CHAPTER1. ARJUNA'S DESPONDENCY
drtharaashtraH uvaacha - Dhrtharaashtra said
1. Dharmakshethre kurukshethre samavethaa yuyuthsavaH
maamakaaH paandavaaH chaiva kim akurvatha sanjaya
In the field of Kurukshethra, which is also a dharmakshethra, assembled with the desire to fight, what did my people and Pandavas do, Sanjaya?
maamakaaH- Dhrathrashtra refers to the, kouravas, his hundred sons and all those who have gathered in support of kouravas. It is to be noted that he refers to his side of the warriors as maamakaaH thus identifying himself with kouravas only and mentions Pandavas by name thus separating them as not belonging to him. It show his partiality towards Duryodhana, fully well knowing that he was unrighteous in calling Pandavas to battle.
PandavaaH- refers to the five sons of Pandu and all those who were on their side.
Cha eva – means `and.' my people and Pandavas.' eva is for emphasis though cha itself is enough to mean `and.'
samavethaaH- assembled together.
yuyuthsavaH- wishing to fight. Yoddhum icchavah
dharmakshethre- in the holy field of
kurukshethre- Kurukshethra.
Kurukshethra is extolled in Mahabharatha and is know by another name Samantha panchaka. This is the place where Agni, Indra and Brahma did penance and also king Kuru. It is said that those who die here go to higher planes.
Kim akurvatha- what did they do?
Sanjaya- Dhrtharashtra asks Sanjaya
When the war was inevitable, Vyasa asked Dhrtharashtra whether he wanted to see it and if so he would be given divine eyesight to see what was happening on the battle field. But Dhrtharaashtra did not want to see it and said that nevertheless he wanted to hear about it in detail. Thereupon Vyasa gave divine eyesight to Sanjaya and said that he would see everything that happened and would be able to give a detailed account of it to Dhrtharashtra.
After ten days of war, Bhishma fell and Dhrtharashtra became upset and asked Sanjaya to tell him all that had happened so far on the battle field.
2. dhrshtvaa thu paandavaaneekam vyooDham dhuryoDhanaH
thadhaa
aachaaryam upasangamya raajaa vachanam abraveeth
The king Duryodhana seeing the army of Pandavas arrayed in battle went to his guru Drona and said thus
dhuryoDhanaH- he is the eldest son of Dhrtharashtra and who was solely responsible for the outbreak of war against Pandavas by refusing to gave them their rightful share of the kingdom. The word means `one who could not easily be fought against,' dhuhkhena yodDhum SakyaH He is also known as SuyoDhana, `one who fights with ease, ' sukhena yudhyathe ithi, denoting his valour.
Paandavaaneekam vyooDham- the array of battle of Pandavas. vyooha is the particular arrangement in battle though the word also means broad or wide
Duryodhana saw the wide army of Pandavas arranged for battle and got frightened. The army of Pandavas were not as big as his own but the arrangement was made skillfully so as to make it appear wider than it was. Moreover Duryodhana knew that he was adharmik and hence on seeing the Pandava army face to face he was unnerved as the thought of dharma winning in the end must have lurked at the back of his mind.
Dhrshtvaa –seeing
Aacharyam upasangamya- went near his guru. Approached Dronacharya. Sanjaya refers to Duryodhana as raja to denote that he is the master of the whole army yet he approached Drona instead of calling him because of respect for his guru and also because once the army is assembled under the respective leaders they should not be disturbed from their assigned places which will create confusion in the army.
Vachanam abraveet-said these words
Whole of the first chapter forms the background of Bhagavatgita, which actually starts only in the second chapter.
3. paSya ethaam paanduputhraaNaam aachaarya mahatheem chamum
vyooDhaam dhrupadhaputhreNa thava SishyeNa Dheemathaa
Acharya, see this huge army of Pandavas arrayed by the skilled Dhrshtadhyumna, your disciple and the son of Dhrupadha
Duryodhana, who is clever in political intrigues, brings to the notice of Drona the army of Pandavas which was arranged in a skilful manner by Dhrshtadhyumna. He refers to Dhrshtadhyumana as the son of Dhrupadha and the disciple of Drona. This is to anger Drona and make him fight with vigour because Dhrupadha was his enemy.
Drona and Dhrupadha studied together in gurukula and Dhrupadha promised him half the kingdom and when Drona went to him at the time when he was in poverty Dhrupadha insulted him. Angered with that Drona taught Arjuna all the skills of archery with the intent of making use of him to vanquish Dhrupadha, which alone he wanted from Arjuna as his gurudhakshina. Arjuna marched against Dhrupadha and defeated him and brought him to Drona, tied in his chariot. Drona let him go because his purpose was fulfilled which was only to teach a lesson to Dhrupadha but the latter wished to take vengeance and did penance and got Dhrshtadhyumna who would kill Drona and also Draupadhi to marry Arjuna, whose valour he appreciated. Drona also knew this and that is why Dhuryodhana now mentioned the name of Dhrupadha and also that Dhrshtadhyumana was his disciple who now opposes him in battle.
Pandavas were also the disciples of Drona but Duryodhana knew that he had a soft heart for Pandavas and was serving in the army of Dhuryodhana only to discharge his debt of being in the service of the Kourvas. Thus Dhuryodhana had some fear whether Drona would fight with Pandavas with all his might .That is why he chose his words carefully thus.
Achaarya- Drona is addressed thus.
paSya ethaam mahatheem chamum- See this large army of Pandavas. The army of Pandavas was seven akshouhinii as compared with that of kouravas which was eleven akshouhini. Yet Duryodhana calls it mahatheem chamum because,
The arrangement which was known as vajravyuha made it appear larger than it was,
Duryodhana was awed perhaps by the quality rather than quantity which was enhanced by the fact that they were all fighting for the right cause.
vyooDaam-arranged
DhrupadhaputhreNa- by Dhrshtadhumna , the son Drhrupadha your former enemy.
thava sishyeNa Dheeemathaa- Not only that but he is also your sishya whom you have accepted and taught all skills of archery naively, fully knowing who he was. Now he is skilled and uses it against you.
