Vyāsa (traditional attribution) · Complete work
Chapter 1 — Arjuna’s Despair
Chapter 1 — Arjuna’s Despair of 18. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
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ॐश्रीपरमात्मने नमःअथ श्रीमद्भगवद्गीताप्रथमोऽध्यायः
धृतराष्ट्र उवाचधर्मक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सवः । मामकाः पाण्डवाश्चैव किमकुर्वत संजय ॥१-१॥
सञ्जय उवाचदृष्ट्वा तु पाण्डवानीकं व्यूढं दुर्योधनस्तदा ।आचार्यमुपसंगम्य राजा वचनमब्रवीत् ॥१-२॥
पश्यैतां पाण्डुपुत्राणामाचार्य महतीं चमूम् ।व्यूढां द्रुपदपुत्रेण तव शिष्येण धीमता ॥१-३॥
अत्र शूरा महेष्वासा भीमार्जुनसमा युधि ।युयुधानो विराटश्च द्रुपदश्च महारथः ॥१-४॥
धृष्टकेतुश्चेकितानः काशिराजश्च वीर्यवान् ।पुरुजित्कुन्तिभोजश्च शैब्यश्च नरपुङ्गवः ॥१-५॥
युधामन्युश्च विक्रान्त उत्तमौजाश्च वीर्यवान् ।सौभद्रो द्रौपदेयाश्च सर्व एव महारथाः ॥१-६॥
अस्माकं तु विशिष्टा ये तान्निबोध द्विजोत्तम ।नायका मम सैन्यस्य संज्ञार्थं तान्ब्रवीमि ते ॥१-७॥
भवान्भीष्मश्च कर्णश्च कृपश्च समितिंजयः ।अश्वत्थामा विकर्णश्च सौमदत्तिस्तथैव च ॥१-८॥
अन्ये च बहवः शूरा मदर्थे त्यक्तजीविताः ।नानाशस्त्रप्रहरणाः सर्वे युद्धविशारदाः ॥१-९॥
अपर्याप्तं तदस्माकं बलं भीष्माभिरक्षितम् ।पर्याप्तं त्विदमेतेषां बलं भीमाभिरक्षितम् ॥१-१०॥
अयनेषु च सर्वेषु यथाभागमवस्थिताः ।भीष्ममेवाभिरक्षन्तु भवन्तः सर्व एव हि ॥१-११॥
तस्य संजनयन्हर्षं कुरुवृद्धः पितामहः ।सिंहनादं विनद्योच्चैः शङ्खं दध्मौ प्रतापवान् ॥१-१२॥
ततः शङ्खाश्च भेर्यश्च पणवानकगोमुखाः ।सहसैवाभ्यहन्यन्त स शब्दस्तुमुलोऽभवत् ॥१-१३॥
ततः श्वेतैर्हयैर्युक्ते महति स्यन्दने स्थितौ ।माधवः पाण्डवश्चैव दिव्यौ शङ्खौ प्रदध्मतुः ॥१-१४॥
पाञ्चजन्यं हृषीकेशो देवदत्तं धनञ्जयः ।पौण्ड्रं दध्मौ महाशङ्खं भीमकर्मा वृकोदरः ॥१-१५॥
अनन्तविजयं राजा कुन्तीपुत्रो युधिष्ठिरः ।नकुलः सहदेवश्च सुघोषमणिपुष्पकौ ॥१-१६॥
काश्यश्च परमेष्वासः शिखण्डी च महारथः ।धृष्टद्युम्नो विराटश्च सात्यकिश्चापराजितः ॥१-१७॥
द्रुपदो द्रौपदेयाश्च सर्वशः पृथिवीपते ।सौभद्रश्च महाबाहुः शङ्खान्दध्मुः पृथक्पृथक् ॥१-१८॥
स घोषो धार्तराष्ट्राणां हृदयानि व्यदारयत् ।नभश्च पृथिवीं चैव तुमुलो व्यनुनादयन् ॥१-१९॥
अथ व्यवस्थितान्दृष्ट्वा धार्तराष्ट्रान्कपिध्वजः ।प्रवृत्ते शस्त्रसंपाते धनुरुद्यम्य पाण्डवः ॥१-२०॥
अर्जुन उवाचहृषीकेशं तदा वाक्यमिदमाह महीपते ।सेनयोरुभयोर्मध्ये रथं स्थापय मेऽच्युत ॥१-२१॥
यावदेतान्निरिक्षेऽहं योद्धुकामानवस्थितान् ।कैर्मया सह योद्धव्यमस्मिन् रणसमुद्यमे ॥१-२२॥
योत्स्यमानानवेक्षेऽहं य एतेऽत्र समागताः ।धार्तराष्ट्रस्य दुर्बुद्धेर्युद्धे प्रियचिकीर्षवः ॥१-२३॥
सञ्जय उवाचएवमुक्तो हृषीकेशो गुडाकेशेन भारत ।सेनयोरुभयोर्मध्ये स्थापयित्वा रथोत्तमम् ॥१-२४॥
भीष्मद्रोणप्रमुखतः सर्वेषां च महीक्षिताम् ।उवाच पार्थ पश्यैतान्समवेतान्कुरूनिति ॥१-२५॥
तत्रापश्यत्स्थितान्पार्थः पितॄनथ पितामहान् ।आचार्यान्मातुलान्भ्रातॄन्पुत्रान्पौत्रान्सखींस्तथा ॥१-२६॥
श्वशुरान्सुहृदश्चैव सेनयोरुभयोरपि ।तान्समीक्ष्य स कौन्तेयः सर्वान्बन्धूनवस्थितान् ॥१-२७॥
अर्जुन उवाचकृपया परयाविष्टो विषीदन्निदमब्रवीत् ।दृष्ट्वेमं स्वजनं कृष्ण युयुत्सुं समुपस्थितम् ॥१-२८॥
सीदन्ति मम गात्राणि मुखं च परिशुष्यति ।वेपथुश्च शरीरे मे रोमहर्षश्च जायते ॥१-२९॥
