Observing the Armies on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra

dhṛtarāṣṭra uvācadharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetresamavetā yuyutsavaḥmāmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caivakim akurvata sañjaya

Dhrtarastra said: O Sanjaya, after assembling in the place of pilgrimage at Kuruksetra, what did my sons and the sons of Pandu do, being desirous to fight?

sañjaya uvācadṛṣṭvā tu pāṇḍavānīkaṁvyūḍhaṁ duryodhanas tadāācāryam upasaṅgamyarājā vacanam abravīt

Sanjaya said: O King, after looking over the army gathered by the sons of Pandu, King Duryodhana went to his teacher and began to speak the following words:

paśyaitāṁ pāṇḍu-putrānāmācārya mahatīṁ camūmvyūḍhāṁ drupada-putreṇatava śiṣyeṇa dhīmatā

O my teacher, behold the great army of the sons of Pandu, so expertly arranged by your intelligent disciple, the son of Drupada.

atra śūrā maheṣv-āsābhīmārjuna-samā yudhiyuyudhāno virāṭaś cadrupadaś ca mahā-rathaḥ

Here in this army there are many heroic bowmen equal in fighting to Bhima and Arjuna; there are also great fighters like Yuyudhana, Virata and Drupada.

dhṛṣṭaketuś cekitānaḥkāśirājaś ca vīryavānpurujit kuntibhojaś caśaibyaś ca nara-puṅgavaḥ

There are also great, heroic, powerful fighters like Dhrstaketu, Cekitana, Kasiraja, Purujit, Kuntibhoja and Saibya.

yudhāmanyuś ca vikrāntauttamaujāś ca vīryavānsaubhadro draupadeyāś casarva eva mahā-rathāḥ

There are the mighty Yudhamanyu, the very powerful Uttamauja, the son of Subhadra and the sons of Draupadi. All these warriors are great chariot fighters.

asmākaṁ tu viśiṣṭā yetān nibodha dvijottamanāyakā mama sainyasyasaṁjñārthaṁ tān bravīmi te

O best of the brahmanas, for your information, let me tell you about the captains who are especially qualified to lead my military force.

bhavān bhīṣmaś ca karṇaś cakṛpaś ca samitiṁ-jayaḥaśvatthāmā vikarṇaś casaumadattis tathaiva ca

There are personalities like yourself, Bhisma, Karna, Krpa, Asvatthama, Vikarna and the son of Somadatta called Bhurisrava, who are always victorious in battle.

anye ca bahavaḥ śūrāmad-arthe tyakta-jīvitāḥnānā-śastra-praharaṇāḥsarve yuddha-viśāradāḥ

There are many other heroes who are prepared to lay down their lives for my sake. All of them are well equipped with different kinds of weapons, and all are experienced in military science.

aparyāptaṁ tad asmākaṁbalaṁ bhīṣmābhirakṣitamparyāptaṁ tv idam eteṣāṁbalaṁ bhīmābhirakṣitam

Our strength is immeasurable, and we are perfectly protected by Grandfather Bhisma, whereas the strength of the Pandavas, carefully protected by Bhima, is limited.

ayaneṣu ca sarveṣuyathā-bhāgam avasthitāḥbhīṣmam evābhirakṣantubhavantaḥ sarva eva hi

Now all of you must give full support to Grandfather Bhisma, standing at your respective strategic points in the phalanx of the army.

tasya sañjanayan harṣaṁkuru-vṛddhaḥ pitāmahaḥsiṁha-nādaṁ vinadyoccaiḥśaṅkhaṁ dadhmau pratāpavān

Then Bhisma, the great valiant grandsire of the Kuru dynasty, the grandfather of the fighters, blew his conchshell very loudly like the sound of a lion, giving Duryodhana joy.

tataḥ śaṅkhāś ca bheryaś capaṇavānaka-gomukhāḥsahasaivābhyahanyantasa śabdas tumulo ’bhavat

After that, the conchshells, bugles, trumpets, drums and horns were all suddenly sounded, and the combined sound was tumultuous.

tataḥ śvetair hayair yuktemahati syandane sthitaumādhavaḥ pāṇḍavaś caivadivyau śaṅkhau pradadhmatuḥ

On the other side, both Lord Krsna and Arjuna, stationed on a great chariot drawn by white horses, sounded their transcendental conchshells.

pāñcajanyaṁ hṛṣīkeśodevadattaṁ dhanañ-jayaḥpauṇḍraṁ dadhmau mahā-śaṅkhaṁbhīma-karmā vṛkodaraḥ

Then, Lord Krsna blew His conchshell, called Pancajanya; Arjuna blew his, the Devadatta; and Bhima, the voracious eater and performer of Herculean tasks, blew his terrific conchshell called Paundram.

anantavijayaṁ rājākuntī-putro yudhiṣṭhiraḥnakulaḥ sahadevaś casughoṣa-maṇipuṣpakau kāśyaś ca parameṣv-āsaḥśikhaṇḍī ca mahā-rathaḥdhṛṣṭadyumno virāṭaś casātyakiś cāparājitaḥ drupado draupadeyāś casarvaśaḥ pṛthivī-patesaubhadraś ca mahā-bāhuḥśaṅkhān dadhmuḥ pṛthak pṛthak

King Yudhisthira, the son of Kunti, blew his conchshell, the Anantavijaya, and Nakula and Sahadeva blew the Sughosa and Manipuspaka. 1.17 & 1.18 That great archer the King of Kasi, the great fighter Sikhandi, Dhrstadyumna, Virata and the unconquerable Satyaki, Drupada, the sons of Draupadi, and the others, O King, such as the son of Subhadra, greatly armed, all blew their respective conchshells.

sa ghoṣo dhārtarāṣṭrāṇāṁhṛdayāni vyadārayatnabhaś ca pṛthivīṁ caivatumulo ’bhyanunādayan

The blowing of these different conchshells became uproarious, and thus, vibrating both in the sky and on the earth, it shattered the hearts of the sons of Dhrtarastra.

atha vyavasthitān dṛṣṭvādhārtarāṣṭrān kapi-dhvajaḥpravṛtte śastra-sampātedhanur udyamya pāṇḍavaḥhṛṣīkeśaṁ tadā vākyamidam āha mahī-pate

O King, at that time Arjuna, the son of Pandu, who was seated in his chariot, his flag marked with Hanuman, took up his bow and prepared to shoot his arrows, looking at the sons of Dhrtarastra. O King, Arjuna then spoke to Hrsikesa [Krsna] these words:

rathaṁ sthāpaya me ’cyuta yāvad etān nirīkṣe ’haṁ yoddhu-kāmān avasthitān

arjuna uvāca senayor ubhayor madhye kair mayā saha yoddhavyam asmin raṇa-samudyame Arjuna said: O infallible one, please draw my chariot between the two armies so that I may see who is present here, who is desirous of fighting, and with whom I must contend in this great battle attempt.

yotsyamānān avekṣe ’haṁya ete ’tra samāgatāḥdhārtarāṣṭrasya durbuddheryuddhe priya-cikīrṣavaḥ

Let me see those who have come here to fight, wishing to please the evil-minded son of Dhrtarastra.

sañjaya uvācaevam ukto hṛṣīkeśoguḍākeśena bhāratasenayor ubhayor madhyesthāpayitvā rathottamam

Sanjaya said: O descendant of Bharata, being thus addressed by Arjuna, Lord Krsna drew up the fine chariot in the midst of the armies of both parties.

bhīṣma-droṇa-pramukhataḥsarveṣāṁ ca mahī-kṣitāmuvāca pārtha paśyaitānsamavetān kurūn iti

In the presence of Bhisma, Drona and all other chieftains of the world, Hrsikesa, the Lord, said, Just behold, Partha, all the Kurus who are assembled here.

tatrāpaśyat sthitān pārthaḥpitṝn atha pitāmahānācāryān mātulān bhrātṝnputrān pautrān sakhīṁs tathāśvaśurān suhṛdaś caivasenayor ubhayor api

There Arjuna could see, within the midst of the armies of both parties, his fathers, grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, friends, and also his father-in-law and well-wishers-all present there.

tān samīkṣya sa kaunteyaḥsarvān bandhūn avasthitānkṛpayā parayāviṣṭoviṣīdann idam abravīt

When the son of Kunti, Arjuna, saw all these different grades of friends and relatives, he became overwhelmed with compassion and spoke thus:

arjuna uvācadṛṣṭvemaṁ sva-janaṁ kṛṣṇayuyutsuṁ samupasthitamsīdanti mama gātrāṇimukhaṁ ca pariśuṣyati

Arjuna said: My dear Krsna, seeing my friends and relatives present before me in such a fighting spirit, I feel the limbs of my body quivering and my mouth drying up.

vepathuś ca śarīre meroma-harṣaś ca jāyategāṇḍīvaṁ sraṁsate hastāttvak caiva paridahyate

My whole body is trembling, and my hair is standing on end. My bow Gandiva is slipping from my hand, and my skin is burning.

na ca śaknomy avasthātuṁbhramatīva ca me manaḥnimittāni ca paśyāmiviparītāni keśava

I am now unable to stand here any longer. I am forgetting myself, and my mind is reeling. I foresee only evil, O killer of the Kesi demon.

na ca śreyo ’nupaśyāmihatvā sva-janam āhavena kāṅkṣe vijayaṁ kṛṣṇana ca rājyaṁ sukhāni ca

I do not see how any good can come from killing my own kinsmen in this battle, nor can I, my dear Krsna, desire any subsequent victory, kingdom, or happiness.

kiṁ no rājyena govinda kiṁ bhogair jīvitena vā yeṣām arthe kāṅkṣitaṁ no rājyaṁ bhogāḥ sukhāni ca prāṇāṁs tyaktvā dhanāni ca ācāryāḥ pitaraḥ putrās tathaiva ca pitāmahāḥ mātulāḥ śvaśurāḥ pautrāḥ śyālāḥ sambandhinas tathā etān na hantum icchāmi hetoḥ kiṁ nu mahī-kṛte nihatya dhārtarāṣṭrān naḥ kā prītiḥ syāj janārdana

ta ime ’vasthitā yuddhe ghnato ’pi madhusūdana api trailokya-rājyasya O Govinda, of what avail to us are a kingdom, happiness or even life itself when all those for whom we may desire them are now arrayed on this battlefield? O Madhusūdana, when teachers, fathers, sons, grandfathers, maternal uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons, brothers-in-law and other relatives are ready to give up their lives and properties and are standing before me, why should I wish to kill them, even though they might otherwise kill me? O maintainer of all living entities, I am not prepared to fight with them even in exchange for the three worlds, let alone this earth. What pleasure will we derive from killing the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra?

pāpam evāśrayed asmān hatvaitān ātatāyinaḥ tasmān nārhā vayaṁ hantuṁ dhārtarāṣṭrān sa-bāndhavān sva-janaṁ hi kathaṁ hatvā sukhinaḥ syāma mādhava

Sin will overcome us if we slay such aggressors. Therefore it is not proper for us to kill the sons of Dhrtarastra and our friends. What should we gain, O Krsna, husband of the goddess of fortune, and how could we be happy by killing our own kinsmen?

kula-kṣaya-kṛtaṁ doṣaṁ kathaṁ na jñeyam asmābhiḥ pāpād asmān nivartitum prapaśyadbhir janārdana

yady apy ete na paśyanti lobhopahata-cetasaḥ mitra-drohe ca pātakam O Janardana, although these men, overtaken by greed, see no fault in killing one’s family or quarreling with friends, why should we, with knowledge of the sin, engage in these acts?

kula-kṣaye praṇaśyanti kula-dharmāḥ sanātanāḥ dharme naṣṭe kulaṁ kṛtsnam

Listen 1.39 adharmo ’bhibhavaty uta With the destruction of dynasty, the eternal family tradition is vanquished, and thus the rest of the family becomes involved in irreligious practice.

adharmābhibhavāt kṛṣṇa praduṣyanti kula-striyaḥ strīṣu duṣṭāsu vārṣṇeya jāyate varṇa-saṅkaraḥ

When irreligion is prominent in the family, O Krsna, the women of the family become corrupt, and from the degradation of womanhood, O descendant of Vrsni, comes unwanted progeny.

saṅkaro narakāyaiva kula-ghnānāṁ kulasya ca patanti pitaro hy eṣāṁ lupta-piṇḍodaka-kriyāḥ

When there is increase of unwanted population, a hellish situation is created both for the family and for those who destroy the family tradition. In such corrupt families, there is no offering of oblations of food and water to the ancestors.

doṣair etaiḥ kula-ghnānāṁ varṇa-saṅkara-kārakaiḥ utsādyante jāti-dharmāḥ kula-dharmāś ca śāśvatāḥ

Due to the evil deeds of the destroyers of family tradition, all kinds of community projects and family welfare activities are devastated.

utsanna-kula-dharmāṇāṁ manuṣyāṇāṁ janārdana narake niyataṁ vāso bhavatīty anuśuśruma

O Krsna, maintainer of the people, I have heard by disciplic succession that those who destroy family traditions dwell always in hell.

aho bata mahat pāpaṁ kartuṁ vyavasitā vayam hantuṁ sva-janam udyatāḥ

yad rājya-sukha-lobhena Alas, how strange it is that we are preparing to commit greatly sinful acts, driven by the desire to enjoy royal happiness.

yadi mām apratīkāram aśastraṁ śastra-pāṇayaḥ dhārtarāṣṭrā raṇe hanyus tan me kṣema-taraṁ bhavet

I would consider it better for the sons of Dhrtarastra to kill me unarmed and unresisting, rather than fight with them.

sañjaya uvāca evam uktvārjunaḥ saṅkhye rathopastha upāviśat visṛjya sa-śaraṁ cāpaṁ śoka-saṁvigna-mānasaḥ

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