Rhetorical Analysis Arjuna, A Warrior Prince Essay

According to the Bhagavad Gita, a truly wise person should seek to subdue his senses in order to achieve Brahman State. The Bhagavad Gita opens with a scene in which Arjuna, a warrior prince, is speaking to his chariot driver who is really the god Krishna. Arjuna is deeply troubled by the fact that he is fighting his relatives and wishes to abandon the fight. It is here that his dialogue with Krishna begins. Their conversation revolves around many issues and questions that Arjuna has, one of them being about emotion and desire. There seems to be a fairly straightforward answer to his question. Many times in the book, Arjuna is told that he should subdue his emotions. However, there are still more questions to be answered. Why should emotions and desires be supressed? How does one suppress these desires? Finally, what is the cultural effect of this teaching? It is through these first two questions that Arjuna is able to understand the role of his desires, and through the third t hat the cultural effects of this doctrine can be explored. In order to answer the question, â€Å"How should we address our emotions?† The end goal of must first be understood. Very early in the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna tells Arjuna that he must subdue his emotions for several reasons. The first being that he is failing to fulfill his duty. Duty is a very important concept, and failing to fulfil one’s duty was seen as something that set the cosmic balance off-kilter. â€Å"Recognizing your inherent duty,