Bhagavad-gita As It Is
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

CHAPTER ONE

Bg1.23

TEXT 23

yotsyamanan avekse ’ham

ya ete ’tra samagatah

dhartarastrasya durbuddher

yuddhe priya-cikirsavah

yotsyamanan—those who will be fighting; avekse—let me see; aham—I; ye—who; ete—those; atra—here; samagatah—assembled; dhartarastrasya—the son of Dhrtarastra; durbuddheh—evil-minded; yuddhe—in the fight; priya—well; cikirsavah—wishing.

TRANSLATION

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

PURPORT

It was an open secret that Duryodhana wanted to usurp the kingdom of the Pandavas by evil plans, in collaboration with his father, Dhrtarastra. Therefore, all persons who had joined the side of Duryodhana must have been birds of the same feather. Arjuna wanted to see them in the battlefield before the fight was begun, just to learn who they were, but he had no intention of proposing peace negotiations with them. It was also a fact that he wanted to see them to make an estimate of the strength which he had to face, although he was quite confident of victory because Krsna was sitting by his side.

Bg1.24

TEXT 24

sanjaya uvaca

evam ukto hrsikeso

gudakesena bharata

senayor ubhayor madhye

sthapayitva rathottamam

sanjayah—Sanjaya; uvaca—said; evam—thus; uktah—addressed; hrsikesah—Lord Krsna; gudakesena—by Arjuna; bharata—O descendant of Bharata; senayoh—of armies; ubhayoh—of both; madhye—in the midst of; sthapayitva—by placing; rathottamam—the finest chariot.

TRANSLATION

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.

PURPORT

In this verse Arjuna is referred to as Gudakesa. Gudaka means sleep, and one who conquers sleep is called gudakesa. Sleep also means ignorance. So Arjuna conquered both sleep and ignorance because of his friendship with Krsna. As a great devotee of Krsna, he could not forget Krsna even for a moment, because that is the nature of a devotee. Either in waking or in sleep, a devotee of the Lord can never be free from thinking of Krsna’s name, form, quality and pastimes. Thus a devotee of Krsna can conquer both sleep and ignorance simply by thinking of Krsna constantly. This is called Krsna consciousness, or samadhi. As Hrsikesa, or the director of the senses and mind of every living entity, Krsna could understand Arjuna’s purpose in placing the chariot in the midst of the armies. Thus He did so, and spoke as follows.

Bg1.25

TEXT 25

bhisma-drona-pramukhatah

sarvesam ca mahi-ksitam

uvaca partha pasyaitan

samavetan kurun iti

bhisma—Grandfather Bhisma; drona—the teacher Drona; pramukhatah—in the front of; sarvesam—all; ca—also; mahiksitam—chiefs of the world; uvaca—said; partha—O Partha (son of Prtha); pasya—just behold; etan—all of them; samavetan—assembled; kurun—all the members of the Kuru dynasty; iti—thus.

TRANSLATION

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.

PURPORT

As the Supersoul of all living entities, Lord Krsna could understand what was going on in the mind of Arjuna. The use of the word Hrsikesa in this connection indicates that He knew everything. And the word Partha, or the son of Kunti or Prtha, is also similarly significant in reference to Arjuna. As a friend, He wanted to inform Arjuna that because Arjuna was the son of Prtha, the sister of His own father Vasudeva, He had agreed to be the charioteer of Arjuna. Now what did Krsna mean when He told Arjuna to “behold the Kurus”? Did Arjuna want to stop there and not fight? Krsna never expected such things from the son of His aunt Prtha. The mind of Arjuna was thus predicated by the Lord in friendly joking.

Bg1.26

TEXT 26

tatrapasyat sthitan parthah

pitrn atha pitamahan

acaryan matulan bhratrn

putran pautran sakhims tatha

svasuran suhrdas caiva

senayor ubhayor api

tatra—there; apasyat—he could see; sthitan—standing; parthah—Arjuna; pitrn—fathers; atha—also; pitamahan—grandfathers; acaryan—teachers; matulan—maternal uncles; bhratrn—brothers; putran—sons ; pautran—grandsons; sakhin—friends; tatha—too, svasuran—fathers-in-law; suhrdah—wellwishers; ca—also; eva—certainly; senayoh—of the armies; ubhayoh—of both parties; api—including.

