Krishjan

Chapter 1 — Vishada Yoga

Bhagavad Gita

47 Shloka • Translation Only

Dhritarashtra said: On the sacred field of Kurukshetra, the field of Dharma, assembled together, eager for battle, what did my sons and the sons of Pandu do, O Sanjaya?

Sanjaya said: Seeing the army of the Pandavas arrayed in battle formation, King Duryodhana approached his teacher Drona, and spoke these words.

Behold, O Teacher, this great army of the sons of Pandu, arrayed in battle formation by the intelligent son of Drupada, your own disciple.

Here are mighty heroes and great archers, equal in battle to Bhima and Arjuna, Yuyudhana, Virata, and the great chariot-warrior Drupada.

Dhrishtaketu, Chekitana, the valiant King of Kashi, Purujit, Kuntibhoja, and Shaibya, the foremost among men.

The valiant Yudhamanyu and the mighty Uttamaujas, Abhimanyu (son of Subhadra), and the sons of Draupadi, all are great chariot-warriors.

But know also, O best among the twice-born, the distinguished leaders of our army, those I name for your recognition.

Yourself (Drona), Bhishma, and Karna, Kripa—victorious in battle, Ashvatthama, Vikarna, and also the son of Somadatta.

And there are many other heroic warriors as well, who are ready to give up their lives for my sake, all skilled in warfare and well-versed in various weapons.

Our army, protected by Bhishma, is unlimited in strength, while the army of the Pandavas, protected by Bhima, is limited in strength.

Therefore, stationed at all strategic positions in formation, all of you must protect Bhishma alone on every side.

Then the venerable Bhishma, the grandsire of the Kurus, the mighty elder among them, roared like a lion and blew his conch loudly, filling the army with joy and courage.

Then conches, kettledrums, tabors, trumpets, and horns were suddenly sounded together. The resulting sound became tremendous and deafening.

Then, stationed in the great chariot drawn by white horses, Madhava (Krishna) and the son of Pandu (Arjuna) blew their divine conches.

Hrishikesha (Krishna) blew the conch called Panchajanya, Dhananjaya (Arjuna) blew the conch called Devadatta, and Bhima, the performer of mighty deeds, the voracious eater, blew the great conch called Paundra.

King Yudhishthira, son of Kunti, blew the conch named Anantavijaya, Nakul blew Sughosa, and Sahadeva blew Manipushpaka.

The great archer, the King of Kashi, the great chariot-warrior Shikhandi, Dhrishtadyumna, Virata, and the unconquered Satyaki were also present.

O King, Drupada, the sons of Draupadi, and the mighty-armed Abhimanyu (Saubhadra), all blew their conches separately.

That terrible sound, reverberating through sky and earth, shattered the hearts of your sons.

Then, seeing the sons of Dhritarashtra arrayed in battle formation, and the clash of weapons about to begin, the son of Pandu, bearing the flag of Hanuman on his chariot, raised his bow.

Arjuna said: O Achyuta (Krishna), place my chariot between the two armies, O Hrishikesha, so that I may observe them standing here, eager for battle.

So that I may observe those who stand here, desiring to fight, and see with whom I must contend in this great effort of war.

I wish to see those who have come here, eager to fight, seeking to please the evil-minded son of Dhritarashtra in this war.

Sanjaya said: O Bhārata, thus addressed by Gudakesha (Arjuna), Hrishikesha (Krishna) positioned the excellent chariot between the two armies.

Facing Bhishma, Drona, and all the rulers of the earth assembled there, he said to Partha (Arjuna): “Behold these Kurus gathered together.”

There Arjuna (Partha) saw standing in both armies his fathers, grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, and friends.

He also saw fathers-in-law and well-wishers present in both armies. Seeing all those relatives standing there, the son of Kunti (Arjuna)...

Arjuna said: Overcome with deep compassion and sorrow, he spoke thus: “O Krishna, seeing my own people assembled here, eager for battle…”

“My limbs are weakening, my mouth is drying up, my body trembles, and my hair stands on end.”

“The Gandiva bow is slipping from my hand, my skin is burning all over, I am unable to stand firm, and my mind seems to be whirling.”

O Keshava, I see only inauspicious signs, and I see no good in killing my own kin in this battle.

O Krishna, I do not desire victory, nor kingdom, nor pleasures. O Govinda, of what use is kingdom to us, or enjoyment, or even life itself?

For whose sake we desire kingdom, pleasures, and happiness, they stand here in battle, having renounced their lives and wealth.

Teachers, fathers, sons, and likewise grandfathers; maternal uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons, brothers-in-law, and other relatives as well.

O Madhusudana, I do not wish to kill them, even if I am killed in return, not even for the sake of sovereignty over the three worlds, how much less for this earthly kingdom.

O Janardana, what joy would we gain by killing the sons of Dhritarashtra? Only sin would fall upon us by killing these aggressors.

Therefore, we are not fit to kill the sons of Dhritarashtra, our own relatives. O Madhava, how can we be happy by killing our own kin?

Even if these men, their minds overwhelmed by greed, do not see the fault in destroying the family or the sin in betraying friends.

O Janardana, how can we fail to understand and turn away from this sin, we who clearly see the fault in destroying the family?

When a family is destroyed, its eternal family dharmas perish. When dharma is lost, adharma overcomes the entire family.

O Krishna, when adharma prevails, the women of the family become corrupted. When women are corrupted, O Varshneya, social disorder and intermixture of classes arise.

Such confusion leads to hell for the destroyers of the family and for the family itself. Their ancestors fall, deprived of the offerings of food and water.

Due to these faults of those who destroy the family, causing confusion of social order, the eternal duties of lineage and family tradition are destroyed.

O Janardana, we have heard that for those whose family duties are destroyed, their dwelling in hell becomes inevitable.

Alas! What a great sin we are resolved to commit, driven by desire for kingdom and pleasure, ready to kill our own kin.

If the sons of Dhritarashtra, armed with weapons, were to kill me in battle while I remain unarmed and unresisting, that would be far better for me.

Sanjaya said: Having spoken thus on the battlefield, Arjuna sat down in the chariot, casting aside his bow and arrows, his mind overwhelmed with grief.