4.athra Sooraa maheshvaasaa bhimaarjuna smaa yuDhi
yuyuDhaan0o viraataScha dhrupadhacha mahaaraThaH
5. DhrshtakethuH chekithaanaH kaaSiraajaScha veeryavaan
purujith kunthibhojaScha SaibhyaScha narapungavaH
6.yuDhaamanyScha vikraanthaH utthamoujaaScha veeryavaan
soubhadhro dhroupadheyaaSchasarvam eva mahaaraThaah
There in that army of Pandavas, are heroes great bowmen equal to Bhima and Arjuna in battle. YuYuDhaana ,Virata, and Dhrupadha , amighty warrior, Dhrshtakethu, Chekithaana, and the valiant king of Kasi, Purujith and kuthibhoja and Saibhya, a bull among men, YuDhaamanyu, the valiant,Utthamoujas, the strong, and also the son of Subhdhra, and the sons of Dhroupadhi, all mighty warriors.
DuryoDhana points out to Drona the heroes who have assembled to assist the Pandavas in battle in these three slokas.
Athra-there, refers to the army of Pandavas about which he was speaking in the previous sloka.
Maheshvaasaah- ishu means arrow and ishvaasaaH means great bowmen.
yuDhi –in battle, BheemaarjunasamaaH – all these are equal to Bhima and Arjuna.
YuyuDhaanaH- refers to Sathyaki, a yadhava, who was the disciple of Arjuna and a companion of Krishna.
Virata – king of the country of Mathsya. Pandavas lived in his country incognito during their 13th year of exile. Abhimanyu, son of Arjuna and Subhadhra married his daughter Utthara.
Drupadha- king of Panchala and father of Dhroupadhi and Dhrshtadhyumana.
Dhrshtakethu- King of Chedhi, son of Sisupala,, cousin of Krishna, whom Krishna killed during the rajasooyayaga of Yudhishtira. After his father's death he became a friend of Pandavas and Krishna.(Sisupala, a cousin of Krishna, was Ravana in his naxt and last janma.)
chekithaanaH- a commander of one of the seven akshouhini of the Pandava army.
KasirajaH- King of Kasi
Purujith and kunthibhoja- brothers of Kunthi
Saibhya- father in law of Yudhishtira
Yudhaamanyu and utthamoujaH- sons of Dhrupadha
soubhadhraH- Abhimanyu , son of Subhadhra.
DhroupadheyaaH- the five sons of Dhroupadhi
Sarve eva mahaaraThaah-all are skilled in asthra and sashthra. A mahaaraTha is one who can 10000 soldiers in an army.
7. asmaakam thu viSishta ye thaan niboDha dhvijotthama
naayakaa mama sainyasya sajnaarTham thaan braveemi the
Oh best among Brahmins! Now know those who are important on our side, the commanders of my army. I shall name them to refresh your memory.
Duryodhana now tells Drona about the heroes on his side. Though Drona must have known them already Duryodhana says he mentions them for refreshing his memory, sajnaarTham. It is actually to reassure himself, after seeing the army of Pandavas.
Asmaakam thu visishtaa ye- who are all eminent among us. The particle `thu' is used in the sense among us also ,asmaakam thu. He wanted to emphasise that even in his army there are great warriors.
Thaan niboDha- know them from me
Dhvijotthama- best among Brahmins referring to Drona out of respect for the acharya
Naayakaah-commanders
Mama sainyasya -of my army
Thaan braveemi- I am mentioning them
sajnaarTham the- for your attention.
8. bhavaan bheeshmaScha karnaScha krpaScha samithinjayaH
aSvatthaamaa vikarNaScha soumadhatthiH thThaiva cha
You, Bheeshma, Karna, Krpa, who always wins in battle, Asvatthaamaa, VikarNa and the son of Somadhattha.
Duryodhana mentions the name of Drona first to show respect and to please him.
Bheeshma the great grandfather of Pandavas and Kouravas, who was called Bheeshma because of his formidable vow that he would not ascend the throne and would forever serve the throne of Hasthinapura, though he was the crown prince of king Santhanu , in order to fulfil the wish of the father of sathyavathi whom Santhanu wanted to marry. The Pandavas and Kouravas were the descendents of Santhanu and Sathyavathi.
Karna- though he was the son of Kunthi, he was abandoned by her for fear of ridicule from the society since she had him by the grace of the Sun, playfully using the manthra the sage Durvasa instructed her when she was a young girl. The charioteer of Dhrtharashtra found him and Karna came to be known as his son. He learnt the skill of archery from Parasurama and seeing his valour Duryodhana made him his close friend, to use him against Pandavas. Karna, though he came to know later about his true identity remained at the side of Duryodhana out of loyalty.
Krpa- Brother in law of Drona, patronized by king Santhanu. He was the former acharya of the princes before Drona and taught them archery and other skills for the battle.
ASvatthaama- the son of Drona, a great waarior and student of his father
Vikarna- one of the 100 sons of Dhrtharashtra and the only son who followed Dharma.
Soumadhatthi- son of Somadhattha , named BhooriSravas also a great warrior.
9.anye cha bahavaH SooraaH madharTham thyakthajeevithaaH
nanaaSasthra praharaNaah sarve yuddhaviSaaradhaaH
There are many others who are ready to give up their lives for my sake. All of them are skilled in warfare and in the use of missiles.
Dhuryodhana included all those who were not mentioned in the last verse saying that there are many others as skilled as the ones mentioned and they all have assembled here ready to give up their lives for my sake, madharTham thyaktha jeevithaaH.
