BHAGAVAD-GITA 1:21-22

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BHAGAVAD-GITA 1:21-22

 

arjuna uvaca

senayor ubhayor madhye

ratham sthapaya me 'cyuta

yavad etan nirikse 'ham

yoddhu-kaman avasthitan

 

kair maya saha yoddhavyam

asmin rana-samudyame

 

WORD FOR WORD

 

arjunah uvaca--Arjuna said; senayoh--of the armies; ubhayoh--both;

madhye--between; ratham--the chariot; sthapaya--please keep; me--my;

acyuta--O infallible one; yavat--as long as; etan--all these;

nirikse--may look upon; aham--I; yoddhu-kaman--desiring to fight;

avasthitan--arrayed on the battlefield; kaih--with whom; maya--by me;

saha--together; yoddhavyam--have to fight; asmin--in this;

rana--strife; samudyame--in the attempt.

 

TRANSLATION

 

Arjuna said: O infallible one, please draw my chariot between the two

armies so that I may see those present here, who desire to fight, and

with whom I must contend in this great trial of arms.

 

PURPORT

 

Although Lord Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, out of His

causeless mercy He was engaged in the service of His friend. He never

fails in His affection for His devotees, and thus He is addressed

herein as infallible. As charioteer, He had to carry out the orders of

Arjuna, and since He did not hesitate to do so, He is addressed as

infallible. Although He had accepted the position of a charioteer for

His devotee, His supreme position was not challenged. In all

circumstances, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hrsikesa, the

Lord of the total senses. The relationship between the Lord and His

servitor is very sweet and transcendental. The servitor is always

ready to render service to the Lord, and, similarly, the Lord is

always seeking an opportunity to render some service to the devotee.

He takes greater pleasure in His pure devotee's assuming the

advantageous position of ordering Him than He does in being the giver

of orders. Since He is master, everyone is under His orders, and no

one is above Him to order Him. But when He finds that a pure devotee

is ordering Him, He obtains transcendental pleasure, although He is

the infallible master of all circumstances.

 

As a pure devotee of the Lord, Arjuna had no desire to fight with his

cousins and brothers, but he was forced to come onto the battlefield

by the obstinacy of Duryodhana, who was never agreeable to any

peaceful negotiation. Therefore, he was very anxious to see who the

leading persons present on the battlefield were. Although there was no

question of a peacemaking endeavor on the battlefield, he wanted to

see them again, and to see how much they were bent upon demanding an

unwanted war.

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.