Duty in the Bhagavad Gita — 3 verses across Chapter 1, including 1.20, 1.27, 2.2. Sanskrit, Hindi, English. One reel per verse.
v1.20· Arjun
The greatest archer alive raised his bow. Then he saw who he was aiming at.
Then Arjun — the man with Hanuman on his flag — saw Dhritarashtra's sons arrayed before him. He raised his bow. And what he saw next changed everything.
Every face on the battlefield was someone he loved. What do you do when the enemy is family?
Fathers-in-law. Well-wishers. On both sides. All of them — kinsmen. Arjun saw every face and compassion broke through him like a flood. He sank into grief. And spoke.
“Compassion and duty walked onto the same battlefield. Only one of them could stay standing.”
Krishna said: O Arjun, where has this kashmala come upon you at this critical hour? It is unworthy of a noble person, bars the path to heaven, and brings disgrace.
“Sometimes the most compassionate thing you can say to someone drowning is: stand up. The water is shallow.”
The Bhagavad Gita addresses duty across 3 verses in Chapter 1. Then Arjun — the man with Hanuman on his flag — saw Dhritarashtra's sons arrayed before him. He raised his bow. And what he saw next changed everything. As Krishna puts it: "The bow was ready. The archer wasn't."
Which verses of the Gita are about duty?
Verse 1.20, Verse 1.27, Verse 2.2 in Chapter 1 (Arjun Vishad Yoga) all engage with duty. Each is presented in Sanskrit, Hindi, and English at thegitauniverse.com.
Who speaks about duty in the Bhagavad Gita?
2 different speakers in Chapter 1 invoke duty: Arjun, Krishna. The verses span the opening dialogue between Sanjaya, Dhritarashtra, Duryodhan, Bhishma, Arjun, and Krishna.