Kurukshetra...Why fight?

...And on these very plains of Kurukshetra, the battle between the Pandavas and the Kauravas was fought...where they shed each others blood... This "Dharmkshetra" is where Lord Krishna instructed Arjuna on they ways of the world and Dharma.

30 "Therefore, surrendering all actions to Me, thy thoughts concentrated on Me the Absolute and the Self of all, free from selfishness and without anticipation of any reward, with mind in a perfectly calm mood, begin thou to fight." Krishna commands Arjuna who is in a dilemma, whether to fight his friends and family or not..

Reminds me of hamlet's dilemma of "To be or not to be..."

5. "Indeed, none can ever remain inactive even for a moment; for everyone is relentlessly and helplessly driven to action by one's intrinsic nature 6 .

21. "For whatever a great man does, that very thing lesser mortals follow; whatever he sets up as a standard, to that others try to rise.

22. "O Partha, there is nothing at all in the three worlds that I am required or obliged to do, nor is there anything for Me to attain; and yet, l am constantly engaged in action.

23. "If I should cease to act, men would blindly copy Me and a great havoc would result.

24. "Indeed, if I cease to act, these worlds would perish. Nay, I would prove to be the cause of confusion and possibly even the destruction of humanity.

- from the bhagvadgita...


Now a northern Indian state of Haryana, kurukshetra is home to 860 places of pilgrimage all related to the Mahabharata and the Gita also called " The Holy Land", " Land of Mahabharat". IAccording to the Vedas, Kurukshetra refers to a area of about 48 x 128 Km about 150 km / 100 miles northwest of Delhi, about a 5 hour drive by cab from Mathura\Vrndavan. Rich in Agricultural land and populated with temples, Kurukshetra, named after King Kuru who possessed super excellent righteous qualities and performed devotional service in this area.
It is said that after performing a great yajna, Lord Brahma created the universe and this is where Manu wrote his Manu-smriti and that the Rig and Sama Vedas were compiled in this place.