Retaliation or Resolution: Bhagavad Gita and India's Strategic Response to Pakistan

A sense of impatience is building among many Indians, who are eagerly expecting a decisive move by the Modi Government against Pakistan after the Islamic terror attacks in the Pahalgam valley of Kashmir resulted in the deaths of 26 innocent tourists from various parts of India.

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Given India's current position as a politically vibrant nation with a coalition government, a rapidly growing economy, and an expanding global influence across multiple sectors, it has naturally attracted the envy of various nations who would prefer to see its progress stall or reverse. 

The India-Pakistan Situation

In this context, engaging in warfare with a poor and struggling neighboring country would be a self-destructive act, squandering the significant advantages the present BJP led Indian government has painstakingly built over the last decade.

Pushing Pakistan deeper into poverty through a war could inadvertently lead to global sympathy for them. Other countries and international bodies such as the WHO, UN, and ICJ might view India as the attacker, damaging our image. The resulting influx of economic aid to Pakistan from these sources, including the World Bank, could also allow them to clear their debts and begin anew with a clean slate. From this perspective, it's crucial to recognize that Pakistan's provocations might be a calculated attempt to draw India into a conflict, thereby providing a lifeline from their current economic collapse.

This moment of crisis and dilemma unveils a significant potential for India to demonstrate its power and strength, rooted in Dharmic principles and the singular wisdom of our Vedic knowledge, a strength no other nation in the world can claim.

Let us briefly examine the current state of affairs in India and Pakistan. 

India: The Current Scene

Today, India is increasingly seen as an emerging global leader, leveraging its economic growth, political stability, and strategic autonomy. India is making significant strides and is considered a leader in fields like space exploration, biotechnology, nuclear energy, and scientific research. India has been sensitive in balancing its relationships with major global powers like the US, Russia, China, and the EU, maintaining its independence in decision-making.

India's soft power, including its cultural diplomacy and contributions in various fields such as Yoga, enhances its global appeal. The country is expanding its military capabilities, defense exports, and maritime presence, reinforcing its global security role. India actively participates in G20, BRICS, Quad, and SCO, aiming to shape global policies.   

India, presently, is the world's fourth-largest economy by nominal GDP and the third-largest by purchasing power parity (PPP). Despite global uncertainties, the Indian economy has shown resilience and robust growth, supported by strong domestic consumption and government spending. India is projected to remain one of the fastest-growing major economies in 2025, with forecasts around 6.5%. The manufacturing and services sectors have seen significant employment growth. Urban unemployment is at a historic low.  

In short, India is a politically dynamic nation with a coalition government, experiencing robust economic growth, steadily increasing its influence and role on the global stage across various domains.

State of Affairs: Pakistan in 2025

Currently, Pakistan faces a multitude of severe challenges, including instability, internal divisions, the pervasive influence of extremist ideologies, widespread internal rebellion, a deep economic crisis, and significant political instability. These factors have placed the nation on the brink of collapse. However, several countries continue to provide support to Pakistan, some citing Islamic solidarity, though their underlying motivations appear to be self-serving. Without this external assistance, Pakistan's current state suggests it would likely have faced complete disintegration much earlier.

Furthermore, we have to remember that Pakistan has ceded strategically important territories in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) to China. The Shaksgam Valley, for instance, was previously under Pakistani control but was transferred to China decades ago, providing Beijing with a strategic advantage to exert additional pressure on India.

Principles for India's Righteous Response

Bhagavad Gita's teachings provides us with a framework of concepts and principles that can guide our response. The Gita presents a complex and nuanced perspective on war. It acknowledges the reality and necessity of war in certain circumstances, but it also stresses the importance of righteousness, duty, and minimizing suffering.

First, the Gita tells us how to understand the nature of our offender. It describes how all beings are influenced by the three gunas (modes of material nature): sattva (goodness, purity), rajas (passion, activity), and tamas (ignorance, inertia). A "crooked country that abuses us" is acting out of tamas (leading to negativity, delusion) or rajas (leading to selfish and harmful actions due to frustration or desire).

Through a proper understanding of this concept, India can cultivate a degree of emotional detachment from personal offenses.

Gita also emphasizes the transient nature of the material world and the various conditions different countries and living beings find themselves in. Our neighboring country's current state of poverty and negative behavior is not necessarily its eternal nature.

