SRIMAD BHAGAVAD GITA(1st)-(Gita.1)
https://youtu.be/LRtmH79PCbE
॥ श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता ॥ ॥ ॐ श्री परमात्मने नमः ॥ ॥ अथ श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता ॥ अर्जुनविषादयोगः
https://youtu.be/mrEq3UKCvQ4
Maamakaah paandavaashchaiva kim akurvata sanjaya.
Aachaaryam upasamgamya raajaa vachanam abraveet.
Vyoodhaam drupadaputrena tava shishyena dheemataa.
Yuyudhaano viraatashcha drupadashcha mahaarathah.
Purujit kuntibhojashcha shaibyashcha narapungavah.
Saubhadro draupadeyaashcha sarva eva mahaarathaah.
Naayakaah mama sainyasya samjnaartham taan braveemi te.
Ashwatthaamaa vikarnashcha saumadattis tathaiva cha.
Naanaashastrapraharanaah sarve yuddhavishaaradaah.
Paryaaptam twidam eteshaam balam bheemaabhirakshitam.
Bheeshmam evaabhirakshantu bhavantah sarva eva hi.
Simhanaadam vinadyocchaih shankham dadhmau prataapavaan.
Sahasaivaabhyahanyanta sa shabdastumulo’bhavat.
Maadhavah paandavashchaiva divyau shankhau pradadhmatuh.
Paundram dadhmau mahaashankham bheemakarmaa vrikodarah.
Nakulah sahadevashcha sughoshamanipushpakau.
Dhrishtadyumno viraatashcha saatyakishchaaparaajitah.
Saubhadrashcha mahaabaahuh shankhaan dadhmuh prithak prithak.
Nabhashcha prithiveem chaiva tumulo vyanunaadayan.
Pravritte shastrasampaate dhanurudyamya paandavah.
Hrisheekesham tadaa vaakyamidamaaha maheepate;
Yaavad etaan nireekshe’ham yoddhukaamaan avasthitaan;
Kair mayaa saha yoddhavyam asmin ranasamudyame.
Dhaartaraashtrasya durbuddher yuddhe priyachikeershavah.
Senayor ubhayormadhye sthaapayitwaa rathottamam.
Uvaacha paartha pashyaitaan samavetaan kuroon iti.
Aachaaryaan maatulaan bhraatrun putraan pautraan sakheemstathaa.
Taan sameekshya sa kaunteyah sarvaan bandhoon avasthitaan.
Kripayaa parayaa’vishto visheedannidam abraveet;
Vepathushcha shareere me romaharshashcha jaayate.
Na cha shaknomyavasthaatum bhramateeva cha me manah.
Na cha shreyo’nupashyaami hatwaa swajanam aahave.
Kim no raajyena govinda kim bhogair jeevitena vaa.
Ta ime’vasthitaa yuddhe praanaamstyaktwaa dhanaani cha.
Maatulaah shwashuraah pautraah shyaalaah sambandhinas tathaa.
Api trailokya raajyasya hetoh kim nu maheekrite.
Paapam evaashrayed asmaan hatwaitaan aatataayinah.
Swajanam hi katham hatwaa sukhinah syaama maadhava.
Kulakshayakritam dosham mitradrohe cha paatakam.
Kulakshayakritam dosham prapashyadbhir janaardana.
Dharme nashte kulam kritsnam adharmo’bhibhavatyuta.
Streeshu dushtaasu vaarshneya jaayate varnasankarah.
Patanti pitaro hyeshaam luptapindodakakriyaah.
Utsaadyante jaatidharmaah kuladharmaashcha shaashwataah.
Narake’niyatam vaaso bhavateetyanushushruma.
Yadraajya sukhalobhena hantum swajanam udyataah.
Dhaartaraashtraa rane hanyus tanme kshemataram bhavet.
Visrijya sasharam chaapam shokasamvignamaanasah.
(Swami Sivananda)
Commentary on the Bhagavadgita
https://youtu.be/LRtmH79PCbE
॥ श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता ॥ ॥ ॐ श्री परमात्मने नमः ॥ ॥ अथ श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता ॥ अर्जुनविषादयोगः
अथ प्रथमोஉध्यायः ।
धृतराष्ट्र उवाच ।
धर्मक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सवः ।
मामकाः पाण्डवाश्चैव किमकुर्वत सञ्जय ॥ 1 ॥
मामकाः पाण्डवाश्चैव किमकुर्वत सञ्जय ॥ 1 ॥
सञ्जय उवाच ।
दृष्ट्वा तु पाण्डवानीकं व्यूढं दुर्योधनस्तदा ।
आचार्यमुपसङ्गम्य राजा वचनमब्रवीत् ॥ 2 ॥
आचार्यमुपसङ्गम्य राजा वचनमब्रवीत् ॥ 2 ॥
पश्यैतां पाण्डुपुत्राणामाचार्य महतीं चमूम् ।
व्यूढां द्रुपदपुत्रेण तव शिष्येण धीमता ॥ 3 ॥
व्यूढां द्रुपदपुत्रेण तव शिष्येण धीमता ॥ 3 ॥
अत्र शूरा महेष्वासा भीमार्जुनसमा युधि ।
युयुधानो विराटश्च द्रुपदश्च महारथः ॥ 4 ॥
युयुधानो विराटश्च द्रुपदश्च महारथः ॥ 4 ॥
धृष्टकेतुश्चेकितानः काशिराजश्च वीर्यवान् ।
पुरुजित्कुन्तिभोजश्च शैब्यश्च नरपुङ्गवः ॥ 5 ॥
पुरुजित्कुन्तिभोजश्च शैब्यश्च नरपुङ्गवः ॥ 5 ॥
युधामन्युश्च विक्रान्त उत्तमौजाश्च वीर्यवान् ।
सौभद्रो द्रौपदेयाश्च सर्व एव महारथाः ॥ 6 ॥
सौभद्रो द्रौपदेयाश्च सर्व एव महारथाः ॥ 6 ॥
अस्माकं तु विशिष्टा ये तान्निबोध द्विजोत्तम ।
नायका मम सैन्यस्य सञ्ज्ञार्थं तान्ब्रवीमि ते ॥ 7 ॥
नायका मम सैन्यस्य सञ्ज्ञार्थं तान्ब्रवीमि ते ॥ 7 ॥
भवान्भीष्मश्च कर्णश्च कृपश्च समितिञ्जयः ।
अश्वत्थामा विकर्णश्च सौमदत्तिस्तथैव च ॥ 8 ॥
अश्वत्थामा विकर्णश्च सौमदत्तिस्तथैव च ॥ 8 ॥
अन्ये च बहवः शूरा मदर्थे त्यक्तजीविताः ।
नानाशस्त्रप्रहरणाः सर्वे युद्धविशारदाः ॥ 9 ॥
नानाशस्त्रप्रहरणाः सर्वे युद्धविशारदाः ॥ 9 ॥
अपर्याप्तं तदस्माकं बलं भीष्माभिरक्षितम् ।
पर्याप्तं त्विदमेतेषां बलं भीमाभिरक्षितम् ॥ 10 ॥
पर्याप्तं त्विदमेतेषां बलं भीमाभिरक्षितम् ॥ 10 ॥
अयनेषु च सर्वेषु यथाभागमवस्थिताः ।
भीष्ममेवाभिरक्षन्तु भवन्तः सर्व एव हि ॥ 11 ॥
भीष्ममेवाभिरक्षन्तु भवन्तः सर्व एव हि ॥ 11 ॥
तस्य सञ्जनयन्हर्षं कुरुवृद्धः पितामहः ।
सिंहनादं विनद्योच्चैः शङ्खं दध्मौ प्रतापवान् ॥ 12 ॥
सिंहनादं विनद्योच्चैः शङ्खं दध्मौ प्रतापवान् ॥ 12 ॥
ततः शङ्खाश्च भेर्यश्च पणवानकगोमुखाः ।
सहसैवाभ्यहन्यन्त स शब्दस्तुमुलोஉभवत् ॥ 13 ॥
सहसैवाभ्यहन्यन्त स शब्दस्तुमुलोஉभवत् ॥ 13 ॥
ततः श्वेतैर्हयैर्युक्ते महति स्यन्दने स्थितौ ।