गाण्डीवं स्रंसते हस्तात्त्वक्चैव परिदह्यते ।न च शक्नोम्यवस्थातुं भ्रमतीव च मे मनः ॥१-३०॥
निमित्तानि च पश्यामि विपरीतानि केशव ।न च श्रेयोऽनुपश्यामि हत्वा स्वजनमाहवे ॥१-३१॥
न काङ्क्षे विजयं कृष्ण न च राज्यं सुखानि च ।किं नो राज्येन गोविन्द किं भोगैर्जीवितेन वा ॥१-३२॥
येषामर्थे काङ्क्षितं नो राज्यं भोगाः सुखानि च ।त इमेऽवस्थिता युद्धे प्राणांस्त्यक्त्वा धनानि च ॥१-३३॥
आचार्याः पितरः पुत्रास्तथैव च पितामहाः ।मातुलाः श्वशुराः पौत्राः श्यालाः संबन्धिनस्तथा ॥१-३४॥
एतान्न हन्तुमिच्छामि घ्नतोऽपि मधुसूदन ।अपि त्रैलोक्यराज्यस्य हेतोः किं नु महीकृते ॥१-३५॥
निहत्य धार्तराष्ट्रान्नः का प्रीतिः स्याज्जनार्दन ।पापमेवाश्रयेदस्मान्हत्वैतानाततायिनः ॥१-३६॥
तस्मान्नार्हा वयं हन्तुं धार्तराष्ट्रान्स्वबान्धवान् ।स्वजनं हि कथं हत्वा सुखिनः स्याम माधव ॥१-३७॥
यद्यप्येते न पश्यन्ति लोभोपहतचेतसः ।कुलक्षयकृतं दोषं मित्रद्रोहे च पातकम् ॥१-३८॥
कथं न ज्ञेयमस्माभिः पापादस्मान्निवर्तितुम् ।कुलक्षयकृतं दोषं प्रपश्यद्भिर्जनार्दन ॥१-३९॥
कुलक्षये प्रणश्यन्ति कुलधर्माः सनातनाः ।धर्मे नष्टे कुलं कृत्स्नमधर्मोऽभिभवत्युत ॥१-४०॥
अधर्माभिभवात्कृष्ण प्रदुष्यन्ति कुलस्त्रियः ।स्त्रीषु दुष्टासु वार्ष्णेय जायते वर्णसंकरः ॥१-४१॥
संकरो नरकायैव कुलघ्नानां कुलस्य च ।पतन्ति पितरो ह्येषां लुप्तपिण्डोदकक्रियाः ॥१-४२॥
दोषैरेतैः कुलघ्नानां वर्णसंकरकारकैः ।उत्साद्यन्ते जातिधर्माः कुलधर्माश्च शाश्वताः ॥१-४३॥
उत्सन्नकुलधर्माणां मनुष्याणां जनार्दन ।नरकेऽनियतं वासो भवतीत्यनुशुश्रुम ॥१-४४॥
अहो बत महत्पापं कर्तुं व्यवसिता वयम् ।यद्राज्यसुखलोभेन हन्तुं स्वजनमुद्यताः ॥१-४५॥
यदि मामप्रतीकारमशस्त्रं शस्त्रपाणयः ।धार्तराष्ट्रा रणे हन्युस्तन्मे क्षेमतरं भवेत् ॥१-४६॥
सञ्जय उवाचएवमुक्त्वार्जुनः संख्ये रथोपस्थ उपाविशत् ।विसृज्य सशरं चापं शोकसंविग्नमानसः ॥१-४७॥
ॐ तत्सदिति श्रीमद्भगवद्गीतासूपनिषत्सु ब्रह्मविद्यायां योगशास्त्रे श्रीकृष्णार्जुनसंवादेऽर्जुनविषादयोगो नाम प्रथमोऽध्यायः ॥ १ ॥
Mouseia
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from all 18 Sanskrit chapters and 700 verses for fidelity, modern clarity, philosophical precision, symbolism, structure, and cadence.
Om
Salutations to the Supreme Self
Now the glorious Bhagavad Gita
Chapter One
Dhritarashtra said
On the field of dharma, the field of the Kurus,assembled and eager to fight,what did my sons and the sons of Pandu do, Sanjaya? ॥१-१॥
Sanjaya said
Then King Duryodhana, seeing the Pandavas’ armydrawn up in battle formation,approached his teacher and spoke these words: ॥१-२॥
“Teacher, look at this great army of Pandu’s sons,arrayed by your wise disciple,the son of Drupada. ॥१-३॥
Here are heroes and mighty archers,the equals of Bhima and Arjuna in battle:Yuyudhana, Virata, and Drupada, the great chariot-warrior; ॥१-४॥
Dhrishtaketu, Chekitana, and the valiant king of Kashi;Purujit, Kuntibhoja,and Shaibya, foremost among men; ॥१-५॥
the courageous Yudhamanyu, the valiant Uttamaujas,the son of Subhadra, and the sons of Draupadi—all of them great chariot-warriors. ॥१-६॥
