In the '' Gita '' , Krishna persuades Arjuna to wage war where the enemy includes some of his own relatives and friends . In light of the '' Ahimsa '' ( non-violence ) teachings in Hindu scriptures , the '' Gita '' has been criticized as violating the '' Ahmisa '' value , or alternatively , as supporting political violence . The justification of political violence when peaceful protests and all else fails , states Varma , has been a " fairly common feature of modern Indian political thought " along with the " mighty antithesis of Gandhian thought on non-violence " . During the freedom movement in India , Hindus considered active " burning and drowning of British goods " which technically illegal under the colonial laws , were viewed as a moral and just-war for the sake of liberty and righteous values of the type '' Gita '' discusses . According to Paul Schaffel the influential Hindu nationalist V.D. Savarkar " often turned to Hindu scripture such as the Bhagavad Gita , arguing that the text justified violence against those who would harm Mother India . ” Mahatma Gandhi credited his commitment for '' ahimsa '' to the '' Gita '' . For Gandhi , the '' Gita '' is teaching that people should fight for justice and righteous values , that they should never meekly suffer injustice to avoid a war . According to the Indologist Ananya Vajpeyi , the '' Gita '' does not elaborate on the means or stages of war , nor on '' ahimsa '' , except for stating that " '' ahimsa '' is virtuous and characterizes an awakened , steadfast , ethical man " in verses such as 13.7 – 10 and 16.1 – 5 . For Gandhi , states Vajpeyi , '' ahimsa '' is the " relationship between self and other " while he and his fellow Indians battled against the colonial rule . Gandhian ahimsa is in fact " the essence of the entire '' Gita '' " , according to Vajpeyi . The teachings of the '' Gita '' on '' ahimsa '' are ambiguous , states Arvind Sharma , and this is best exemplified by the fact that Nathuram Godse stated the '' Gita '' as his inspiration to do his '' dharma '' after he assassinated Mahatma Gandhi . Thomas Merton , the Trappist monk and author of books on Zen Buddhism , concurs with Gandhi and states that the '' Gita '' is not teaching violence nor propounding a " make war " ideology . Instead , it is teaching peace and discussing one 's duty to examine what is right and then act with pure intentions , when one 's faces difficult and repugnant choices
assassinated Mahatma Gandhi
Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi
Bhagavad Gita