माधवः पाण्डवश्चैव दिव्यौ शङ्खौ प्रदघ्मतुः ॥ 14 ॥
माधवः पाण्डवश्चैव दिव्यौ शङ्खौ प्रदघ्मतुः ॥ 14 ॥
पाञ्चजन्यं हृषीकेशो देवदत्तं धनञ्जयः ।
पौण्ड्रं दध्मौ महाशङ्खं भीमकर्मा वृकोदरः ॥ 15 ॥
पौण्ड्रं दध्मौ महाशङ्खं भीमकर्मा वृकोदरः ॥ 15 ॥
अनन्तविजयं राजा कुन्तीपुत्रो युधिष्ठिरः ।
नकुलः सहदेवश्च सुघोषमणिपुष्पकौ ॥ 16 ॥
नकुलः सहदेवश्च सुघोषमणिपुष्पकौ ॥ 16 ॥
काश्यश्च परमेष्वासः शिखण्डी च महारथः ।
धृष्टद्युम्नो विराटश्च सात्यकिश्चापराजितः ॥ 17 ॥
धृष्टद्युम्नो विराटश्च सात्यकिश्चापराजितः ॥ 17 ॥
द्रुपदो द्रौपदेयाश्च सर्वशः पृथिवीपते ।
सौभद्रश्च महाबाहुः शङ्खान्दध्मुः पृथक्पृथक् ॥ 18 ॥
सौभद्रश्च महाबाहुः शङ्खान्दध्मुः पृथक्पृथक् ॥ 18 ॥
स घोषो धार्तराष्ट्राणां हृदयानि व्यदारयत् ।
नभश्च पृथिवीं चैव तुमुलो व्यनुनादयन् ॥ 19 ॥
नभश्च पृथिवीं चैव तुमुलो व्यनुनादयन् ॥ 19 ॥
अथ व्यवस्थितान्दृष्ट्वा धार्तराष्ट्रान्कपिध्वजः ।
प्रवृत्ते शस्त्रसम्पाते धनुरुद्यम्य पाण्डवः ॥ 20 ॥
प्रवृत्ते शस्त्रसम्पाते धनुरुद्यम्य पाण्डवः ॥ 20 ॥
हृषीकेशं तदा वाक्यमिदमाह महीपते ।
अर्जुन उवाच ।
सेनयोरुभयोर्मध्ये रथं स्थापय मेஉच्युत ॥ 21 ॥
यावदेतान्निरीक्षेஉहं योद्धुकामानवस्थितान् ।
कैर्मया सह योद्धव्यमस्मिन्रणसमुद्यमे ॥ 22 ॥
कैर्मया सह योद्धव्यमस्मिन्रणसमुद्यमे ॥ 22 ॥
योत्स्यमानानवेक्षेஉहं य एतेஉत्र समागताः ।
धार्तराष्ट्रस्य दुर्बुद्धेर्युद्धे प्रियचिकीर्षवः ॥ 23 ॥
धार्तराष्ट्रस्य दुर्बुद्धेर्युद्धे प्रियचिकीर्षवः ॥ 23 ॥
सञ्जय उवाच ।
एवमुक्तो हृषीकेशो गुडाकेशेन भारत ।
सेनयोरुभयोर्मध्ये स्थापयित्वा रथोत्तमम् ॥ 24 ॥
एवमुक्तो हृषीकेशो गुडाकेशेन भारत ।
सेनयोरुभयोर्मध्ये स्थापयित्वा रथोत्तमम् ॥ 24 ॥
भीष्मद्रोणप्रमुखतः सर्वेषां च महीक्षिताम् ।
उवाच पार्थ पश्यैतान्समवेतान्कुरूनिति ॥ 25 ॥
उवाच पार्थ पश्यैतान्समवेतान्कुरूनिति ॥ 25 ॥
तत्रापश्यत्स्थितान्पार्थः पितूनथ पितामहान् ।
आचार्यान्मातुलान्भ्रातून्पुत्रान्पौत्रान्सखींस्तथा ॥ 26 ॥
आचार्यान्मातुलान्भ्रातून्पुत्रान्पौत्रान्सखींस्तथा ॥ 26 ॥
श्वशुरान्सुहृदश्चैव सेनयोरुभयोरपि ।
तान्समीक्ष्य स कौन्तेयः सर्वान्बन्धूनवस्थितान् ॥ 27 ॥
तान्समीक्ष्य स कौन्तेयः सर्वान्बन्धूनवस्थितान् ॥ 27 ॥
कृपया परयाविष्टो विषीदन्निदमब्रवीत् ।
अर्जुन उवाच ।
दृष्ट्वेमं स्वजनं कृष्ण युयुत्सुं समुपस्थितम् ॥ 28 ॥
सीदन्ति मम गात्राणि मुखं च परिशुष्यति ।
वेपथुश्च शरीरे मे रोमहर्षश्च जायते ॥ 29 ॥
वेपथुश्च शरीरे मे रोमहर्षश्च जायते ॥ 29 ॥
गाण्डीवं स्रंसते हस्तात्त्वक्चैव परिदह्यते ।
न च शक्नोम्यवस्थातुं भ्रमतीव च मे मनः ॥ 30 ॥
न च शक्नोम्यवस्थातुं भ्रमतीव च मे मनः ॥ 30 ॥
निमित्तानि च पश्यामि विपरीतानि केशव ।
न च श्रेयोஉनुपश्यामि हत्वा स्वजनमाहवे ॥ 31 ॥
न च श्रेयोஉनुपश्यामि हत्वा स्वजनमाहवे ॥ 31 ॥
न काङ्क्षे विजयं कृष्ण न च राज्यं सुखानि च ।
किं नो राज्येन गोविन्द किं भोगैर्जीवितेन वा ॥ 32 ॥
किं नो राज्येन गोविन्द किं भोगैर्जीवितेन वा ॥ 32 ॥
येषामर्थे काङ्क्षितं नो राज्यं भोगाः सुखानि च ।
त इमेஉवस्थिता युद्धे प्राणांस्त्यक्त्वा धनानि च ॥ 33 ॥
त इमेஉवस्थिता युद्धे प्राणांस्त्यक्त्वा धनानि च ॥ 33 ॥
आचार्याः पितरः पुत्रास्तथैव च पितामहाः ।
मातुलाः श्वशुराः पौत्राः श्यालाः सम्बन्धिनस्तथा ॥ 34 ॥
मातुलाः श्वशुराः पौत्राः श्यालाः सम्बन्धिनस्तथा ॥ 34 ॥
एतान्न हन्तुमिच्छामि घ्नतोஉपि मधुसूदन ।
अपि त्रैलोक्यराज्यस्य हेतोः किं नु महीकृते ॥ 35 ॥
अपि त्रैलोक्यराज्यस्य हेतोः किं नु महीकृते ॥ 35 ॥
निहत्य धार्तराष्ट्रान्नः का प्रीतिः स्याज्जनार्दन ।
पापमेवाश्रयेदस्मान्हत्वैतानाततायिनः ॥ 36 ॥
पापमेवाश्रयेदस्मान्हत्वैतानाततायिनः ॥ 36 ॥
तस्मान्नार्हा वयं हन्तुं धार्तराष्ट्रान्स्वबान्धवान् ।
स्वजनं हि कथं हत्वा सुखिनः स्याम माधव ॥ 37 ॥
स्वजनं हि कथं हत्वा सुखिनः स्याम माधव ॥ 37 ॥
यद्यप्येते न पश्यन्ति लोभोपहतचेतसः ।
कुलक्षयकृतं दोषं मित्रद्रोहे च पातकम् ॥ 38 ॥
कुलक्षयकृतं दोषं मित्रद्रोहे च पातकम् ॥ 38 ॥
कथं न ज्ञेयमस्माभिः पापादस्मान्निवर्तितुम् ।
कुलक्षयकृतं दोषं प्रपश्यद्भिर्जनार्दन ॥ 39 ॥
कुलक्षयकृतं दोषं प्रपश्यद्भिर्जनार्दन ॥ 39 ॥
कुलक्षये प्रणश्यन्ति कुलधर्माः सनातनाः ।
धर्मे नष्टे कुलं कृत्स्नमधर्मोஉभिभवत्युत ॥ 40 ॥
धर्मे नष्टे कुलं कृत्स्नमधर्मोஉभिभवत्युत ॥ 40 ॥
अधर्माभिभवात्कृष्ण प्रदुष्यन्ति कुलस्त्रियः ।
स्त्रीषु दुष्टासु वार्ष्णेय जायते वर्णसङ्करः ॥ 41 ॥
स्त्रीषु दुष्टासु वार्ष्णेय जायते वर्णसङ्करः ॥ 41 ॥
सङ्करो नरकायैव कुलघ्नानां कुलस्य च ।
पतन्ति पितरो ह्येषां लुप्तपिण्डोदकक्रियाः ॥ 42 ॥
पतन्ति पितरो ह्येषां लुप्तपिण्डोदकक्रियाः ॥ 42 ॥
दोषैरेतैः कुलघ्नानां वर्णसङ्करकारकैः ।
उत्साद्यन्ते जातिधर्माः कुलधर्माश्च शाश्वताः ॥ 43 ॥
उत्साद्यन्ते जातिधर्माः कुलधर्माश्च शाश्वताः ॥ 43 ॥
उत्सन्नकुलधर्माणां मनुष्याणां जनार्दन ।
नरकेஉनियतं वासो भवतीत्यनुशुश्रुम ॥ 44 ॥
नरकेஉनियतं वासो भवतीत्यनुशुश्रुम ॥ 44 ॥
अहो बत महत्पापं कर्तुं व्यवसिता वयम् ।
यद्राज्यसुखलोभेन हन्तुं स्वजनमुद्यताः ॥ 45 ॥
यद्राज्यसुखलोभेन हन्तुं स्वजनमुद्यताः ॥ 45 ॥
यदि मामप्रतीकारमशस्त्रं शस्त्रपाणयः ।
धार्तराष्ट्रा रणे हन्युस्तन्मे क्षेमतरं भवेत् ॥ 46 ॥
धार्तराष्ट्रा रणे हन्युस्तन्मे क्षेमतरं भवेत् ॥ 46 ॥
सञ्जय उवाच ।
एवमुक्त्वार्जुनः सङ्ख्ये रथोपस्थ उपाविशत् ।
विसृज्य सशरं चापं शोकसंविग्नमानसः ॥ 47 ॥
एवमुक्त्वार्जुनः सङ्ख्ये रथोपस्थ उपाविशत् ।
विसृज्य सशरं चापं शोकसंविग्नमानसः ॥ 47 ॥
ॐ तत्सदिति श्रीमद्भगवद्गीतासूपनिषत्सु ब्रह्मविद्यायां योगशास्त्रे श्रीकृष्णार्जुनसंवादे
अर्जुनविषादयोगो नाम प्रथमोஉध्यायः ॥1 ॥I