TRANSLATION

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.

PURPORT

On the battlefield Arjuna could see all kinds of relatives. He could see persons like Bhurisrava, who were his father’s contemporaries, grandfathers Bhisma and Somadatta, teachers like Dronacarya and Krpacarya, maternal uncles like Salya and Sakuni, brothers like Duryodhana, sons like Laksmana, friends like Asvatthama, well-wishers like Krtavarma, etc. He could see also the armies which contained many of his friends.

Bg1.27

TEXT 27

tan samiksya sa kaunteyah

sarvan bandhun avasthitan

krpaya parayavisto

visidann idam abravit

tan—all of them; samiksya—after seeing; sah—he; kaunteyah—the son of Kunti; sarvan—all kinds of; bandhun—relatives; avasthitan—situated; krpaya—by compassion; paraya—of a high grade; avistah—overwhelmed by; visidan—while lamenting; idam—thus; abravit—spoke.

TRANSLATION

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

Bg1.28

TEXT 28

arjuna uvaca

drstvemam sva-janam krsna

yuyutsum samupasthitam

sidanti mama gatrani

mukham ca parisusyati

arjunah—Arjuna; uvaca—said; drstva—after seeing; imam—all these; svajanam—kinsmen; krsna—O Krsna; yuyutsum—all in fighting spirit; samupasthitam—all present; sidanti—quivering; mama—my; gatrani—limbs of the body; mukham—mouth; ca—also; parisusyati—drying up.

TRANSLATION

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.

PURPORT

Any man who has genuine devotion to the Lord has all the good qualities which are found in godly persons or in the demigods, whereas the nondevotee, however advanced he may be in material qualifications by education and culture, lacks in godly qualities. As such, Arjuna, just after seeing his kinsmen, friends and relatives on the battlefield, was at once overwhelmed by compassion for them who had so decided to fight amongst themselves. As far as his soldiers were concerned, he was sympathetic from the beginning, but he felt compassion even for the soldiers of the opposite party, foreseeing their imminent death. And so thinking, the limbs of his body began to quiver, and his mouth became dry. He was more or less astonished to see their fighting spirit. Practically the whole community, all blood relatives of Arjuna, had come to fight with him. This overwhelmed a kind devotee like Arjuna. Although it is not mentioned here, still one can easily imagine that not only were Arjuna’s bodily limbs quivering and his mouth drying up, but that he was also crying out of compassion. Such symptoms in Arjuna were not due to weakness but to his softheartedness, a characteristic of a pure devotee of the Lord. It is said therefore:

yasyasti bhaktir bhagavaty akincana
sarvair gunais tatra samasate surah
harav abhaktasya kuto mahad-guna
mano-rathenasati dhavato bahih

“One who has unflinching devotion for the Personality of Godhead has all the good qualities of the demigods. But one who is not a devotee of the Lord has only material qualifications that are of little value. This is because he is hovering on the mental plane and is certain to be attracted by the glaring material energy.” (Bhag. 5.18.12)

Bg1.29

TEXT 29

vepathus ca sarire me

roma-harsas ca jayate

gandivam sramsate hastat

tvak caiva paridahyate

vepathuh—trembling of the body; ca—also; sarire—on the body; me—my; roma-harsah—standing of hair on end; ca—also; jayate—is taking place; gandivam—the bow of Arjuna; sramsate—is slipping; hastat—from the hands; tvak—skin; ca—also; eva—certainly; paridahyate—burning.

TRANSLATION

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.

PURPORT

There are two kinds of trembling of the body, and two kinds of standings of the hair on end. Such phenomena occur either in great spiritual ecstasy or out of great fear under material conditions. There is no fear in transcendental realization. Arjuna’s symptoms in this situation are out of material fear—namely, loss of life. This is evident from other symptoms also; he became so impatient that his famous bow Gandiva was slipping from his hands, and, because his heart was burning within him, he was feeling a burning sensation of the skin. All these are due to a material conception of life.

