“Then why do you engage me in this terrible work?” In answer there arises, amidst the din of battle, in tones of thunder, the mighty song uttered by the mouth of God:
kuru karmaiva tasmāttvaṁ pūrvaiḥ pūrvataraṁ kṛtam
yogasthaḥ kuru karmāṇi saṅgaṁ tyaktvā dhanaṁjaya
buddhiyukto jahātīha ubhe sukṛtaduṣkṛte
tasmādyogāya yujyasva yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam
asakto hyācarankarma paramāpnoti pūruṣaḥ
mayi sarvāṇi karmāṇi saṁnyasyādhyātmacetasā
nirāśīrnirmamo bhūtvā yudhyasva vigatajvaraḥ
gatasaṅgasya muktasya jñānāvasthitacetasaḥ
yajñāyācarataḥ karma samagraṁ pravilīyate
ajñānenāvṛtaṁ jñānaṁ tena muhyanti jantavaḥ
bhoktāraṁ yajñatapasāṁ sarvalokamaheśvaram
suhṛdaṁ sarvabhūtānāṁ jñātvā māṁ śāntimṛcchati
mayā hatāṁstvaṁ jahi mā vyathiṣṭhā
yudhyasva jetāsi raṇe sapatnān
yasya nāhaṁkṛto bhāvo buddhiryasya na lipyate
hatvā’pi sa imāṃl lokān na hanti na nibadhyate
“Therefore you go on doing works; the kind of work your ancestors have been doing, that work you too have to perform…. Do works in a state of union with the Divine, by giving up attachment…. He whose will and intelligence are fixed in yoga passes beyond virtue and sin in the field of work itself. Therefore strive for the yoga, yoga is the best means to work…. If a man works in a spirit of detachment, he will certainly find God…. With a heart filled with knowledge, entrust to Me all your works; get rid of sorrow by giving up desire and by rejecting egoism; enter the fray…. He who has no attachments left and is free, whose mind lives always in knowledge, he who does works for the sake of sacrifice, all the works of such a man instead of being a cause of bondage at once get completely dissolved in Me…. The knowledge that lies hidden within all creatures is covered up by ignorance. That is why they fall into delusion by creating the dualities like joy and sorrow, sin and virtue…. A supreme peace can be obtained by knowing Me as the Lord of all the worlds, the enjoyer of all kinds of works like sacrifice and askesis, and the friend and beloved of all beings…. It is I who have killed your enemies, you destroy them as a mere instrument, do not grieve; get into the fight, you will conquer the adversary in war…. He who has an inner being free from egoism, whose will and intelligence remain unattached even if he destroys the whole world, still he does not kill, does not undergo any bondage of sin…”
There is no sign here of an evasion of the question, of shirking the issue. The issue has been set forth in clear terms. What is God, what is the world, what is life, what is the way to right living? These questions have been answered by the Gita in brief. And yet the Gita’s aim is not to teach asceticism but to teach the way of works. Herein lies the universal utility of the Gita.
Chapter One
Dhritarashtra Uvacha
dharmakṣetre kurukṣetre samavetā yuyutsavaḥ
māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāścaiva kimakurvata sañjaya (1)
Dhritarashtra said:
O Sanjaya, what did my sons and the sons of Pandu do, gathered for battle on the holy field, the field of Kuru?
Sanjaya Uvacha
dṛṣṭvā tu pāṇḍavānīkaṁ vyūḍhaṁ duryodhanastadā
ācāryamupasaṅgamya rājā vacanamabravīt (2)
Sanjaya said:
Seeing the army of the Pandavas arrayed in battle order, King Duryodhana then approached the Acharya (Drona) and spoke these words.
paśyaitāṁ pāṇḍuputrāṇāmācārya mahatīṁ camūm
vyūḍhāṁ drupadaputreṇa tava śiṣyeṇa dhīmatā (3)
“Behold, O Teacher, this mighty army of the sons of Pandu, arrayed by the son of Drupada, thy intelligent disciple.”
