Krishna unfolds the meaning of dharma to Arjuna on several interwoven levels, beginning with *svadharma*, one’s own duty rooted in inherent nature, social role, and life stage. For Arjuna, this is explicitly the dharma of a kshatriya, a warrior whose rightful task is to fight a just and righteous battle. To turn away from this responsibility out of fear, confusion, or attachment would be a form of *adharma*, even if it outwardly appears compassionate or nonviolent. Hence the teaching that it is better to perform one’s own duty imperfectly than to perform another’s duty well, however attractive that alternative might seem. In this way, Krishna affirms that dharma is both individual and contextual, not a one-size-fits-all moral code.

Yet Krishna does not leave dharma at the level of social obligation; he deepens it into a spiritual discipline through the principle of *nishkāma karma*, action without attachment to results. Duty is to be carried out because it is right, as an offering to the Divine, without clinging to success or failure, pleasure or pain. When actions are performed in this spirit of detachment and devotion, they cease to bind and instead purify the heart. Dharma thus becomes a path of *karma-yoga*, where selfless action, illumined by knowledge and sustained by devotion, leads not to further entanglement but toward liberation.

Krishna also situates individual duty within the larger fabric of cosmic order, or *lokasaṅgraha*. The universe is portrayed as functioning harmoniously when each being performs its inherent function, and even Krishna, though complete and needing nothing, acts to preserve the world and prevent chaos. Arjuna’s participation in battle, therefore, is not merely a personal or political matter; it contributes to the maintenance of justice and social stability. Neglect of such duty would allow *adharma* to spread and disturb the balance of the world. In this vision, personal dharma and cosmic order are inseparably linked.

At a deeper level, Krishna connects dharma with insight into the true Self and with surrender to the Divine. The immortal Self is untouched by birth and death, while nature carries out all actions; recognizing this, the wise act as instruments rather than as ego-centered doers. When duty is performed from this inner standpoint, it is no longer driven by fear or personal attachment but flows from alignment with the Self and with God’s will. The culmination of this teaching is the call to abandon all varieties of separate, competing duties and to take refuge in the Divine alone. Outer responsibilities are not erased but transformed into expressions of devotion, so that faithfully living one’s *svadharma* becomes itself a means to moksha, rather than an obstacle to it.