Bhagavad-gita As It Is - Macmillan 1972 Edition -- Prabhupada Books (10 page)

Bg 1.26

TEXT 26

TEXT

tatrāpaśyat sthitān pārthaḥ

pitṝn atha pitāmahān

ācāryān mātulān bhrātṝn

putrān pautrān sakhīṁs tathā

śvaśurān suhṛdaś caiva

senayor ubhayor api

SYNONYMS

tatra-
there;
apaśyat-
he could see;
sthitān-
standing;
pārthaḥ-
Arjuna;
pitṝn-
fathers;
atha-
also;
pitāmahān-
grandfathers;
ācāryān-
teachers;
mātulān-
maternal uncles;
bhrātṝn-
brothers;
putrān-
sons ;
pautrān-
grandsons;
sakhīn-
friends;
tathā-
too,
śvaśurān-
fathers-in-law;
suhṛdaḥ-
wellwishers;
ca-
also;
eva-
certainly;
senayoḥ-
of the armies;
ubhayoḥ-
of both parties;
api-
including.

TRANSLATION

There Arjuna could see, within the midst of the armies of both parties, his fathers, grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, friends, and also his father-in-law and well-wishers-all present there.

PURPORT

On the battlefield Arjuna could see all kinds of relatives. He could see persons like Bhūriśravā, who were his father's contemporaries, grandfathers Bhīṣma and Somadatta, teachers like Droṇācārya and Kṛpācārya, maternal uncles like Śalya and Śakuni, brothers like Duryodhana, sons like Lakṣmaṇa, friends like Aśvatthāmā, well-wishers like Kṛtavarmā, etc. He could see also the armies which contained many of his friends.

Bg 1.27

TEXT 27

TEXT

tān samīkṣya sa kaunteyaḥ

sarvān bandhūn avasthitān

kṛpayā parayāviṣṭo

viṣīdann idam abravīt

SYNONYMS

tān-
all of them;
samīkṣya-
after seeing;
saḥ-
he;
kaunteyaḥ-
the son of Kuntī;
sarvān-
all kinds of;
bandhūn-
relatives;
avasthitān-
situated;
kṛpayā
-by compassion;
parayā-
of a high grade;
āviṣṭaḥ-
overwhelmed by;
viṣīdan-
while lamenting;
idam-
thus;
abravīt-
spoke.

TRANSLATION

When the son of Kuntī, Arjuna, saw all these different grades of friends and relatives, he became overwhelmed with compassion and spoke thus:

Bg 1.28

TEXT 28

TEXT

arjuna uvāca

dṛṣṭvemaṁ sva-janaṁ kṛṣṇa

yuyutsuṁ samupasthitam

sīdanti mama gātrāṇi

mukhaṁ ca pariśuṣyati

SYNONYMS

arjunaḥ-
Arjuna;
uvāca-
said;
dṛṣṭvā-
after seeing;
imam-
all these;
svajanam-
kinsmen;
kṛṣṇa-
O Kṛṣṇa;
yuyutsum-
all in fighting spirit;
samupasthitam-
all present;
sīdanti-
quivering;
mama-
my;
gātrāṇi-
limbs of the body;
mukham-
mouth;
ca-
also;
pariśuṣyati-
drying up.

TRANSLATION

Arjuna said: My dear Kṛṣṇa, seeing my friends and relatives present before me in such a fighting spirit, I feel the limbs of my body quivering and my mouth drying up.

PURPORT

Any man who has genuine devotion to the Lord has all the good qualities which are found in godly persons or in the demigods, whereas the nondevotee, however advanced he may be in material qualifications by education and culture, lacks in godly qualities. As such, Arjuna, just after seeing his kinsmen, friends and relatives on the battlefield, was at once overwhelmed by compassion for them who had so decided to fight amongst themselves. As far as his soldiers were concerned, he was sympathetic from the beginning, but he felt compassion even for the soldiers of the opposite party, foreseeing their imminent death. And so thinking, the limbs of his body began to quiver, and his mouth became dry. He was more or less astonished to see their fighting spirit. Practically the whole community, all blood relatives of Arjuna, had come to fight with him. This overwhelmed a kind devotee like Arjuna. Although it is not mentioned here, still one can easily imagine that not only were Arjuna's bodily limbs quivering and his mouth drying up, but that he was also crying out of compassion. Such symptoms in Arjuna were not due to weakness but to his softheartedness, a characteristic of a pure devotee of the Lord. It is said therefore:

yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā
sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ
harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā
mano-rathenāsati dhāvato bahiḥ