Bg1.30

TEXT 30

na ca saknomy avasthatum

bhramativa ca me manah

nimittani ca pasyami

viparitani kesava

na—nor; ca—also; saknomi—am I able; avasthatum—to stay; bhramati—forgetting; iva—as; ca—and; me—my; manah—mind; nimittani—causes; ca—also; pasyami—I foresee; viparitani—just the opposite; kesava—O killer of the demon Kesi (Krsna).

TRANSLATION

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.

PURPORT

Due to his impatience, Arjuna was unable to stay on the battlefield, and he was forgetting himself on account of the weakness of his mind. Excessive attachment for material things puts a man in a bewildering condition of existence. Bhayam dvitiyabhinivesatah: such fearfulness and loss of mental equilibrium take place in persons who are too affected by material conditions. Arjuna envisioned only unhappiness in the battlefield—he would not be happy even by gaining victory over the foe. The word nimitta is significant. When a man sees only frustration in his expectations, he thinks, “Why am I here?” Everyone is interested in himself and his own welfare. No one is interested in the Supreme Self. Arjuna is supposed to show disregard for self-interest by submission to the will of Krsna, who is everyone’s real self-interest. The conditioned soul forgets this, and therefore suffers material pains. Arjuna thought that his victory in the battle would only be a cause of lamentation for him.

Bg1.31

TEXT 31

na ca sreyo ’nupasyami

hatva sva-janam ahave

na kankse vijayam krsna

na ca rajyam sukhani ca

na—nor; ca—also; sreyah—good; anupasyami—do I foresee; hatva—by killing; svajanam—own kinsmen; ahave—in the fight; na—nor; kankse—do I desire; vijayam—victory; krsna—O Krsna; na—nor; ca—also; rajyam—kingdom; sukhani—happiness thereof; ca—also.

TRANSLATION

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.

PURPORT

Without knowing that one’s self-interest is in Visnu (or Krsna), conditioned souls are attracted by bodily relationships, hoping to be happy in such situations. Under delusion, they forget that Krsna is also the cause of material happiness. Arjuna appears to have even forgotten the moral codes for a ksatriya. It is said that two kinds of men, namely the ksatriya who dies directly in front of the battlefield under Krsna’s personal orders and the person in the renounced order of life who is absolutely devoted to spiritual culture, are eligible to enter into the sun-globe, which is so powerful and dazzling. Arjuna is reluctant even to kill his enemies, let alone his relatives. He thought that by killing his kinsmen there would be no happiness in his life, and therefore he was not willing to fight, just as a person who does not feel hunger is not inclined to cook. He has now decided to go into the forest and live a secluded life in frustration. But as a ksatriya, he requires a kingdom for his subsistence, because the ksatriyas cannot engage themselves in any other occupation. But Arjuna has had no kingdom. Arjuna’s sole opportunity for gaining a kingdom lay in fighting with his cousins and brothers and reclaiming the kingdom inherited from his father, which he does not like to do. Therefore he considers himself fit to go to the forest to live a secluded life of frustration.

