श्लोक 1
धृतराष्ट्र उवाच
धर्मक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सवः |
मामकाः पाण्डवाश्र्चैव किमकुर्वत सञ्जय || १ ||
धर्मक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सवः |
मामकाः पाण्डवाश्र्चैव किमकुर्वत सञ्जय || १ ||
TEXT 1
dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ—King
Dhṛtarāṣṭra;
uvāca—said;
dharma-kṣetre—in
the place of pilgrimage; kuru-kṣetre—in
the place named Kurukṣetra; samavetāḥ—assembled;
yuyatsavaḥ—desiring
to fight; māmakāḥ—my party (sons); pāṇḍavāḥ—the
sons of Pāṇḍu;
ca—and;
eva-certainly;
kim—what;
akurvata—did
they do; sañjaya—O Sañjaya.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra
said: O Sañjaya, after assembling in the place of pilgrimage at Kurukṣetra,
what did my sons and the sons of Pāṇḍu do, being desirous to fight?
PURPORT
Bhagavad-gītā
is the widely read theistic science summarized in the Gītā-māhātmya
(Glorification of the Gītā). There it says that one should read
Bhagavad-gītā
very scrutinizingly with the help of a person who is a devotee of Śrī Kṛṣṇa
and try to understand it without personally motivated interpretations. The
example of clear understanding is there in the Bhagavad-gītā
itself, in the way the teaching is understood by Arjuna,
who heard the Gītā directly from the Lord. If someone is fortunate
enough to understand Bhagavad-gītā in that line of disciplic succession,
without motivated interpretation, then he surpasses all studies of Vedic
wisdom, and all scriptures of the world. One will find in the Bhagavad-gītā
all that is contained in other scriptures, but the reader will also find things
which are not to be found elsewhere. That is the specific standard of the Gītā.
It is the perfect theistic science because it is directly spoken by the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
The topics discussed by Dhṛtarāṣṭra
and Sañjaya,
as described in the Mahābhārata, form the basic principle for this great
philosophy. It is understood that this philosophy evolved on the Battlefield of
Kurukṣetra,
which is a sacred place of pilgrimage from the immemorial time of the Vedic
age. It was spoken by the Lord when He was present personally on this planet
for the guidance of mankind.
The word dharma-kṣetra
(a place where religious rituals are performed) is significant because, on the
Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
was present on the side of Arjuna. Dhṛtarāṣṭra,
the father of the Kurus, was highly doubtful about the possibility of his sons'
ultimate victory. In his doubt, he inquired from his secretary Sañjaya,
"What did my sons and the sons of Pāṇḍu
do?" He was confident that both his sons and the sons of his younger
brother Pāṇḍu
were assembled in that Field of Kurukṣetra
for a determined engagement of the war. Still, his inquiry is significant. He
did not want a compromise between the cousins and brothers, and he wanted to be
sure of the fate of his sons on the battlefield. Because the battle was
arranged to be fought at Kurukṣetra, which is mentioned elsewhere in the
Vedas as a place of worship—even for the denizens of heaven—Dhṛtarāṣṭra
became very fearful about the influence of the holy place on the outcome of the
battle. He knew very well that this would influence Arjuna
and the sons of Pāṇḍu favorably, because by nature they were all
virtuous. Sañjaya was a student of Vyāsa,
and therefore, by the mercy of Vyāsa, Sañjaya
was able to envision the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra
even while he was in the room of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.
And so, Dhṛtarāṣṭra asked him about the situation on the
battlefield.
Both the Pāṇḍavas and the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra
belong to the same family, but Dhṛtarāṣṭra's mind is disclosed herein. He
deliberately claimed only his sons as Kurus, and he separated the sons of Pāṇḍu
from the family heritage. One can thus understand the specific position of Dhṛtarāṣṭra
in his relationship with his nephews, the sons of Pāṇḍu.
As in the paddy field the unnecessary plants are taken out, so it is expected
from the very beginning of these topics that in the religious field of Kurukṣetra
where the father of religion, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, was present, the unwanted plants like
Dhṛtarāṣṭra's son Duryodhana and others would be wiped out and the thoroughly
religious persons, headed by Yudhiṣṭhira, would be established by the Lord.
This is the significance of the words dharma-kṣetre
and kuru-kṣetre,
apart from their historical and Vedic importance.
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