But now learn from me, best of the twice-born,who among us are distinguished.I will name for you the leaders of my army. ॥१-७॥
You yourself, and Bhishma, Karna,and Kripa, victorious in battle;Ashvatthama, Vikarna,and the son of Somadatta as well. ॥१-८॥
And many other heroes are here,ready to give up their lives for my sake,armed with many kinds of weapons,all highly skilled in warfare. ॥१-९॥
Our force, guarded by Bhishma, is unbounded;but this force of theirs,guarded by Bhima, is bounded. ॥१-१०॥
Therefore, stationed in every line of advance,each in your appointed place,all of you must above allprotect Bhishma.” ॥१-११॥
Then, awakening joy in him,the mighty grandsire, eldest of the Kurus,roared aloud like a lionand blew his conch. ॥१-१२॥
At once, conches, kettledrums,tabors, drums, and hornsall sounded together,and the tumult became immense. ॥१-१३॥
Then, standing in their great chariotdrawn by white horses,Madhava and the son of Pandublew their divine conches. ॥१-१४॥
Hrishikesha blew Panchajanya,Dhananjaya blew Devadatta,and Bhima, wolf-bellied and terrible in action,blew the great conch Paundra. ॥१-१५॥
King Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti,blew Anantavijaya;Nakula and Sahadevablew Sughosha and Manipushpaka. ॥१-१६॥
The king of Kashi, supreme among archers;Shikhandi, the great chariot-warrior;Dhrishtadyumna, Virata,and the unconquered Satyaki; ॥१-१७॥
Drupada, the sons of Draupadi,and the mighty-armed son of Subhadra—all around, O lord of the earth,each blew his own conch. ॥१-१८॥
That tremendous sound,resounding through sky and earth,tore through the heartsof Dhritarashtra’s sons. ॥१-१९॥
Then the son of Pandu, whose banner bore the ape,seeing Dhritarashtra’s sons standing in formation,as the clash of weapons was about to begin,raised his bow. ॥१-२०॥
Arjuna said
Then, O lord of the earth,he spoke these words to Hrishikesha:“Station my chariot between the two armies,O Achyuta, ॥१-२१॥
so that I may observe those who stand hereeager to fight,and see with whom I must do battlein this undertaking of war. ॥१-२२॥
I wish to look upon thosewho have assembled here to fight,seeking in battle to pleasethe evil-minded son of Dhritarashtra.” ॥१-२३॥
Sanjaya said
Thus addressed by Gudakesha,Hrishikesha, O Bharata,drew the finest of chariotsbetween the two armies. ॥१-२४॥
Before Bhishma and Dronaand all the rulers of the earth,he said, “Son of Pritha, beholdthese Kurus assembled here.” ॥१-२५॥
There the son of Pritha saw standingfathers and grandfathers,teachers, maternal uncles, brothers,sons, grandsons, and friends; ॥१-२६॥
fathers-in-law and well-wishers too,in both armies.Seeing all his kinsmenstanding there before him, the son of Kunti— ॥१-२७॥
Arjuna said
overcome by deepest compassionand sinking into sorrow—spoke:“Krishna, seeing my own peopleassembled here, eager to fight, ॥१-२८॥
