting Arjuna to fight in the Bhagavad-gita is a very good one. Arjuna wanted to take the non-violent path, not killing his teachers, etc... But Krishna didn't appreciate this. Actually the whole Bhagavad-gita is to encourage Arjuna to fight... Why? Because Krishna wanted the fight. The underlying principle of the Bhagavad-gita is not to fight or not to fight, it is to surrender to Krishna's desire. If Krishna wants us to fight then we fight... If Krishna wants us to be non-violent we will be non-violent... So it is a very subtle point. We want to please Krishna, to do what He wants to do. Arjuna's non-voilence was not befiting his position. He was a ksatryia, a fighter. It was his business to protect the citizens in general so when there was an attack from the enemy it was his duty to defend and attack in return... But Arjuna wanted to go to the forest for meditation instead... What if China attacked the US and the army decided to go off to the forest to meditate? What would the US citizens think about that?? So it is not very good for the leader of the army to run away from the battlefield and that is what Arjuna was proposing and that is why Krishna was a little surprised and why He spoke the Bhagavad-gita to bring Arjuna back to his senses... I will answer the rest of your letter soon... Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa >