Dreaming of war in Hinduism: meaning
The Bhagavad Gita takes place on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Arjuna does not want to fight his own family, and Krishna teaches him about duty, the true self and acting without attachment. Many Hindus also read that war as an image of the inner struggle. A war dream can be read in that light.
Within this tradition
At the start of the Gita Arjuna stands between two armies. On the other side he sees teachers, uncles, cousins and friends. He lowers his bow and says he cannot fight. Krishna, his charioteer, answers with one of the most famous conversations in world literature: about dharma, your duty, about atman, the true self that does not die, and about acting without attachment to the outcome.
Many interpreters, including Mahatma Gandhi, read the battlefield above all as an image of the struggle within a person: between higher and lower tendencies, between duty and fear. Along those lines a dream about war can be read as an inner conflict calling for a choice. Doubting on the battlefield, like Arjuna, can be about a decision you postpone because it hurts.
A charioteer or someone leading you in the battle can be read in Hindu readings as divine guidance, like Krishna for Arjuna. A war ending, as rest after an inner struggle. And a dream in which you lay down your weapons can ask both for surrender and whether you are avoiding your duty, and that distinction is exactly what the Gita explores.
Whoever has war dreams because of what is happening in the world is also simply processing fear.
Common variations
Doubting on the battlefield
A decision you postpone because it hurts, like Arjuna.
A charioteer guiding you
Divine guidance in a struggle, like Krishna.
Laying down weapons
Surrender, or the question of whether you are avoiding your duty.
A war ending
Rest after an inner struggle.
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Write your dream in the appFrequently asked questions
What is the Bhagavad Gita about?
The conversation between Arjuna and Krishna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, about duty, the true self and acting without attachment.
Is the war in the Gita a real war?
In the story yes, but many interpreters, including Gandhi, read it above all as an image of the inner struggle.
Does a war dream predict anything?
No. Hindu readings see in it above all an inner conflict or the processing of fear.