my limbs give way,and my mouth grows dry.My body trembles,and my hair stands on end. ॥१-२९॥
Gandiva slips from my hand,and my skin is burning.I can no longer remain standing;my mind seems to reel. ॥१-३०॥
I see omens of disaster,Keshava,and I see no good in killingmy own people in battle. ॥१-३१॥
I do not desire victory, Krishna,nor kingship, nor pleasures.What is kingship to us, Govinda?What are enjoyments, or even life? ॥१-३२॥
Those for whose sake we desirekingship, enjoyments, and pleasuresstand here in battle,having relinquished life and wealth: ॥१-३३॥
teachers, fathers, sons,and grandfathers;maternal uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons,brothers-in-law, and other relatives. ॥१-३४॥
I do not wish to kill them,even if they kill me, Slayer of Madhu—not even for sovereignty over the three worlds,much less for the sake of the earth. ॥१-३५॥
What joy could be ours, Janardana,after killing Dhritarashtra’s sons?Only sin would cling to usif we killed these aggressors. ॥१-३६॥
Therefore we must not killour own kinsmen, Dhritarashtra’s sons.For how could we be happy, Madhava,after killing our own people? ॥१-३७॥
Though they, their minds overcome by greed,do not see the wrong in destroying a familyor the sinin betraying friends, ॥१-३८॥
how could we fail to understandthat we must turn away from this sin,when we clearly see the wrongin destroying a family, Janardana? ॥१-३९॥
When a family is destroyed,its timeless family dharmas perish.When dharma is lost,adharma overwhelms the whole family. ॥१-४०॥
When adharma prevails, Krishna,the women of the family are corrupted.When its women are corrupted, descendant of Vrishni,confusion of social orders arises. ॥१-४१॥
Such confusion leads the family’s destroyersand the family itself to hell.Their ancestors fall,deprived of the rites of rice and water. ॥१-४२॥
Through these faults of the family’s destroyers,which cause confusion of social orders,the enduring dharmas of communityand family are overthrown. ॥१-४३॥
We have heard, Janardana,that those whose family dharmas are overthrownmust dwell in hellfor an indefinite time. ॥१-४४॥
Ah, what a terrible sinwe are resolved to commit!Driven by greed for the pleasures of kingship,we stand ready to kill our own people. ॥१-४५॥
If Dhritarashtra’s armed sonswere to kill me in battle,unarmed and offering no resistance,that would be better for me.” ॥१-४६॥
Sanjaya said
Having spoken thus on the field of battle,Arjuna sat down on the chariot seat,casting aside his bow and arrows,his mind overwhelmed by grief. ॥१-४७॥
Om Tat Sat. Thus, in the Upanishads of the glorious Bhagavad Gita, in the knowledge of Brahman, in the teaching of yoga, in the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, ends the first chapter, entitled “The Yoga of Arjuna’s Despair.” ॥ १ ॥
Mouseia
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from all 18 Sanskrit chapters and 700 verses.