atra śūrā maheṣvāsā bhīmārjunasamā yudhi
yuyudhāno virāṭaśca drupadaśca mahārathaḥ (4)
dhṛṣṭaketuścekitānaḥ kāśirājaśca vīryavān
purujitkuntibhojaśca śaibyaśca narapuṅgavaḥ (5)
yudhāmanyuśca vikrānta uttamaujāśca vīryavān
saubhadro draupadeyāśca sarva eva mahārathāḥ (6)
Here are heroes, mighty archers, equal to Bhima and Arjuna in war—Yuyudhana, Virata and Drupada of the great car,
Dhrishtaketu, Chekitana and the valiant King of Kashi, Purujit and Kuntibhoja and Shaibya, bull among men,
Victorious Yudhamanyu and strong Uttamaujas, Saubhadra (Abhimanyu) and the sons of Draupadi, all of them great warriors.
asmākaṁ tu viśiṣṭā ye tānnibodha dvijottama
nāyakā mama sainyasya saṁjñārthaṁ tān bravīmi te (7)
Know also, O best of the twice-born, the distinguished among us, the leaders of my army; I name them for thy information.
bhavānbhīṣmaśca karṇaśca kṛpaśca samitiñjayaḥ
aśvatthāmā vikarṇaśca saumadattirjayadrathaḥ (8)
anye ca bahavaḥ śūrā madarthe tyaktajīvitāḥ
nānāśastrapraharaṇāḥ sarve yuddhaviśāradāḥ (9)
Thyself and Bhishma, and Karna and Kripa, the victorious in battle, Ashwatthama, Vikarna, and Saumadatti (Bhurishravas), and Jayadratha,
And many other heroes who have risked their lives for my sake, armed with various weapons, all skilled in war.
aparyāptaṁ tadasmākaṁ balaṁ bhīṣmābhirakṣitam
paryāptaṁ tvidameteṣāṁ balaṁ bhīmābhirakṣitam (10)
Unlimited is this army of ours guarded by Bhishma, but limited is that army of theirs guarded by Bhima.
ayaneṣu ca sarveṣu yathābhāgamavasthitāḥ
bhīṣmamevābhirakṣantu bhavantaḥ sarva eva hi (11)
Therefore do ye all, standing in your respective divisions in the different fronts, protect Bhishma alone.”
tasya saṁjanayan harṣaṁ kuruvṛddhaḥ pitāmahaḥ
siṁhanādaṁ vinadyoccaiḥ śaṅkhaṁ dadhmau pratāpavān (12)
Cheering the heart of Duryodhana, the mighty Grandsire (Bhishma), the ancient of the Kurus, roared like a lion and blew his conch shell.
tataḥ śaṅkhāśca bheryaśca paṇavānakagomukhāḥ
sahaivābhyahanyanta sa śabdastumulo’bhavat (13)
Then conches and kettledrums, tabors and drums and horns were suddenly blared forth, and the noise was tumultuous.
tataḥ śvetairhayairyukte mahati syandane sthitau
mādhavaḥ pāṇḍavaścaiva divyau śaṅkhau pradadhmatuḥ (14)
Then, standing in their great chariot yoked with white horses, Madhava (Krishna) and the son of Pandu (Arjuna) blew their divine conches.
pāñcajanyaṁ hṛṣīkeśo devadattaṁ dhanañjayaḥ
pauṇḍraṁ dadhmau mahāśaṅkhaṁ bhīmakarmā vṛkodaraḥ (15)
Hrishikesha blew the Panchajanya, Dhananjaya (Arjuna) the Devadatta, and Vrikodara (Bhima), of terrible deeds, blew his mighty conch, the Paundra.
anantavijayaṁ rājā kuntīputro yudhiṣṭhiraḥ
nakulaḥ sahadevaśca sughoṣamaṇipuṣpakau (16)
King Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti, blew the Anantavijaya, and Nakula and Sahadeva the Sughosha and the Manipushpaka.
