Krishna explains to Arjuna, who is unwilling to lift arms against his family elders and his preceptors, that one who performs his work unaffected by pleasure and sorrow and faces both with equanimity, attains moksha or salvation. Arjuna need not worry about causing somebody's death, as weapons do not kill the atma that is stationed within the body. A sword doesn't pierce it, water doesn't wet it, the wind dooesn't dry it, and fire doesn't burn it. Atma is indestructible and it takes on another body after the death of the present body.
Arjuna wants to know what dharma means. Krishna asks him the counter question: "Who are you?" Arjuna says he is Kunti's son; he is Drona's disciple; he is a kshatriya. Krishna replies that all these identities came from his being Kunti's son, which made him a kshatriya and brought him into contact with Drona. All his relatives spring from this identity alone. He should therefore perform his duty as a kshatriya and establish dharma. He reminds Arjuna of the injustice done to Draupadi, and how all the warriors on the other side stood a mute witness to the injustice that was perpetrated. Moreover, what happened to Draupadi could have happened to any other woman as well. If Arjuna did not raise arms against it, people would lose faith in dharma. Krishna thunders, "Rise, Arjuna and fight. If you win, it means dharma has won, but if you give up life fighting for it, even such a death would be considered a victory for dharma and you would reach heaven".
Arjuna remains perplexed and would like to know what was there to gain from the war except death and destruction. Krishna advises him not to perform a profit-loss calculation. Indeed, he should perform duty without expectations or anticipations. Arjuna's duty as a kshatriya is to fight this war and Krishna assures him that it will bring in welfare of the society, provided he performs his duty like a true yogi.
Krishna further explains that of the two paths to salvation, Jnana/gyaana yoga and Karma Yoga, Jnana yoga is complementary to all yogas, but doing karma is inevitable for everyone, as life itself is based on action. The sense organs (indriyas) carry objective experiences/anubhava to the mind, and Buddhi (intellect) screens it. But ultimately it is the underlying self or Indra (Indra means Aatma i.e. soul) which judges and enjoys the knowledge in true sense. Any action one performs with an unperturbed and untainted mind without anticipating the fruit of action (through Gyaana yoga) is called karma sanyasa and is free from sins. Krishna himself was a karma yogi and followed all the natural laws out of His own volition.
Whatever Krishna had preached Arjuna, Krishna elaborates further, he had first revealed to Sun prior to creation, then to Manu and finally to Ikshvaku. To the baffled Arjuna, he tells that He knows all the previous births of Arjuna, though Arjuna himself was unaware of them. Krishna as Vishnu had manifested in the past, and whenever adharma or lawlessness assumes alarming proportions in the future too, He would reappear on earth to destroy it.
Krishna then gives Arjuna the 'divya drishti' to see His all-encompassing Vishwaroopa form. Arjuna is enthralled by the experience, but begs Krishna to return to His original human form. Krishna then commands Arjuna to surrender to Him and cast all the burden of doubt and apprehension on Him, resume his duty as a kshatriya, and annihilate all the enemies, the perpetrators of adharma.
Arjuna picks up his Gandiva bow, and Krishna gets ready to sound the Panchajanya conch to herald the beginning of war.
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