Here Duryodhana inadvertently hits upon the fate of Kourava army in saying thyakthajeevithaah. What he meant was that they are ready to give up their lives but the word thyakthajeevithaaH may also be construed to mean thyakthaaH jeevithaaH yaiH , those who have given up their lives , that is as good as dead.
Sasthra denotes he various missiles or weapons while asthra means those used with the power of manthras like Brhamasthra, aagneyaashtha etc.
yuddDhaviSaardhaaH- viSaaradha means skill or expertise.
SooraaH- those who have valour as well as knowledge
10.aparyaaptham thath asmaakam balam Bheeshmaabhirakshitham
Paryaaptham thu idham etheshaam balam Bheemaabhirakshitham
Unlimited is our army protected by Bheeshma while limited is the army protected by Bheema.
Dhuryodhana says that his army is unlimited consisting of eleven akshouhinees while that of Pandavas is only seven akshouhinees.
Thath means Kourava army and idham, `this,’ denotes that of Pandavas. Idham meaning this is used with respect to Pandava army because he was talking about that only at the outset and thath `that’ refers to his own army.
Paryaaptham the word has the meaning adequate or competent also and hence even though Dhuryodhana meant that Pandava army was limited by the word paryaptham it also conveys a sense quite contrary to what is meant and aparyaaptham used to denote that which is not limited has the contrary meaning of being not adequate or incompetent through the choice of words fatefully adopted as a foreboding of the events to come.
It was not the intention of Duryodhana to say so because earlier in the Udhyogaparva of Mahabharatha, Duryodhana reassures his father that the victory is surely his by saying,
gunNaheenam pareshaam cha bahu paSyaami Bharatha
guNodhayambahuguNam aathmanaScha viSaampathe (MB.Udhyoga parva 55.67)
The army of the enemies, oh king of bharatha clan, is without merit mostly and our army is full of merit which will grow.
He also tells Drona in before the war in Mahabharatha ,
ekaikaSaH samarThaa hi yooyam sarve mahaaraThaah
paanduputhraan raNe hanthum sasainyaath kimu samhathaah (MB_Beeshamparva-51.5)
All of you the great warriors are able to destroy the army of Pandavas singly. What more can be said when you are all together.
Hence it is the unfortunate choice of words now or purposefully chosen by Vyasa in the scene which is the prelude to Geethopadesa because later in 11th chapter Arjuna says that he could see all the kouravas and warriors from his own side also enter the mouth of The visvaroopa of the Lord. Hence as in the previous sloka here also there is a foreboding of the future turn of events.
This is the beauty of the Sanskrit language, when used by ingenuous poets like Vyasa and Valmiki, lends itself to different interpretations which is not prohibited because a word can have different implications, with direct, mukhya, indirect , gouNa, and hidden, vyangya meanings. As the great masters never use any word wrongly or without intention the words must be construed to give the all the meanings relevant to the context. That is why we have so many bhashyas for the scriptures.
Even in the other languages we see that a different meaning can be got by mere fluctuations of the tone and expression of the speaker. As we can understand the meaning only by reading a work we have no way of knowing the real expression or tonal variations etc. So the possible implications cannot be avoided. It is all allowed in the rules of poetics.
PS: I am writing this because someone remarked to me by private mail that I am giving my own interpretations. I am closely following the masters but in writing a commentary and not a translation it is allowed to follow your own thought process because it is what is intended by our scriptures, to encourage free thinking as far as it does not go against the main teaching. That is how our scriptures are enriched by the great thinkers.
11. ayaneshu cha sarveshu yaThaa bhaagam avasThithaaH
bheeshmamevaabhirakshanthu bhavanthaH sarva eva hi
All of you on all fronts, stationed in your respectful places protect only Bheeshma without fail.
Duryodhana told them to be alert in protecting Bheeshma not because Bheeshma was unable to protect himself being the most formidable warrior of all, but he was afraid only on one score.
Bheeshma had resolved to put down his arms if Sikhandi the younger son of Dhrupadha, stand in front of him to fight. This was because Sikhandi was a girl and was changed into a man by the grace of a yaksha. Bheeshma knew this and hence like a true warrior refused to fight against Sikhandi, which he had proclaimed to all. Hence Duryodhana was apprehensive and asks all his men to surround Bheeshma to prevent Sikhandi from coming in front of Bheeshma.
12. thasya sanjanayan harsham kuruvrdDhaH pithaamahaH
simhanaadham vinadhya ucchaiH Sankham dhaDhmou prathaapavaan
Bheeshma, the oldest of the Kurus, and their great grandfather, raised a sound as that of a lion and blew his conch in order to make Duryodhana happy.
Bheeshma saw Duryodhana speaking to Drona and sensed his fear and anxiety out of which he made much of his army to Drona. Hence n order to encourage him Bheeshma blew his conch and roared like a lion. He was the chief commander of the army and hence he blew the conch to signify the start of war. Normally the aggressor takes the first step in battle and by blowing the conch Bheeshma made it appear as though the kouravas are the aggressors.
Thasya – in the heart of Duryodhana, Hence the usage thasya (genitive case)and not thasmai meaning `to him'
sanjananyan- creating, Harsham –joy
kuruvrdDhaH- The old man of the Kurus. Bheeshma, who is the pithaamaha, the great grandfather of both Pandavas and Kouravas. Bheeshma was only vayovrddha, old by age and not by valour. This is denoted by his simhnadhdam, the roar of a lion, which was loud, ucchaiH.
Sankham daDhmou- sounded his conch.
13. thathaH SankhaScha bheryaScha panavaanakagomukhaaH
sahasraiva abhyahanyantha sa sabdhaH thumulobhavath
Then there was a tumultuous sound as all the instruments of war like conch, drums , and horns sounded simultaneously.
thathaH- then, after Bheeshma blew his conch.