kāśyaśca parameṣvāsaḥ śikhaṇḍī ca mahārathaḥ
dhṛṣṭadyumno virāṭaśca sātyakiścāparājitaḥ (17)
drupado draupadeyāśca sarvaśaḥ pṛthivīpate
saubhadraśca mahābāhuḥ śaṅkhān dadhmuḥ pṛthak pṛthak (18)
And the King of Kashi, the great archer, and Shikhandi, the great warrior, Dhrishtadyumna and Virata and the unconquered Satyaki,
And Drupada and the sons of Draupadi, O Lord of Earth, and the mighty-armed son of Subhadra, all blew their respective conches.
sa ghoṣo dhārtarāṣṭrāṇāṁ hṛdayāni vyadārayat
nabhaśca pṛthivīṁ caiva tumulo vyunanādayan (19)
That tumultuous uproar resounding through earth and sky tore the hearts of the sons of Dhritarashtra.
atha vyavasthitān dṛṣṭvā dhārtarāṣṭrāan kapidhvajaḥ
pravṛtte śastrasampāte dhanurudyamya pāṇḍavaḥ (20)
hṛṣīkeśaṁ tadā vākyamidamāha mahīpate
Then, seeing the sons of Dhritarashtra standing arrayed and the flight of missiles about to begin, the Pandava (Arjuna), whose banner bore the emblem of Hanuman, took up his bow and spoke this word to Hrishikesha, O Lord of Earth.
Arjuna Uvacha
senayorubhayormadhye rathaṁ sthāpaya me’cyuta (21)
yāvadetānnirīkṣe’haṁ yoddhukāmānavasthitān
kairmayā saha yoddhavyamasmin raṇasamudyame (22)
yotsyamānānavekṣe’haṁ ya ete’tra samāgatāḥ
dhārtarāṣṭrasya durbuddheryuddhe priyacikīrṣavaḥ (23)
Arjuna said:
“O Achyuta (Infallible One), place my chariot between the two armies, so that I may behold these who stand here desirous of fighting, and know with whom I must fight in this toil of battle.
I will see those who are assembled here to fight, wishing to please the evil-minded son of Dhritarashtra in battle.”
Sanjaya Uvacha
evamukto hṛṣīkeśo guḍākeśena bhārata
senayorubhayormadhye sthāpayitvā rathottamam (24)
bhīṣmadroṇapramukhataḥ sarveṣāṁ ca mahīkṣitām
uvāca pārtha paśyaitān samavetān kurūniti (25)
Sanjaya said:
Thus addressed by Gudakesha (Arjuna), Hrishikesha, O Bharata, having placed that best of chariots between the two armies,
In front of Bhishma, Drona and all the rulers of the earth, said: “O Partha (Arjuna), behold these Kurus gathered together.”
tatrāpaśyat sthitān pārthaḥ pitṝnatha pitāmahān
ācāryān mātulān bhrātṝn putrān pautrān sakhīṁstathā
śvaśurān suhṛdaścaiva senayorubhayorapi (26)
Then Partha saw standing there fathers and grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons and comrades, fathers-in-law and friends in both the armies.
tān samīkṣya sa kaunteyaḥ sarvān bandhūnavasthitān
kṛpayā parayāviṣṭo viṣīdannidamabravīt (27)
Seeing all those kinsmen thus standing arrayed, the son of Kunti, invaded by great pity, spoke thus in sadness.
Arjuna Uvacha
dṛṣṭvemam svajanaṁ kṛṣṇa yuyutsuṁ samavasthitam
sīdanti mama gātrāni mukhaṁ ca pariśuṣyati (28)
vepathuśca śarīre me romaharṣaśca jāyate
gāṇḍīvaṁ sraṁsate hastāt tvak caiva paridahyate (29)
Arjuna said:
“Seeing these my own people, O Krishna, arrayed for battle, my limbs collapse and my mouth is parched,
My body trembles and my hair stands on end; the Gandiva slips from my hand and my skin burns.
na ca śaknomyavasthātuṁ bhramatīva ca me manaḥ
nimittāni ca paśyāmi viparītāni keśava (30)
I am unable to stand and my mind seems to be whirling. And I see adverse omens, O Keshava.
na ca śreyo’nupaśyāmi hatvā svajanamāhave
na kāṅkṣe vijayaṁ kṛṣṇa na ca rājyaṁ sukhāni ca (31)
Nor do I see any good in slaying my own people in battle. I desire not victory, O Krishna, nor kingdom, nor pleasures.