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The Yoga of the Despondency of Arjuna
Summary of First Discourse
The great Mahabharata war between the Pandavas and the Kauravas took place on the holy plain of Kurukshetra. After the failure of Lord Krishna’s peace mission, when He Himself went to Hastinapura as the emissary of the Pandavas, there was no other alternative for the Pandavas but to engage in war for their rightful share of the kingdom.
All the famous warriors from both sides had assembled on the battlefield. Tents and wagons, weapons and machines, chariots and animals covered the vast plain.
Lord Krishna arrived on the scene in a magnificent chariot yoked by white horses. He was to act as the charioteer of Arjuna, one of the Pandava princes.
The din of hundreds of conches, blaring forth suddenly, announced the commencement of the battle. Arjuna blew his conch “Devadatta”, while Bhima, his brother, sounded the “Paundra”. All the other great warriors blew their respective conches.
As the two armies were arrayed, ready for battle, Arjuna requested Krishna to place his chariot between them so that he might survey his opponents. He was bewildered by the scene before him, for he beheld on both sides, fathers and grandfathers, teachers and uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons, relatives and comrades.
Confusion reigned in Arjuna’s mind. Should he participate in this terrible carnage? Was it proper to destroy one’s relatives for the sake of a kingdom and some pleasures? Would it not be much better for him to surrender everything in favour of his enemies and retire in peace? As these thoughts rushed into his mind, a feeling of despondency overtook Arjuna. He had no enthusiasm to engage in this battle. Letting his bow slip from his hands, Arjuna could do nothing but turn to Lord Krishna for guidance and enlightenment.
Dhritaraashtra Uvaacha:
Dharmakshetre kurukshetre samavetaa yuyutsavah; Maamakaah paandavaashchaiva kim akurvata sanjaya.
Dhritarashtra said:
1. What did the sons of Pandu and also my people do when they had assembled together, eager for battle on the holy plain of Kurukshetra, O Sanjaya?
Sanjaya Uvaacha:
Drishtwaa tu paandavaaneekam vyudham duryodhanastadaa; Aachaaryam upasamgamya raajaa vachanam abraveet.
Sanjaya said:
2. Having seen the army of the Pandavas drawn up in battle array, King Duryodhana then approached his teacher (Drona) and spoke these words:
Pashyaitaam paanduputraanaam aachaarya mahateem chamoom; Vyoodhaam drupadaputrena tava shishyena dheemataa.
3. “Behold, O Teacher, this mighty army of the sons of Pandu, arrayed by the son of Drupada, thy wise disciple!
Atra shooraa maheshwaasaa bheemaarjunasamaa yudhi; Yuyudhaano viraatashcha drupadashcha mahaarathah.
4. “Here are heroes, mighty archers, equal in battle to Bhima and Arjuna, Yuyudhana, Virata and Drupada, of the great car (mighty warriors),
Dhrishtaketush chekitaanah kaashiraajashcha veeryavaan; Purujit kuntibhojashcha shaibyashcha narapungavah.
5. “Drishtaketu, Chekitana and the valiant king of Kasi, Purujit, and Kuntibhoja and Saibya, the best of men,
Yudhaamanyushcha vikraanta uttamaujaashcha veeryavaan; Saubhadro draupadeyaashcha sarva eva mahaarathaah.
6. “The strong Yudhamanyu and the brave Uttamaujas, the son of Subhadra (Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna), and the sons of Draupadi, all of great chariots (great heroes).
Asmaakam tu vishishtaa ye taan nibodha dwijottama; Naayakaah mama sainyasya samjnaartham taan braveemi te.
7. “Know also, O best among the twice-born, the names of those who are the most distinguished amongst ourselves, the leaders of my army! These I name to thee for thy information.
Bhavaan bheeshmashcha karnashcha kripashcha samitinjayah; Ashwatthaamaa vikarnashcha saumadattis tathaiva cha.
8. “Thyself and Bhishma, and Karna and Kripa, the victorious in war; Asvatthama, Vikarna, and Jayadratha, the son of Somadatta.
Anye cha bahavah shooraa madarthe tyaktajeevitaah; Naanaashastrapraharanaah sarve yuddhavishaaradaah.
9. “And also many other heroes who have given up their lives for my sake, armed with various weapons and missiles, all well skilled in battle.
Aparyaaptam tad asmaakam balam bheeshmaabhirakshitam; Paryaaptam twidam eteshaam balam bheemaabhirakshitam.
10. “This army of ours marshalled by Bhishma is insufficient, whereas their army, marshalled by Bhima, is sufficient.
Ayaneshu cha sarveshu yathaabhaagam avasthitaah; Bheeshmam evaabhirakshantu bhavantah sarva eva hi.
11. “Therefore, do ye all, stationed in your respective positions in the several divisions of the army, protect Bhishma alone”.
Tasya sanjanayan harsham kuruvriddhah pitaamahah; Simhanaadam vinadyocchaih shankham dadhmau prataapavaan.
12. His glorious grandsire (Bhishma), the eldest of the Kauravas, in order to cheer Duryodhana, now roared like a lion and blew his conch.
