When Should an Heroic Gent Go to War?

With the decision from the United States and Israel to go to war with the terrorist state Iran long acted as, come questions: Is this right? When should a man, or a nation, confront evil? These are not new questions. They are actually addressed in our oldest books. One of the most poignant is the Bhagavad Gita, often referred to as the Gita, a Hindu scripture that was likely composed in the second or first century BC.

The Gita, which is a profound philosophical dialogue embedded within the Mahabharata, unfolds on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Here, the warrior Arjuna faces a moral crisis, as he hesitates to fight against his kin.

Lord Krishna, his charioteer and divine guide, helps him with wisdom that illuminates the “manly” essence of war—not as mere violence, but as a crucible for masculine virtues like courage, duty, and self-mastery to defeat evil and bring justice.

In ancient Indian thought, “manliness” (paurusha) transcended physical prowess; it embodied disciplined action, moral fortitude, and alignment with cosmic order (dharma). Through Krishna’s teachings, war emerged as a metaphor for life’s battles, demanding these qualities from the ideal man.

Central to the Gita’s view is the dharma of the Kshatriya, the warrior caste.

Krishna reminds Arjuna in Chapter 2, Verse 31: “Considering your own duty, you should not waver. For a warrior, nothing is higher than a war against evil.”

War, he is reminded, is not optional for the manly soul; it is an obligation to protect what is good and right. This duty gives birth to the opportunity for heroism. If the cause is just, a warrior can then fight heroically for good.

Arjuna’s initial despondency—grief over killing teachers and relatives—represents a lapse into weakness, what Krishna calls “impotence” (klaibyam). By urging Arjuna to “arise, O conqueror of enemies” (Chapter 2, Verse 3), Krishna reframes war as an arena for reclaiming virility through resolute action.

The manly nature of war also lies in its demand for detachment and self-control. Krishna teaches Karma Yoga, the path of selfless action: “Fight for the sake of fighting, without considering happiness or distress, loss or gain, victory or defeat” (Chapter 2, Verse 38).

This stoic indifference to outcomes cultivates inner strength, a quintessentially masculine trait in the Gita. War—when fought for good—strips away illusions, forcing the warrior to confront the impermanence of the body while affirming the eternal soul.

In Chapter 3, Krishna emphasizes that avoiding one’s dharma leads to cowardice, eroding manly honor. True manliness, then, is not brute force but disciplined restraint—fighting with equanimity, like a samurai on the battlefield.

Moreover, war symbolizes the internal struggle against vice. Krishna describes the senses as wild horses that must be reined in by the intellect (Chapter 2, Verse 70). The manly warrior masters this chaos, embodying sattva (purity) over tamas (inertia).

In Chapter 18, the Gita classifies warriors by gunas: the sattvic fighter acts with firmness and enthusiasm, undeterred by pain or fatigue. This elevates war beyond physical combat to a spiritual quest, where men are tempered like steel. Arjuna’s transformation from doubt to determination exemplifies this: by surrendering to divine will, he achieves the ultimate manly ideal—harmony between action and wisdom.

Yet, the Gita’s manliness is inclusive; it’s not gender-exclusive but a universal call to valor. Women like Draupadi embody similar dharma in the epic. In modern contexts, this perspective challenges glorifications of war, reminding us that true manliness rejects senseless aggression, favoring fighting only for just causes.

In essence, the Bhagavad Gita portrays war as the epitome of manly endeavor: a path to self-realization through courage, duty, and detachment. It teaches that the greatest warrior conquers not enemies, but the self. This enduring message resonates, urging men to face life’s wars with unyielding spirit.