kiṁ no rājyena govinda kiṁ bhogairjīvitena vā
yeṣāmarthe kāṅkṣitaṁ no rājyaṁ bhogāḥ sukhāni ca (32)
ta ime’vasthitā yuddhe prāṇāṁstyaktvā dhanāni ca
ācāryāḥ pitaraḥ putrāstathaiva ca pitāmahāḥ (33)
mātulāḥ śvaśurāḥ pautrāḥ śyālāḥ sambandhinastathā
etān na hantumicchāmi ghnato’pi madhusūdana (34)
What is kingdom to us, O Govinda? What enjoyment or even life? Those for whose sake we desire kingdom, enjoyments and pleasures,
They stand here in battle, abandoning life and riches—teachers, fathers, sons and grandfathers,
Maternal uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons, brothers-in-law and other relatives. These I do not wish to kill, though they kill me, O Madhusudana,
api trailokyarājyasya hetoḥ kiṁ nu mahīkṛte
nihatya dhārtarāṣṭrānnāḥ kā prītiḥ syājjanārdana (35)
Even for the sake of dominion over the three worlds, how much less for the sake of the earth! What delight can be ours, O Janardana, after slaying the sons of Dhritarashtra?
pāpamevāśrayedasmān hatvaitānātatāyinaḥ
tasmānnārhā vayaṁ hantuṁ dhārtarāṣṭrān sabāndhavān
svajanaṁ hi kathaṁ hatvā sukhinaḥ syāma mādhava (36)
Sin will take hold of us if we slay these aggressors. Therefore we should not kill the sons of Dhritarashtra, our kinsmen; for how can we be happy, O Madhava, by killing our own people?
yadyapyete na paśyanti lobhopahatacetasaḥ
kulakṣayakṛtaṁ doṣaṁ mitradrohe ca pātakam (37)
kathaṁ na jñeyamasnābhiḥ pāpādasmānnivartitum
kulakṣayakṛtaṁ doṣaṁ prapaśyadbhirjanārdana (38)
Even if these, with their minds overpowered by greed, see no evil in the destruction of the family and no sin in treachery to friends,
Why should not we, who see clearly the evil in the destruction of the family, learn to turn away from this sin, O Janardana?
kulakṣaye praṇaśyanti kuladharmāḥ sanātanāḥ
dharme naṣṭe kulaṁ kṛtsnamadharmo’bhibhavatyuta (39)
With the destruction of the family, the eternal family laws are destroyed; when the law is destroyed, lawlessness overpowers the whole family.
adharmābhibhavāt kṛṣṇa praduṣyanti kulastriyaḥ
strīṣu duṣṭāsu vārṣṇeya jāyate varṇasaṅkaraḥ (40)
When lawlessness prevails, O Krishna, the women of the family become corrupt; and when women are corrupted, O Varshneya (Descendant of Vrishni), there arises intermixture of castes.
saṅkaro narakāyaiva kulaghnānāṁ kulasya ca
patanti pitaro hyeṣāṁ luptapiṇḍodakakriyāḥ (41)
This intermixture leads the family and the destroyers of the family to hell, for their ancestors fall, deprived of the offerings of rice-ball and water.
doṣairetaiḥ kulaghnānāṁ varṇasaṅkarakārakaiḥ
utsādyante jātidharmāḥ kuladharmāśca śāśvatāḥ (42)
By these deeds of the destroyers of the family, which cause intermixture of castes, the eternal laws of the race and the family are destroyed.
utsannakuladharmāṇāṁ manuṣyāṇāṁ janārdana
narake niyataṁ vāso bhavatītyanuśuśruma (43)
We have heard, O Janardana, that men whose family laws are destroyed dwell necessarily in hell.
aho bata mahat pāpaṁ kartuṁ vyavasitā vayam
yadrājyasukhalobhena hantuṁ svajanamudyatāḥ (44)
Alas! We were resolved to commit a great sin, in that we are prepared to slay our own people through greed for the pleasures of a kingdom.
yadi māmapratīkāramaśastraṁ śastrapāṇayaḥ
dhārtarāṣṭrā raṇe hanyustanme kṣemataraṁ bhavet (45)
If the sons of Dhritarashtra, with weapons in hand, slay me in battle, unresisting and unarmed, that would be better for me.”
