Guest guest Posted February 17, 2003 Report Share Posted February 17, 2003 ANNOUNCEMENT Dear respected Vaisnavas, Vaisnavis and friends, You are kindly invited to to the News Group 'SONG OF GOD' for a one-month publication of the 700 MAIN VERSES of the Indian classic SRI SRIMAD BHAGAVAD-GITA spoken by SRI KRISHNA on the battlefield of Kuruksetra, India 5,000 years ago. Daily issues of approximately 22 main verses will be sent out to members beginning today, February 15, until March 18 - Gaura Purnima. Members of the group may incidentally request for the authorized commentaries on particular verses given by SRILA VISVANATHA CAKRAVARTI THAKURA and SRI SRIMAD B.V. NARAYANA GOSVAMI. May the unparallelled words of God inspire you in this unfathomable dark Age of quarrel and hypocrisy. Subscribe: songofgod- Submit request: songofgod-owner Un: songofgod Archive: songofgod Below you will find the following sections: INTRODUCTION (part one) PRELLUDE TO THE MAHABHRATA WAR CHAPTER ONE - OBSERVING THE ARMIES Srimad Bhagavad-Gita INTRODUCTION Srimad Bhagavad-gita is a part of Sri Mahabharata, whose author is Srimad Bhagavata-avatara, jagadguru Sri Srimad Krsna Dvaipayana Veda-Vyasa. Bhagavad-gita contains eighteen chapters, which comprise Chapters Twenty-five to Forty-two of the Bhisma-parva of Sri Mahabharata. The speaker of Bhagavad-gita, Bhagavan Sri Krsna Himself, directed His words at Arjuna, His eternal associate and dear friend. In this way, He blessed the whole of humanity with these extremely valuable and essential instructions, so that conditioned souls can cross the ocean of birth and death, and attain service to His lotus feet. Conditioned souls are gripped by the delusion of maya, whereas Arjuna, being Sri Krsna's eternal associate, is free from delusion. However, in order to deliver the conditioned souls, Sri Krsna caused Arjuna to act as if he was deluded, and to ask questions from the viewpoint of the deluded jivas [individual spirit soul dwelling in each living entity]. While Sri Bhagavan was answering Arjuna's questions, He dispelled all sorts of doubts, and conclusively explained the proper sequence of systematic practice by which the jivas can become free from the bewilderment of the material energy. Srimad Bhagavad-gita is also called Gitopanisad. It is the most important Upanisad in Vedic philosophy, for it contains the essence of all Vedic knowledge. If one constantly studies this sastra, accepting the shelter of the lotus feet of guru, sadhu and Vaisnavas, he will easily be able to discern its inner intentions. As a result, he will cross the oceasn of birth and death in a simple and natural way, attain para bhakti unto the lotus feet of Sri Krsna, and become qualified to receive Krsna prema. There is no doubt about this. We see in India nowadays that great philosophers, those who are knowledgeable, and people of all sects respect this king of sastras and have faith in it. Many famous politicians and thoughful people of all countries throughout the world have proclaimed the glories of Bhagavad-gita. [ ... ] Part two will later be published. PRELUDE TO THE MAHABHARATA WAR Maharaja Santanu was a famous and influential emperor in the Kuru dynasty. He was also very chivalrous and dharmic. His wife, Ganga-devi, gave birth to a son name Bhisma, who was a portion (amsa) of the eighth Vasu. However, she disappeared after the birth of the child due to some particular circumstances. Later, while Maharaja Santanu was on a hunting expedition, he saw an incomparably beautiful princess named Satyavati at the home of Dasaraja, the King of the Nisadas. This princess had actually been born of the semen of Uparicara Vasu from the womb of a fish, and the King of Nisada had nourished and nurtured her as if she were his own daughter. Maharaja Santanu asked the king for permission