Was Arjuna’s ‘Vishaad Yoga’ in reality a conflict of interest?

The first chapter of the Bhagwad Geeta is titled ‘Vishaad Yoga’, which describes Arjuna’s grief upon realizing the imminence of the war and the part he was supposed to play in it. The mighty warrior crumbled like a house of cards. That invincible and a force to reckon with, his famed bow, the ‘Gandiva,’ slipped and fell. Arjun’s mind was paralyzed by anxiety, and his body lost all vigor. All this happened to the foremost warrior of his times, who had fought and won many wars. He was not the type of man who would feel terrified at the prospect of war. So what really happened to him?

Most people will not recognize the similarity between his state and the modern concept of ‘Conflict of Interest,’ but in my opinion, it is the same. A conflict between his personal gains and his duty toward society at large left him floundering for answers. He was not a karma-yogi. He had not been taught by Krsna, the Guru, yet about the way of the selfless work. The enactment of one’s duties without thinking about how it would affect them on a personal level.

The modern corporate world, for similar reasons, monitors, discourages, and restricts all forms of ‘Conflict of Interest’ among its employees, as this makes an employee useless for the purposes of the company. An employee embroiled with the question, “What’s in it for me?” is very likely to act in a way that is harmful to the employer. An employee having gained his employment for the purpose of furthering the interest of the company is not expected to think about furthering his own goals when discharging his duties, especially when they are at odds with that of the company.

An employee that acts solely in his own favor, thereby hurting the company, doesn’t realize that his own betterment is a direct consequence of the betterment of the company. Employees stand to gain when the company does well. What if every employee starts working against the goals of the company keeping in mind their own selfish welfare? The result would be the failure of the enterprise and the end of employment for the employees.

The same logic works for all of us when we live in a society. Society grows strong and healthy when each person contributes by performing their prescribed duties in a selfless manner. Such a society alone is capable of nurturing great personalities and creating for its citizens an environment where all can thrive and find happiness.

A family is a microcosm of the society, and its members must act in a similar manner. Parents can also face a ‘conflict of interest when making tough decisions, which, though ensure a better future for the children, can alienate them and make them dislike their parents. Parents cannot let their own fears of being disliked come in the way of parenting. A parent’s duty is not about earning brownie points from their children but to mold them into useful and responsible adults. Many parents who cannot resolve this ‘conflict of interest in the right manner end up with grown-up children who cannot take care of themselves, let alone take care of others.

Krsna, like the CEO of a company, steered Arjuna, a wayward employee, to see reason and the disadvantage of giving priority to one’s personal interest over that of the society. Arjuna, as a Kshatriya, was duty-bound to fight the war irrespective of his personal feelings or thoughts about his personal loss or gain. One thing to note is the fact that Krsna, who did not stand to lose or gain anything from the war, was the most active personality in the war. That is selfless work. That is Karma-yoga.