Om
Salutation to the Supreme Self.
Now begins the glorious Bhagavad Gita.
Chapter One
Dhritarashtra said:
On the field of dharma, on Kurukshetra, gathered and eager to fight, what did my sons and Pandu’s sons do, Sanjaya? ॥१-१॥
Sanjaya said:
Then King Duryodhana, seeing the Pandava army drawn up in battle formation, approached his teacher and spoke these words: ॥१-२॥
Teacher, look at this great army of Pandu’s sons, arranged by your intelligent disciple, the son of Drupada. ॥१-३॥
Here are heroic great archers, equal to Bhima and Arjuna in battle: Yuyudhana, Virata, and Drupada, the great chariot-warrior; ॥१-४॥
Dhrishtaketu, Chekitana, and the powerful king of Kashi; Purujit, Kuntibhoja, and Shaibya, the finest of men; ॥१-५॥
the bold Yudhamanyu, the powerful Uttamaujas, the son of Subhadra, and the sons of Draupadi—all great chariot-warriors. ॥१-६॥
But now, best of the twice-born, take note of the distinguished men on our side. I will name for you the commanders of my army so that you may know them. ॥१-७॥
You yourself, Bhishma, Karna, and Kripa, victorious in battle; Ashvatthama, Vikarna, and the son of Somadatta as well. ॥१-८॥
And there are many other heroes who have given up all concern for their lives for my sake. They carry many kinds of weapons, and all are skilled in warfare. ॥१-९॥
Our force, protected by Bhishma, is unlimited, while their force, protected by Bhima, is limited. ॥१-१०॥
Therefore, stationed in all the lines of advance, each in your assigned place, all of you must protect Bhishma above all. ॥१-११॥
Then the powerful grandfather Bhishma, the eldest of the Kurus, bringing joy to Duryodhana, roared aloud like a lion and blew his conch. ॥१-१२॥
At once conches, kettledrums, hand drums, larger drums, and horns were suddenly sounded together, and the noise became tremendous. ॥१-१३॥
Then, standing in their great chariot drawn by white horses, Madhava and the son of Pandu blew their divine conches. ॥१-१४॥
Hrishikesha blew Panchajanya, and Dhananjaya blew Devadatta. Vrikodara, the doer of mighty deeds, blew the great conch Paundra. ॥१-१५॥
King Yudhishthira, Kunti’s son, blew Anantavijaya, and Nakula and Sahadeva blew Sughosha and Manipushpaka. ॥१-१६॥
The supreme archer, the king of Kashi; Shikhandi, the great chariot-warrior; Dhrishtadyumna, Virata, and the undefeated Satyaki; ॥१-१७॥
Drupada, the sons of Draupadi, and the mighty-armed son of Subhadra— all of them, O lord of the earth, blew their conches separately on every side. ॥१-१८॥
That tremendous sound tore through the hearts of Dhritarashtra’s sons, resounding through both sky and earth. ॥१-१९॥
Then the Pandava whose banner bore the monkey, seeing Dhritarashtra’s sons standing in position as the clash of weapons was about to begin, raised his bow. ॥१-२०॥
Arjuna said:
O lord of the earth, he then spoke these words to Hrishikesha: Place my chariot between the two armies, Achyuta, ॥१-२१॥
so that I may look at those who stand here eager to fight and see whom I must fight in this effort of war. ॥१-२२॥
I want to observe those who have gathered here to fight, wishing in battle to please the evil-minded son of Dhritarashtra. ॥१-२३॥
Sanjaya said:
Thus addressed by Gudakesha, O Bharata, Hrishikesha placed the finest chariot between the two armies, ॥१-२४॥
in front of Bhishma, Drona, and all the rulers of the earth, and said, “Partha, look at these Kurus gathered here.” ॥१-२५॥
