In 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 struck a flock of geese shortly after takeoff, causing the plane to lose both engines. In that moment, Captain Chelsey “Sully” Sullenberger had just minutes to decide what mattered most. In the chaos and reality that the plane would crash, the usual noise of ego, protocol, and panic could have taken over. Instead, Captain Sully focused on one priority only: saving lives.
In this moment, he didn’t cling to the idea of procedure or the illusion that he had control – he simply assessed reality, let go of all the distractions, and made the most sensible decision in the moment that could accomplish his priority. He made the difficult decision to land the plane in the Hudson River. Due to Captain Sully’s ability to focus on his main priority – saving lives – 155 people survived what could have been a tragic ending.
That moment was Captain Sully’s Kurukshetra—a battlefield between duty, doubt, fear, and instinct. And in the moment that mattered most, he chose clarity. That’s what prioritization looks like when everything is at stake.
Throughout the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna is not just faced with a battlefield — he’s faced with a moment of unraveling. He sees his family, his teachers, his cousins, even those he once admired – and they’re on the other side of the battlefield, all lined up against him. And in that instant, the lines between right and wrong, duty and desire, blur completely.
War becomes secondary. What takes center stage is his internal conflict - the moral paralysis that hits when every path seems to cost something sacred. He questions everything: his role, his dharma, his future. He wonders if victory is worth the cost of fighting his loved ones. And perhaps most human of all, he wonders if walking away would be more noble than fighting.
But even in his own moral dilemma, Arjun prioritizes one thing – the refuge he has taken at the feet of Shri Krishna Bhagwan. Earlier in the Mahabharat, both Arjun and Duryodhan arrive at the chambers of Shri Krishna Bhagwan. Shri Krishna Bhagwan was sleeping at the time. Duryodhan arrived first and stood by Shri Krishna’s head. Arjun arrived a little later and stood by his feet. When Shri Krishna Bhagwan awoke, he saw Arjun first. At this time, they are both presented with a choice – one of them will get his divine army, and the other will get Shri Krishna Bhagwan Himself as the charioteer, but not a participant in the war. Arjun selected Shri Krishna Bhagwan, which elated Duryodhan, who then left happily knowing he would have the Divine Army. Shri Krishna Bhagwan looks at Arjun, who is content, and asks him the reason behind his choice. Arjun is confident in his choice because, in that moment, he prioritized God over even the most capable of armies.
This is the centermost thread of the Shrimad Bhagwat Gita. Even in the moments where Arjun was confused, afraid, and demotivated – his priority was clear. He took firm refuge at the feet of Shri Krishna Bhagwan and trusted him to help him make the right decisions.
When we find ourselves in moments of stress, anxiety, or panic, we will naturally gravitate toward what we’ve trained our minds to prioritize. If our priority is ego, we’ll defend it. If it’s comfort, we’ll escape. If it’s validation, we’ll search for it. But if our priority—like Arjun’s—is refuge in the Divine, then in even the most difficult of moments, we will pause, reflect, and anchor ourselves in clarity and trust.
Just as Captain Sully prioritized lives over protocol, and Arjun prioritized Krishna over victory, our own moments of Kurukshetra ask us: what will we prioritize when it matters most?
- BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha
