Discussion on Bhagwad Gita: Chapter 1; Verse 25 through 31

Today, we will come to terms with the real significance of Mahabharat. Why was it that Bhagwad Gita had to occur at this juncture in presence of Shri Krishna and with the cast of characters that we had on our hand.

तत्रापश्यत्स्थितान्पार्थः पितॄनथ पितामहान्।
आचार्यान्मातुलान्भ्रातॄन्पुत्रान्पौत्रान्सखींस्तथा॥१-२६॥
श्वशुरान्सुहृदश्चैव सेनयोरुभयोरपि।
तान्समीक्ष्य स कौन्तेयः सर्वान्बन्धूनवस्थितान्॥१-२७॥

Hindi

वहां पार्थ नें उस सेना में अपने पिता के भाईयों, पितामहों (दादा), आचार्यों, मामों, भाईयों, पुत्रों, मित्रों, पौत्रों, श्वशुरों (ससुर), संबन्धीयों को दोनो तरफ की सेनोओं में देखा।

brajbhasha / ब्रजभाषा

अथ पार्थ पितामह गुरुजन कौ,
पुत्रन, पौत्रन और मित्रन कौ.
मामों ससुरों सब भ्रातन कौ,
सेनाउन देखत निजपन कौ १-२६॥

उत ठाढे सबहिं निज बन्धु सखा.
अवलोकहिं होत मलीन जिया.
करुना मय चित्त सों पार्थ कहें,
मोरो शोक सों व्याकुल होत हिया १-२७॥

Arjun looked at the brothers of his father, Pitamah (Grandfather), Teacher, Uncles, Brothers, friends, sons (of the family), Father in laws (of family brides), and relatives of the two sides.

कृपया परयाविष्टो विषीदन्निदमब्रवीत्।
अर्जुन बोले:
दृष्ट्वेमं स्वजनं कृष्ण युयुत्सुं समुपस्थितम्॥१-२८॥

Hindi

इस प्रकार अपने सगे संबन्धियों और मित्रों को युद्ध में उपस्थित देख अर्जुन का मन करुणा पूर्ण हो उठा और उसने विषाद पूर्वक कृष्ण भगवान से यह कहा। हे कृष्ण, मैं अपने लोगों को युद्ध के लिये तत्पर यहाँ खडा देख रहा हूँ।

brajbhasha / ब्रजभाषा

अर्जुन उवाच
बन्धु सखा बहु ठाढे यहॉं,
जिन जुद्धन भाव हिया धारे.
तिन देखि हिया मोरो सूखत है,
और कांपत अंग शिथिल सारे

So, looking at the close relations standing against him on the battlefield, Arjun was full of sorrow and said to Krishna out of lot of pain. “Hey Krishna – I can see my own people in this war against me”.

सीदन्ति मम गात्राणि मुखं च परिशुष्यति।
वेपथुश्च शरीरे मे रोमहर्षश्च जायते॥१-२९॥

Hindi
इन्हें देख कर मेरे अंग ठण्डे पड रहे है, और मेरा मुख सूख रहा है, और मेरा शरीर काँपने लगा है।

brajbhasha / ब्रजभाषा

गुरु स्वजन देखि के हे कृष्णा !
मुख सूखि रह्यो, घबराय जिया .
तन कंप शिथिल रोमांच भयौ,
मन बुद्धि भ्रमित, भरमाय हिया

Looking at all of them, my limbs is getting cold, my mouth is drying up and my body is shaking.

गाण्डीवं स्रंसते हस्तात्त्वक्चैव परिदह्यते।
न च शक्नोम्यवस्थातुं भ्रमतीव च मे मनः॥१-३०॥

Hindi
मेरे हाथ से गाण्डीव धनुष गिरने को है, और मेरी सारी त्वचा मानो आग में जल उठी है। मैं अवस्थित रहने में अशक्त हो गया हूँ, मेरा मन भ्रमित हो रहा है।

brajbhasha / ब्रजभाषा

अति दाह त्वचा धध कात मोरी,
गांडीव हाथ सों जात गिरयो.
रहि सकूं खडा समरथ नाहीं,
मन मोरो शोक सों जात घिरयो

My hand is not being able to hold my bow and my skin is burning. I am unable to focus and my mind is confused.

निमित्तानि च पश्यामि विपरीतानि केशव।
न च श्रेयोऽनुपश्यामि हत्वा स्वजनमाहवे॥१-३१॥

Hindi
हे केशव, जो निमित्त है उसे में भी मुझे विपरीत ही दिखाई दे रहे हैं, क्योंकि हे केशव, मुझे अपने ही स्वजनों को मारने में किसी भी प्रकार का कल्याण दिखाई नहीं देता।

brajbhasha / ब्रजभाषा
लक्षण सगरे, विपरीत मोहे,
यही जुद्ध्हिं केशव दीखत हैं
कुल आपुनि मारि के आपुनि सों
कल्याण कहाँ, यही दुर्गति है

“Hey Keshav (one with beautiful hair), I can only see bad omen here, because I cannot see any good coming out of killing my own people”.

Discussion

In our daily lives, it becomes important, as to how we define the “Mine” and “Not Mine”. In the traditional and less commercially oriented societies, the “Mine” was a bigger circle. So, not only my son or his bride, but also my brother and his son and daughter in law were part of the circle of “Mine”. The definition of “Mine” entails what you care for. When you care for someone or something, you don’t want to hurt it. At least in the conventional sense.

Caring, filial relationships, love, friendship, Intuition are “Feminine” qualities in this existence. Masculine qualities are Ego, Valor, Commerce, Economics, Bravery, Logic etc. As the society’s structure breaks down into smaller units, where the circle of “Mine” becomes smaller and smaller, then it is common that love and care start getting lost. Feminine qualities need not be only visible in women, nor do Masculine qualities have any relationship to men. Any of them can have predominance of any of these qualities.

We are lucky that this war is against the backdrop of a war, where the circle of “Mine” for Arjun was as big as it was for him (although not very large*). Had it not been so, it could have been any other war. And there could have been no Gita. Gita’s genesis is in the pain of Arjun. Had Arjun felt no pain, there could have been no reason for a Gita. So, many wars have happened. In countless of them, one brother has killed another real one. Sons have killed their fathers. Fathers have killed their sons. Mothers have killed their progeny. This war drama has been going on endlessly. But none of those wars warranted a Gita, because the cast of those characters did not have a circle of “Mine” large enough to need a Shri Krishna to give Gita. They killed their close ones any ways. To them, “Mine” meant ONLY THEM.

But here we had a different case. We have someone who is brave, focused, sharp, ruthless fighter yet a loving person, who is thrust in the midst of a war which he did not call for nor did he anticipate the moral difficulties in fighting it. But as he saw what he was up against, his basic character of being a fighter was losing out. Every situation requires a certain type of work to be done. In a war, one cannot access his/her feminine qualities. Which is what Arjun inadvertently did.

* Arjun’s circle of “Mine” was large enough to bring in the family, but it wasn’t so large as to bring in the entire Humanity in it. That is a different level of compassion. Beyond that Humanity embracing circle of “Mine, is a state where everything is “Me”. There is a qualitative and a real difference between “All is Mine” and “All is Me”. Shri Krishna’s and Gita’s greatest contribution was the latter. We will discuss this later, when Shri Krishna is asked by Arjun to define himself. In the above verses, Arjun has defined himself clearly. When we go to Chapters 9 and 10, then we will how “a Krishna” defines himself.

The journey from Arjun’s definition of himself to Shri Krishna’s definition of himself is the journey of every seeker from where he is to the liberation from the message of Bhagwad Gita. If we can discern that gap, we know where to go. Instinctively.