Sanjaya Uvacha
evamuktvārjunaḥ saṁkhye rathopastha upāviśat
visṛjya saśaraṁ cāpaṁ śokasaṁvignamānasaḥ (46)
Sanjaya said:
Having spoken thus in the midst of the battle, Arjuna sat down on the seat of the chariot, casting away his bow and arrow, his mind overwhelmed with sorrow.
Sanjaya’s Gift of Divine Vision
The Gita is uttered at the commencement of the great war of the Mahabharata. So in the first verse of the Gita we see King Dhritarashtra asking Sanjaya who has been endowed with divine vision for news of the war. The two armies are present on the battlefield; the old king is eager to know what their first move is. The gift of divine vision to Sanjaya is nothing but poetic imagination in the eyes of the modern English-educated Indians. If we said that a certain person being endowed with clairvoyance and clairaudience could see the hair-raising scene of the distant battlefield and hear the lion-roar of the great warriors, then perhaps the statement would not be so incredible. And that Vyasa gave this power to Sanjaya is even more an idle tale to be dismissed. If we said that a famous European scientist having hypnotised a certain person came to know some description of that distant event from his mouth, then those who have read about Western hypnotism with attention might believe it. Yet hypnotism is only an inferior and rejectable limb of yogic power. There are many powers hidden in man which the civilised nations of ancient times knew and developed; but in the flood of ignorance born of Kali that science has been swept away; only partially it has been preserved as a secret and confidential knowledge among a few people. There is a subtle organ called subtle vision beyond the gross physical organ by which we can master objects and knowledge beyond the range of the gross organs, see subtle things, hear subtle sounds, smell subtle scents, touch subtle objects and taste subtle food. The ultimate result of subtle vision is the divine eye; by its influence distant, secret or other-worldly objects come within our knowledge. That the great sage Vyasa, the receptacle of supreme yogic power, was capable of giving this divine eye to Sanjaya, we see no reason to disbelieve. If we do not disbelieve the strange power of the Western hypnotist, why should we disbelieve the power of the peerless sage Vyasa? The power of a strong man can be transmitted to another’s body; abundant proof of this is found on every page of history and in every action of human life. Men of action like Napoleon, Ito etc. have prepared helpers for their work by transmitting power to fit receptacles. Even a very ordinary Yogi having obtained some power can give his own power to another for a few moments or to apply in a particular work,—Vyasa is the world’s greatest thinker and a man of extraordinary yogic power. In fact, the existence of the divine eye instead of being an idle tale should be a scientific truth. We know that the eye does not see, the ear does not hear, the nose does not smell, the skin does not feel touch, the tongue does not taste. It is the mind that sees, the mind that hears, the mind that smells, the mind that feels touch, the mind that tastes. This truth has been accepted in philosophy and psychology for a long time; in hypnotism it has been proved by scientific experiment that even if the eyes are closed the work of the organ of vision can be performed by any nerve. This proves that the eye etc. gross organs are only convenient means for obtaining knowledge; bound by the eternal habit of the gross body we have become their slaves; but in reality we can convey that knowledge to the mind by any bodily channel—just as the blind forms a correct idea of the shape and nature of objects by touch. But there is this difference between the vision of the blind and the vision of a hypnotised person that the hypnotised person sees the image of the object in the mind. This is called sight. In reality I do not see the book in front, seeing the image of that book which is pictured in my eye the mind says, I saw a book. But in the seeing and hearing of distant objects or events by a hypnotised person it is also proved that there is no need of any bodily channel for obtaining knowledge of objects,—we can see by subtle vision. Sitting in a room in London I saw in the mind the event that was happening in Edinburgh at that time,—the number of such instances is increasing day by day. This is called subtle vision. There is this difference between subtle vision and the divine eye that the subtle seer sees the image of the invisible object in the mind, by the divine eye we see not the image in the mind but before the physical eye, hear not in the thought-current but with the physical ear. A small example of this is crystal gazing or seeing contemporary events in ink. But for a Yogi endowed with the divine eye there is no need of such aids; he can know the events of other countries and other times by untying the knot of space and time without any aid by the development of this power. We have received sufficient proof of the loosening of the knot of space; proofs of the loosening of the knot of time, that man can be a seer of the three times, so numerous and satisfactory proofs of that have not yet been presented before the world. But if it is possible to loosen the knot of space, loosening of the knot of time cannot be said to be impossible. However, by this divine eye given by Vyasa Sanjaya staying in Hastinapura saw the Dhartarashtras and Pandavas assembled in Kurukshetra as if with his own eyes, heard with his ears the words of Duryodhana, the terrible lion-roar of Grandfather Bhishma, the great noise of the Panchajanya announcing the destruction of the Kurus and the Krishna-Arjuna dialogue revealing the meaning of the Gita.
