WHAT KRISHNA TEACHES IN THE GITA IS DIVINE

 
After staying in Jubblepore for several weeks we returned in mid-May [1939] to Meherabad. A few weeks later Baba talked on Krishna and the subject of war:

"I as Krishna ordered Arjuna to kill. As Christ I told Peter to give his other cheek to be slapped, but the truth underlying both is the same. Haven't people changed since then? People are not advanced, but changed.

"The world now is going back to its barbarous attitude and so over and over again it is life's changes. But what Krishna teaches in the Gita is divine, goes deep down. It says you can become God if you love Me, follow Me, surrender to Me. There is no other way. Disciples must do as the Master orders, not imitate.

"Arjuna took up his bow willingly and obeyed, knowing with perfect knowledge that he was not killing. Detached, he had to do this for their spiritual good, no lust for killing, nor duty, but pure detachment to do Krishna's work. If you are a perfect follower of nonviolence, you give an oath that you would not hurt anything, and if you saw one dog killing three cats, what would you do — kill the dog? If you stood aside, you would kill the three cats.

"What, Elizabeth, would you do? If you keep silent, you are helping to kill three cats. If you kill the dog, you are violent. There is a tiger amongst a herd of cattle and you have a gun in your house that you do not touch because of your oath of nonviolence. You know you can kill the tiger and save the herd — what would you do? Kill the tiger, detached — this is what Krishna teaches; do not follow violence or nonviolence, just be detached."