The Despondency of Arjuna

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Bhagavad Gita

 

I. THE DESPONDENCY OF ARJUNA

 

DHRITARASHTRA SAID:

 

1. What did Pandu's sons and mine do when they assembled together on

the sacred plain of Kurukshetra, eager for battle, O Samjaya ?

 

SAMJAYA SAID:

 

2. Having seen the army of the Pandavas drawn up in battle-array,

prince Duryodhana then approached his teacher and spoke (these) words:

 

3. " O teacher, look at this grand army of the sons of Pandu,

marshalled by thy talented pupil, the son of Drupada.

 

4. " Here are heroes, mighty archers, equal in battle to Bhima and

Arjuna; Yuyudhana Virata, and Drupada, the master of a great car

(maharatha).

 

5. " Dhrishtaketu, Chekitana, and the valiant king of Kasi, Purujit

and Kunti Bhoja, and that eminent man Saibya;

 

6. " The heroic Yudhamanyu and the brave Uttamaujas; the son of

Subhadra and the sons of Draupadi, all masters of great cars

(maharathas).

 

7. " But know, O best of the twice-born, who are the most

distinguished among us, the leaders of my army; these I name to thee

by way of example.

 

8. " Thyself and Bhishma, and Karna, and also Kripa, the victor in

war, Asvathaman and Vikarna, and also Jayadratha, the son of

Samadatta.

 

9. " And many other heroes who have given up their lives for my sake,

fighting with various weapons, all well-skilled in battle.

 

10. " This army of ours protected by Bhisma is inadequate, whereas

that army of theirs which is under the protection of Bhima is

adequate.

 

11. " And therefore do ye all, occupying your respective positions in

the several divisions of the army, support Bhisma only. "

 

12. His mighty grandsire, (Bhisma), the oldest of the Kauravas, in

order to cheer him, sounded on high a lion's roar and blew his conch.

 

13. Then, all at once, conches and kettle-drums, cymbols, drums and

horns were played upon, and the sound was a tumultuous uproar.

 

14. Then, too, Madhava and the son of Pandu, seated in a grand

chariot yoked to white horses, blew their celestial conches.

 

15. Hrishikesa blew the Panchajanya; and Arjuna blew the Devadatta.

Bhima, (the doer) of terrible deeds, blew his great conch Paundra.

 

16. Prince Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti, blew the Anantavijaya,

while Nakula and Sahadeva blew the Sughosha and the Manipushpaka.

 

17. The King of Kasi, an excellent archer, Sikhandin, the master of a

great car, Dhrishtadyumna and Virata, and the unconquered Satyaki;

 

18. Drupada and the sons of Draupadi, O Lord of earth, and the son of

Subhadra, of mighty arms, all together blew their respective conches.

 

19. That tumultuous sound rent the hearts of (the people) of

Dhritarashtra's party, making both heaven and earth resound.

 

20-22. Then seeing the people of Dhritarashtra's party regularly

marshalled, while the discharge of weapons began, Arjuna, the son of

Pandu, whose ensign was a monkey, O King of earth, took up his bow

and said thus to Krishna:

 

O Achyuta (Immortal), place my chariot between the two armies, that I

may just see those who stand here desirous to fight, and know with

whom I must fight in this strife of battle.

 

23. " I will observe those who are assembled here and are about to

engage in battle desirous to do service in war to the evil-minded son

of Dhritarashtra " .

 

SAMJAYA SAID:

 

24-25. O descendant of Bharata, Hrishikesa (Krishna) thus addressed

by Gudakesa (Arjuna) stationed that excellent car between the two

armies in front of Bhisma and Drona and all the rulers of earth, and

said: " O son of Pritha, look at these assembled Kauravas. "

 

26-27. Then the son of Pritha saw arrayed there in both the armies

fathers and grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons,

grandsons and comrades, father-in-law and friends.

 

27-28. When the son of Kunti saw all the kinsmen standing, he was

overcome with deepest pity and said thus in sorrow:

 

ARJUNA SAID:

 

28-29. Seeing these kinsmen, O Krishna, arrayed and desirous to

fight, my limbs droop down, and my mouth is dried up. A tremor comes

on my body and my hairs stand on end.

 

30. The Gandiva slips from my hand, and my skin is intensely burning.

I am also unable to stand and my mind is whirling round, as it were.

 

31. And, O Kesava, I see omens foreboding evil. Nor do I see any good

from killing my kinsmen in battle.

 

32. I desire not victory, O Krishna, nor kingdom, nor pleasures. Of

what avail is dominion to us, O Govinda ? Of what avail are pleasures

and even life ?

 

33-34. They for whose sake dominion, enjoyments and pleasures are

sought by us are here standing, having staked their life and wealth;

teachers, fathers, sons as well as grandfathers; maternal uncles,

father-in-law grandsons, brothers-in-law as also (other) relatives.

 

35. These, O slayer of Madhu, I do not wish to kill, though they kill

me, even for the sake of dominion over the three worlds; how much

less, for the sake of the earth!

 

36. O Janardana, what delight shall be ours after killing the sons of

Dhritarashtra ? On killing these felons, sin only will take hold of

us.

 

37. We had then better not slay our own kinsmen, the sons of

Dhritarashtra; for, how can we be happy, O Madhava, after slaying our

own people ?

 

38-39. Though these, whose intelligence is stricken by greed,

perceive no evil in the extinction of families and no sin in

treachery to friends, yet, O Janardana, should not we, who clearly

see evil in the extinction of a family, learn to refrain from this

sinful deed ?

 

40. On the extinction of a family, the immemorial dharmas of that

family disappear. When the dharmas disappear, impiety (adharma)

overtakes the whole family.

 

41. By the prevalence of impiety, O Krishna, the women of the family

become corrupt. Women corrupted, there will be intermingling of

castes (varna-samkara), O descendent of Vrishnis.

 

42. Confusion of castes leads the family of these destroyers of

families also to hell; for, their forefathers fall (down to hell),

deprived of the offerings of pinda (rice-ball) and water.

 

43. By these evil deeds of the destroyers of families, which cause

the intermingling of castes, the eternal dharmas of castes and

families are subverted.

 

44. We have heard, O Janardana, that necessary is the dwelling in

hell of the men whose family dharmas are subverted.

 

45. Alas! We have resolved to commit a great sin, inasmuch as we are

endeavouring to slay our kinsmen out of a craving for the pleasures

of dominion.

 

46. It would be better for me, if the sons of Dhritarashtra, with

arms in hand, should slay me unarmed and unresisting in the battle.

 

SAMJAYA SAID:

 

47. Having said thus, Arjuna, sorrow-stricken in mind, cast aside his

bow and arrows in the midst of the battle and sat down in the chariot.