Acharya Prashant explains that from where Arjun was standing, Shri Krishna could see that the right action for him was to fight. He reminds the listener that it is already a battleground and that Shri Krishna himself had tried his utmost to avert the war. Shri Krishna had gone as a messenger to the court of Duryodhan and tried his best, but now all of that is behind them. With the armies facing each other, the demand of the moment and the appropriate action is to fight. Shri Krishna was not advising Arjun to fight under all circumstances or saying it was always his duty to fight. At that specific moment, the right action was to pick up the bow and arrow and fight. The speaker clarifies that had there been a conciliatory offer even two days before the war, Shri Krishna would have accepted it. He had told the court that just five villages would be sufficient for the Pandavas. Therefore, fighting was not always a duty. Shri Krishna does not deal in duties but in the right action for the moment. Before the war, the right action was to try to prevent it, as war means a lot of suffering. On the battlefield, however, one cannot act like a peacenik or a dove; one must be an eagle and fight. The days of talking peace are over. Acharya Prashant states that Shri Krishna is not talking about a pre-destined, pre-scripted duty, but about the right action in that moment. When asked how to decide between peace and violence in life, he explains that peace is not a choice but the only way. However, actions driven by peace may often appear violent. Shri Krishna is peace personified, yet his actions, like rushing towards Bhishma to attack him, do not appear peaceful. The expression of peace can often look like violence. Truth, peace, love, and freedom should never be searched for in actions. Because we lack the subtle eye to see truth or freedom, we start acting according to the protocols of truth and freedom. Truth is an unsaid thing in the heart; you can speak in truth, but you can never speak the truth. Similarly, love is a silent music in the heart; you can act in love, but love itself can never be the action. We misjudge by looking at actions alone, which is how we are duped. For instance, shopkeepers know that because people don't know real love, a teddy bear can stand for love. The intention behind an action must be seen clearly. The intention to give a teddy bear is not of love, but to copy the social norms of loving action. If one were truly loving, the action would originate from love, not from copying what others do.
