Guest guest Posted October 7, 2004 Report Share Posted October 7, 2004 HareKrishna! INTRODUCTION GITA means song, and BHAGAVAD is one of the names of Krishna. Krishna was the Purnavatar. We are now in Kali-yuga, which began about the time of Krishna's disappearance. He had descended in order to start among men those moral and philosophical ideas which were necessary to be known during the revolution of the Age, at the end of which -- after a brief period of darkness -- a better Age will begin. The Bhagavad-Gita is a portion of the Mahabharata, the great epic of India. The Mahabharata is so called because it contains the general history of the house of Bharat, and the prefix Maha signifies great. Its more definite object, however, is to give an account of the wars of the Kurus and Pandus, two great branches of the family. And that portion included in our poem is the sublime philosophical and metaphysical dialogue held by Krishna with Arjuna, on the eve of a battle between the two aspirants for dominion. The scene of the battle is laid on the plain called "Kurukshetra," a strip of land near Delhi, between the Indus, the Ganges, and the Himalayan mountains. Before the Upanishads can be properly rendered, the Indian psychological system must be understood; and even when its existence is admitted, the English speaking person will meet the great difficulty arising from an absence of words in that language which correspond to the ideas so frequently found in the Sanskrit. Thus we have to wait until a new set of words has been born to express the new ideas not yet existing in the civilization of the West. The location of the plain on which this battle was fought is important, as well as are also the very rivers and mountains by which it is bounded. And as equally needful to be understood, or at least guessed at, are the names of the respective princes. The very place in the Mahabharata in which this episode is inserted has deep significance, and we cannot afford to ignore anything whatever that is connected with the events. If we merely imagine that Vyasa or Krishna took the sacred plain of Kurukshetra and the great battle as simply accessories to his discourse, which we can easily discard, the whole force of the dialogue will be lost. The Divine Song given out by the great Teacher, Sri Krishna is not addressed to Hindus alone. It is a universal scripture, which talks about the nature of Man, his relationship with the world outside and about the Higher Reality called GOD. What ever discussed in GITA is so universal that it can be applied to anybody, anywhere and at any time. CHAPTER # 1 Slokas 24-25anjaya uvacaevam ukto hrsikeso /gudakesena bharatasenayor ubhayor madhye / sthapayitva rathottamambhisma-drona-pramukhatah / sarvesam ca mahiksitamuvaca partha pasyaitan / samavetan kurun itiSanjaya said: O Bharata, having thus been addressed by Gudakesa (Arjuna),Hrsikesa Sri Krsna drew the excellent chariot into the midst of both armies in the presence of all the kings and prominent personalities like Bhisma, Drona and others. He then said: O Partha, just behold this assembly of Kurus.Sloka 26tatrapasyat sthitan parthah / pitrn atha pitamahanacaryan matulan bhratrn / putran pautran sakhims tathasvasuran suhrdas caiva / senayor ubhayor apiThere, in the midst of both armies, Arjuna saw his paternal uncles,grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles, cousins, nephews, grandsons, friends,fathers-in-law and well-wishers.Sloka 27tan samiksya sa kaunteyah / sarvan bandhun avasthitankrpaya parayavisto / visidann idam abravitSeeing all his friends and relatives standing near him on the battlefield,Kaunteya, lamenting and overwhelmed with compassion for them, spoke thus.Sloka 28 drstvemam svajanan krsna / yuyutsun samavasthitansidanti mama gatrani / mukhanca parisusyatiArjuna said: O Krsna, seeing all my kinsmen assembled here with a desire to fight, I feel my limbs weakening and my mouth becoming dry.Sloka 29vepathus ca sarire me / roma-harsas ca jayategandivam sramsate hastat / tvak caiva paridahyateMy body is trembling and my hair is standing on end. My Gandiva bow is slipping from my hand and my skin is burning.Sloka 30na da saknomy avasthatum / bhramativa ca me manahnimittani ca pasyami / viparitani kesavaO Kesava, I am unable to remain standing. My mind appears to be reeling and I detect only inauspicious omensSloka 31na ca sreyo 'nupasyami / hatva svajanam ahavena kankse vijayam krsna / na ca rajyam sukhani caO Krsna, I do not see how anything auspicious can arise from killing my own kinsmen in battle. Nor