Bhagavatgita a detailed study-chapter2

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Chapter2- sankhyayoga- Transcendental knowledge

 

sanjayauvaacha

 

1. .tham thaThaa krpayaavishtamaSrupoorNaakulekshaNam

visheedhantham idham vaakyam uvaacha maDhusoodhanaH

 

Sanjaya said,

 

To Arjuna thus filled with pity and with eyes filled with tears, Krishna said these words.

 

Here for the first time the Lord starts to speak and the real essence of the Gita starts only from the 11th sloka.

 

Krpayaa aavishtam- possessed by pity, the avesa is used in the sense of some external force taking possession of an individual. Here it shows that the pity for his enemies is not something natural but had taken possession of Arjuna which fact is confirmed by the words of Krihna.

aSru poorna- filled with tears and aakula- disturbed , eekshaNam- eye, refers to Arjuna with tear-filled eyes, governs tham- him, Arjuna

 

visheedhantham- who was grieving. Vishaadha is grief.

 

madhusoodhanaH- the killer of the demon Madhu, Krishna.

 

uvaacha- said, idham vaakyam – these words.

uvaacha- said

 

Sri bhagvaan uvaacha

 

2, kuthasthvaa j kaSmalam idham vishame samupasThitham

anaaryajushtam asvargyam akeerthikaram arjuna

 

The Lord said,

 

From where did you get this despondency Arjuna, at a time most inappropriate . It is not proper for a noble person . It is not conducive to attainment of heaven and also will bring only disgrace.

 

All the lofty arguments of Arjuna have been summarily dismissed by Krishna as being kaSmalam, rubbish or ignominious, more so because this attitude has come to him , at the most inopportune moment, vishame samupasThiatham.

 

..The thoughts expressed by Arjuna were ignominious because they were not based on sound judgment and inappropriate because it was like looking after one leaped. The war was well thought out by both parties especially Pandavas who tried their level best to avoid it but had it thrust on them. Now when they were at the brink of war the only way out is to fight. Arjuna was known for his valour and hence to get this attitude is most unfitting for him, anaaryajushtam. Arya is the term used for a noble man, here, a hero. So Krishna says it is anarya , not noble to have such emotions at the moment when the war was about to start any moment.. The words asvargyam and akeerthikaram, mean, neither conducive to attainment of heaven nor to acquire fame. That is, this attitude is

beneficial neither in this world nor in the next.

 

3. klaibyam ma sma gamaH paarTha na ethath thvayi upapadhyathe

kshudhram hrdhaya dhourbalyam thyakthvaa utthishTa paranthapa.

 

Do not give way to this unmanly emotion, Arjuna, this does not suit you. Throw away this weakness of heart which is demenaning and rise , oh scorcher of foes!

 

klaibyam means unmanly as the word kleeba denotes a eunuch.

 

hrdhaya dhourbalyam- weakness of heart which is found only in cowards and not for Arjuna whom Krishna calls paranthapa, the one who scorched his foes. Paraan thaapayathi. Ithi paranthapaH.

 

Hence give up, thyakthvaa, this weakness and rise up, utthishTa, says Krishna , because you are a great hero.

 

Krishna could see that the pity that has come over Arjuna was not due to mercy towards his relatives in general, especially towards kouravas but it was prompted by his reluctance to fight against Bheesham , Drona, Krpa, etc. who were his respected elders. That was why Krishna calls it hrdhaya dhourbalyam and not krpa, which it was not.. This was made explicit by the words of Arjuna in the next few slokas. It is to be noted that the term krpa was used only by Sanjaya, who perhaps thought that Arjuna was refusing to fight because of pity.