CHAPTER 1: THE YOGA OF DEJECTION
On the
confrontation with the necessity to fight
(1) [Time: 3102
B.C.] Dhritarâshthra [the blind uncle of the Pândavas, the
sons of king Pându] said: "At Kurukshetra, a place of pilgrimage,
my party and the sons of Pându assembled desiring to fight. What
did they do, o Sañjaya?"
(2) Sañjaya
said: "After seeing the formation of the soldiers of the
Pândavas, king Duryodhana [the chief of the sons of
Dhritarâshthra, the Kurus] at that time approached his teacher
[Dronâcârya] and said: (3) ' Just see the sons of Pându [a
brother of Dhritarâshthra and the father of the Pândavas],
o teacher, arranged as a great military force by the son of Drupada
[the father in law of Arjuna who leads the Pândavas], your
intelligent disciple [Dhrishthadyumna]. (4) There are heroes and mighty bowmen equal in
the fight to Bhîma and Arjuna [two of the five sons of
Pându] like Yuyudhâna and Virâtha as also Drupada
himself, who is also a great warrior. (5) Dhrishthâketu, Cekitâna,
Kâs'îrâja, and also the very powerful Purujit,
Kuntibhoja and S'aibya are there, who are all great heroes in human
society. (6)
Yudhâmanyu, the mighty
Uttamaujâ, the very powerful son of Subhadrâ [sister of
Krishna, a wife of Arjuna] and the sons of Draupadî are centainly
all great chariot fighters. (7) But to your information, o best of the
twice-born, let me tell you also about the specially powerful captains
of our soldiers. (8)
Of your good self there are grandfather Bhîshma and also Karna,
Kripa, and As'vatthâmâ, Vikarna and the son of Somadatta
[Bhuris'ravâ], who are certainly also always victorious in
battle. (9) There are as
well a great number of other heroes equipped with many weapons having
combat experience, that are willing to risk their lives for my sake. (10) Our strength is immeasurable being perfectly
protected by Grandfather Bhîshma, but limited is all of this
strength with the Pândavas carefully protected by Bhîma. (11) Those everywhere strategically arranged to
support Bhîshma certainly all respectively will give you their
support'.
(12) To his greater
joy, blew the valiant
grandsire of the Kuru dynasty, the grandfather, his conchshell very
loudly vibrating like a roaring lion. (13) Other
conchshells as also large and small drums and horns all of a sudden
were sounded together thereafter, which culminated into a tumultuous
uproar. (14) Thereupon Mâdhava [Krishna as the
husband of the goddess of fortune] with Arjuna standing in a great
chariot drawn by white horses, both confidently sounded their divine
conchshells. (15)
Hrishîkes'a [Krishna as the Lord of the Senses] blew the
Pâñcajanya, Arjuna the Devadatta and the herculean
Bhîma, the voracious eater, blew the Paundra. (16-17-18) The king, the son of Kuntî
[Yudhishthhira, the eldest Pândava] blew Ananta-vijaya while
Nakula and Sahadeva [the twin brother Pândava's] blew the
Sughosha and Manipushpaka. So also the king of Kâs'î
[Varanasi], the great archerer Sikhandî and the great warrior
Dhrishthadyumna, Virâtha [who gave the Pândavas shelter],
Sâtyaki [Yuyudhâna, the charioteer of Krishna] who was
never defeated and, o King, Drupada together with all the sons of the
Pândavas, and the mighty armed Abhimanyu [son of Subhadrâ],
each blew their respective conchshells. (19) That vibration tore the hearts of the sons
of Dhritarâshthra as it resounded tumultuous in the sky and the
earth. (20) Then the son
of Pându, whose flag was marked with Hanumân and who was
looking from his chariot upon the sons of Dhritarâshthra in
preparing to take up his bow and shoot his arrows, o King, at that time
spoke the following words to Hrishîkes'a.