do I desire victory, the resulting kingdom, or even happiness.Slokas 32-34kim no rajyena govinda / kim bhogair jivitena vayesam arthe kanksitam no / rajyam bhogah sukhani cata ime 'vasthita yuddhe / pranams tyaktva dhanani caacaryah pitarah putras / tathaiva ca pitamahahmatulah svasurah pautrah / syalah sambandhinas tathaetan na hantum icchami / ghnato 'pi madhusudanaO Govinda! Of what use to us is a kingdom, enjoyment or even life itself, when those for whom we desire them; teachers, uncles, sons, grandfathers, maternal uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons, brothers-in-law and other relatives, are all standing before us in battle array, ready to give up their lives and wealth? Therefore, O Madhusudana, even if they kill me, I still do not wish to kill them.Sloka 35api trailokya-rajyasya / hetoh kinnu mahi-krtenihatya dhartarastran nah / ka pritih syaj janardanaO Janardana, if we kill the sons of Dhrtarastra, even for the sake ofsovereignty over the three worlds [the upper, middle and lower planetary systems in the material universe], what to speak of this earth, what satisfaction will we derive?Sloka 36papam evasrayed asman / hatvaitan atatayinahtasman narha vayam hantum / dhartarastran sa-bandhavansvajanam hi katham hatva / sukhinah syama madhavaO Madhava, we will only incur sin by killing all these aggressors. Therefore, it is improper to kill Duryodhana and our other relatives. How could we be happy by slaying our own kinsmen?Slokas 37-38yadyapy ete na pasyanti / lobhopahata/cetasahkula-ksaya-krtam dosam / mitra-drohe ca patakamkatham na jneyam asmabhih / papad asman nivarttitumkula-ksaya-krtam dosam / prapasyadbhir janardanaO Janardhana, the intelligence of Duryodhana and others has been polluted by greed to attain the kingdom. Thus, they are unable to conceive of the lawlessness that arises from destroying the dynasty, or the sin incurred by betraying their friends. But why should we, who have such knowledge, engage in such improper acts as these?Sloka 39kula-ksaye pranasyanti / kula-dharmah sanatanahdharme naste kulam krtsnam / adharmo 'bhibhavaty utaWhen a dynasty is destroyed, the ancient dharmic traditions of the family handed down through that dynasty are also destroyed. Upon the destruction of dharma, the entire dynasty becomes overpowered by adharma.Sloka 40adharmabhibhavat krsna / pradusyanti kula-striyahstrisu dustasu varsneya / jayate varna-sankarahO Krsna, when a dynasty is overpowered by adharma, the women of that dynasty become degraded. O descendant of Vrsni, when women become degraded and unchaste varna-sankarah (unwanted progeny) are born.Sloka 41sankaro narakayaiva / kula-ghnanam kulasya capatanti pitaro hy esam / lupta-pindodaka-kriyahSuch unwanted progeny certainly force hellish conditions upon both the family and the destroyers of the dynasty. Indeed, their forefathers, bereft of oblations of sanctified food and water, must also suffer the same fate.Sloka 42dosair etaih kula-ghnanam / varna-sankara-karakaihutsadyante jati-dharmah / kula-dharmas ca sasvatahDue to the evil deeds of these destroyers of the dynasty, the dharmic principles of teaching in accordance with timeless family tradition are sunk into oblivion.Sloka 43utsanna-kula-dharmanam / manusyanam janardananarake niyatam vaso / bhavatity anususrumaO Janardana, I have heard that those who abolish their dynasty's dharmic principles suffer in hell for an unlimited period of time.Sloka 44aho bata mahat-papam / karttum vyavasita vayamyad rajya-sukha-lobhena / hantum svajanam udyatahAlas! How amazing it is that we are determined to engage in this great sin. Driven by greed for royal happiness, we are prepared to slay our own kinsmen.Sloka 45yadi mam apratikaram / asastram sastra-panayahdhartarastra rane hanyus / tan me ksemataram bhavetIf the fully-armed sons of Dhrtarastra were to kill me unarmed and unresisting on the battlefield, even that would be more auspicious for me.Sloka 46sanjaya uvacaevam uktvarjunah sankhye / rathopastha upavisatvisrjya sa-saram capam / soka-samvigna-manasahSanjaya said: Having spoken these words in the midst of the battlefield, Arjuna, his mind distracted by lamentation, sat down on the chariot and cast aside his bow and arrows.Thus end the First Chapter of Srimad Bhagavad-gita, which gives pleasure to the bhaktas and is accepted by all saintly persons. ---------------------------- Note- Excerpts of a Discourse. Y! Messenger - Communicate in real time. Download now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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