In our opinion the Mahabharata is also not a metaphor, Krishna and Arjuna also are not poet’s imagination, the Gita also is not the conclusion of a modern logician or philosopher. Therefore it has to be proved that no word of the Gita is impossible or illogical. That is why we have discussed the attainment of the divine eye at such length.
Duryodhana’s Diplomatic Speech
Sanjaya began to describe that first war-effort. Seeing the battle-array of the Pandava army Duryodhana approached Dronacharya. Why he went to Drona needs explanation. Bhishma is the commander-in-chief, the word of war should have been spoken to him, but the crooked-minded Duryodhana did not trust Bhishma. Bhishma is attached to the Pandavas, the leader of the peace party of Hastinapura; if the war were only between the Pandavas and the Dhartarashtras, Bhishma would never have taken up arms; but seeing the Kuru kingdom attacked by the Panchala nation, the ancient enemy and rival empire-seeker of the Kurus, the chief man of the Kuru race, warrior and politician, accepting the post of commander-in-chief, became determined to protect the honour and supremacy of his own race preserved by his own strength of arm till the end. Duryodhana himself is of Asuric nature, attraction and repulsion are the proof and cause of all his actions; therefore he is unable to understand the state of mind of the dutiful great man; he could never believe that this hard ascetic has the strength in his heart to slay even the Pandavas dear as life in the battlefield for the sake of duty. Even after trying his best to desist his own race from injustice and harm by expressing his own opinion at the time of patriotic counsel, once that injustice and harm is accepted by the people, he protects his own race and suppresses the enemy even in an unrighteous war; Bhishma had adopted that side. This feeling is also beyond Duryodhana’s comprehension. Therefore without going to Bhishma he remembered Drona. Drona is personally a great enemy of the Panchala king; Dhrishtadyumna, the prince of the Panchala country, is determined to kill Drona the teacher; that is to say, Duryodhana thought, if reminded of this personal enmity the teacher giving up the partiality for peace would fight with full enthusiasm. He did not say that clearly. He only mentioned the name of Dhrishtadyumna; after that to please Bhishma also he pointed him out as the protector of the Kuru kingdom and the hope of victory. First he mentioned the names of the chief warriors of the opponent, then mentioned the names of a few leaders of his own army, not all; the names of Drona and Bhishma are enough for the fulfilment of his design; but to hide that design he mentioned four or five other names. After that he said, “This army of mine is very huge, Bhishma is my commander-in-chief; the army of the Pandavas is relatively small, their hope of protection is the strength of Bhima; so why should we not win? However when Bhishma is our main hope, everyone should protect him from enemy attack. If he is there our victory is inevitable.” Many interpret the word “aparyaptam” in the opposite sense; that is not reasonable; Duryodhana’s army is relatively large; the leaders of that army are not inferior to anyone in prowess and heroism; why should the boastful Duryodhana condemn his own strength and create despair? Bhishma understanding Duryodhana’s state of mind and the secret purpose of his words roared like a lion and blew his conch to remove his doubt. Joy was produced in Duryodhana’s heart. He thought, my object is accomplished; Drona and Bhishma casting aside hesitation will fight.
The Preamble