Sankha-conch, bheryaH- drums, panava- another instrument , aanaka- trumpet and gomukha- horn.
Sahasra eva- thousands indeed
Abhyahanyantha- were sounded
Sa SabdhaH thumulaH abhavath- that sound was tumultuous.
14.Thathah Svethaih hayaiH yukthaih mahathi syandhane sThithou
maaDhavah Paandavah chaiva dhivyou Sankhou pradhaDhmathuH
Then Krishna and Arjuna stationed in their great chariot drawn with white horses blew their divine conches.
The chariot of Arjuna was divine and given by the god of fire Agni, when he burnt the kaandavavanam as an offering to Agnideva. The four white horses were given to him by Chithraratha , king of Gandharvas out of his ever replenished stock of 100 and both the chariot and the horses are capable of traveling on earth and in the sky. Krishna as the charioteer of Arjuna blew his conch and Arjuna also did likewise.
Both DhuryoDhana and Arjuna went to see Krishna before the war to enlist his help and Krishna gave them a choice. He said that he will be on one side without fighting and he will send his army to the other side. Duryodhana opted for the latter while Arjuna chose Krishna himself . When Duryodhana left, Arjuna said that without the help of Krishna what was the use of army and he requested Krishna to become his charioteer so that when Krishna is in forefront victory would be his. This is how the Lord became the Parthasarathy.
svethaiH hayaiH- by white horses
mahathi syandhane sThithou- the two on the great chariot.
maaDhavah- This name means the consort of Lakshmi , maayaaH Dhavah, signifying prosperity to Arjuna.
PaandavaH means Arjuna. Though this word means all the sons of Pandu, here it is Arjuna who is with Krishna in the chariot.
15. Panchajanyam hrsheekea dhevdhattham DhananjayaH
poundram dhaDhmou mahaaSanKham bheemakarma vrkodharaH
Krishna sounded his conch Panchajanya, Arjuna blew his conch Dhevadhatta and Bheema of fierce actions sounded the big conch, Poundra.
Panchajnayam HrsheekesaH- The Lord is called Hrsheekesa meaning `one who has the senses under his control,' hrsheekaaNaam eeSaH. He is the one who controls the senses and make them function being he inner-self of all.
The word can be split in two ways, namely, hrsheeka+eeSa or hrshi +kesa. In the latter form it means that He gives joy, Hrshi with His rays, kesa, that envelop the whole world. Kesa also means hair and hence it refers to Krishna who has abundant hair.
Panchajanyam- Krishna killed the asura Panchajana and made him into a conch and hence it is called Panchajanyam.
Dhananjaya- The name of Arjuna because he collected a lot of wealth for Yudhishtira when he did Rajasuyayaga, by conquering all the kings . Dhanam jayathi ithi DhanajayaH
Dhevadhattham- the conch of Arjuna was called Dhevadhattham because it was given to him by Indra, dhevena dhattham.
Bheemakarmaa vrkodharah- refers to Bheema who was called vrkodhara because he used to eat a lot and digest the same like a wolf. Vrkasya udharam iva udharam yasay saH, one who has a stomach like that of a wolf. he is also referred to as bheemakarma because his actions were terrifying to his enemies. The word Bheema means fearful.
The conch of Bheema was known as Poundra and it was described as mahaaSankham as it was big in size and also in sound.
Panchajanyam Hrishikesah- Lord Krishna sounded his conch which was music to His followers but sounded the death knell to His foes. The one who played the flute in Brindavan enchanting the whole world with His music, blew His conch in Kurukshetra, stunning the Kaurava forces into silence.
Panchajanya, the conch of the Lord, is pranavasvarupa, represents Omkaara, and hence synonymous with nadhabrahmam, as pranava, the syllable OM is the source of all sound. Om ityekaksharam brahma, Brahman the Absolute Reality synonymous with syllable OM, says the sruti. When the Lord touched the face of the boy Dhruva with the Panchajanya he became eloquent. Such was the power of Panchajanya.
16.ananthavijayam raajaa kuntheeputhro yuDhishTiraH
nakulaH sahadhevaScha sughosha maNipushpakou
The king Yudhishtira, son of Kunthi, blew his conch ananthavijayam and Nakula and Sahadeva blew their conches, sugosha and manipushpaka respectively.
17. kaasyaScha parameshvaasah Sikhandee cha mahaaraThaH
dhrshtadhyumno viraataScha saathyakiH cha aparaajithaH
The king of kasi who is a great archer, Sikhandee, a maharatha, Dhrshtadhyuman, Virata and Sathyaki, the unconquerable,
18.dhrupadho dhroupadheyaaScha sarvaSaH prthiveepaThe
soubhadraScha mahaabaahuh Sankhaan dhaDhmuH praThak prThak
Dhrupadha, the sons of Dhroupadhi , and Abhimanyu, son of Subhadhra, -all blew their conches one by one.
Yudhishtira is referred as the king, raja, because even though he lost his kingdom he became a chakravarthi by performing rajasooya yaga and conquering all the kings.
He is also referred to as kunthiputhra, son of Kunthi , to show that Nakula and Sahadeva mentioned next are not the sons of Kunthi, being the sons of Madri, co-wife of Kunthi. Though Arjuna and Bheema wre also kunthi puthras they have been mentioned already and hence here the epithet denotes Yudhishtira only.
In saying that all blew their conches one by one, prThak prThak, meaning all the warriors including those mentioned blew their conches respectively.
19. sa ghosho dhaartharaashtraaNaam hrdhayaani vyadhaarayath
nabhaScha prthiveem chaiva thumulo vyanunaadhayat
That tumultuous sound reverberating through the heaven and earth, broke the hearts of the sons of Dhrathrashtra.
sa Thumulo ghoshaH- that tumultuous sound.
