Chapter 3, Virtue in Work Summary and Analysis

Arjuna asks Krishna why he should fight, and how to know whether the path of meditation or action is superior for spiritual development.

During this time, Hindu readers well-versed in their religion may recognize the source of much of what Krishna is telling Arjuna. For those readers unfamiliar with Hinduism, some of the ideas may make only a strange kind of sense. Emotional stability, Krishna explains, comes as an externalization of serenity. This is in contrast to any false presentation of calm. Experiencing without undue mental suffering about anything, not as a result of having somehow shut down the mind, is another indicator.

Krishna provides some description of a self-governed man. Every effort that an individual makes to fulfill his or her proper duty in life will be doing what is best. It is better...