Why India had to punish Pakistan but not by war alone: Lessons from the Gita

On the lines of the article about Kautilya’s Arthashastra and its relevance to the modern India-Pakistan conflict, reflecting on the timeless lessons the Mahabharata, especially the part containing the 18-chapter long lessons from Bhagavan in Srimadbhagavadgita (the Gita), imparts about war, will be in order. Through the guidance of Krishna, who assumes the form of God, the importance of strategy, restraint and righteous action is well appreciated.

Krishna’s approach to war is clear: it is never waged impulsively or on a whim. Before war became the only option, Krishna’s wisdom laid out the following key stages:

1. Gathering strength: Power of preparation

Before even thinking of war, Krishna ensured the Pandavas had the right tools. Arjuna went on a yatra to obtain powerful weapons, which were seen as necessary not merely for strength but also to signal readiness. An example can be seen in Arjuna’s journey to earn divine weapons like the Pashupatastra and others from Shiva and Indra.

2. Pursuing peace first: Krishna’s diplomacy

Krishna personally attempted to mediate peace by visiting Hastinapura and requesting only five villages for the Pandavas. War was not the first choice—it was the last resort. Krishna went as shantiduta, the envoy of peace, to Hastinapura, where Duryodhana refused even a needlepoint of land.

3. Building strategic alliances: Strength of unity

The Pandavas didn’t isolate themselves. They travelled in different directions to form diplomatic and political ties with other kingdoms, laying the groundwork for a wider support system when needed. Nakula and Sahadev were sent to different regions to build alliances; Bhima led campaigns, too, to secure allies.

4. Rajasuya yajna: Asserting legitimacy through respect

The rajasuya yajna was not a mere ritual but a declaration of strength. It gave Indraprastha the recognition of being a strong and righteous kingdom, fit to lead, without directly engaging in conflict. Yudhishthira’s rajasuya yajna involved receiving tribute and acknowledgement from many kings.

5. Role of leadership: Krishna as the mind behind the strategy

Krishna did not fight, but he became Arjuna’s charioteer and the strategic thinker behind the scenes. Leadership is not always about the front lines; it’s also about guiding wisely from behind. Krishna’s guidance in the Gita before the war begins.

Dhritarashtra’s blindness: Cost of inaction

The seeds of war were sown not by ambition alone but by silence. Dhritarashtra’s failure to stop Duryodhan despite knowing right from wrong allowed injustice to fester.

Through Dhritarashtra’s blindness—both literal and moral—a timeless lesson was learnt. Refusing to confront wrongdoing in the name of family, fear or comfort eventually empowers it. Silence in the face of rising injustice is not neutrality; it is complicity. In today's context, Pakistan stands where Dhritarashtra did.

Walking in the footsteps of the Pandavas, India did not put in place a plan for the current conflict with Pakistan overnight. Like the steps Krishna took before Kurukshetra—measured, diplomatic and deliberate—India’s journey has involved years of strategic restraint, repeated peace overtures and endured provocations.

War, when it finally becomes inevitable, is not born out of aggression, but from the exhaustion of every peaceful alternative. It is, ultimately, a stand taken when silence is no longer strength, but surrender.