"One who has unflinching devotion for the Personality of Godhead has all the good qualities of the demigods. But one who is not a devotee of the Lord has only material qualifications that are of little value. This is because he is hovering on the mental plane and is certain to be attracted by the glaring material energy."
(Bhāg.
5.18.12)

Bg 1.29

TEXT 29

TEXT

vepathuś ca śarīre me

roma-harṣaś ca jāyate

gāṇḍīvaṁ sraṁsate hastāt

tvak caiva paridahyate

SYNONYMS

vepathuḥ-
trembling of the body;
ca-
also;
śarīre-
on the body;
me-
my;
roma-harṣaḥ-
standing of hair on end;
ca-
also;
jāyate-
is taking place;
gāṇḍīvam-
the bow of Arjuna;
sraṁsate-
is slipping;
hastāt-
from the hands;
tvak-
skin;
ca-
also;
eva-
certainly;
paridahyate-
burning.

TRANSLATION

My whole body is trembling, and my hair is standing on end. My bow Gāṇḍīva is slipping from my hand, and my skin is burning.

PURPORT

There are two kinds of trembling of the body, and two kinds of standings of the hair on end. Such phenomena occur either in great spiritual ecstasy or out of great fear under material conditions. There is no fear in transcendental realization. Arjuna's symptoms in this situation are out of material fear-namely, loss of life. This is evident from other symptoms also; he became so impatient that his famous bow Gāṇḍīva was slipping from his hands, and, because his heart was burning within him, he was feeling a burning sensation of the skin. All these are due to a material conception of life.

Bg 1.30

TEXT 30

TEXT

na ca śaknomy avasthātuṁ

bhramatīva ca me manaḥ

nimittāni ca paśyāmi

viparītāni keśava

SYNONYMS

na-
nor;
ca-
also;
śaknomi-
am I able;
avasthātum-
to stay;
bhramati-
forgetting;
iva-
as;
ca-
and;
me-
my;
manaḥ-
mind;
nimittāni-
causes;
ca-
also;
paśyāmi-
I foresee;
viparītāni-
just the opposite;
keśava
-O killer of the demon Keśī (Kṛṣṇa).

TRANSLATION

I am now unable to stand here any longer. I am forgetting myself, and my mind is reeling. I foresee only evil, O killer of the Keśī demon.

PURPORT

Due to his impatience, Arjuna was unable to stay on the battlefield, and he was forgetting himself on account of the weakness of his mind. Excessive attachment for material things puts a man in a bewildering condition of existence.
Bhayaṁ dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ:
such fearfulness and loss of mental equilibrium take place in persons who are too affected by material conditions. Arjuna envisioned only unhappiness in the battlefield-he would not be happy even by gaining victory over the foe. The word
nimitta
is significant. When a man sees only frustration in his expectations, he thinks, "Why am I here?" Everyone is interested in himself and his own welfare. No one is interested in the Supreme Self. Arjuna is supposed to show disregard for self-interest by submission to the will of Kṛṣṇa, who is everyone's real self-interest. The conditioned soul forgets this, and therefore suffers material pains. Arjuna thought that his victory in the battle would only be a cause of lamentation for him.

Bg 1.31

TEXT 31

TEXT

na ca śreyo 'nupaśyāmi

hatvā sva-janam āhave

na kāṅkṣe vijayaṁ kṛṣṇa

na ca rājyaṁ sukhāni ca

SYNONYMS

na-
nor;
ca-
also;
śreyaḥ-
good;
anupaśyāmi-
do I foresee;
hatvā-
by killing;
svajanam-
own kinsmen;
āhave-
in the fight;
na-
nor;
kānkṣe-
do I desire;
vijayam-
victory;
kṛṣṇa-
O Kṛṣṇa;
na-
nor;
ca-
also;
rājyam-
kingdom;
sukhāni-
happiness thereof;
ca-
also.