Bg1.32-35

TEXTS 32–35

kim no rajyena govinda

kim bhogair jivitena va

yesam arthe kanksitam no

rajyam bhogah sukhani ca

ta ime ’vasthita yuddhe

pranams tyaktva dhanani ca

acaryah pitarah putras

tathaiva ca pitamahah

matulah svasurah pautrah

syalah sambandhinas tatha

etan na hantum icchami

ghnato ’pi madhusudana

api trailokya-rajyasya

hetoh kim nu mahi-krte

nihatya dhartarastran nah

ka pritih syaj janardana

kim—what use; nah—to us; rajyena—is the kingdom; govinda—O Krsna; kim—what; bhogaih—enjoyment; jivitena—by living; va—either; yesam—for whom; arthe—for the matter of; kanksitam—desired; nah—our; rajyam—kingdom; bhogah—material enjoyment; sukhani—all happiness; ca—also; te—all of them; ime—these; avasthitah—situated; yuddhe—in this battlefield; pranan—lives; tyaktva—giving up; dhanani—riches; ca—also; acaryah—teachers; pitarah—fathers; putrah—sons; tatha—as well as; eva—certainly; ca—also; pitamahah—grandfathers; matulah—maternal uncles; svasurah—fathers-in-law; pautrah—grandsons; syalah—brothers-in-law; sambandhinah—relatives; tatha—as well as; etan—all these; na—never; hantum—for killing; icchami—do I wish; ghnatah—being killed; api—even; madhusudana—O killer of the demon Madhu (Krsna); api—even if; trailokya—of the three worlds; rajyasya—of the kingdoms; hetoh—in exchange; kim—what to speak of; nu—only; mahi-krte—for the sake of earth; nihatya—by killing; dhartarastran—the sons of Dhrtarastra; nah—our; ka—what; pritih—pleasure; syat—will there be; janardana—O maintainer of all living entities.

TRANSLATION

O Govinda, of what avail to us are kingdoms, happiness or even life itself when all those for whom we may desire them are now arrayed in this battlefield? O Madhusudana, when teachers, fathers, sons, grandfathers, maternal uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons, brothers-in-law and all relatives are ready to give up their lives and properties and are standing before me, then why should I wish to kill them, though I may survive? O maintainer of all creatures, I am not prepared to fight with them even in exchange for the three worlds, let alone this earth.

PURPORT

Arjuna has addressed Lord Krsna as Govinda because Krsna is the object of all pleasures for cows and the senses. By using this significant word, Arjuna indicates what will satisfy his senses. Although Govinda is not meant for satisfying our senses, if we try to satisfy the senses of Govinda then automatically our own senses are satisfied. Materially, everyone wants to satisfy his senses, and he wants God to be the order supplier for such satisfaction. The Lord will satisfy the senses of the living entities as much as they deserve, but not to the extent that they may covet. But when one takes the opposite way—namely, when one tries to satisfy the senses of Govinda without desiring to satisfy one’s own senses—then by the grace of Govinda all desires of the living entity are satisfied. Arjuna’s deep affection for community and family members is exhibited here partly due to his natural compassion for them. He is therefore not prepared to fight. Everyone wants to show his opulence to friends and relatives, but Arjuna fears that all his relatives and friends will be killed in the battlefield, and he will be unable to share his opulence after victory. This is a typical calculation of material life. The transcendental life is, however, different. Since a devotee wants to satisfy the desires of the Lord, he can, Lord willing, accept all kinds of opulence for the service of the Lord, and if the Lord is not willing, he should not accept a farthing. Arjuna did not want to kill his relatives, and if there were any need to kill them, he desired that Krsna kill them personally. At this point he did not know that Krsna had already killed them before their coming into the battlefield and that he was only to become an instrument for Krsna. This fact is disclosed in following chapters. As a natural devotee of the Lord, Arjuna did not like to retaliate against his miscreant cousins and brothers, but it was the Lord’s plan that they should all be killed. The devotee of the Lord does not retaliate against the wrongdoer, but the Lord does not tolerate any mischief done to the devotee by the miscreants. The Lord can excuse a person on His own account, but He excuses no one who has done harm to His devotees. Therefore the Lord was determined to kill the miscreants, although Arjuna wanted to excuse them.

Bg1.36

TEXT 36

papam evasrayed asman

hatvaitan atatayinah

tasman narha vayam hantum

dhartarastran sa-bandhavan

sva-janam hi katham hatva

sukhinah syama madhava

papam—vices; eva—certainly; asrayet—must take upon; asman—us; hatva—by killing; etan—all these; atatayinah—aggressors; tasmat—therefore; na—never; arhah—deserving; vayam—us; hantum—to kill; dhartarastran—the sons of Dhrtarastra; svabandhavan—along with friends; svajanam—kinsmen; hi—certainly; katham—how; hatva—by killing; sukhinah—happy; syama—become; madhava—O Krsna, husband of the goddess of fortune.