Vyadhaarayath- tore apart, with fear.
dhaarhtaraashtraaNaam Hrdhayaani- the hearts of the sons of Dhrtharaashtra.
Vyanunaadhayath- reverberated
nabhaH cha prThiveem cha eva- the sky and the earth.
Sanjaya is telling Dhratharashtra that the tumultuous noise rent asunder the hearts of his sons, implying that their cause is as good as lost.
20. aTha vyavasThithaan dhrshtvaa dhaarthrashtraan kapidhvajaH
pravrtthe sasthrasampaathe Dhanurudhyamya paandavaH
21. hrsheekeSam thadhaa vaakyam idham aaha maheepathe
Then Arjuna, who had Hanuman on his banner, seeing the sons of Dhratharaashtras, took up his bow when the missiles were about to fly.
Oh king, he then spoke these words to Krishna.
arjuna uvaacha ---Arjuna said,
Senayoh ubhayoH maDhye raTham sThapaya me achyutha
Achyutha, place my chariot between the two armies.
vyavasThithaan dhaartharaashtran dhrshtva- seeing the sons of Dhrthraashtra assembled there. This shows that Arjuna when he asked Krishna to take his chariot between the two armies, senayoH ubhayoH maDhye, saw only Dhuryodhana and his brothers and people like Bheeshma and Drona were far from his mind .
This is explicit from his words in the next sloka. But what he wanted to see and what he actually saw was entirely different, as per the will of the Lord.
Arjuna is referred to as kapidhvaja, because he had Hanuman as a flag of his chariot. Hanuman when Bheema met him without knowing his identity and challenged him and later knowing who he was requested him to help them in the battle; he agreed to be on the flag of the chariot of Arjuna, to give him victory. Sanjaya here reminds Dhratharaashtra of this.
Pravrtthe Sasthra sampaathe, when the warriors were about to discharge their missiles,
Dhanurudhyamya- raising his bow, which shows his eagerness to fight which was later changed by the will of the Lord to make him say, gaandeevam sramsathe hasthaath, my bow is slipping from my hand.
Hrsheekesam- The Lord is the Hrsheekesa, who controls our senses and hence he brought about the transformation in Arjuna out of His krpaa because he wanted to give the gospel of the Gita to humanity and the context was apt because we all need Gita only when we are at the brink of war or of taking an important decision of our life. This will be elaborated later at the end of the chapter.
22.yaavath ethaan nireekshe aham yodDhukaamaan avasThithaan
kaiH maya saha yodDhavyam asmin raNasamudhyame
So that I will see all those who have come with a desire to fight and with whom I have to fight in this war.
Yaavath- by which manner, referring to the positioning of the chariot as he said
Ethaan nireekshe aham- I will see these.
avasThithaan- who are stationed here.
yoddhukaamaan –desirous to fight
kaiH maya saha yodDhavyam- with whom I have to fight
asmin raNa samudhyame- in this forthcoming war
23. yothsyamaanaamavekshe aham ya ethe athra samaagathaaH
dharthraashtrasya dhurbudDheh yudDhepriyachikeershavaH
I wish to see those who have assembled here wishing to please the evil minded Duryodhana in this battle.
These two slokas makes the intention of Arjuna explicit showing that he was ready to fight and thought only of the misdeeds of Duryodhana and his brothers towards Pandavas and he expresses his anger towards all those kings who have come here to fight for Duryodhana to please him though they all knew that he was doing adharma.
Aham avekshe- I will see yothsayamaanaam- those who wish to fight.
Ya ethe athra samaagathaah-these who have assembled here
Yuddhe priyachikeershavah- wishing to do what pleases in the battle,
Dhaartharaashtrasya durbudDheH - the evil minded Duryodhana
sanjaya uvaacha
24. evam uktho hrsheekeSo gudaakeSena bharatha
senayoH ubhayoH maDhye sThaapayithvaa raThotthamam
25 bheeshmadhroNapramukhathaHsarveshaam cha maheekshithaam
uvaacha paarTha pasya ethaan samavethaan kuroon ithi
sanjaya said,
Krishna thus addressed by Arjuna placed the chariot in between the two armies in front of all the kings with Bheeshma and Dhrona in front, said," Arjuna, see the kouravas assembled here."
Arjuna addressed Krishna in sloka 21 as Achyutha but Sanjaya refers to him as Hrsheekesa throughout to denote that He is the master of all feelings and emotions. (Feelings –sensual, emotions-mental)
The name Achyutha means He neither swerves from His assurances nor from His devotees, na chyuthaH ithi. Krishna never swerved from his status as the Paramathma and Arjuna was also aware of it though he forgot it at times due to familiarity as a child towards its illustrious father.
Atjuna is referred to as Gudakesa, which means ` the one who has conquered sleep.' This shows that Arjuna was always fully aware of himself and his prowess and not given to negligence any time. Sanjaya said this perhaps to remind to Dhrathrashtra of the glory of Arjuna.
bheeshmadhroNapramukhathaH- in front of Bheeshma and Dhrona
sarveshaam cha maheekshithaan- and all the kings.
Krishna purposely stood the chariot at the place where Arjuna could see Bheeshma and Dhrona because it was the Lord's intention, being Hrsheekesa, to create confusion in the mind of Arjuna by kindling the attachment for his great grandfather and guru, the real purpose being not to induce Arjuna to fight , which he would have definitely done so anyway but to give out the geethaamrtha for the world. It is the will of the Lord whose krpa makes the dumb eloquent and the cripple to climb the mountain,
`mookam karothi vaachaalam pangum langhayathe girim yath krpaa tham aham vandhe paramaanandhamaadhavam.'