Tatah shankhaashcha bheryashcha panavaanakagomukhaah; Sahasaivaabhyahanyanta sa shabdastumulo’bhavat.
13. Then (following Bhishma), conches and kettle-drums, tabors, drums and cow-horns blared forth quite suddenly (from the side of the Kauravas); and the sound was tremendous.
Tatah shvetair hayair yukte mahati syandane sthitau; Maadhavah paandavashchaiva divyau shankhau pradadhmatuh.
14. Then also, Madhava (Krishna), and the son of Pandu (Arjuna), seated in their magnificent chariot yoked with white horses, blew their divine conches.
Paanchajanyam hrisheekesho devadattam dhananjayah; Paundram dadhmau mahaashankham bheemakarmaa vrikodarah.
15. Hrishikesa blew the “Panchajanya” and Arjuna blew the “Devadatta”, and Bhima, the doer of terrible deeds, blew the great conch, “Paundra”.
Anantavijayam raajaa kunteeputro yudhishthirah; Nakulah sahadevashcha sughoshamanipushpakau.
16. Yudhisthira, the son of Kunti, blew the “Anantavijaya”; and Sahadeva and Nakula blew the “Manipushpaka” and “Sughosha” conches.
Kaashyashcha parameshwaasah shikhandee cha mahaarathah; Dhrishtadyumno viraatashcha saatyakishchaaparaajitah.
17. The king of Kasi, an excellent archer, Sikhandi, the mighty car-warrior, Dhristadyumna and Virata and Satyaki, the unconquered,
Drupado draupadeyaashcha sarvashah prithiveepate; Saubhadrashcha mahaabaahuh shankhaan dadhmuh prithak prithak.
18. Drupada and the sons of Draupadi, O Lord of the Earth, and the son of Subhadra, the mighty-armed, all blew their respective conches!
Sa ghosho dhaartaraashtraanaam hridayaani vyadaarayat; Nabhashcha prithiveem chaiva tumulo vyanunaadayan.
19. The tumultuous sound rent the hearts of Dhritarashtra’s party, making both heaven and earth resound.
Atha vyavasthitaan drishtwaa dhaartaraashtraan kapidhwajah; Pravritte shastrasampaate dhanurudyamya paandavah.
Hrisheekesham tadaa vaakyamidamaaha maheepate;
20. Then, seeing all the people of Dhritarashtra’s party standing arrayed and the discharge of weapons about to begin, Arjuna, the son of Pandu, whose ensign was that of a monkey, took up his bow and said the following to Krishna, O Lord of the Earth!
Arjuna Uvaacha:
Senayor ubhayormadhye ratham sthaapaya me’chyuta. Yaavad etaan nireekshe’ham yoddhukaamaan avasthitaan;
Kair mayaa saha yoddhavyam asmin ranasamudyame.
Arjuna said:
21-22. In the middle of the two armies, place my chariot, O Krishna, so that I may behold those who stand here, desirous to fight, and know with whom I must fight when the battle begins.
Yotsyamaanaan avekshe’ham ya ete’tra samaagataah; Dhaartaraashtrasya durbuddher yuddhe priyachikeershavah.
23. For I desire to observe those who are assembled here to fight, wishing to please in battle Duryodhana, the evil-minded.
Sanjaya Uvaacha:
Evamukto hrisheekesho gudaakeshena bhaarata; Senayor ubhayormadhye sthaapayitwaa rathottamam.
Sanjaya said:
24. Being thus addressed by Arjuna, Lord Krishna, having stationed that best of chariots, O Dhritarashtra, in the midst of the two armies,
Bheeshmadronapramukhatah sarveshaam cha maheekshitaam; Uvaacha paartha pashyaitaan samavetaan kuroon iti.
25. In front of Bhishma and Drona and all the rulers of the earth, said: “O Arjuna, behold now all these Kurus gathered together!”
Tatraapashyat sthitaan paarthah pitrin atha pitaamahaan; Aachaaryaan maatulaan bhraatrun putraan pautraan sakheemstathaa.
26. Then Arjuna beheld there stationed, grandfathers and fathers, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons and friends, too.
Shvashuraan suhridashchaiva senayorubhayorapi; Taan sameekshya sa kaunteyah sarvaan bandhoon avasthitaan.
Kripayaa parayaa’vishto visheedannidam abraveet;
27. (He saw) fathers-in-law and friends also in both armies. The son of Kunti—Arjuna—seeing all these kinsmen standing arrayed, spoke thus sorrowfully, filled with deep pity.
Arjuna Uvaacha:
Drishtwemam swajanam krishna yuyutsum samupasthitam.
Arjuna said:
28. Seeing these, my kinsmen, O Krishna, arrayed, eager to fight,
Seedanti mama gaatraani mukham cha parishushyati; Vepathushcha shareere me romaharshashcha jaayate.
29. My limbs fail and my mouth is parched up, my body quivers and my hairs stand on end!
Gaandeevam sramsate hastaat twak chaiva paridahyate; Na cha shaknomyavasthaatum bhramateeva cha me manah.
30. The (bow) “Gandiva” slips from my hand and my skin burns all over; I am unable even to stand, my mind is reeling, as it were.
Nimittaani cha pashyaami vipareetaani keshava; Na cha shreyo’nupashyaami hatwaa swajanam aahave.
31. And I see adverse omens, O Kesava! I do not see any good in killing my kinsmen in battle.
Na kaangkshe vijayam krishna na cha raajyam sukhaani cha; Kim no raajyena govinda kim bhogair jeevitena vaa.
32. For I desire neither victory, O Krishna, nor pleasures nor kingdoms! Of what avail is a dominion to us, O Krishna, or pleasures or even life?
Yeshaam arthe kaangkshitam no raajyam bhogaah sukhaani cha; Ta ime’vasthitaa yuddhe praanaamstyaktwaa dhanaani cha.
33. Those for whose sake we desire kingdoms, enjoyments and pleasures, stand here in battle, having renounced life and wealth.
Aachaaryaah pitarah putraastathaiva cha pitaamahaah; Maatulaah shwashuraah pautraah shyaalaah sambandhinas tathaa.
34. Teachers, fathers, sons and also grandfathers, grandsons, fathers-in-law, maternal uncles, brothers-in-law and relatives,—
Etaan na hantum icchaami ghnato’pi madhusoodana; Api trailokya raajyasya hetoh kim nu maheekrite.
35. These I do not wish to kill, though they kill me, O Krishna, even for the sake of dominion over the three worlds, leave alone killing them for the sake of the earth!
Nihatya dhaartaraashtraan nah kaa preetih syaaj janaardana; Paapam evaashrayed asmaan hatwaitaan aatataayinah.
36. By killing these sons of Dhritarashtra, what pleasure can be ours, O Janardana? Only sin will accrue by killing these felons.
Tasmaan naarhaa vayam hantum dhaartaraashtraan swabaandhavaan; Swajanam hi katham hatwaa sukhinah syaama maadhava.
37. Therefore, we should not kill the sons of Dhritarashtra, our relatives; for, how can we be happy by killing our own people, O Madhava (Krishna)?
Yadyapyete na pashyanti lobhopahatachetasah; Kulakshayakritam dosham mitradrohe cha paatakam.
38. Though they, with intelligence overpowered by greed, see no evil in the destruction of families, and no sin in hostility to friends,
Katham na jneyam asmaabhih paapaad asmaan nivartitum; Kulakshayakritam dosham prapashyadbhir janaardana.
39. Why should not we, who clearly see evil in the destruction of a family, learn to turn away from this sin, O Janardana (Krishna)?
COMMENTARY: Ignorance of the law is no excuse and wanton sinful conduct is a crime unworthy of knowledgeable people.
Kulakshaye pranashyanti kuladharmaah sanaatanaah; Dharme nashte kulam kritsnam adharmo’bhibhavatyuta.
40. In the destruction of a family, the immemorial religious rites of that family perish; on the destruction of spirituality, impiety overcomes the whole family.
COMMENTARY: Dharma pertains to the duties and ceremonies practised by the family in accordance with scriptural injunctions.