TRANSLATION

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?

PURPORT

According to Vedic injunctions there are six kinds of aggressors: 1) a poison giver, 2) one who sets fire to the house, 3) one who attacks with deadly weapons, 4) one who plunders riches, 5) one who occupies another’s land, and 6) one who kidnaps a wife. Such aggressors are at once to be killed, and no sin is incurred by killing such aggressors. Such killing of aggressors is quite befitting for any ordinary man, but Arjuna was not an ordinary person. He was saintly by character, and therefore he wanted to deal with them in saintliness. This kind of saintliness, however, is not for a ksatriya. Although a responsible man in the administration of a state is required to be saintly, he should not be cowardly. For example, Lord Rama was so saintly that people were anxious to live in His kingdom, (Rama-rajya), but Lord Rama never showed any cowardice. Ravana was an aggressor against Rama because he kidnapped Rama’s wife, Sita, but Lord Rama gave him sufficient lessons, unparalleled in the history of the world. In Arjuna’s case, however, one should consider the special type of aggressors, namely his own grandfather, own teacher, friends, sons, grandsons, etc. Because of them, Arjuna thought that he should not take the severe steps necessary against ordinary aggressors. Besides that, saintly persons are advised to forgive. Such injunctions for saintly persons are more important than any political emergency. Arjuna considered that rather than kill his own kinsmen for political reasons, it would be better to forgive them on grounds of religion and saintly behavior. He did not, therefore, consider such killing profitable simply for the matter of temporary bodily happiness. After all, kingdoms and pleasures derived therefrom are not permanent, so why should he risk his life and eternal salvation by killing his own kinsmen? Arjuna’s addressing of Krsna as “Madhava,” or the husband of the goddess of fortune, is also significant in this connection. He wanted to point out to Krsna that, as husband of the goddess of fortune, He should not have to induce Arjuna to take up a matter which would ultimately bring about misfortune. Krsna, however, never brings misfortune to anyone, to say nothing of His devotees.

Bg1.37-38

TEXTS 37–38

yady apy ete na pasyanti

lobhopahata-cetasah

kula-ksaya-krtam dosam

mitra-drohe ca patakam

katham na jneyam asmabhih

papad asman nivartitum

kula-ksaya-krtam dosam

prapasyadbhir janardana

yadi—if; api—certainly; ete—they; na—do not; pasyanti—see; lobha—greed; upahata—overpowered; cetasah—the hearts; kula-ksaya—in killing the family; krtam—done; dosam—fault; mitra-drohe—quarreling with friends; ca—also; patakam—sinful reactions; katham—why; na—shall not; jneyam—know this; asmabhih—by us; papat—from sins; asmat—ourselves; nivartitum—to cease; kula-ksaya—the destruction of a dynasty; krtam—by so doing; dosam—crime; prapasyadbhih—by those who can see; janardana—O Krsna.

TRANSLATION

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?

PURPORT

A ksatriya is not supposed to refuse to battle or gamble when he is so invited by some rival party. Under such obligation, Arjuna could not refuse to fight because he was challenged by the party of Duryodhana. In this connection, Arjuna considered that the other party might be blind to the effects of such a challenge. Arjuna, however, could see the evil consequences and could not accept the challenge. Obligation is actually binding when the effect is good, but when the effect is otherwise, then no one can be bound. Considering all these pros and cons, Arjuna decided not to fight.

Bg1.39

TEXT 39

kula-ksaye pranasyanti

kula-dharmah sanatanah

dharme naste kulam krtsnam

adharmo ’bhibhavaty uta

kula-ksaye—in destroying the family; pranasyanti—becomes vanquished; kula-dharmah—the family traditions; sanatanah—eternal; dharme—in religion; naste—being destroyed; kulam—family; krtsnam—wholesale; adharmah—irreligious; abhibhavati—transforms; uta—it is said.