Arjuna getting perturbed is of no consequence because the Lord could have got him out of it by a mere nod of his head and it does not require eighteen chapters of Gita. But He was also paramanandha madhava, one who gives the supreme bliss and hence through Arjuna , like a mere calf to the cows of the Upanishads, the milk which was the essence of the Upanishads was given to the world and the people with pure minds, suDheeh, were the beneficiaries. Arjuna was not given brahmajnana but as the Lord Himself says later, `yaavaan arTha udhapaane sarvathaH sampluthodhake ` one takes only as much as he could as the well does when there is flood everywhere (the real meaning of this sloka will be explained later), Arjuna took as much as was needed at the time and was ready to do his duty as a kshathriya.
26. thathra apaSyath sThithaan paarThah pithRn atha pithaamahaan
aachaaryaan maathulaan bhraathRn puthraaN pouthraan sakheen thaThaa
There Arjuna saw standing before him the fathers, grandfathers, gurus, uncles, brothers, sons , grandsons and friends,
27. Svasuraan suhrdhaSchaiva senayoH ubhayoH api
thaan sameekshya cha kounthyaH sarvaan banDhoon avasThithaan
Fathers-in law, close friends on both armies and seeing them all relatives stationed there Arjuna,
28. krpayaa parayaavishto visheedhan idham abraveeth
Overwhelmed by pity said as follows.
Since the war was between cousins, all the relatives were present on both sides. Arjuna not only saw his grandfather, uncles etc. among the kourava forces but also saw them on his side also and he was overcome by pity that all these would have been killed as the result of war.
Krpayaaparyavishto- Arjuna was possessed by great pity, says Sanjaya, as the one possessed, aavishta. The word parayaa, great, means that the pity induced fear uncharacteristic of a hero like Arjuna
arjuna uvaacha - Arjuna said,
29.dhrshtvaa imam svajanam krshna yuyuthsum
samupasThitham
Seeing these, my own people, Krishna, who have come to fight ,
30. seedhanthi mamagaathraaNi mukham cha pariSushyathi
vepaThuScha sareere me romaharshaScha jaayathe
My limbs have become weak, mouth is parched , my body trembles and hairs stand at ends.
31. gaandeevam sramsathe hasthaath thvak chaiva paridhahyathe
na cha Saknomi avasThaathum bhramatheeva cha me manaH
My bow Gandeeva slips from my hand,my skin is burning and I cannot stand any longer. My mind is reeling.
When Arjuna asked Krishna to move his chariot between the array of the two armies Krishna deliberately drove to the place where Bhishma and Drona were standing and not where Duryodhana was with his brothers, as Arjuna expected. If it were so, Arjuna would have had no hesitation to fight. But facing his elders he realized that to win the battle he had to fight against his revered guru and beloved grandfather. This upset him. His mental unrest communicated to his body and he explains the various symptoms such as my limbs have become weak etc.
He seemed to have been so overwhelmed by pity and sorrow to the extent that he said gandeevam sramsathe hasthaath. .His great bow slipped from his hand and he was covered with sweat all over. Such was the condition of the great hero not out of fear but due to misplaced compassion and anxiety at the crucial moment of his life. The symptoms exhibited were that of anxiety neurosis that overwhelms at the time of great mental anxiety.
Imam Svajanam dhrshtvaa- seeing my own people.
Yuyuthsum samupasThitham- who have come with the desire to fight
Seedhanthi mamagaathraaNi- my limbs have become weak
In the forthcoming slokas, not being able to face this unavoidable situation he resorted to escapism saying that he had no heart to kill his own kith and kin. He reeled out arguments seemingly valid to support his decision all of which Krishna totally dismisses later as being irrelevant,
mukham cha pariSushyathi- mouth becomes dry
vepaThuH- sweat
romaharshaH- hairs stand on edge
sramsathe hasthaath- slips from hand.
thvak- skin, paridhahyathe- feel as though it is on fire.
avasThaathum na Saknomi- I m not able to stand even, (knees trembling)
me manaH bhramathi iva- it seems as though my mind is reeling.
31. nimitthaani cha paSyaami vipareethaani kesava
na cha Sreyo anupaSyaami hathvaa svajanam aahave
I see bad omens , Oh Kesava and I do not see any good killing our own people in the war.
There were bad omens Arjuna says but when the mind is turbulent everything appears ominous. Moreover the bad omens may indicate the defeat of his enemies and not of him.
Kesava- Arjuna calls Krishna as Kesava, which means the one who has ka, Brahma, the creator and eesa, the annihilator in his power, that is, He is the Lord of creation as well as annihilation. Also Kesa means hair as well as rays. Krishna had a luxurious hair which may be the meaning that was present in the mind of Arjuna. But it also means the one whose rays are everywhere, that is sarvavyapee , who is present inside and outside all beings. Thus He knows the mind of Arjuna only too well. Another meaning is that He has a luxurious mane denoting Narasimha, who appeared as a man-lion to protect His devotee which is exactly what he was doing in Krishnavathara also.
nimitthaani – omens, vipareethaani- indicating contrary happenings than one would expect.
na anupasyaami- I do not see further
SreyaH welfare. Hathvaa – by killing, svajanam- own people, aahave –in the war.
32. na kaankshe vijayam krshna na cha raajyam sukhaani cha
kim no raajyena govindha kim bhogaih jeevithena vaa
I do not wish to win the war, nor to get the kingdom or enjoyments from it. What is the use of the kingdom , Oh Govindha, or of enjoyments and even of living.
Na kaankshe – I do not wish
Vijayam raajyam sukhaani cha- for victory and the kingdom that comes as a result of it and the pleasure from it
Kim naH raajyena – what good will come out of the kingdom
Kim bhagaiH - what use is of the pleasures of getting the rajya
Kim jeevithena vaa- or even by living
Govindha as the name of Krishna has several meanings according to the different meanings of the word `go ` such as indhriyas, speech, cattle etc., and it refers to all His avatharas. Here Vyasa must have used the term to indicate that not only He is the Lord who had taken avatharas to protect the good and destroy the wicked, parithraaaaya saaDhonaam iNaaSaya cha dhushkrthaam but also He is the master of speech as he was going to give out the Gita.
