Arjuna was not a coward. He was a competent warrior. But still, dehatma-buddhi, the bodily concept of life is so strong... That Arjuna admits, drstva tu svajanam krsna: [Bg. 1.28] "My dear Krsna , I have to kill my own men." What is that "own men"? "Own men" means this bodily relationship. Why others are not own men? Everyone is own men. Because everyone is Krsna's son. So when one becomes Krsna conscious, he can see everyone own men. And when he is not Krsna conscious, he simply sees own men where there is bodily relationship. This is the defect.
Lecture on Bhagavad-gita, London, July 22, 1973