Bhagavatgita a detailed study-chapter1

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22.yaavath ethaan nireekshe aham yodDhukaamaan

avasThithaan

kaiH maya saha yodDhavyam asmin raNasamudhyame

 

So that I will see all those who have come with a desire to fight and with whom I have to fight in this war.

 

Yaavath- by which manner, referring to the positioning of the chariot as he said.

 

Ethaan nireekshe aham- I will see these.

 

avasThithaan- who are stationed here.

 

yoddhukaamaan –desirous to fight

 

kaiH maya saha yodDhavyam- with whom I have to fight

 

asmin raNa samudhyame- in this forthcoming war

 

23. yothsyamaanaamavekshe aham ya ethe athra samaagthaaH

dharthraashtrasya dhurbudDheh yudDhe

priyachikeershavaH

I wish to see those who have assembled here wishing to please the evil minded Duryodhana in this battle.

 

These two slokas makes the intention of Arjuna explicit showing that he was ready to fight and thought only of the misdeeds of Duryodhana and his brothers towards Pandavas and he expresses his anger towards all those kings who have come here to fight for Duryodhana to please him though they all knew that he was doing adharma.

 

Aham avekshe- I will see yothsayamaanaam- those who wish to fight.

 

Ya ethe athra samaagathaah-these who have assembled here

 

Yuddhe priyachikeershavah- wishing to do what pleases in the battle,

 

Dhaartharaashtrasya durbudDheH - the evil minded Duryodhana

 

sanjaya uvaacha

 

24. evam uktho hrsheekeSo gudaakeSena bharatha

senayoH ubhayoH maDhye sThaapayithvaa raThotthamam

 

25 bheeshmadhroNapramukhathaHsarveshaam cha

maheekshithaam

uvaacha paarTha pasya ethaan samavethaan kuroon ithi

 

 

sanjaya said,

 

Krishna thus addressed by Arjuna placed the chariot in between the two armies in front of all the kings with Bheeshma and Dhrona in front, said," Arjuna, see the kouravas assembled here."

 

Arjuna addressed Krishna in sloka 21 as Achyutha but Sanjaya refers to him as Hrsheekesa throughout to denote that He is the master of all feelings and emotions. (feelings –sensual , emotions-mental)

 

The name Achyutha means He neither swerves from His assurances nor from His devotees, na chyuthaH ithi. Krishna never swerved from his status as the Paramathma and Arjuna was also aware of it though he forgot it at times due to familiarity as a child towards its illustrious father.

 

Atjuna is referred to as Gudakesa, which means ` the one who has conquered sleep.' This shows that Arjuna was always fully aware of himself and his prowess and not given to negligence any time. Sanjaya said this perhaps to remind to Dhrathrashtra of the glory of Arjuna.

 

bheeshmadhroNapramukhathaH- in front of Bheesham and Dhrona

 

sarveshaam cha maheekshithaan- and all the kings.

 

Krishna purposely stood the chariot at the place where Arjuna could see Bheeshma and Dhrona because it was the Lord's intention, being Hrsheekesa, to create confusion in the mind of Arjuna by kindling the attachment for his great grand father and guru, the real purpose being not to induce Arjuna to fight , which he would have definitely done so anyway but to give out the geethaamrtha for the world. It is the will of the Lord whose krpa makes the dumb eloquent and the cripple to climb the mountain, `mookam karothi vaachaalam pangum langhayathe girim yath krpaa tham aham vandhe paramaanandhamaadhavam.' Arjuna getting perturbed is of no consequence because the Lord could have got him out of it by a mere nod of his head and it does not require eighteen chapters of Gita. But He was also paramanandha madhava, one who gives the supeme bliss and hence through Arjuna , like a mere calf to the cows of the Upanishads, the milk which was the essence of the Upanishads was given to the world and the people with pure minds, suDheeh, were the beneficiaries. Arjuna was not given brahmajnana but as the Lord Himself says later, `yaavaan arTha udhapaane sarvathaH sampluthodhake ` one takes only as much as he could as the well does when there is flood everywhere ( the real meaning of this sloka will be explained later), Arjuna took as much as was needed at the time and was ready to do his duty as a kshathriya.