Does Krishna condone violence in the Bhagavad Gita ?

Indian man: Swamiji, most of our Hindus accept Lord Krsna as our Supreme Being, as God. Yet in the Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna won’t fight his brothers, but Lord Krsna encouraged this, to fight his own brothers, to kill his own brothers, to shed blood. Isn’t this condoning violence? Yet Hinduism doesn’t condone violence. Can you explain why Lord Krsna encourages Arjuna to fight his own blood?
Prabhupada: If you can question the high-court judge why he is ordering somebody to be hanged, then what will be the answer? The high-court judge orders somebody to be hanged and somebody to take decree for one lakh of rupees. Is there injustice? It is the law. The Supreme Lord has to execute the law. So there is no mistake. As there is no mistake in the judgment of the high court, similarly, what to speak of Krsna, the Supreme Lord. There is a necessity. The government, in order to keep law and order, there is violence also. The police sometimes commit violence, the military force. So in order to keep the whole thing in balance, sometimes violence is required, and that is not to our whims but at the decision of the Supreme Lord.

(Bhagavad-gita 7.1 — October 9, 1975, Durban)

Share:

Follow us

Padmanayana Krsna Dasa

Recent Posts

Is Shastra the Central Authority for ISKCON?

Excerpt: In May 2025 the Supreme Court gave Bengaluru ISKCON control of the Hare Krishna…

3 days ago

Can Ācāryas Be Forced to Act in Specific Ways?

Kaunteya Das turns out to be the intrepid faultfinder. He went through a massive biography…

3 days ago

HDG’s Folly: Disrobing Draupadi

Summary: In this video, Bhakti Vikasa Swami (BVKS) critiques the preaching trajectory of Hridayananda Dasa…

2 weeks ago

New Online Course Announcement: A Study of Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa’s Prameya Ratnāvalī

Hare Krishna, dear devotees. We are very happy to announce the upcoming launch of a…

2 months ago

Sri Sri Krishna Balaram Mandir Karttika Vraja Parikrama 2025

Sri Sri Krishna Balaram Mandir Karttika Vraja Parikrama 2025 Hare Krishna! Join us for this…

2 months ago