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Discourse I

No knowledge is to be found without seeking, no tranquility without travail, no happiness except through tribulation. Every seeker has, at one time or another, to pass through a conflict of duties, a heart-churning.

Dhritarashtra Said:

1 Tell me, O Sanjaya, what my sons and Pandu’s assembled, on battle intent, did on the field of Kuru, the field of duty.

The human body is the battlefield where the eternal duel between right and wrong goes on. Therefore it is capable of being turned into a gateway to Freedom. It is born in sin and becomes the seed-bed of sin. Hence it is also called the field of Kuru. The Kuravas represent the forces of Evil, the Pandavas the forces of Good. Who is there that has not experienced the daily conflict within himself between the forces of Evil and the forces of Good?

Sanjaya Said:

2 On seeing the Pandava’s army drawn up in battle array, King Duryodhana approached Drona, the preceptor, and addressed him thus:

3 Behold, O preceptor, this mighty army of the sons of Pandu, set in array by the son of Drupada, thy wise disciple.

4 Here are brave bowmen, peers of Bhima and Arjuna in fighting: Yuyudhana and Virata, and the ‘Maharatha’ Drupada.

5 Dhrishtaketu, Chekitana, valorous Kashiraja, Purujit the Kuntibhoja, and Shaibya, chief among men;

6 Valiant Yudhamanyu, valorous Uttamaujas, Subhadra’s son, and the sons of Draupadi—each one of them a ‘Maharatha’.

7 Acquaint thyself now, O best of Brahmanas, with the distinguished among us. I mention for thy information, the names of the captains of my army.

8 Thy noble self, Bhishma, Karna, and Kripa, victorious in battle, Ashvatthaman, Vikarna, also Somadatta’s son;

9 There is many another hero, known for his skill in wielding diverse weapons, pledged to lay down his life for my sake, and all adepts in war.

10 This our force, commanded by Bhishma, is all too inadequate; while theirs, commanded by Bhima, is quite adequate.

11 Therefore, let each of you, holding your appointed places, at every entrance, guard only Bhishma.

12 At this, the heroic grandsire, the grand old man of the Kurus, gave a loud lion’s roar and blew his conch to hearten Duryodhana.

13 Thereupon, conches, drums, cymbals and trumpets were sounded all at once. Terrific was the noise.

14 Then Madhava and Pandava, standing in their great chariot yoked with white steeds, blew their divine conches.

15 Hrishikesha blew the Panchajanya and Dhananjaya the Devadatta; while the wolf-bellied Bhima of dread deeds sounded his great conch Paundra.

16 King Yudhishthira, Kunti’s son, blew the Anantavijaya, and Nakul and Sahadeva their conches, Sughosha and Manipushpaka.

17 And Kashiraja, the great bowman, Shikhandi the ‘Maharatha’, Dhrishtadyumna, Virata and Satyaki, the unconquerable;

18 Drupada, Draupadi’s sons, the strong-armed son of Subhadra, all these, O King, blew each his own conch.

19 That terrifying tumult, causing earth and heaven to resound, rent the hearts of Dhritarashtra’s sons.

20-21 Then, O King, the ape-bannered Pandava, seeing Dhritarashtra’s sons arrayed and flight of arrows about to begin, took up his bow, and spoke thus to Hrishikesha: “Set my chariot between the two armies, O Achyuta!”

22 That I may behold them drawn up, on battle intent, and know whom I have to engage in this fearful combat;

23 And that I may survey the fighters assembled here anxious to fulfil in battle perverse Duryodhana’s desire.

X Sanjaya Said:

24-25 Thus addressed by Gudakesha, O King, Hrishikesha set the unique chariot between the two armies in front of Bhishma, Drona and all the kings and said: Behold, O Partha, the Kurus assembled yonder.

26-28 Then did Partha see, standing there, sires, grandsires, preceptors, uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, comrades, fathers-in-law and friends in both armies. Beholding all these kinsmen ranged before him, Kaunteya was overcome with great compassion and spake thus in anguish:

Arjuna Said:

29-30 As I look upon these kinsmen, O Krishna, assembled here eager to fight, my limbs fail, my mouth is parched, a tremor shakes my frame and my hair stands on end.

31 Gandiva slips from my hand, my skin is on fire, I cannot keep my feet, and my mind reels. I have unhappy forebodings, O Keshava; and I see no good in slaying kinsmen in battle.

32 I seek not victory, nor sovereign power, nor earthly joys. What good are sovereign power, worldly pleasures and even life to us, O Govinda?

33 Those for whom we would desire sovereign power, earthly joys and delights are here arrayed in battle, having renounced life and wealth—

34 Preceptors, sires, grandsires, sons and even grandsons, uncles, fathers-in-law, brothers-in-law, and other kinsmen.

35 These I would not kill, O Madhusudana, even though they slay me, not even for kingship of the three worlds, much less for an earthly kingdom.

36 What pleasure can there be in slaying these sons of Dhritarashtra, O Janardana? Sin only can be our lot, if we slay these, usurpers though they be.

37 It does not therefore behoove us to kill our kinsmen, these sons of Dhritarashtra. How may we be happy, O Madhava, in killing our own kins?

38 Even though these, their wits warped by greed, see not the guilt that lies in destroying the family, nor the sin of treachery to comrades;

39 How can we, O Janardana, help recoiling from this sin, seeing clearly as we do the guilt that lies in such destruction?

40 With the destruction of the family perish the eternal family virtues, and with the perishing of these virtues unrighteousness seizes the whole family.

41 When unrighteousness prevails, O Krishna, the women of the family become corrupt, and their corruption, O Varshneya, causes a confusion of varnas.

42 This confusion verily drags the family-slayer, as well as the family, to hell, and for want of obsequial offerings and rites their departed sires fall from blessedness.

43 By the sins of these family-slayers resulting in confusion of varnas, the eternal tribal and family virtues are brought to naught.

44 For we have had it handed down to us, O Janardana, that the men whose family virtues have been ruined are doomed to dwell in hell.

45 Alas! What a heinous sin we are about to commit, in that, from greed of the joy of sovereign power, we are prepared to slay our kith and kin!

46 Happier far would it be for me if Dhritarashtra’s sons, weapons in hand, should strike me down on the battlefield, unresisting and unarmed.

Sanjaya Said:

47 Thus spake Arjuna on the field of battle, and dropping his bow and arrows sank down on his seat in the chariot, overwhelmed with anguish.

Thus ends the first discourse, entitled ‘Arjuna Vishada Yoga’ in the converse of Lord Krishna and Arjuna, on the science of Yoga as part of the knowledge of Brahman in the Upanishad called the Bhagawadgita.