Adharmaabhibhavaat krishna pradushyanti kulastriyah; Streeshu dushtaasu vaarshneya jaayate varnasankarah.
41. By prevalence of impiety, O Krishna, the women of the family become corrupt and, women becoming corrupted, O Varsneya (descendant of Vrishni), there arises intermingling of castes!
Sankaro narakaayaiva kulaghnaanaam kulasya cha; Patanti pitaro hyeshaam luptapindodakakriyaah.
42. Confusion of castes leads to hell the slayers of the family, for their forefathers fall, deprived of the offerings of rice-ball and water.
Doshair etaih kulaghnaanaam varnasankarakaarakaih; Utsaadyante jaatidharmaah kuladharmaashcha shaashwataah.
43. By these evil deeds of the destroyers of the family, which cause confusion of castes, the eternal religious rites of the caste and the family are destroyed.
Utsannakuladharmaanaam manushyaanaam janaardana; Narake’niyatam vaaso bhavateetyanushushruma.
44. We have heard, O Janardana, that inevitable is the dwelling for an unknown period in hell for those men in whose families the religious practices have been destroyed!
Aho bata mahat paapam kartum vyavasitaa vayam; Yadraajya sukhalobhena hantum swajanam udyataah.
45. Alas! We are involved in a great sin in that we are prepared to kill our kinsmen through greed for the pleasures of a kingdom.
Yadi maam aprateekaaram ashastram shastrapaanayah; Dhaartaraashtraa rane hanyus tanme kshemataram bhavet.
46. If the sons of Dhritarashtra, with weapons in hand, should slay me in battle, unresisting and unarmed, that would be better for me.
Sanjaya Uvaacha:
Evamuktwaa’rjunah sankhye rathopastha upaavishat; Visrijya sasharam chaapam shokasamvignamaanasah.
Sanjaya said:
47. Having thus spoken in the midst of the battlefield, Arjuna, casting away his bow and arrow, sat down on the seat of the chariot with his mind overwhelmed with sorrow.
Hari Om Tat Sat
Iti Srimad Bhagavadgeetaasoopanishatsu Brahmavidyaayaam
Yogashaastre Sri Krishnaarjunasamvaade
Arjunavishaadayogo Naama Prathamo’dhyaayah.
Yogashaastre Sri Krishnaarjunasamvaade
Arjunavishaadayogo Naama Prathamo’dhyaayah.
Thus in the Upanishads of the glorious Bhagavad Gita, the science of the Eternal, the scripture of Yoga, the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, ends the first discourse entitled:
“The Yoga Of the Despondency of Arjuna”
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https://youtu.be/1uhQOPciHmc
Commentary on the Bhagavadgita
by Swami Krishnananda
Discourse 1: The Colophon of the Bhagavadgita
Brahmavidyāyāṁ yogaśāstre śrīkṛṣṇārjunasaṁvāde. These words occur at the end of each chapter of the Bhagavadgita. Those who do not know Sanskrit might not have even noticed this. Those who know Sanskrit just take it for granted and bypass it as something that needs to be recited at the end of each chapter, whatever the reason may be. But there is no redundant word in the Bhagavadgita. There is nothing that can be bypassed or considered as introductory, just to be glossed over. Even if there is a well-known apostrophe—śrībhagavān- uvāca—that also has a meaning by itself.
What does the Bhagavadgita teach? It teaches three things: brahmavidyāyāṁ yogaśāstre śrīkṛṣṇārjunasaṁvāde. It is repeatedly dinned into our ears what the Gita teaches. The commentaries on the Gita say that it teaches karma yoga, raja yoga, bhakti yoga, jnana yoga, a synthesis of yoga, the art of living, and whatnot. But the Gita itself tells us what it teaches by a colophon, which is in three words only: brahmavidyāyāṁ yogaśāstre śrīkṛṣṇārjunasaṁvāde. Actually, these three words mean theory, practice, and realisation.
There is theoretical physics, practical physics, and there is the technological implementation of it. Theoretical physics is the advanced conceptualisation of the fundamental structure of physical reality, in whatever form. Then, with this insight gained through a methodological, systematic study of the constituents of matter, matter becomes more amenable and one can handle it more easily. An unknown object is fearsome. The more we know it and the more we become intimate with it, the easier it is for us to handle it for any given purpose.
Brahma-vidya is the science of the Absolute—that system of thinking which is enabled to comprehend within itself at any time the total structure of things. To conceive the Absolute is to at once take into consideration, in our processes of thought, all things connected with the object of thought—not only the inner constituents of the object as such, but also the relations that the object bears to other objects. The reality of a particular thing is not only in itself; it is also in that which determines it, restricts it, influences it, conditions it, defines it, and makes it what it is.
Every individual is an entity by itself. But this ‘being an entity by itself’ is not so simple a matter as it appears on the surface. As human individuals, we appear to be totally isolated persons, and we stand by ourselves, unrelated to things outside. We can be in our own rooms, unnoticed and unconnected to things. But, we are not unconnected to things. The physical atmosphere, the social atmosphere, the political atmosphere, and the psychological atmosphere determine us. So even if we are alone in our rooms, we do not forget that our individuality is conditioned by the presence of these laws of society, of government, of physical nature, and of the thoughts of people in general. Hence, our individuality is only a chimera, and total individuality by itself is not a possibility.
There is a relation of ‘A’ to ‘B’. If ‘A’ was not related to ‘B’, we would not be conscious that ‘A’ is independent of ‘B’. If we say an object is red in colour, it is not an independent perception of the redness of the object. It is, at the same time, a distinction that we draw between the redness and the other colours which are not red. If there was only redness everywhere, we would not be able to perceive the redness of things. There is a distinction in the characteristic of a particular object which is red. That distinction lies in the fact that it is not what is not red. It is red, and it is not what is not red. The not-ness is a negative influence exerted on this object.
We are human beings, and we are not animals. Our not being animals is a conditioning factor even if we are individual human beings. The existences that are outside us are not actually outside us. They influence us. What I mean finally is that in the concept of this Total, or the Absolute, it is not enough if we just look at it as if it is clear to us. We have to probe into the structural pattern of the object in its relation to atmospheric conditions outside also, which determines it in quality as well as in quantity, so that to think in an Absolute fashion would be to recognise the total structure of the universe even in an atom, and to see the whole government in a single official. We can summon the entire government, if necessary, though no official can be called the government. In a similar manner, any object can draw sustenance from everything in the universe.
Brahma-vidya is the art and the science of educating oneself in the manner of correctly perceiving the world as such, including one’s own self, in the totality of relations, so that no partial vision of things can be regarded as a passport to the concept of the Absolute. Mostly—or always, I may say—our perceptions are partial. They are limited to certain conditions. It is a condition related to a marketplace, a railway station, a bus stand, an office, a factory or a house. These are the things that limit our thoughts, but we do not rise above the apparent outwardness of these conditions and go inside to the relationship of these things to other things.
This is a very difficult thing to maintain in the mind, because the human mind is sensorily restricted. It is externalised in its nature, and total perception is neither externalised nor internalised. It is a blend of the external and the internal, so that we stand in the middle, between our perceiving capacity and the object that is perceived. In a total perception of things, we are not in ourselves; we have transcended ourselves. Nor are we in the object; we have transcended the object. We are in the middle as the blend—a blending consciousness which brings about a harmony between the seer and the seen, or between any two faces of reality. In all situations, there are two aspects: the cause, or the causative factor, and the effect upon which the cause seems to have an impact. It is very difficult for us to see the relation between cause and effect. Mostly we see the cause as one thing and the effect as another.