The words of the great masters like Valmiki, Vyasa and the like are never without purpose and it is Vyasa who says what Arjuna said and hence we should perceive the implied meaning of all words used.
Why there is no use of all this? The answer is given next.
33. yeshaam arThe kaankshitham no raajyam bhogaaH sukhaani cha
tha ime avasThithaa yudDhe praaNaan thyakthvaa Dhanaani cha
For whose sake we desire the kingdom and the pleasures and welfare those are standing here in battle ready to give up their lives and wealth.
We desire the kingdom for the sake of our people who will be a happy as a result .But they are all standing here about to sacrifice their lives and belongings for the same reason.
Who are 'they?'
34. aachaaryaah pithraH puthraah thaThaiva cha pihaamahaaH
maathulaaH svaSuraah pouthraaH SyaalaaH sambanDhnasthaThaa
They are the gurus, fathers, sons, grandfathers, uncles, fathers in law grandsons, brothers in law and other relatives.
Arjuna here enumerates the same people who are relatives as he did in the slokas 26 and 27.
35.ethaan na hanthum icchaami ghnato api maDhusuDhana
api thrailokya raajyascha hethoh kim nu maheekrthe
I do not wish to kill these even if I get killed as a consequence, Oh Madhusudhana, even for the sake of the sovereignty of all the three worlds, why mention the kingdom on earth?
na icchaami- I do not wish
ethaan hanthum to kill these people ,
Arjuna expecting the retort that if he did not kill them they were going to kill him and gives the reply
ghanatho api- even if I get killed in the process.
Thrailokya raajyasay hethoH api- even for the sake of the kingdom of all the three worlds, (I do not want to kill them)
Kim nu maheekrthe why (should I do so) for the sake of the kingdom on earth?
MaDhusudhana- the destroyer of the demon Madhu, implying that He killed only fierce demons like Madhu, Hirnya etc, but these are only relatives and ordinary humans with failings.
36. nihathya Dhaartharaashtraan naH kaa preethiH syaath janaardhana
paapam eva aaSrayeth asmaan hathvaa ethaan aathathaayinaH
What will be the satisfaction of killing these sons of Dhrtharaashtra, oh Janardana, we will incur only sin by killing these sinners.
This sloka clearly show the mental conflict that Arjuna was undergoing.
Djaartharaashtran nihathya- by killing the sons of Dhrthrashtra,
Kaa ptrrhiH syaath naH- what pleasure will be for us?
Asmaan paapam eva aSrayeth- Only sin will come to us.
Hathvaa ethaan aathathaayinaH- by killing these worst sinners
This is the sign of the mental conflict or the confusion of Arjuna.
Athathaayee is the one who commits any one of the six heinous sins.
Agnidhah garadhah chaiva sasthrapaaNih DhanaapahaH
Kshethra dhaarapaharthaa cha shad ethe hi aathathaayinah (Manusmrthi)
agnidhaH- one who burns with fire
garadhaH- one who gives poison
sastrhapaanih- advances with a weapon to kill
DhanaapahaH- confiscates wealth
Kshethra dhaara apaharthaa- one who takes away the land or the wife
These six are called aathathaayins and they can be killed without any compunction according to Manu neethi and no sin will accrue by doing so.
Aaththaayinam aayaantham hanyaath eva avichaarayan
Na aathathayivaDhe dhoshaH hanthuH bhavathi kaschana
Duryodhan and his brothers have committed all the six crimes and it is not sin to kill them. Arjuna is well versed in Sasthras like Manusmrthi but got confused because there is another rule elsewhere which says that one who destroys his clan is the worst sinner.
Sa eva paapishTathamaH yah kuryaath kulanaasanam.
This is the principle Arjuna quotes throughout the rest of the chapter.
Janaardhanah- This means the one who destroys those who are antagonistic, the forces that oppose protection. Janaan-dhurjanaan ardhayathi-hinasthi
It also means the one who is prayed by people for their welfare. janaiH ardhyathe
So this means that the Lord has the responsibility to punish those who harm His devotees and provide the welfare of His devotees. Hence it is suggestive that Krishna was going to punish the kouravas who were aathathaayins.
37.yadhyapyethe na paSyanthi lobhopahathachethasaH
kulakshayakrtham dhosham mithradhrohe cha paathakam
Even though these aathaathyins do not see the sin of destroying one's own clan and the betrayal of friendship
because their intellect is clouded by avarice,
yadhyapi- even though
lobhopahathachethasaH- these kouravas whose mind is covered with greed
na paSyanthi- do not see
dhosham -the defect , here means sin
kulakshyakrtham- out of destroying one's own clan
mithradhrohe cha paathakam- and the sin in betrayal of friendship
38.kaTham na jneyam asmaabhiH paapaath asmaath nivarthirthithum
kulakshayakrtham dhosham prapSyadbhih janaardhana
How can it be not known by us, who see the sin of destroying our clan, to turn away from such a deed, Janardana?
kaTham na jneyam asmaabhiH- do we not know
nivarthithum asmaath paapaath- to turn away from this sin because
prapaSyadhbhiH kulakshayakrtham dhosham- we see the sin of committing kulakshaya
Janardana- Arjuna addresses Krishna thus meaning that He is resorted to by people in trouble and He alone should show the way out of this.
Dharma is of two kinds, saaDhaarana Dharma and visesha Dharma.
It is adharma to kill any being which is a saadhaarana dharma but that one can kill even a cow if it attacks is the visesha dharma. Here the dharma Arjuna quotes is the saadhaaranahdharma and one can kill the aathathaayins without hesitation is the visesha dharma which takes precedence over saadhaaranadharma.
