Bhagavatgita a detailed study-chapter1

[Guest guest]

31. nimitthaani cha paSyaami vipareethaani kesava

na cha Sreyo anupaSyaami hathvaa svajanam aahave

 

I see bad omens , Oh Kesava and I do not see any good killing our own people in the war.

There were bad omens Arjuna says but when the mind is turbulent everything appears ominous. Moreover the bad omens may indicate the defeat of his enemies and not of him.

 

Kesava- Arjuna calls Krishna as Kesava, which means the one who has ka, Brahma, the creator and eesa, the annihilator in his power, that is, He is the Lord of creation as well as annihilation. Also Kesa means hair as well as rays. Krishna had a luxurious hair which may be the meaning that was present in the mind of Arjuna. But it also means the one whose rays are everywhere, that is sarvavyapee , who is present inside and outside all beings. Thus He knows the mind of Arjuna only too well. Another meaning is that He has aluxurious mane denoting Narasimha, who appeared as a man-lion to protect His devotee which is exactly what he was doing in Krishnavathara also.

 

nimitthaani – omens, vipareethaani- indicating contrary happenings than one would expect.

na anupasyaami- I do not see further

 

SreyaH welfare. Hathvaa – by killing, svajanam- own people, aahave –in the war.

 

32. na kaankshe vijayam krshna na cha raajyam sukhaani cha

kim no raajyena govindha kim bhogaih jeevithena vaa

 

I do not wish to win the war, nor to get the kingdom or enjoyments from it. What is the use of the kingdom , Oh Govindha, or of enjoyments and even of living.

 

Na kaankshe – I do not wish

 

Vijayam raajyam sukhaani cha- for victory and the kingdom that comes as a result of it and the pleasure from it.

 

Kim naH raajyena – what good will come out of the kingdom

 

Kim bhagaiH - what use is of the pleasures of getting the rajya

Kim jeevithena vaa- or even by living.

 

Govindha as the name of Krishna has several meanings according to the different meanings of the word `go ` such as indhriyas, speech, cattle etc., and it refers to all His avatharas. Here vuasa must have used the term to indicate that not only He is the Lord who had taken avatharas to protect the good and destroy the wicked, parithraaaaya saaDhonaam iNaaSaya cha dhushkrthaam but also He is the master of speech as he was going to give out the Gita.

 

The words of the great masters like Valmiki, Vyasa and the like are never without purpose and it is Vyasa who says hat Arjuna said and hence we should perceive the implied meaning of all words used.

 

Why there is no use of all this? The answer is given next.

 

33. yeshaam arThe kaankshitham no raajyam bhogaaH

sukhaani cha

tha ime avasThithaa yudDhe praaNaan thyakthvaa

Dhanaani cha

For whose sake we desire the kingdom and the pleasures and welfare those are standing here in battle ready to give up their lives and wealth.

 

We desire the kingdom for the sake of our people who will be a happy as a result .But they are all standing here about to sacrifice their lives and belongings for the same reason.

 

Who are 'they?'

 

34. aachaaryaah pithraH puthraah thaThaiva cha pihaamahaaH

maathulaaH svaSuraah pouthraaH SyaalaaH

sambanDhnasthaThaa

 

 

They are the gurus, fathers, sons, grandfathers, uncles, fathers in law grandsons, brothers in law and other relatives.

 

Arjuna here enumerates the same people who are relatives as he did in the slokas 26 and 27.

 

35.ethaan na hanthum icchaami ghnato api maDhusuDhana

api thrailokya raajyascha hethoh kim nu maheekrthe

 

I do not wish to kill these even if I get killed as a consequence, Oh Madhusudhana, even for the sake of the sovereignty of all the three worlds, why mention the kingdom on earth?

 

na icchaami- I do not wish

 

ethaan hanthum to kill these people ,

 

Arjuna expecting the retort that if he did not kill them they were going to kill him and gives the reply

 

ghanatho api- even if I get killed in the process.

 

Thrailokya raajyasay hethoH api- even for the sake of the kingdom of all the three worlds, (I do not want to kill them)

 

Kim nu maheekrthe why (should I do so) for the sake of the kingdom on earth?

 

MaDhusudhana- the destroyer of the demon Madhu, implying that He killed only fierce demons like Madhu, Hirnya etc, but these are only relatives and ordinary humans with failings.

 

36. nihathya Dhaarhtharaashtraan naH kaa preethiH syaath

janaardhana

paapam eva aaSrayeth asmaan hathvaa ethaan

aathathaayinaH

 

What wiil be the satisfaction of killing these sons of Dhrtharaashtra, oh Janardana, we will incur only sin by killing these sinners.

 

This sloka clearly show the mental conflict that Arjuna was undergoing.

 

Djaartharaashtran nihathya- by killing the sons of Dhrthrashtra,

 

Kaa ptrrhiH syaath naH- what pleasure will be for us?

 

Asmaan paapam eva aSrayeth- Only sin will come to us.

 

Hathvaa ethaan aathathaayinaH- by killing these worst sinners.

 

This is the sign of the mental conflict or the confusion of Arjuna.

Athathaayee is the one who commits any one of the six heinous sins.

 

Agnidhah garadhah chaiva sasthrapaaNih DhanaapahaH

Kshethra dhaarapaharthaa cha shad ethe hi aathathaayinah

(Manusmrthi)

 

agnidhaH- one who burns with fire

garadhaH- one who gives poison

sastrhapaanih- advances with a weapon to kill

DhanaapahaH- confiscates wealth

Kshethra dhaara apaharthaa- one who takes away the land or the wife

These six are called aathathaayins and they can be killed without any compunction according to Manu neethi and no sin will accrue by doing so.

 

Aaththaayinam aayaantham hanyaath eva avichaaryan

Na aathathayivaDhe dhoshaH hanthuH bhavathi kaschana

 

Duryodhan and his brothers have committed all the six crimes and it is not sin to kill them. Arjuna is well versed in Sasthras like Manusmrthi but got confused because thee is another rule elsewhere which says that one who destroys his clan is the worst sinner.

 

Sa eva paapishTathamaH yah kuryaath kulanaasanam.

 

This is the principle Arjuna quotes through out the rest of the chapter.

 

Janaardhanah- This means the one who destroys those who are antagonistic, the forces that oppose protection. Janaan-dhurjanaan ardhayathi-hinasthi

It also means the one who is prayed by people for their welfare. janaiH ardhyathe

So this means that the Lord has the responsibility to punish those who harm His devotees and provide the welfare of His devotees. Hence it is suggestive that Krishna was going to punish the kouravas who were aathathaayins.