Srimad Bhagwad Gita - Chapter 01 - Arjuna Vishada Yoga

When I had posted about Nitya Geeta Sudha, a kind soul requested me to identify one verse that signifies or rather captures the entire essence of that chapter. This is a very challenging task as Srimad Bhagwad Gita speaks to individual in different ways at different times and to different individuals differently. It’s not an understatement to say that this indeed is an Herculean task. 

Embarking on this journey, I first beg for forgiveness for the lapses and gaps in my understanding and invoke Sri Krishna to guide me on this arduous journey. In this series, I aim to identify and quantify exactly one SINGLE shloka / verse (not a compound verse i.e. 2 back-to-back verses) that I feel exactly captures the essence of the chapter. Along with this I aim to identify some notable mentions and some interesting aspects of other verses. This is just my attempt to put down my understanding of Sri Krishna’s words and I am quite certain that this in itself will be a learning and humbling experience.

Taking Sri Krishna’s name, I start with the first chapter - Arjuna Vishada Yoga.
The name of the chapter itself signifies the core essence of the same - Arjuna’s lamentations or Arjuna’s Despondency or Arjuna’s Grief in simple terms. In this first chapter, we encounter the Kaurava and Pandava armies in the dharmaKshetra of Kurukshetra, eager and raring to go for a battle. In midst of the war-hungry crowd, we see our hero Arjuna suddenly drowning himself into despair and reaching out to his confidante, his friend, his philosopher, his guide, his brother-in-law, Sri Krishna. 

From all the verses in this chapter, I chose this verse as the true representative of the chapter

एतान्न हन्तुमिच्छामि घ्नतोऽपि मधुसूदन ।
अपि त्रैलोक्यराज्यस्य हेतो: किं नु महीकृते ॥ 1.35॥

O Madhusudan, I do not wish to slay them, even if they attack me. If we kill the sons of Dhritarashtra, what satisfaction will we derive from the dominion over the three worlds, what to speak of this Earth?

This verse is a compound verse i.e. usually combined with 1.34. There are multiple close contenders to this verse which captures the Vishada or despondency of Arjuna. Let’s analyse the sequence of events in order to arrive at the verse of focus.

The start of despair and grief starts with this verse

अर्जुन उवाच ।
दृष्ट्वेमं स्वजनं कृष्ण युयुत्सुं समुपस्थितम् ॥ 1.28॥
सीदन्ति मम गात्राणि मुखं च परिशुष्यति ।

Arjun said: O Krishna, seeing my own kinsmen arrayed for battle here and intent on killing each other, my limbs are giving way and my mouth is drying up.

Arjuna is failing physically, but more importantly mentally. He suddenly develops a vairagya, detachment having seen all his elders, Gurus, relatives and friends assembled on either sides for the war. He starts to lament : What is the use of a war if I need to kill all these dearest of mine. These verses capture the very essence of his despair and were the closest contenders for my objective.

न काङ्क्षे विजयं कृष्ण न च राज्यं सुखानि च ।
किं नो राज्येन गोविन्द किं भोगैर्जीवितेन वा ॥ 1.32॥
येषामर्थे काङ्क्षितं नो राज्यं भोगा: सुखानि च ।
त इमेऽवस्थिता युद्धे प्राणांस्त्यक्त्वा धनानि च ॥ 1.33॥

O Krishna, I do not desire victory, kingdom, or the happiness accruing to it. Of what avail will be a kingdom, pleasures, or even life itself, when the very persons for whom we covet them, are standing before us for battle?

These verses clearly outline the implications of the impending war that would unleash destruction and eliminate the very people with whom he was hoping to lead a life ahead. However, this is still in the phase where he is outing the consequences of the war. 

However, when Arjuna calls out that he is worried that he has to fight his teachers, fathers, grandfathers etc, he forgoes the desire to fight. This is the straw that breaks his resolve and perhaps, he would have sulked or dropped his bow by saying the verse of interest:

एतान्न हन्तुमिच्छामि घ्नतोऽपि मधुसूदन ।
अपि त्रैलोक्यराज्यस्य हेतो: किं नु महीकृते ॥ 1.35॥

Beyond this he dives into a defeatist mode where he tells Krishna that he desires to be killed rather than kill. The mental resolve has been broken. The walls of courage have collapsed and what we find is a frail, defeated human who has renounced his kshatriya dharma and became a very common weakling. In real life, Arjuna’s condition can be compared to the sense of disappointment and despair that we find ourselves in at various junctures of life. These could be due to familial or financial or personal or professional reasons, but sulk we do. After all, we are just humans.

When I read through Srimad Bhagwad Gita, I felt that this was the verse where Arjuna’s resolve gave away and hence, is my chosen verse to represent Arjuna Vishada Yoga. 

Notable Mentions:

This chapter is an excellent resource  to the entire Kuru family, their competencies, the exact strength of the armies and interesting the names of the Shankas (conches) of Pandavas and Sri Krishna. Delving into specific details will dilute the essence of this effort (maybe for a future time). 

 

One very interesting shloka (verse) for me that has haunted me forever is the very first one of the holy Srimad Bhagwad Gita.

 

धर्मक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सवः ।
मामकाः पाण्डवाश्चैव किमकुर्वत सञ्जय ॥1.1॥

Dhritarashtra said: O Sanjay, after gathering on the holy field of Kurukshetra, and desiring to fight, what did my sons and the sons of Pandu do?

The question is what is so special about this verse. For me, every single word of this shloka is very very special. Let’s start with the first part i.e. Dharmakshetra Kurukshetra - Why did Dhritarashtra say Kurukshetra (in simple terms the land of Kurus) as Dharmakshetra? Kurukshetra was actually Samanthapanchaka, the great 5 lakes filled by Parashurama. He performed the final rites or offered oblations for his parents in this place and hence, the emphasis on Dharmakshetra. 

Another part of the shloka that is so reflective of the human mind: मामकाः पाण्डवाश्चैव - My sons (Mine) and Pandavas. All along in Mahabharata, Dhritarashtra is a bundle of conflicts. He doesn’t want to project that he doesn’t consider Pandavas his own, yet explicitly supports all the activities of his son, Duryodhana. In this phrase, the hidden inner feeling - Mine vs Pandu’s comes out which is reflective of his bias, his thinking. This was not the king who is worried. This is a father who is worried and who wants his children to succeed, irrespective of dharma considerations.

Please do share your view on the choice of shloka and my interpretations thereof. I would like to get your thoughts and feedback and maybe we discover something hidden in Srimad Bhagwad Gita.

Sarvam Sri Krishnaarpanamastu 

Verses and meanings from: https://www.holy-bhagavad-gita.org/