Bodily consciousness binds the soul; Krishna consciousness liberates it through transcendental knowledge and trained devotion.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Bhagavad-gītā 1.28–29 — July 22, 1973, London 730722BG-LONDON [40:38 Minutes] Bg-01.28–29_730722BG-LONDON Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [devotees repeat] [leads chanting of verse] arjuna uvāca dṛṣṭvemaṁ svajanaṁ kṛṣṇa yuyutsuṁ samupasthitam sīdanti mama gātrāṇi mukhaṁ ca pariśuṣyati [Bg. 1.28] Prabhupāda: Next verse. vepathuś ca śarīre me roma-harṣaś ca jāyate gāṇḍīvaṁ sraṁsate hastāt tvak caiva paridahyate [Bg. 1.29] [leads chanting of synonyms] arjunaḥ—Arjuna; uvāca—said; dṛṣṭvā—after seeing; imam—all these; svajanam—kinsmen; kṛṣṇa—O Kṛṣṇa; yuyutsum—all in fighting spirit; samupasthitam—all present; sīdanti—quivering; mama—my; gātrāṇi—limbs of the body; mukham—mouth; ca—also; pariśuṣyati—drying up.
[03:41] Translation: "Arjuna said: My dear Kṛṣṇa, seeing my friends and relatives present before me in such a fighting spirit, I feel the limbs of my body quivering and my mouth drying up." vepathuḥ—trembling of the body; ca—also; śarīre—on the body; me—my; roma-harṣaḥ—standing of hair on end; ca—also; jāyate—is taking place; gāṇḍīvam—the bow of Arjuna; sraṁsate—is slipping; hastāt—from the hands; tvak—skin; ca—also; eva—certainly; paridahyate—burning. [04:45] Translation: "My whole body is trembling, and my hair is standing on end. My bow Gāṇḍīva is slipping from my hand, and my skin is burning." Prabhupāda: So dṛṣṭvā imaṁ svajanam. Arjuna is a great warrior, fighter, and for a kṣatriya, to kill one is not very difficult task. The kṣatriyas are trained up, hunting.
Hunting is allowed for the kṣatriyas. Just like medical practitioners, they are trained up how to practice surgical operation on dead body. It is not possible to, of course, for a gentleman, to push knife in someone's body. It is naturally very difficult thing.
Rogues and thieves, they can stab. So as the doctors, medical men, surgeons are trained up to operate their knife on the dead body to see where are the nerves, similarly, kṣatriyas are also allowed for being trained how to kill. Kṣatriya means... Kṣata. Kṣata means injury; and tra means trāyate, saves.
A kṣatriya has to save the citizen from being injured by others. He is called kṣatriya. Brāhmaṇa means one who knows Brahman, the supreme. So brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, these divisions are there according to quality.
Guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ [Bg. 4.13]. By guṇa. Guṇa means quality. And karma means actual operation of the guṇa. So Arjuna was a kṣatriya, trained up by Droṇācārya how to kill.
This is the... Nonviolence is not the business of the kṣatriya. That is cowardice. They are taught how to become violent.