Why did Arjuna not forgive Duryodhana?

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To,
All Members,
Answer: 

 All actions have to be judged based on the codes of conduct that prevail at that time. The codes of conduct we follow today may not be relevant, say, some 50-100 years from now. Therefore when we talk of what happens in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, we have to take into account the laws and codes of conduct that were prevalent then. As kshatriyas it was the duty of the Pandavas to protect dharma and those who followed dharma. That was the purpose of the law and that is what a kshatriya was required to do.
Lord Krishna says (BG 4-8),
paritranaya   sadhunam   vinasaya   ca   dushkrutam,
dharmasamsthapanarthaya   sambhavami   yuge   yuge.
For the protection of those who are committed to dharma and the destruction (conversion) of those who follow adharma, and for the establishment of dharma, I come into being in every yuga.
The sadhus and people who are on the righteous path must be protected from the wicked. They typically do not have the physical strength to protect themselves.
Duryodhana represented adharma. All efforts were made to avoid the war. Lord Krishna himself went as a mediator and made various offers to Duryodhana. However, Duryodhana did not accept any of them and was unfair in his demands, making the war inevitable. Therefore, the war of Kurukshetra was fought to protect dharma, rather than to regain the kingdom.
Swami viditatmananda ji 


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