(21-22) Arjuna
said: 'Please drive my chariot between both the armies, o Infallible
One, for the time that I may look upon those desiring to fight arrayed
on the battlefield with whom together I have to contend in this trial
of arms. (23)
Let me see those who will be fighting and are assembled here wishing to
please the evil minded son of Dhritarâshthra.'
(24)
Sañjaya said: "O son of Bharata, thus being addressed by Arjuna,
did Hrishîkes'a place the mighty fine chariot in the midst of the
two armies. (25)
In front of Bhîshma, Drona and all the military leaders of the
world the Lord said: 'O son of Prithâ, just see how all the
members of the Kuru-dynasty are assembled here'. (26) There he indeed could see standing both
parties of the armies: his fathers, grandfathers, teachers, maternal
uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, friends and also his fathers-in-law
and well-wishers. (27)
Seeing
all kinds of relatives he, the son of Kuntî got overwhelmed by a
high degree of compassion and lamenting he thus spoke.
(28) Arjuna said:
'The look of all these kinsmen, o Krishna, all present in a fighting
spirit, makes the limbs of my body quiver and my mouth dry up. (29) My body trembles and my hair stands on end,
my Gândîva [his bow] is slipping from my hand and my skin
certainly is burning. (30)
Nor am I able to keep standing, my mind goes and I see just the
opposite, o Kes'ava [Krishna as the killer of the the mad horse
Kes'î]. (31)
Nor do I foresee any good in killing my own kinsmen in the fight, and I
do not desire the victory either, o Krishna, nor do I expect a happy
kingdom thereof. (32-35) What use is the kingdom to us, Govinda? What joy or life is
there either if the kingdom is desired by us for the sake of those who
want that material pleasure and happiness also, while they have all
taken positions on the battlefield and are willing to give up their
lives: our teachers, fathers, sons as well as certainly also our
grandfathers. All
these
maternal uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons, brothers and other
relatives I never wish to kill nor get killed, o Madhusûdana
[Krishna who defeated Madhu]. Not
even in exchange for the three worlds I want the kingdom not to speak
about having it for the sake of the earth - what pleasure will there be
in killing the sons of Dhritarâshthra, o Janârdana [Krishna
as maintainer of the three worlds]? (36) For sure sin will come upon us by killing
all these aggressors and therefore we should never kill the sons of
Dhritarâshthra along with the friends and kinsmen. How can we
become happy by killing others, o Mâdhava?
(37-38) Even if
they do not see with their hearts overpowered by greed the fault to
kill one's family, the quarreling with friends and having to suffer the
reactions - why should we, who see the crime of destroying a dynasty,
not turn us away from such sins, o Janârdana? (39) Destroying the family, its eternal
traditions of religion will vanish as a consequence of which the whole
family will lose its sense of duty, it is said. (40) With the prominence of this lack of
responsibility, o Krishna, the women of the family will become spoiled
and from that corruption of womanhood there will be a confusion of
identity in society. (41)
Such a confusion will certainly turn the life of the family members of
those who killed their family to hell, as with the fall of their
forefathers they also will have stopped with the offerings of food and
water. (42) Such faults
of all those who destroyed the family and became confused in their
identity, will devastate the continuation of the righteousness of
status orientations and family traditions in society. (43) Of those men who spoiled the family
traditions, o Janârdana, one will always turn out to reside in
hell, thus I heard from the learned. (44) Alas, oddly we have decided to perform great
sins in trying to kill kinsmen in our being driven by greed for royal
happiness. (45)
It would rather be better for me to give up my resistance and arms and
have me killed by the weapons in the hands of the sons of
Dhritarâshthra on the battlefield'."
(46)
Sañjaya said: "Thus having spoken on the battlefield, Arjuna sat
down on the seat of his chariot putting aside his bow and arrows, in
distress with a mind full of lamentation."
Spoken by Anand Aadhar Prabhu
to the text offered below