Notes - Krishna chastises Arjuna (2.11)

 

श्री भगवानुवाच

अशोच्यनन्वशोचस्त्वं प्रज्ञावादांश्च भाषसे ।

गतासूनगतासूंश्च नानुशोचन्ति पण्डिताः ॥ ११ ॥

śrī-bhagavān uvāca

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

Translation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: While speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor for the dead.

Purport

The Lord at once took the position of the teacher and chastised the student, calling him, indirectly, a fool. The Lord said, “You are talking like a learned man, but you do not know that one who is learned – one who knows what is body and what is soul – does not lament for any stage of the body, neither in the living nor in the dead condition.” As explained in later chapters, it will be clear that knowledge means to know matter and spirit and the controller of both. Arjuna argued that religious principles should be given more importance than politics or sociology, but he did not know that knowledge of matter, soul and the Supreme is even more important than religious formularies. And because he was lacking in that knowledge, he should not have posed himself as a very learned man. As he did not happen to be a very learned man, he was consequently lamenting for something which was unworthy of lamentation. The body is born and is destined to be vanquished today or tomorrow; therefore the body is not as important as the soul. One who knows this is actually learned, and for him there is no cause for lamentation, regardless of the condition of the material body.

Notes - Arjuna prefers begging rather than to live at the cost of great souls (2.5)

 

गुरूनहत्वा हि महानुभावान्श्रे यो भोक्तुं भैक्ष्यमपीह लोके ।
हत्वार्थकामांस्तु गुरूनिहैव भुज्ज‍ीय भोगान्‍रुधिरप्रदिग्धान् ॥ ५ ॥

gurūn ahatvā hi mahānubhāvān śreyo bhoktuṁ bhaikṣyam apīha loke
hatvārtha-kāmāṁs tu gurūn ihaiva bhuñjīya bhogān rudhira-pradigdhān

Synonyms

gurūn — the superiors; ahatvā — not killing; hi — certainly; mahā-anubhāvān — great souls; śreyaḥ — it is better; bhoktum — to enjoy life; bhaikṣyam — by begging; api — even; iha — in this life; loke — in this world; hatvā — killing; artha — gain; kāmān — desiring; tu — but; gurūn — superiors; iha — in this world; eva — certainly; bhuñjīya — one has to enjoy; bhogān — enjoyable things; rudhira — blood; pradigdhān — tainted with.

Translation

It would be better to live in this world by begging than to live at the cost of the lives of great souls who are my teachers. Even though desiring worldly gain, they are superiors. If they are killed, everything we enjoy will be tainted with blood.

Purport

According to scriptural codes, a teacher who engages in an abominable action and has lost his sense of discrimination is fit to be abandoned. Bhīṣma and Droṇa were obliged to take the side of Duryodhana because of his financial assistance, although they should not have accepted such a position simply on financial considerations. Under the circumstances, they have lost the respectability of teachers. But Arjuna thinks that nevertheless they remain his superiors, and therefore to enjoy material profits after killing them would mean to enjoy spoils tainted with blood.

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 2.5

Plate 1 - Verse 1.1 - Dhṛtarāṣṭra inquires from Sañjaya about the events of the battle.

Dhrtarastra inquires from Sanjaya about the events of the battle.

 

Notes - Subsection A - Chapter One: Preparations for War (1.1)

 

Summary Chapter 1 - OBSERVING THE ARMIES ON THE BATTLEFIELD OF KURUKSHETRA

CHAPTER 1 Arjuna Viṣāda-yōga

Dharma-kṣetre 1.1

Duryodhana’s Diplomacy 1.3-11

Signs of Victory for the Pāṇḍavas 1.14–20

Kṛṣṇa as Bhakta-vatsala 1.21–27

Arjuna’s Reasons for not Fighting 1.28-46

As the opposing armies stand poised for battle, Arjuna, the mighty warrior, sees his intimate relatives, teachers and friends in both armies ready to fight and sacrifice their lives. Overcome by grief and pity, Arjuna fails in strength, his mind becomes bewildered, and he gives up his determination to fight.

INTRODUCTION: PREPARATIONS FOR WAR (1–13)

Dhṛtarāṣṭra asks Sañjaya about the events that took place at Kurukṣetra. Sañjaya describes how Duryodhana, using diplomacy, solves the problem of encouraging Droṇācārya without insulting Bhīṣma and others. Bhīṣma rallies his soldiers with the sound of his conchshell. Yet the symbolism of the conchshell indicates their defeat.

1: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Inquiry to Sañjaya: Blind Dhṛtarāṣṭra, partial to his own sons, inquires what his sons and the Pāṇḍavas did on the battlefield.

2-11: Duryodhana’s Fear and Diplomacy in Describing the Armies: Duryodhana goes to Droṇācārya and describes the warriors of the Pāṇḍavas’ army and his own army and compares them.

12-19: Blowing of Conchshells (Signs of Victory of the Pāṇḍavas): Lord Kṛṣṇa and the Pāṇḍavas blow their conchshells shattering the hearts of the opposite party.

SIGNS OF VICTORY (14–20)

Sañjaya describes various signs of victory for the Pāṇḍava army, especially the transcendental sound of the conchshells of Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, which shattered the hearts of the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. 

12-19: Blowing of Conchshells (Signs of Victory of the Pāṇḍavas): Lord Kṛṣṇa and the Pāṇḍavas blow their conchshells shattering the hearts of the opposite party.

20-27: Arjuna Observes the Armies

KṚṢṆA AS BHAKTA-VATSALA (21–27)

Kṛṣṇa appears as the chariot driver of Arjuna, revealing His quality as bhakta-vatsala. Arjuna orders Kṛṣṇa to place his chariot between the two armies because he wants to see who is present. Seeing those assembled for battle, Arjuna becomes hesitant to fight.

20-27: Arjuna Observes the Armies

20-25: Desiring to see the supporters of Duryodhana, Arjuna asks Kṛṣṇa to take the chariot between the two armies.

26-27: Seeing different kinds of relatives, Arjuna becomes overwhelmed with compassion.

ARJUNA’S DOUBTS (28–46)

Compassion: Arjuna, being a softhearted devotee, becomes overwhelmed with compassion and forgets himself when he sees his relatives before him. He has become fearful due to a material conception of life.
Enjoyment: He argues that he will not be able to enjoy his kingdom if it is won at the cost of the lives of his family members. He fears sinful reactions for killing his kinsmen.
Saintliness and fear of sinful reactions: Arjuna argues that killing one’s family is sinful and will lead to hell. The higher principle is that real religion is whatever Kṛṣṇa says or wants.
Destruction of family: Arjuna further argues that the destruction of the dynasty will lead to unchaste women, unwanted children, and the end of spiritual culture. Arjuna, having decided not to fight, finally casts aside his bow and sits down on the chariot. 

28-46: Arjuna’s Reasons Not to Fight

28-30: First reason – Compassion for relatives and the resultant bodily symptoms

31-35: Second reason – Foreseeing no enjoyment in victory

36-38: Third reason – Fear of sinful reactions

39-43: Fourth reason – Harmful effects of destroying the family

44-46: Arjuna, being griefstriken, decides not to fight.