TRANSLATION

I do not see how any good can come from killing my own kinsmen in this battle, nor can I, my dear Kṛṣṇa, desire any subsequent victory, kingdom, or happiness.

PURPORT

Without knowing that one's self-interest is in Viṣṇu (or Kṛṣṇa), conditioned souls are attracted by bodily relationships, hoping to be happy in such situations. Under delusion, they forget that Kṛṣṇa is also the cause of material happiness. Arjuna appears to have even forgotten the moral codes for a
kṣatriya.
It is said that two kinds of men, namely the
kṣatriya
who dies directly in front of the battlefield under Kṛṣṇa's personal orders and the person in the renounced order of life who is absolutely devoted to spiritual culture, are eligible to enter into the sun-globe, which is so powerful and dazzling. Arjuna is reluctant even to kill his enemies, let alone his relatives. He thought that by killing his kinsmen there would be no happiness in his life, and therefore he was not willing to fight, just as a person who does not feel hunger is not inclined to cook. He has now decided to go into the forest and live a secluded life in frustration. But as a
kṣatriya,
he requires a kingdom for his subsistence, because the
kṣatriyas
cannot engage themselves in any other occupation. But Arjuna has had no kingdom. Arjuna's sole opportunity for gaining a kingdom lay in fighting with his cousins and brothers and reclaiming the kingdom inherited from his father, which he does not like to do. Therefore he considers himself fit to go to the forest to live a secluded life of frustration.

Bg 1.32, Bg 1.33, Bg 1.34, Bg 1.35, Bg 1.32-35

TEXTS 32-35

TEXT

kiṁ no rājyena govinda

kiṁ bhogair jīvitena vā

yeṣām arthe kāṅkṣitaṁ no

rājyaṁ bhogāḥ sukhāni ca

prāṇāṁs tyaktvā dhanāni ca

ācāryāḥ pitaraḥ putrās

tathaiva ca pitāmahāḥ

śyālāḥ sambandhinas tathā

etān na hantum icchāmi

ghnato 'pi madhusūdana

hetoḥ kiṁ nu mahī-kṛte

nihatya dhārtarāṣṭrān naḥ

kā prītiḥ syāj janārdana

SYNONYMS

kim-
what use;
naḥ-
to us;
rājyena-
is the kingdom;
govinda-
O Kṛṣṇa;
kim-
what;
bhogaiḥ-
enjoyment;
jīvitena-
by living;
vā-
either;
yeṣām-
for whom;
arthe-
for the matter of;
kāṅkṣitam-
desired;
naḥ-
our;
rājyam-
kingdom;
bhogāḥ-
material enjoyment;
sukhāni-
all happiness;
ca-
also;
te-
all of them;
ime-
these;
avasthitāḥ-
situated;
yuddhe-
in this battlefield;
prāṇān-
lives;
tyaktvā-
giving up;
dhanāni-
riches;
ca-
also;
ācāryāḥ-
teachers;
pitaraḥ-
fathers;
putrāḥ-
sons;
tathā-
as well as;
eva-
certainly;
ca-
also;
pitāmahāḥ-
grandfathers;
mātulāḥ-
maternal uncles;
śvaśurāḥ-
fathers-in-law;
pautrāḥ-
grandsons;
śyālāḥ-
brothers-in-law;
sambandhinaḥ-
relatives;
tathā-
as well as;
etān-
all these;
na-
never;
hantum-
for killing;
icchāmi-
do I wish;
ghnataḥ-
being killed;
api-
even;
madhusūdana-
O killer of the demon Madhu (Kṛṣṇa);
api-
even if;
trailokya-
of the three worlds;
rājyasya-
of the kingdoms;
hetoḥ-
in exchange;
kim-
what to speak of;
nu-
only;
mahī-kṛte-
for the sake of earth;
nihatya-
by killing;
dhārtarāṣṭrān-
the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra;
naḥ-
our;
kā-
what;
prītiḥ-
pleasure;
syāt-
will there be;
janārdana-
O maintainer of all living entities.