Brahma-vidya is an intricate subject. It is not just repeating some words of the Upanishads or the Brahma Sutras or even the Gita. It is the entry of the consciousness into the very import of the teaching, which is suggested in many of the verses of the Bhagavadgita itself. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti (7.7); aham ātmā guḍākeśa sarvabhūtāśayasthitaḥ (10.20); paśya me pārtha rūpāṇi śataśo’tha sahastraśaḥ (11.5); divyaṁ dadāmi te cakṣuḥ paśya me yogam aiśvaram (11.8); jñeyaṁ yat tat pravakṣyāmi yaj jñātvāmṛtam aśnute, anādimat paraṁ brahma na sat tan nāsad ucyate (13.12); sarvataḥ- pāṇipādaṁ tat sarvato’kṣiśiromukham, sarvataḥśrutimal loke sarvam āvṛtya tiṣṭhati (13.13): The Total has eyes everywhere, has feet everywhere, has hands everywhere, because it is neither a subject nor an object. In the total perception of things, we are not ourselves, nor are we other than what we are. We are something beyond both what we are and what is other than what we are. This is the final import, as it were, of the Brahma-vidya aspect of the Bhagavadgita.
But, as I mentioned, theoretical physics has to lead to applied physics. What is the use of merely knowing things? This knowledge has to be applied in practical life. In a similar manner, this Brahma-vidya, which is the knowledge of the integrality of things, has to be put into daily implementation in our teacups, in our fountain pens, in our angry gestures, in our prejudices, in our desires, in our attractions, in our repulsions. In every situation, this Brahma-vidya has to be there. We have to be total and whole persons always. We cannot be whole only at some time, and a fraction at some other time. Will we be whole persons in our offices, and only a percentage in our houses? We are whole everywhere, but if we behave in different ways at different times, and convert ourselves into fractions of human personality, as it were, we are not living a wholesome life. It is not a holistic approach to things.
Brahma-vidya is to be applied in the Yoga Shastra, which is the daily application of our consciousness, our mind, our attitude, to anything in the world in terms of the lesson that we have learnt through Brahma-vidya. What is the purpose of this practice of yoga in terms of the wisdom that we gain through Brahma-vidya? It is kṛṣṇārjunasaṁvāda: the conversation of the soul with God. Kṛṣṇārjunasaṁvāda is the conversation of the soul with the Absolute. The soul speaks to the Absolute. Arjuna’s envisaging the mighty Krishna is symbolic of the soul envisaging the Cosmic Being in its daily life.
Who can encounter the Absolute? Who can talk with God, unless we are flaming and blazing forth in the purity of our spirit as God Himself is? Unless we have transcended the limitations of flesh and bone and the limitations of the psyche which are conditioned socially, politically, etc., unless we are able to lift our consciousness above these limitations, how will we converse with God? Who can dare approach God, when there is no communicating medium between ourselves and God? The wavelength of our individuality and the wavelength of God are in such contrast that there is no mingling of these two factors. The radio station of God is sending messages. We are unable to receive any message from God because our receiving sets here have a very feeble wavelength and, therefore, no message is received. The Yoga Shastra, or the practice of yoga, is nothing but the tuning of the wavelength of our receiving sets to the wavelength of the message that comes from God’s broadcasting station.
This is Yoga Shastra; and the purpose of this is to contact God directly. There is no use of thinking God, praying to God, feeling God, and imagining that one day we will realise God. It is necessary to confront Him every day, if it is true that He is present in every atom, as they say. In every atom He is vibrating, as the sun is vibrating in the solar system. If that is the case, He is to be contacted just now. God is a here and a now, and not an afterwards or a somewhere or a someone. He is without these limitations of the concept of space and time. Contact with God is contact with timelessness, with eternity, with just-ness, now-ness and here-ness. Such is the import of the final teaching of the Bhagavadgita, where the soul communes with God in its realisation of the perfection that it has to achieve finally through the Yoga Shastra. This is the practice of the discipline necessary in this world in the light of the knowledge of Brahma-vidya, which is the theoretical education that we receive of how the world is made, finally.
First we have to know, then we have to do, and then we have to realise. A similar reference is made in the Eleventh Chapter of the Bhagavadgita. It is not enough if we merely see and know, but we have to enter into it. It is necessary for us to enter into God in our daily life. It is not enough if we are merely thinking as a kind of outer whitewash on our body. Then it will remain like a whitewash outside only, and it will not be part of our structure.
The entry into God’s existence every day is the living of the divine life, and we should not think that this is a very hard thing. Who can enter into God every day? Where is God? Is He in some unimaginable infinity? It is nothing of the kind. Sarvataḥ pāṇipādaṁ tat sarvatokṣiśiromukham, sarvataḥ śrutimal loke sarvam āvṛtya tiṣṭhati (13.13); mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti(7.7): Outside God, nothing exists. If that is the case, what is the distance between us and God? Distance is abolished. It is a distanceless, timeless contact. That is possible for us, provided that we open the gates of our personality, open the windows to the sunshine of the Supreme Being that is illuminating us perpetually, and melt our egos, which affirm that “I also exist together with God”. The biblical fall of Satan is nothing but the story of the affirmation of the ego in the presence of God: “If you are there, I am also there.” The devotee says, “God, Thou art, but I am also there to contemplate You.” That devotee should not be there at all. Let that devotee melt, and then God possesses him. The ocean enters into the rivers, and the world melts into the consciousness which is a now and a here.
The Bhagavadgita is a Brahma-vidya, a Yoga Shastra, śrīkṛṣṇārjunasaṁvāda. It is a theoretical understanding of the structure of the cosmos, the practice of yoga, and the daily contact with God in our practical affairs, which is true divine life.
Swami Krishnananda.
Discourse .2
The First Chapter – Visada Yoga, the Yoga of the Dejection of the Spirit
The Bhagavadgita is a system of meditation. It is not a story that is being told to us of what might have happened centuries back. It is a concentrated spiritual guide which takes us from the very level in which we find ourselves at any given moment of time, and enables us to rise from that level to the next higher level, from the next higher level to a further higher level, and so on, in a graduated manner. There is no double promotion or sudden jumps in the teachings of the Bhagavadgita.
In a way, we may say that the Bhagavadgita starts with the worst of conditions that we can think of. What can be worse than battle? We know that the Gita was not taught in a temple or in a church or a monastery, which would have been the proper place for a teaching on Eternity. Is a battlefield the proper place for a teaching on timeless existence? The reason the Gita was taught on a battlefield is that a spiritual life is not merely an idealism of human aspiration, a possibility of future attainment, but a realism of the present moment. There is no use having ideas of a possible attainment in the future without appreciating its connection with the condition existing today. As it is said, we cannot jump out of our own skin. We are planted on the earth so firmly. Our feet are so sunk in the mire of this physical existence that whatever be the power with which the mind soars into the empyrean of the transcendent, it will not allow us to forget that our feet are in clay. That is the reason why the situation that can be considered as most abominable has been taken as the venue for the teaching of that which is the best of all teachings. It is as if from hell we are rising to the highest heaven.
The conflicts of human society are presented in the First Chapter of the Bhagavadgita; and the otherwise very adventurous and enthusiastic spiritual seeker is likely to suddenly find himself or herself in a predicament which would be ruled by the emotions and sentiment rather than reason. Arjuna asked Sri Krishna: “Please place my chariot between the two armies so that I may have a purview of what I am facing.” Sri Krishna could have done this and kept quiet. But he would not keep quiet. He uttered a few words that stirred the emotions of Arjuna: “Look at the Kurus arrayed in front of you!” If at the proper moment I utter one word, it will go so deep into you that you will never forget it. At a proper time I should say that proper word, like pressing a button at the proper moment. The name Kuru refers to the ancestral family from where the Kauravas and the Pandavas both descended. To say, “Look at the Kurus,” is to say, “Look at the field which is filled with your own kinsmen, as you have all descended from the Kurus.” The blood of the Kurus flowed through the veins of the Pandavas and of the Kauravas. It was a family feud, and the name Kuru stimulated sentiments of an emotional concord towards these kinsmen.
Even if we dislike one of our relatives for some reason, we cannot forget that person is related to us. The idea that “he is a relative and known to me, and very much intimate with me” will come up one day or the other, in spite of other factors that may make us dislike that person. This is because blood relations are so very intense in a biological sense. A mother’s love for the child is due to the fact that her own biological stuff is flowing through the child—and she loves herself, as it were, in her love for the child. In a similar manner is the love for relations.
