Greetings Reader -

Millions of hands grip millions of weapons as millions of warriors, bristling in a rush of adrenaline, press into the balls of their feet, ready to hurl themselves into mortal combat. The fate of an empire is about to be decided. Everyone is in position. The battle is about to begin.

It’s at this precise moment that the wondrous and sacred dialogue of the Bhagavad-gita begins.

Arjuna, the hero of the Gita, hesitates. Instead of signaling for the battle to commence, tells his charioteer, Krishna, to place his chariot between the two armies so that he can see everyone who has assembled on the battlefield.

Arjuna’s vision fills him with despair. He realizes that, win or lose, everyone he sees will die.

And he thinks it will be his fault.

He tells Krishna that that it would be better to leave the battlefield or let his enemies slay him unarmed than to be the cause of so much death and destruction.

Having lost his will to fight, Arjuna drops back onto the seat of his chariot and casts his weapons aside, his mind overwhelmed by grief.

Smiling gently, as if about to laugh, Krishna speaks to his despondent friend:

The reason why the wise do not grieve is given in the verses that follow. It’s a solid reason, at least philosophically, but extreme sorrow is a natural response to untimely death; Krishna is advocating for a level of detachment that’s difficult to comprehend much less achieve.

All the more so for Arjuna, who foresees the deaths of his friends, family members, and his revered teacher.

But what if you think the world will be better off without the deceased? One will certainly be disinclined to lament their passing, but if we think someone in particular is unworthy of grief, is that really detachment?

I don’t think so. Such occasions can pose as much of a test for our spiritual advancement as the loss of someone who, in our estimation, made the world a better place.

The most sober and compassionate remarks I heard In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s untimely demise came from politicians whom Kirk himself vilified, such as these words from New York City mayoral candidate, Zohran Mamdani:

It's worth noting that Mamdani's expression of sympathy followed a history of hostility from Kirk, who went so far as to connect Mamdani to the 9/11 attacks, suggesting that "a similar form" of radical Islam was "poised to capture City Hall."

Democrat Texas State Representative James Talarico, known for his devout Christianity, was especially empathetic in his remarks:

These pleas for unity and tone of de-escalation stand in stark contrast to the militant reactions of Kirk’s admirers, such as that of Congresswoman Nancy Mace, who told a reporter outside the Capital Building,

Not exactly sattvic. Mace’s outburst preceded the revelation that the inscriptions on the unfired bullet casings suggest that the shooter was a member of an online based alt-right movement of white Christian nationalists known for their virulently antisemitic, racist, sexist, and homophobic views (search “Groyper Army” for details).

The most ludicrous remarks came, unsurprisingly, from Donald Trump, who said, without a hint of irony or self-awareness,

Amazing.

But the most ironic, and currently ubiquitous, statement belongs to Charlie Kirk himself:

The callousness of Kirk’s cost benefit analysis doesn’t mean he deserved to be a victim of the gun violence he so passionately rationalized. Gun violence is horrific and political assassinations are inexcusable.

I feel sorry for his children and his widow (now a single mother) and for the 3,000 college students who found out what gun violence looks like up close and personal. I wonder how they all feel about Kirk’s “prudent deal” now.

If we all have infinite worth, it’s not because we are human beings; it’s because we are spiritual beings having human experiences.

Our shared humanity, embraced in the fullness of its joys and sorrows, is temporary. Our shared spirituality, embraced in the fullness of our qualitative unity, is eternal:

Thus, the wise do not grieve.

In the spirit of being everyone’s well-wisher, with the hope of developing genuine detachment paired with limitless compassion, and without excusing the inexcusable, may the spirit soul who thought he was Charlie Kirk in his past life discover the virtues of truthfulness and mercy in his next life.

Wishing you all good fortune,

- Hari-k