Arjuna replies to an anticipated question `when they are intent on fighting with you and they are aathathaayins why are you talking about kulakshaya krtham dhosham etc.,' by saying that their intellect is clouded by greed which prevents them from seeing the sin but we who are of better knowledge should not do so.
Arjuna proceeds to explain to Krishna about dharma and the results of adharma. It is said that `achaaraprabhavo Dharmo Dharmasya prabhuH achyuthaH.' Dharma consists in right conduct and the Lord is the master of dharma. When He Himself is standing in front controlling the activities Arjuna needs no other authority than His words. But like carrying coal to Newcastle , Arjuna speaks about dharma to Him. Here we cannot help recalling the incidents when the Lord Himself as a human obeyed the words of his guru Visvamithra and killed a woman without compunction and similarly in Parsauramavathara He killed His mother obeying the order of His father. To show to the world that visesha dharma is to be followed in special circumstances. Moreover dharma consists in denouncing even your close relatives if they go against it, as Vibheehsana left Ravana.
In the subsequent slokas Arjuna elaborates on the effects of kulakshaya.
39. kulakshaye praNaSyanthi kulaDharmaaH sanaathanaaH
Dharme nashte kulam krthsnam aDharmo Abhibhavathyutha
When the clan is ruined the ancient dharma of the clan is destroyed. When the dharma is lost adharma takes over the whole clan.
40.adharmaabhibhavaath krshNa pradhushyanthi kulasthriyaH
sthreeshu dhushtaasu vaarshNeya jaayathe varNasankaraH
When adharma prevails the women of the clan are corrupted and when they become corrupt the intermixture of castes results.
Krishna is called VarshNeya as he was born in the VrishNikula. Probably Arjuna reminds him of his kula to emphasize the importance of preserving the kula.
41, sankaro narakaaya eva kulaghnaanaam kulasya cha
pathanthi pitharo hi eshaam lupthapindodhakakriyaaH
The mixture of castes leads to hell the clan as well as its destroyers. Their pithrs deprived of the offerings of food and water also fall.
42.dhoshaih ethaiH kulaghnaanaam varnasankarakaarakaiH
uthsaadhyanthe jaathiDharmaaH kulaDharmaaH chaSaaSvathaaH
By these faults of the destroyers of the clan who cause the admixture of castes, the vatrnasramadharma is destroyed.
43.uthsannakulaDharmaaNaam manushyaaNaam janaardhana
narake niyatham vaasaH bhavathi ithi anuSuSruma
We have heard that for men whose kuladharma is thus destroyed, residence in hell is ordained.
44.aho batha mahath paapam karthum vyavasithaa vayam
yah raajya sukha lobhena svajanam hanthum udhyathaaH
Alas! We have decided on committing a great sin by killing our own people for the desire of kingdom and the pleasures of it.
45. yadhi maam apratheekaaram aSasthram SasthrapaaNayaH
Dhaarthraashtraa raNe hanyuH thath me kshematharam Bhaveth
If these sons of Dhrthrashtra armed with weapons kill us who are unresisting and unarmed it will only be better for me.
What Arjuna wanted to convey by these slokas is that the traditional values and code of conduct are communicated by the elders of a community and the law givers of a country. If the war destroys them all there would be no guidance available to the next generation and lawlessness and licentiousness will result. He says that the women will become corrupt because in a patriarchal society women are guided by men. When the women become misguided the next generation will also become corrupt as the mother is the first teacher of a child. When the tradition is no more followed such malpractices like admixture of varna and asrama will result. When the varnasramadharma is not practised the people will lose the faith in dictates of sasthra and give up the ritualistic action like sraaddha etc. which will effect the degradation of the pithrs who depend on the offering of food during the sraaddhas. Thus those who perpetrate such evil will be confounded in hell. So Arjuna said that he did not want to be the cause of the chaos that will result by fighting with one's own kith and kin. He went to the extreme of saying that not only he would not fight but if the sons of Dhrtharashtra continue to attack him even when seeing that he was unarmed and unresisting it is better he gets killed.
Thus Arjuna was lecturing on dharma to the one, who said later
`parithraaNaaya saaDhoonaam vinaaSaaya cha dhushkrthaam, dharmasamsThaapanaarThyaaya sambahavaami yuge yuge,'
The Lord who incarnates in every yuga to protect dharma. and also who said, `sarvaDharmaan parithyajya maam ekam SaraNamvrja, aham thvaam sarvapaapebhyaH mokshayishyaami,'
That He will save those who surrender to Him from all sins.
Sanjaya uvaacha
47.Evam ukthvaa arjunaH sankhye raThopasThaH upaaviSath
visrjya saSaram chaapam Soka samvighnamaanasaH
Sanjaya said,
Thus saying on the battlefield, Arjuna sat on the seat of the chariot putting aside his bow and arrow with heart full of sorrow.
Thus ends the first chapter of the Gita known as `the despondency of Arjuna. From the next chapter the real essence of the Gita is found, spooned out by the Lord for the sake of Arjuna and the whole humanity.
The battle of Mahabharata signifies the fight between the evil and the good impulses in man that ever goes on within. The good impulses are fewer in number like the Pandava army while the bad impulses are comparatively greater in number. But with divine grace good always triumphs over the wicked. When the mind is turned towards God, man hears the sound of the Panchajanya , which becomes divine music that rouses the satvik, noble, quelling the rajasic dynamic and tamasic lower impulses.. The power of music in restraining the animal passions and evoking finer sentiments in the listener is due to the manifestation of divinity through music. The inner self rises in its pristine purity above the sense experience to merge with the divine.
But to reach that state one has to become aware of the divinity within and invoke the Lord, the true self of all beings. Arjuna requested Lord Krishna to become his charioteer and the Lord consented. Similarly one has to ask for His help to be saved from disaster. When He becomes our sarathy as He did for Arjuna , with Parthasarathy on our side the victory is ours.