TRANSLATION

With the destruction of dynasty, the eternal family tradition is vanquished, and thus the rest of the family becomes involved in irreligious practice.

PURPORT

In the system of the varnasrama institution there are many principles of religious traditions to help members of the family grow properly and attain spiritual values. The elder members are responsible for such purifying processes in the family, beginning from birth to death. But on the death of the elder members, such family traditions of purification may stop, and the remaining younger family members may develop irreligious habits and thereby lose their chance for spiritual salvation. Therefore, for no purpose should the elder members of the family be slain.

Bg1.40

TEXT 40

adharmabhibhavat krsna

pradusyanti kula-striyah

strisu dustasu varsneya

jayate varna-sankarah

adharma—irreligion; abhibhavat—having been predominant; krsna—O Krsna; pradusyanti—become polluted; kula-striyah—family ladies; strisu —of the womanhood; dustasu—being so polluted; varsneya—O descendant of Vrsni; jayate—it so becomes; varna-sankarah—unwanted progeny.

TRANSLATION

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.

PURPORT

Good population in human society is the basic principle for peace, prosperity and spiritual progress in life. The varnasrama religion’s principles were so designed that the good population would prevail in society for the general spiritual progress of state and community. Such population depends on the chastity and faithfulness of its womanhood. As children are very prone to be misled, women are similarly very prone to degradation. Therefore, both children and women require protection by the elder members of the family. By being engaged in various religious practices, women will not be misled into adultery. According to Canakya Pandit, women are generally not very intelligent and therefore not trustworthy. So, the different family traditions of religious activities should always engage them, and thus their chastity and devotion will give birth to a good population eligible for participating in the varnasrama system. On the failure of such varnasrama-dharma, naturally the women become free to act and mix with men, and thus adultery is indulged in at the risk of unwanted population. Irresponsible men also provoke adultery in society, and thus unwanted children flood the human race at the risk of war and pestilence.

Bg1.41

TEXT 41

sankaro narakayaiva

kula-ghnanam kulasya ca

patanti pitaro hy esam

lupta-pindodaka-kriyah

sankarah—such unwanted children; narakaya—for hellish life; eva—certainly; kula-ghnanam—of those who are killers of the family; kulasya—of the family; ca—also; patanti—fall down; pitarah—forefathers; hi—certainly; esam—of them; lupta—stopped; pinda—offerings; udaka—water; kriyah—performance.

TRANSLATION

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.

PURPORT

According to the rules and regulations of fruitive activities, there is a need to offer periodical food and water to the forefathers of the family. This offering is performed by worship of Visnu, because eating the remnants of food offered to Visnu can deliver one from all kinds of sinful actions. Sometimes the forefathers may be suffering from various types of sinful reactions, and sometimes some of them cannot even acquire a gross material body and are forced to remain in subtle bodies as ghosts. Thus, when remnants of prasadam food are offered to forefathers by descendants, the forefathers are released from ghostly or other kinds of miserable life. Such help rendered to forefathers is a family tradition, and those who are not in devotional life are required to perform such rituals. One who is engaged in the devotional life is not required to perform such actions. Simply by performing devotional service, one can deliver hundreds and thousands of forefathers from all kinds of misery. It is stated in the Bhagavatam:

devarsi-bhutapta-nrnam pitrnam
na kinkaro nayamrni ca rajan
sarvatmana yah saranam saranyam
gato mukundam parihrtya kartam

“Anyone who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of Mukunda, the giver of liberation, giving up all kinds of obligation, and has taken to the path in all seriousness, owes neither duties nor obligations to the demigods, sages, general living entities, family members, humankind or forefathers.” (Bhag. 11.5.41) Such obligations are automatically fulfilled by performance of devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Bg1.42

TEXT 42

dosair etaih kula-ghnanam

varna-sankara-karakaih

utsadyante jati-dharmah

kula-dharmas ca sasvatah

dosaih—by such faults; etaih—all these; kula-ghnanam—of the destroyer of a family; varna-sankara—unwanted children; karakaih—by the doers; utsadyante—causes devastation; jati-dharmah—community project; kula-dharmah—family tradition; ca—also; sasvatah—eternal.

