Action in Knowledge of Krsna 103

perform all kinds of activities, he is free. On the
battlefield of Kuruksetra, Arjuna engaged in fighting,
and those on the side of Duryodhana also engaged
in fighting. We must understand how it is that Arjuna
is free from reaction whereas Duryodhana is not.
Externally we can see that both parties are engaged
in fighting, but we should understand that Arjuna is
not bound by reactions because he is fighting under
the order of Krsna. Thus when we see someone
working in Krsna consciousness, we should under-
stand that his work does not carry any reaction. One
who can see such work and understand it is to be
considered very intelligent (sa buddhiman). The
technique is not so much in seeing what a person is
doing but in understanding why he is doing it.
Actually Arjuna was engaged in very unpleasant
activity on the battlefield, but because he was in
Krsna consciousness, he suffered no reaction. We
may be performing some action which we may
consider to be very good work, but if we do not
perform it in Krsna consciousness we have to suffer
the reactions. From the material point of view,
Arjuna’s initial decision not to fight was a good one,
but from the spiritual point of view it was not. When
we do pious work, we get certain results. We may
take a birth in a very good family, in the family of a
brahmana or a wealthy man, we may become very
rich or very learned, or we may become very
beautiful. On the other hand, if we do impious work,
we may have to take birth in a low class family or
animal family, or become illiterate or foolish, or
very ugly. Although we engage in very pious work