to marry Princess Satyavati, and Nisadaraja consented on the condition that the child born from her womb would be the sole heir to Santanu's kingdom. Maharaja Santanu, however, did not accept this condition and returned to his capital. When Prince Bhisma heard about this, he wanted to fulfil his father's desire, so he took a great vow to remain a lifelong brahmacari [celibate], to ensure that Satyavati's son would indeed succeed the kingdom. Santanu was thus able to marry Satyavati, and in return gave Bhisma the boon that he could die according to his own desire. Satyavati bore Maharaja Santanu two sons, who were called Citrangada and Vicitravirya. After Maharaja Santanu's death, Bhisma made Citrangada successor to the throne, but upon the untimely death of Citrangada, the throne was given to Vicitravirya. Vicitravirya, who had two wives called Ambika and Ambalika, also died young without fathering any children. Mother Satyavati was doubly distressed, because the death of her sons left the dynasty with no heir. She summoned her first son, Maharsi Vedavyasa, simply by remembering him. To protect the dynasty, on her instruction, and with Grandfather Bhisma's approval, Vedavyasa begot sons by Vicitravirya's wives. Ambika bore Dhrtarastra, Ambalika bore Pandu, and the saintly Viduraji was born from the womb of Vicitravirya's maidservant. Dhrtarastra was blind from birth, so his younger brother Pandu was made king. Maharaja Pandu was a chivalrous and influential emperor, and was endowed with all good qualities. He had five sons, of whom Yudhisthira was the eldest. Dhrtarastra had one hundred sons, amongst whom Duryodhana was the eldest. By the influence of time, King Pandu died while all the princes were quite young, so Grandfather Bhisma enthroned Dhrtarastra, and made him responsible for protecting the kingdom until the princes grew older. When the five Pandavas and the sons of Dhrtarastra headed by Duryodhana grew up, there was a great conflict concerning the succession to the royal throne. King Dhrtarastra favoured his sons, and wanted Duryodhana to be king by fair means or foul. However, the highly dharmic grandsire Bhisma could not allow this because of the pressure from other respected personalities and citizens. Duryodhana, who was born from the amsa of Kali, was extremely wicked and adharmic by nature, and he wanted to have the kingdom himself, without any opposition. To this end, he made various conspiracies to kill the Pandavas, with the secret consent of King Dhrtarastra. Despite repeated requests by Maharsi Veda-Vyasa, grandsire Bhisma, guru Dronacarya, the saintly Vidura and others, Dhrtarastra did not give the Pandavas their due half of the kingdom. However, for external show he crowned Prince Yudhisthira as king of half the kingdom. He then sent him to the newly-constructed Varanavat city, where Duryodhana planned to kill all the Pandavas by setting fire to the newly-built palace there. Dhrtarastra approved of this heinous plan but, by the will of Bhagavan, the Pandavas were somehow saved. In due course of time, the Pandavas married Draupadi. When Duryodhana discovered that they were still alive, he consulted with his father again, and invited them to Hastinapura. On the order of Grandsire Bhisma and other elders, and at the request of the subjects, the Pandavas were given sovereignty of Khandavaprastha, (Indraprastha). There, with the assistance of Sri Krsna and the asura named Maya, the Pandavas constructed a wonderful palace and city. Within a short time they conquered all the mighty kings of India, and performed a great Rajasuya yajna. King Dhrtarastra and Duryodhana became extremely jealous of the Pandavas as a result of this yajna, and conspired to defeat them in a gambling match. They took the Pandavas' entire kingdom, and forced them to undergo