Maintaining Balance and Equanimity

While the Gita is set in the context of Kurukshetra war, the principle of ahimsa (non-violence) extends beyond physical violence to encompass mental and emotional harm. We should strive to not retaliate in a way that causes further suffering of the ordinary people of Pakistan.

The Gita stresses maintaining balance and equanimity (samatvam) in all situations, including those involving pain and abuse. Reacting with anger or hatred will only bind us further to negativity. 

Verse 2.48 of Bhagavad Gita  emphasizes the importance of performing one's duty without being swayed by the outcomes, either positive or negative.

"Yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi saṅgaṁ tyaktvā dhanañ-jaya

Siddhy-asiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā samatvaṁ yoga ucyate," 

Our Prime Minister Modi, will easily understand the principle enunciated by this verse addressed to Arjuna as a call to himself: 

"Work, O Arjuna, with your mind established in Yoga, abandoning all attachment to success or failure. Such equanimity is called yoga." 

We are encouraged to perform our duty without being attached to the results. In this context, the duty of the Indian government is to protect the civilians of Pakistan from harm, without being driven by hatred or a desire for revenge.

The Gita also advocates for compassion (Karuna) and friendliness (Maitra) towards all beings, even towards someone acting negatively, recognizing their potential suffering can temper our reaction. 

Contemplation of the Current Scenario

In Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 12, Verse 12, Lord Krishna emphasizes that knowledge is superior to mechanical practice of governing the country, that meditation and contemplation of the situation is superior to knowledge, and renunciation of the fruits of actions is superior to meditation, as peace follows such renunciation or rejection of war. 

This verse highlights a progressive path towards the country's spiritual enlightenment, moving from external practices to inner understanding and ultimately to the relinquishment of egoistic desires. 
Shri Krishna clarifies that each stage builds upon the previous one, and ultimately, the renunciation of the fruits of action is the most important step towards achieving peace and liberation. 

The verse 13 describes the characteristics of the mode of ignorance (Tamas), highlighting its influence on our mind and actions. When Tamas predominates us, which is the current situation of emotionally drained Indians, we experience darkness, inertia, madness, and illusion, leading to a lack of knowledge, motivation, and proper discernment. 

India should focus on acting according to dharma (righteous duty) without being attached to the outcome. Our righteous action involve setting boundaries or seeking help from our friends, without being motivated by malice. These teachings of Gita can help us see the abuses of Pakistan in a broader perspective, reducing its political impact on India.

Approach Synthesized from Gita's Teachings

It's natural for Indians to feel hurt and angry by Pakistan's terrorist acts on India, and the Government should acknowledge the public's feelings. Without suppressing these feelings, however, we need to observe them with detachment (Asakti). The Gita doesn't advocate for allowing ourselves to be continually harmed by Pakistan. Taking steps to protect ourself from further abuse is a righteous action. 

This might involve setting our boundaries further by taking the PoK (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir) region back, which once belonged to us, limiting our contact with the Pakistan Army, and seeking help from other countries and UN, if necessary.

While Pakistan's actions are wrong, Gita tells us that we should try to recognize that their poverty and crooked nature of our neighbor stem from their own suffering, ignorance, and negative circumstances. This understanding can foster compassion for Indians without condoning Pakistan's aggression. It helps our government respond with wisdom, firmness, and restraint without letting Pakistan's negativity to pull us down. We need to avoid reacting with the same negativity or abuse. 

The Gita teaches that every action has its consequence (Karma). While we can take appropriate action to protect ourself, we need to avoid being consumed by the desire for revenge. We should trust that justice will ultimately prevail in accordance with the laws of Karma.

The Takeaway

Our focus should be on Dharma. Our primary duty is to act righteously. In this situation, that likely involves self-respect and protecting ourselves first. The Gita doesn't explicitly command immediate forgiveness in all situations, especially ongoing abuse. Forgiveness might be a gradual process that occurs as we heal and the situation changes. It's more about releasing our own bitterness than excusing the abuser's actions.

In summary, the principle of Bhagavad Gita would likely guide us to respond with wisdom, equanimity, and compassion, while also prioritizing our own well-being and acting righteously. It emphasizes understanding the deeper nature of the real world around us and not getting caught in cycles of negativity and retaliation.