TRANSLATION

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

PURPORT

The four orders of human society, combined with family welfare activities as they are set forth by the institution of the sanatana-dharma or varnasrama-dharma, are designed to enable the human being to attain his ultimate salvation. Therefore, the breaking of the sanatana-dharma tradition by irresponsible leaders of society brings about chaos in that society, and consequently people forget the aim of life—Visnu. Such leaders are called blind, and persons who follow such leaders are sure to be led into chaos.

Bg1.43

TEXT 43

utsanna-kula-dharmanam

manusyanam janardana

narake niyatam vaso

bhavatity anususruma

utsanna—spoiled; kula-dharmanam—of those who have the family traditions; manusyanam—of such men; janardana—O Krsna; narake—in hell; niyatam—always; vasah—residence; bhavati—it so becomes; iti—thus; anususruma—I have heard by disciplic succession.

TRANSLATION

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

PURPORT

Arjuna bases his argument not on his own personal experience, but on what he has heard from the authorities. That is the way of receiving real knowledge. One cannot reach the real point of factual knowledge without being helped by the right person who is already established in that knowledge. There is a system in the varnasrama institution by which one has to undergo the process of ablution before death for his sinful activities. One who is always engaged in sinful activities must utilize the process of ablution called the prayascitta. Without doing so, one surely will be transferred to hellish planets to undergo miserable lives as the result of sinful activities.

Bg1.44

TEXT 44

aho bata mahat papam

kartum vyavasita vayam

yad rajya-sukha-lobhena

hantum sva-janam udyatah

ahah—alas; bata—how strange it is; mahat—great; papam—sins; kartum—to perform; vyavasitah—decided; vayam—we; yat—so that; rajya—kingdom; sukha-lobhena—driven by greed for royal happiness; hantum—to kill; svajanam—kinsmen; udyatah—trying for.

TRANSLATION

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

PURPORT

Driven by selfish motives, one may be inclined to such sinful acts as the killing of one’s own brother, father, or mother. There are many such instances in the history of the world. But Arjuna, being a saintly devotee of the Lord, is always conscious of moral principles and therefore takes care to avoid such activities.

Bg1.45

TEXT 45

yadi mam apratikaram

asastram sastra-panayah

dhartarastra rane hanyus

tan me ksemataram bhavet

yadi—even if; mam—unto me; apratikaram—without being resistant; asastram—without being fully equipped; sastra-panayah—those with weapons in hand; dhartarastrah—the sons of Dhrtarastra; rane—in the battlefield; hanyuh—may kill; tat—that; me—mine; ksemataram—better; bhavet—become.

TRANSLATION

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

PURPORT

It is the custom—according to ksatriya fighting principles—that an unarmed and unwilling foe should not be attacked. Arjuna, however, in such an enigmatic position, decided he would not fight if he were attacked by the enemy. He did not consider how much the other party was bent upon fighting. All these symptoms are due to softheartedness resulting from his being a great devotee of the Lord.

Bg1.46

TEXT 46

sanjaya uvaca

evam uktvarjunah sankhye

rathopastha upavisat

visrjya sa-saram capam

soka-samvigna-manasah

sanjayah—Sanjaya; uvaca—said; evam—thus; uktva—saying; arjunah—Arjuna; sankhye—in the battlefield; ratha—chariot; upasthah—situated on; upavisat—sat down again; visrjya—keeping aside; sa-saram—along with arrows; capam—the bow; soka—lamentation; samvigna—distressed; manasah—within the mind.

TRANSLATION

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.

PURPORT

While observing the situation of his enemy, Arjuna stood up on the chariot, but he was so afflicted with lamentation that he sat down again, setting aside his bow and arrows. Such a kind and softhearted person, in the devotional service of the Lord, is fit to receive self-knowledge.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Purports to the First Chapter of the Srimad-Bhagavad-gita in the matter of Observing the Armies on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra.

Next chapter (Bg 2)