twelve years of exile, and then to live incognito for a further year. Even after this prolonged ordeal, Dhrtarastra and Duryodhana did not restore the kingdom to the Pandavas. Sri Krsna Himself went to Hastinapura as an ambassador of the Pandavas, and conveyed their request that Duryodhana should at least give them five villages. However, Duryodhana remained obstinate and uncompromising, and told Krsna that, what to speak of five villages, he would not give the Pandavas enough land to hold the tip of a needle, unless they defeated him in battle. Bhagavan Sri Krsna appeared in order to establish dharma [occupational duty], to protect the sadhus [seekers after the truth] and to annihilate the asuras [the ungodly opponents]. In the course of the Mahabharata battle, He used Arjuna and Bhima as instruments to assist Him in His plan to relieve the enormous burden that was weighing upon the earth. [Chapter Summary by Sri Srimad B.V. Narayana Maharaja:] Chapter One - Observing the Armies [summary] Bhagavad-gita consists of eighteen chapters, each culminating in the message of bhakti. Arjuna behaved on the battlefield as if he were immersed in lamentation. Krsna then explained that the jiva's [living entity's] eternal atma-dharma [the original, natural inclination or duty of the spirit soul] has nothing to do with the dharma [the natural inclinations or duties] of body, dynasty and caste, although those who falsely identify the body as the real self canot understand this. As long as the jiva [spirit soul] remains bound by maya and misidentifies his body as his self, he is forced to undergo the miseries of lamentation, delusion, fear and so on. It is therefore imperative that he accepts the shelter of a tattva-vit guru. CHAPTER ONE - OBSERVING THE ARMIES Sloka 1 dhrtarastra uvacadharma-ksetre kuruksetre / samaveta yuyutsavahmamakah pandavas caiva / kim akurvata sanjaya Dhrtarastra said: O Sanjaya, what did my sons and the sons of Pandu do, having assembled at the sacred land of Kuruksetra, desiring to fight? Sloka 2 sanjaya uvaca drstva tu pandavanikam / vyudham duryodhanas tadaacaryam upasangamya / raja vacanam abravit Sanjaya said: O king, after surveying the Pandava army arrayed in military formation. Duryodhana then approached Dronacarya and spoke the following words. Sloka 3 pasyaitam pandu-putranam / acarya mahatim camumvyudham drupada-putrena / tava sisyena dhimata O Acarya! Behold this great army of the Pandavas, arranged in a military phalanx by your intelligent disciple Dhrstadyumna, son of Drupada. Slokas 4-6 atra sura mahesvasa / bhimarjuna-sama yudhiyuyudhano viratas ca / drupadas ca maha-rathah dhrstaketus cekitanah / kasirajas ca viryavanpurujit kuntibhojas ca / saibyas ca nara-pungavah yudhamanyus ca vikranta / uttamaujas ca viryavansaubhadro draupadeyas ca / carva eva maha-rathah Present in this army are mighty bowmen, equal in combat to Arjuna and Bhima, such as Satyaki, King Virata and the great warrior Drupada. Also present are Dhrstaketu and Cekitana, heroic Kasiraja, Purujit, Kuntibhoja, the most valiant Saibya, and other noble men such as the victorious Yudhamanyu, the powerful Uttamauja, Abhimanyu, as well as Pratibindhya and the other sons of Draupadi. All of these are maharathis. Sloka 7 asmakantu visista ye / tan nibodha dvijottamanayaka mama sainyasya / samjnrtham tan bravimi te O Dvija-uttama, best of the brahmanas, for your information I am also mentioning the names of those outstanding warriors along with the commanders of my army. Slokas 8-9 bhavan bhismas ca karnas ca / krpas ca samitinjayahasvatthama vikarnas ca / saumadattir jayadrathah anye ca bahavah sura / mad-arthe tyakta-jivitahnana-sastra-praharanah / sarve yuddha-visaradah In my army there are heroes like your good self (Dronacarya), Grandsire Bhisma, Karna, Krpacarya, Asvatthama, Vikarna, Bhurisrava, the