A seemingly plausible argument and the wisdom to understand the soul are not the same thing.

From here, the true teachings of Krishna begin. The first thing he says is, "You are speaking like a wise man, yet you are lamenting those who are not worthy of lamentation." Arjuna had engaged in elaborate discussions about family and sin, but at its root was the belief that if the body is lost, then existence itself is lost.

There, Krishna continues, "The wise person laments neither the dead nor the living." This is not a teaching to become emotionless and cold. Rather, it means that if one knows the truth of the soul, they will not be dominated by the fear of existence itself disappearing. Instead of denying Arjuna's grief on the surface, he is trying to fundamentally change the worldview that is causing his sorrow.

Japanese Translation from the Geeta Press Edition - Chapter 2, Section 11: "The wise person laments neither for the dead nor for the living."

In this way, Arjuna was plunged into sorrow and turned to the Lord, seeking a path to overcome his intense grief. And he declared that neither earthly sovereignty nor dominion over the gods could remove his sadness.

The Lord saw that Arjuna was worthy of receiving instruction. And in order to remove his sorrow and delusion permanently, He first showed him what is real and what is unreal. Furthermore, from the perspective of knowledge, He attempted to prove that it is Arjuna's duty to engage in battle, and began to discuss the path of knowledge.

Sanskrit original text

श्रीभगवानुवाच
अशोच्यानन्वशोचस्त्वं प्रज्ञावादांश्च भाषसे ।
गतासूनगतासूंश्च नानुशोचन्ति पण्डिताः ॥ ११ ॥

Romanization

śrībhagavān uvāca
aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṃ prajñāvādāṃś ca bhāṣase |
gatāsūn agatāsūṃś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ || 11 ||

Shri Bhagavan said, "Arjuna, you are lamenting over those who are not worthy of lamentation. Yet, you are speaking like a wise man. The truly wise do not lament either for the dead or for the living." (11)

Here, the Lord says, "You are lamenting those who should not be lamented." This refers to the state that Arjuna himself described in verses 28 through 30 of Chapter 1.

That is, the state in which Arjuna was overwhelmed with grief because he feared the demise of his uncles, grandfathers, and other relatives and teachers on both sides of the army.

Also, the sadness towards war preparations expressed in Chapter 1, Section 45, and the mental turmoil described by Sanjaya in Chapter 1, Section 47, are also included here.

This section 11 indicates the beginning of the Gospel according to Matthew. And its flow reaches a conclusion in chapter 18, verse 66.

Arjuna, in Chapter 1, verses 31 to 44, and again in Chapter 2, verses 4 to 6, addresses the great sin arising from the destruction of a clan, and further speaks of the baseness of Duryodhana and others, as well as his own sense of duty. Through various arguments, he attempts once more to demonstrate that engaging in that war is wrong.

Regarding those discussions of Arjuna, in this passage, it is said that he speaks as if he were a learned person.

At that time, the thought uppermost in Arjuna's mind was that the inevitable result of the war, the destruction of his clan, would bring about a disruption of the caste system and cause his ancestors who were in the afterlife to fall into degradation.

He was also concerned about his relatives, who were arrayed against him. He believed that without them, the royal authority and all other pleasures would be meaningless. Furthermore, he feared that the destruction of the clan would lead to the corruption of women.

This means that Arjuna is lamenting for both the dead and the living. And the Lord tells Arjuna that a wise person does not grieve in this way.

Because, in the eyes of a sage, only God, who embodies truth, knowledge, and bliss, is the only truly enduring reality. Nothing exists other than God. God is all being, and He never ceases to exist. On the other hand, the body is temporary and cannot remain forever.

Whether it is a combination or separation of body and soul, from a worldly perspective, it seems unavoidable, but it may be nothing more than an imaginary thing like a dream. In such a situation, for whom, and why should one grieve?

However, Arjuna was indeed lamenting. It showed that he was not truly a learned person, but only pretending to be one.