Arjuna hated the Kauravas to such an extent that he did not want them to live. And then he thought, “But they are my kinsmen. These are my nephews, these are my brethren, these are my Gurus, these are my teachers; this is the set of people who have brought me up.” There was Bhishma, for instance, on whose lap Arjuna sat as a little baby, and there was Drona, who was the master archer and also the Guru of the Pandavas. It was because of the learning that the Pandavas received from Drona that they were able to stand on the battlefield. Ingratitude is supposed to be the worst of sins. Arjuna felt, “Am I ungrateful to these great warriors who are, first of all, my own relatives, and are most revered elders? There is nothing worse than ingratitude.” The name Kuru stimulated a biological sentiment of affection in Arjuna rather than the rational military spirit with which he wanted to enter the field.
I often feel that the First Chapter is the most important chapter in the Gita, while many people skip it because they think it is only an introduction, and start with the Second Chapter. In my book entitled The Philosophy of the Bhagavadgita, six chapters are devoted to explaining the First Chapter. No one else has written so much on the First Chapter. The point is, to understand where we stand now is more important than to focus on what we would expect to happen afterwards. Forgetting the present predicament is to become feeble at our base when we try to ascend further and further. Every step that we take in spiritual life should be a firm step. It does not matter if we take only one step, but it should be a firm step. If we hurriedly take steps, there is the possibility that afterwards we may have to retrace our steps. That should not be done. Even if years are needed to take these steps, it does not matter, as long as the little that we have achieved is a firm and solid achievement.
When the spiritual seeker passes some years in self-abnegation, a determined spirit arises: “I have risen above all the desires of the world. I have had enough of all things. I am now here to fight the battle of life, to transcend the world, to face it, to overcome it, and then to go beyond it.” The Pandavas facing the Kauravas is like a spiritual seeker facing the whole world. The objective sentiments are represented by the Kauravas, and the subjective sentiments are represented by the Pandavas. It is difficult for the subject to face the object entirely on the assumption that it is an alien element that is outside, because the world is not an alien element. The blood of the subject flows through the very fibre of the objective world. The individual is a content of the world and, therefore, all the realities of the world are also seen in the realities of the physical personality. There is nothing in us which is not in the outside world. We will realise later on that when we fight this battle of life and want to overcome the temptations and the errors of perception in the world, we are actually heading towards a battle against our own self. We will discover that the forces that we have to face and overcome in the form of an assumed externality of the world are actually in us, because all the faces of reality, positive or negative, that one tries to visualise in the outside world are in a miniature form in our personality.
The three gunas of prakriti—sattva, rajas and tamas—constitute everything in the world, and they also constitute our physical personality. Even our minds are conditioned by these three gunas. Therefore, any kind of envisagement by the subjective consciousness in respect of the outside world would have to take into consideration the fact that the envisager is constituted of the very same elements that constitute the objective world, in the same way as the blood that was in the Pandavas was also in the Kauravas. And so we feel a sense of fright, a sense of diffidence.
Spiritual seekers who are honest in their pursuit will begin to feel a sense of internal fear and tremor after years of spiritual practice, due to various questions that will arise which did not arise earlier because they had a wrong notion that the things they have to fight against are totally outside. The experience in spiritual meditation, living with Gurus, doing austerities in ashrams, etc., will slowly bring out the facts of the inner components of nature, and after years of living a monastic life or a spiritual life under a Guru, a fright of an unknown nature will take possession of the individual.
Questions arose in the mind of Arjuna: “Is it proper to stand against the very same constituents that are also the constituents of my personality? That is to say, can I fight against my own relatives? Is it ethically sanctioned?” In a family, is it permissible or ethical if one member attacks another member? The Kuru family included all the Kauravas and all the Pandavas, and in this attitude of military onslaught it appears as if a large family is fighting against itself, like a house divided against itself. Is this ethically permissible and of any practical utility at all? It looks like patricide, homicide, and any kind of ‘cide’, which is condemned in ethical courts.
Secondly, the spiritual seeker feels a doubt of another kind: “Am I deserting the world in my enthusiasm for God?” Advanced spiritual seekers will have such questions. “Have I not a duty towards people who are suffering? Am I to fly to God individually, allowing my own brethren, kinsmen and humanity to wallow in the mire of ignorance? Is it not my duty to be of some assistance to these sufferers?” A little bit of spiritual enlightenment is like a half-baked pot, which breaks when water is poured into it. It breaks the very determination of the spiritual seeker to reach God, and he would like to become a saviour of the world, a worker for the welfare of mankind. He goes to foreign countries, establishes centres, has thousands of devotees, and feels a satisfaction that his mission is fulfilled. This is an extension of the logic of Arjuna’s feeling that the world is too much of a reality to be bypassed so easily with the feeling that it can be attacked, subjugated and destroyed, because of the fact that it has a relation of kinship with oneself. “They are me and, therefore, I have a duty towards them; and my duty is not to oppose them, but to feel for them.” This is one question.
Another question that arises in the spiritual seeker is: “I have practised meditation for twenty years, and have lived in an ashram for forty years. What is it that I have achieved, finally?” There will be a despondency of spirit. “If forty years have not brought anything, what is the guarantee that another twenty years will bring something? Perhaps there is some error.” A very intelligent friend of mine who is living in a nearby ashram—who is practically the founder of that ashram, a veteran who worked day and night for establishing that ashram—came to me one day, after twenty years of hard work in establishing that ashram. I was going for a walk, and by chance he was walking behind me. He asked, “Are you also finding time to read the commentary on the Gita by Jnaneshwara—the chapter on meditation? Swamiji, do you really believe in these things?” He asked me, “Do you really believe in these things?” His mind had gone off a little bit, somehow or other. His enthusiasm for social welfare and for establishing a centre of Hindu revivalism possessed him to such an extent that his nerves broke down, he had a heart attack, and doubts arose in his mind regarding the existence of God Himself; and he is now in a broken condition.
This is not the problem of a beginner in spirituality. It is the problem of an advanced person in spirituality. The world is not afraid of a beginner; it knows that he is a fly, so it does not care. An elephant does not care about a fly sitting on it, but if a lion comes in front of it, it will be conscious of the lion. Similarly, the world will not care to recognise even ten or fifteen years of japa, meditation, etc., because these japas are not going to touch even the skin or the fringe of the reality of life. But if we are determined, the world begins to feel that we actually mean to encounter it. Then it will show its teeth and claws, and will stir up the emotions which had been buried inside, and the renunciation that we resorted to will irrationally sink down into the sentiments of unfulfilled subconscious potentialities, and petty desires will manifest themselves. A person may be a well-to-do individual, coming from a rich family, and he may have renounced that for the sake of the pursuit of God. But after thirty or forty years of meditation, he may feel so starved and his appetite will increase so much that he will eat much more than he had eaten when he was with his family, and petty desires will arise for things like a wristwatch or a radio. He had been a well-to-do man, the son of a big landlord, but that does not matter because individual sentiments manifest themselves only when the social sentiments are suppressed.
When we are well placed in the midst of society and everybody respects us, we cannot know what kind of persons we are. Society should reject us or we should reject society, either one or the other, and then we will stand by ourselves. At that time, what we are in our basic subconscious will surface, and we will be neither rich nor poor; we will be just sentimental individuals like anybody else. Then the doubts arise: “This is not for me.” “I have made a mistake in choosing the Guru. I will have to go to another Guru.” “My meditations must have been wrongly manoeuvred.” “What happens to me? When I die, I lose all things. This world is lost for me.” “I have a father and a mother who love me.” The little affection of those parents and relatives will sting like a scorpion when everything is cut off and there is nothing for us to stand upon. And, as I mentioned, silly desires, most irrational instincts, will take possession of the individual when he totally cuts himself off from society and becomes an itinerant monk or an austere individual, starving his sentiments. “What is the guarantee that I will attain God in this birth? It may be a great hope, but from what has happened to me over the last fifty years, I realise that I have achieved nothing. I have not taken even one step in the direction of God-realisation.”
