Therefore, it is the best occasion for the writer of Mahabharata to initiate talks on spiritualism. At first Arjuna was told about the true nature of soul or the spirit or the self or Jivatma. The very weakness of spirituality is that in the initial stage of its influence a person wants to escape from social responsibilities. When the bonds of kinship or relationship are loosened the seeker of truth becomes individualistic. He thinks about himself only, his aim becomes liberation from the cycles of birth and rebirth. Arjuna is a warrior and his duty is to fight for righteousness and justice. When he sees futility of materialism he refuses to fight for the sake of an empire. Krishna tells him that if he refuses to fight this righteous war and shirks his duty, he will lose his reputation and people will pour undying infamy on him. He should know that infamy brought on a man enjoying popular esteem is worse than death. A person should perform his duties renouncing attachment and remaining even-tempered in success and failure.