son of Somadatta and Jayadratha, the King of Sindhu, all of whom are ever-victorious in battle. There are many other heroes who are prepared to give up their lives for my sake. All are equipped with varieties of astra-sastra and are expert in warfare. Sloka 10 aparyaptam tad asmakam / balam bhismabhiraksitamparyaptam tv idam etesam / balam bhimabhiraksitam Our forces, though protected by Bhisma, are not sufficient. On the other hand the army of the Pandavas, under the careful protection of Bhima, is fully competent. Sloka 11 ayanesu ca sarvesu / yatha-bhagam avasthitahbhismam evabhiraksantu / bhavantah sarva eva hi Therefore you must all remain in your strategically assigned positions at the entry points and give protection to Grandsire Bhisma in every respect. Sloka 12 tasya sanjanayam harsam / kuru-vrddhah pitamahahsimha-nadam vinadyoccaih / sankham dadhmau pratapavan Then Grandsire Bhisma, the valiant elder of the Kuru dynasty, loudly blew his conch-shell making a sound like the roar of a lion and thus delighted the heart of Duryodhana. Sloka 13 tatah sankhas ca bheryas ca / panavanaka-gomukhahsahasaivabhyahamyanta / sa sabdas tumulo'bhavat Thereafter, conch-shells, kettledrums, small drums, mrdangas, horns, trumpets and various other instruments were suddenly sounded, creating a tumultuous, fearsome sound. Sloka 14 tatah svetair hayair yukte / mahati syandane sthitaumadhavah pandavas caiva / divyau sankhau pradadhmatuh Then Sri Krsna and Arjuna, stationed on a great chariot drawn by white horses, blew their divine conch-shells. Sloka 15 pancajanyam hrsikeso / devadattam dhananjayapaundram dadhmau maha-sankham / bhima-karma vrkodarah Hrsikesa Sri Krsna blew His conch-shell known as Pancajanya; Dhananjaya blew his conch known as Devadatta; and Bhima, the performer of Herculean tasks, blew his great conch known as Paundra. Sloka 16 anantavijayam raja / kunti-putro yudhisthirahnakulah sahadevas ca / sughosa-manipuspakau Maharaja Yudhisthira, the son of Kunti, blew the conch named Anantavijaya; Nakula blew the Sughosa conch and Sahadeva blew the conch known as Manipuspaka. Slokas 17-18 kasyas ca paramesvasah / sikhandi ca maha-rathahdhrtadyumno viratas ca / satyakis caparajitah drupado draupadeyas ca / sarvasah prthivi-patesaubhadras ca maha-bahuh / sankhan dadhmuh prthak prthak O King of the earth, Dhrtarastra! That great archer the King of Kasi, the maharathi Sikhandi, Drstadyumna and the King of Virata, the unconquerable Satyaki, King Drupada, the sons of Draupadi and Abhinanyu, the son the Subhadra, then loudly resounded their respective conch-shells on all sides. Sloka 19 sa ghoso dhartarastranam / hrdayani vyadarayatnabhas ca prthivincaiva / tumulo 'bhyanunadayan Reverberating between earth and sky, the tumultuous sound of those conches shattered the hearts of the sons of Dhrtarastra. Sloka 20 atha vyavasthitan drstva / dhartarastran kapi-dhvajahpravrtte sastra-sampate / dhanur udyamya pandavahhrsikesam tada vakyam / idam aha mahi-pate O King, after seeing your sons in military array, Kapi-dhvaja, Arjuna, raised his bow and prepared to shoot his arrows. He then spoke the following words to Sri Hrsikesa. Slokas 21-23 arjuna uvaca senayor ubhayor madhye / ratham sthapaya me 'cyuta yavad etan nirikse 'ham / yoddhu-kaman avasthitankair maya saha yoddhavayam / asmin rana-samudyame yotsyamanan avekse 'ham / ya ete 'tra samagatahdhartarastrasya durbuddher / yuddhe priya-cikirsavah Arjuna said: O Acyuta [O infallible one]! Please place my chariot between the two armies so I may observe all who desire to fight in this great battle. I want to see all those warriors, the well-wishers of the evil-minded son of Dhrtarastra, who have assembled here. - TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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