Bhagavad Gita was spoken more than 5000 years ago. It is one of the most popular Hindu scriptures. In this long history, there is not a single instance where someone became a terrorist after reading the Gita. But there are thousands of people who became peace loving by following the instructions of Krishna. Indeed, the Gita was an inspiration for Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent movement. He even wrote commentaries on it.
Therefore, to think that Krishna incited Arjuna to unnecessary violence is a complete misunderstanding. Krishna teaches equanimity in life and performance of one’s designated duty. He does not encourage everyone to take to weapons and fight in the name of God. But a soldier has to take his weapon to bring security to the civilians. Otherwise, why join the army?
A terrorist inflicts pain on others whereas a soldier sacrifices his own life to bring security and peace to people. They both may take the gun but their intentions are poles apart. A surgeon inflicts pain by moving his knife into the body of a patient, and a mugger may also attack someone with a knife. We laud the surgeon and punish the mugger. We need to study the intention behind an action to know if it is an act of violence or peace.
Violence can be motivated by selfishness or to maintain peace and order (dharma). If Krishna was propagating violence, then all the world’s military organizations would be nothing but havens for breeding violence at the expense of taxpayers’ money. Defensive violence is necessary for maintaining peace.
It is very difficult to understand that my happiness does not depend on anyone else. Our whole childhood training is that my happiness depends on others. My happiness actually depends on my own state of mind, which has nothing to do with what others say or do.
