________________
Paradoxically, in the Gita it is also said:
Abandon all dharmas; come to Me alone for refuge. Do not grieve, for I will release you from all evils. (18:66).
When compared, these two verses spoken by Lord Krishna may seem contradictory in nature to most people. They are forced to think: “Is it good to sacrifice our own self for our dharma, or should we abandon our dharma and take refuge only in God? In such a difficult situation, man becomes frozen into inaction. We can see an example of this confusion in the story at the beginning of the Gita where Arjuna becomes immobilized by his dilemma.
When confronted with such contradictions, we begin to experience ourselves, that the path of “dharma is subtle," and that “it (dharma) is unfathomable and too difficult for us to comprehend. Therefore, to understand the subtle secrets of dharma, we need a Sat Guru (genuine, true, and authentic spiritual teacher) to guide us through these difficult moments. As Lord Krishna guides Arjuna who had fallen in a state of despair when faced with the choice of conflicting dharmas—go to war and not be hesitant in killing (perform the dharma of a kshatriya) or abstain from violence as it is highest dharma.
30
