CHAPTER 1: THE YOGA OF DEJECTION
On the
confrontation with the necessity to fight
(1)
Dhritarâshthra 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 at that time approached his teacher and
said: (3) 'Just see the
sons of Pându, o teacher, arranged as a great military force by
the son of Drupada. (4)
There are heroes and mighty bowmen equal in the fight to Bhîma
and Arjuna like Yuyudhâna and Virata as also Drupada himself, who
is also a great warrior. (5)
Dhrishthâketu, Cekitâna, Kâs'îrâja, and
also the very powerful Purujit, Kuntîbhoja and Saibya are there,
who are all great heroes in human society. (6) Yudhâmanyu, the mighty
Uttamaujâ, the very powerful son of Subhadrâ and the sons
of Draupadî are certainly 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,
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 with Arjuna standing
in a great chariot drawn by white horses, both confidently sounded
their divine conchshells. (15)
Hrishîkes'a 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 blew Ananta-vijaya while
Nakula and Sahadeva blew the Sughosha and Manipushpaka. So also the
king of Kâs'î, the great archerer Sikhandî and the
great warrior Dhristadyumna, Virâtha, Sâtyaki who was never
defeated and, o King, Drupada together with all the sons of the
Pândavas, and the mighty armed Abhimanyu, 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 Gândiva 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. (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. 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? (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