There Partha saw fathers and grandfathers standing, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, and friends, ॥१-२६॥
as well as fathers-in-law and well-wishers in both armies. Seeing all his relatives standing there, the son of Kunti, ॥१-२७॥
Arjuna said:
overcome by deepest pity and sinking into despair, spoke these words: Krishna, seeing my own people gathered here, eager to fight, ॥१-२८॥
my limbs give way, and my mouth dries up. My body trembles, and my hair stands on end. ॥१-२९॥
Gandiva slips from my hand, and my skin burns all over. I cannot remain standing, and my mind seems to be spinning. ॥१-३०॥
I see omens of disaster, Keshava, and I see nothing good in killing my own people in battle. ॥१-३१॥
I do not desire victory, Krishna, or a kingdom or pleasures. What use is a kingdom to us, Govinda? What use are enjoyments or even life? ॥१-३२॥
Those for whose sake we desire a kingdom, enjoyments, and pleasures are standing here in battle, having given up their lives and wealth: ॥१-३३॥
teachers, fathers, sons, and grandfathers; maternal uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons, brothers-in-law, and other relatives. ॥१-३४॥
I do not wish to kill them, Madhusudana, even if they kill me— not even for sovereignty over the three worlds, much less for the earth. ॥१-३५॥
What joy would be ours after killing Dhritarashtra’s sons, Janardana? Only sin would cling to us if we killed these aggressors. ॥१-३६॥
Therefore, we must not kill Dhritarashtra’s sons, our own relatives. How could we be happy after killing our own people, Madhava? ॥१-३७॥
Even if they, their minds overcome by greed, do not see the wrong caused by destroying a family or the sin of betraying friends, ॥१-३८॥
how could we, who clearly see the wrong caused by destroying a family, fail to know that we must turn away from this sin, Janardana? ॥१-३९॥
When a family is destroyed, its ancient family duties perish. When dharma is lost, adharma overwhelms the entire family. ॥१-४०॥
When adharma prevails, Krishna, the women of the family become corrupted. When the women are corrupted, descendant of Vrishni, a mixing of classes arises. ॥१-४१॥
Such mixing leads both the family’s destroyers and the family itself to hell. Their ancestors fall, deprived of the rites offering rice-balls and water. ॥१-४२॥
Through these wrongs of the family’s destroyers, which cause the mixing of classes, the lasting duties of birth groups and families are abolished. ॥१-४३॥
We have repeatedly heard, Janardana, that people whose family duties have been abolished must live in hell for an indefinite time. ॥१-४४॥
Oh, what a great sin we are resolved to commit! Driven by greed for the pleasures of a kingdom, we are prepared to kill our own people. ॥१-४५॥
If Dhritarashtra’s armed sons were to kill me in battle while I was unarmed and offered no resistance, that would be better for me. ॥१-४६॥
Sanjaya said:
Having spoken this way on the battlefield, Arjuna sat down on the chariot seat, casting aside his bow and arrows, his mind overwhelmed by sorrow. ॥१-४७॥
Om Tat Sat. Thus, in the Upanishads of the glorious Bhagavad Gita, in the knowledge of Brahman, in the teaching of Yoga, in the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, ends the first chapter, called “The Yoga of Arjuna’s Despair.” ॥ १ ॥