The sentiments, the inner subconscious forces, take possession of the individual, and finding the weak point of the individual sentiment, they take the opportunity to ambush and attack him, and the advanced spiritual seeker becomes a petty individual who is practically helpless: “God has not come; the world has gone.” At a particular time we will either feel that the world has left us or that we have left the world, but God has not come. That is the situation in which we find ourselves—neither this nor that, as if in a vacuum—and it is at that time that we can develop a neurosis or have a breakdown, or develop a peptic ulcer or peculiar illnesses where the brain malfunctions and the mind becomes deranged. I have seen one swami who kept shaking his head. He said, “I have done meditation on the great truth of the presence of consciousness everywhere. I began to see consciousness in objects. This made me very happy. I went on concentrating on the presence of consciousness in everything. One day I suddenly got a bolt from the blue, as it were, and now I am feeling like this. Is there any remedy that you can think of?” I gave him some remedy which helped him, satisfied him.
Arjuna should be well prepared for all the psychological eventualities that he may have to face, rather than merely being prepared for the physical eventualities. To fight with the mind is more difficult than to fight with people, as it is the mind that sees values in things and considers people as friends or enemies, etc. Who tells us that so-and-so is a friend or an enemy? It is the mind. Hence, there is a particular psychological reaction from ourselves that is the determining factor in defining our envisagement of values. Otherwise, we cannot know who is a friend and who is an enemy because a relationship of this kind, positive or negative, is a counteracting medium of the mind itself, which has some mould into which these values are cast, and if the susceptibility to react in terms of affection and hatred were not to be in our minds, we would not experience affection and hatred. There is some weakness in the mind which is submerged in ordinary social life, because when we are in a good society we do not always think in terms of affection and hatred, etc. Everything looks fine, and we are all well off. But when we are totally alone, the possibilities of the otherwise-ignored aspects of the mind will come up and tell us that we have totally ignored them, we have not paid our debts to them; the tax has not been paid and, therefore, we will not be able to move further. Arjuna asked: “Even if I face these people, and even if I am the best of spiritual seekers, what is the guarantee that I will succeed? I may conquer the world—or the world may conquer me. I may perish in this attempt.” Arjuna himself put this question: “If somebody perishes in the middle, having attained nothing, what will be his fate?” Lord Krishna answers this in some other chapter.
Do we find ourselves in a helpless condition spiritually? We will not be able to answer this question unless we live an individual life. We should not be in society. When I say we should not be in society, I do not mean that we should sit under a tree or go into the jungle, etc. The mind should be dissociated from any kind of social contact. A person may be sitting next to us, but we may not be socially connected with him or even be aware that he is there. It is like a railway station. We are travelling in a coach of the train. Many people are sitting in the same coach. Are we connected with any one of them? It is a society, no doubt. We are sitting in the midst of a large number of people, which is nothing but human society, but we are not even aware of the existence of these people and we do not care what kind of people they are. It is total detachment of our minds, for reasons which are obvious. So we can be in the midst of thousands of people and yet be unconcerned with them. Similarly, the detachment that is required socially is not actually a physical running away from Rameswaram to the Himalayas. That is not of any utility, finally, because it is the mind that works havoc, and not the body.
“Will I succeed? If I perish, what happens?” This is Arjuna’s question. Secondly, Bhishma, Drona, Karna, etc., are not ordinary people. They are ten times stronger than Arjuna, and Arjuna knows that. Nobody can face these people.
Before the commencement of the war (this is a little digression from the main point) when all were arrayed on the battlefield, wearing armour, with bows and arrows in their hands and swords drawn—everything was war-hot, and nobody knew what would happen the next moment—Yudhishthira put down his weapons, removed his shoes, put on a single cloth, a dhoti, and in the thick of the array went forward. Nobody understood what was happening to this crazy man; he was walking into the midst of his enemies, who had drawn their swords.
Arjuna said, “What has happened to my brother? Has he gone crazy?”
Duryodhana and others said, “Coward! Coward! The coward is coming. He is afraid. Seeing, us he is afraid. He is coming to sue for peace.”
Krishna said, “I am aware of what it is. He is neither a coward, nor has he made any mistake. He is following a great tradition of paying obeisance to elders.”
We have to pay obeisance to our elders. This is one of the great dharmas of India. He went and prostrated himself before Bhishma.
Yudhishthira said, “Bless me for success,”
“Not as long as I am alive,” Bhishma replied.
“Then what?” asked Yudhishthira. “When shall I have success? How will I defeat you?”
“This matter we shall discuss later on,” said Bhishma.
Yudhishthira then went to Drona, and prostrated himself before him. “Please bless me for success.”
Drona replied, “Nothing doing, as long as I am on the field.”
Yudhishthira then went to Kripacharya, who said, “No success for you as long as I am here.”
The world will tell us, “I am not going to leave you so easily like that.” It catches hold of us, with all our sentiments and desires and longings and social relationships. The gold and silver, and the milk and honey of this world are not easy to abandon. There is a joy in being an important person in the world. There is a satisfaction in being a king, an emperor or a ruler of a country. There is a satisfaction in being a very wealthy person, a millionaire rolling in gold. Can we say these are not satisfactions? And if this temptation is thrown at us—suppose we are offered a gold throne—what will we say, my dear spiritual seeker? We will hesitate.
It is said that Satan showed a large field of gold and silver to Christ, and said, “Take this for yourself. Convert stone into bread, etc. You are a master. You have attained great siddhis. Now what further meditation? Stop it. Do some good work for people who are suffering.” This was told to Buddha also, in a different way, and this will be told to every one of us.
Arjuna was an epic representation of the internal chaos that one may have to face in the beginning of spiritual life. I am describing the initial stages of spiritual life, not the advanced conditions where we are receiving something positively: “Great confusion—I have lost everything. I have lost my father and mother. I have no friends here, and nobody talks to me. I am sick. I have achieved nothing. I have no guidance, no teachings. I will go crazy.” A spiritual seeker may feel like that, and run about here and there. Sometimes, to save themselves from going mad, they go on travelling from place to place. That is also a way. If we are very angry, and take a long walk, our anger comes down. But, finally, these tactics will not take us anywhere. The reason is that we have not properly founded ourselves on the correct appreciation of values.
Whether to renounce the world or not renounce the world—who told us what is to be done? Has anybody told us that it is necessary to renounce the world? Something has been told to us by our elders. Something is told in some scripture. Is it because of the statement of some book that we are trying to kick the world out? Or have we got any actual reason for it? Is there a rational ground for our feeling that the world has to be renounced? I think very few people will give an answer to this question: What is the rational ground for our renouncing the world? Is it because we want God? We will find that this is a very horrible question, and we will not have a rational ground. Let the scriptures say that, let the Bible or the Gita say that, let the Gurus say that; nobody will help us here. When we are drowning, no Gita will come to our rescue. Nobody will come. Our own conscience will come.
Thus, Arjuna’s difficulty is a spiritual difficulty; it is a spiritual crisis in which he found himself. In an epic manner, Vyasa describes this chaos of the spiritual seeker who was otherwise very adventurous and who went forward to face the battle of life, but who immediately became diffident and threw down his weapons. “No japa, no meditation, no book-reading helps. I am unable to do anything,” Arjuna said.
In this condition, our only resort is the Guru. Fortunately, Arjuna had a good Guru; and, fortunately, he had the sense of feeling that it was necessary to surrender himself; and, fortunately, he knew that his egoism was not going to work any longer. Had his self-confidence continued and had he stuck to the wrong arguments that he put forth in the First Chapter, nothing would have come out of it. However, some sattvic karma rose up, and he felt that it was necessary for him to know what was to be done.
Arjuna asked Sri Krishna, “In this chaotic condition of my mind, what is my duty? I surrender myself to you, great Master. Please tell me.”
The answer of Bhagavan Sri Krishna is, “You understand nothing. You draw conclusions without proper understanding of the structure of life and your relationship to people or things in general. This is a very sorry state. How can you draw conclusions without proper premises? If you draw a conclusion based on a wrong premise, the conclusion is also wrong. Therefore, all that you have been told up to this time is without any foundation because you do not know either yourself or the world.”
What is the meaning of knowing oneself and the world? These questions will be answered gradually in the Second and the Third Chapters. The Second Chapter will tell us what we are, and the Third Chapter will tell us what the world is.
Swami Krishnananda.
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