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== अर्जुनविषादः ॥ The Despondency of Arjuna ==

== अर्जुनविषादः ॥ The Despondency of Arjuna ==

Seeing all the people of Dhritarashtra’s party standing arrayed and the discharge of weapons about to begin, Arjuna, the son of Pandu, whose ensign was that of a monkey, took up his bow and said the following to Krishna,<ref name=":0" /><blockquote>महीपते । सेनयोरुभयोर्मध्ये रथं स्थापय मेऽच्युत ॥१-२१॥</blockquote><blockquote>यावदेतान्निरिक्षेऽहं योद्‌धुकामानवस्थितान् । कैर्मया सह योद्धव्यमस्मिन् रणसमुद्यमे ॥१-२२॥</blockquote><blockquote>योत्स्यमानानवेक्षेऽहं य एतेऽत्र समागताः । धार्तराष्ट्रस्य दुर्बुद्धेर्युद्धे प्रियचिकीर्षवः ॥१-२३॥<ref name=":2" /></blockquote><blockquote>mahīpate । senayorubhayormadhye rathaṁ sthāpaya me'cyuta ॥1-21॥</blockquote><blockquote>yāvadetānnirikṣe'haṁ yod‌dhukāmānavasthitān । kairmayā saha yoddhavyamasmin raṇasamudyame ॥1-22॥</blockquote><blockquote>yotsyamānānavekṣe'haṁ ya ete'tra samāgatāḥ । dhārtarāṣṭrasya durbuddheryuddhe priyacikīrṣavaḥ ॥1-23॥</blockquote>Meaning: O Lord of the Earth ! In the middle of the two armies, place my chariot, O Krishna, so that I may behold those who stand here, desirous to fight, and know with whom I must fight when the battle begins. For I desire to observe those who are assembled here to fight, wishing to please in battle Duryodhana, the evil-minded.

* Seeing all the people of Dhritarashtra’s party standing arrayed and the discharge of weapons about to begin, Arjuna, the son of Pandu, whose ensign was that of a monkey, took up his bow and said the following to Krishna,<ref name=":0" /><blockquote>महीपते । सेनयोरुभयोर्मध्ये रथं स्थापय मेऽच्युत ॥१-२१॥</blockquote><blockquote>यावदेतान्निरिक्षेऽहं योद्‌धुकामानवस्थितान् । कैर्मया सह योद्धव्यमस्मिन् रणसमुद्यमे ॥१-२२॥</blockquote><blockquote>योत्स्यमानानवेक्षेऽहं य एतेऽत्र समागताः । धार्तराष्ट्रस्य दुर्बुद्धेर्युद्धे प्रियचिकीर्षवः ॥१-२३॥<ref name=":2" /></blockquote><blockquote>mahīpate । senayorubhayormadhye rathaṁ sthāpaya me'cyuta ॥1-21॥</blockquote><blockquote>yāvadetānnirikṣe'haṁ yod‌dhukāmānavasthitān । kairmayā saha yoddhavyamasmin raṇasamudyame ॥1-22॥</blockquote><blockquote>yotsyamānānavekṣe'haṁ ya ete'tra samāgatāḥ । dhārtarāṣṭrasya durbuddheryuddhe priyacikīrṣavaḥ ॥1-23॥</blockquote>Meaning: O Lord of the Earth ! In the middle of the two armies, place my chariot, O Krishna, so that I may behold those who stand here, desirous to fight, and know with whom I must fight when the battle begins. For I desire to observe those who are assembled here to fight, wishing to please in battle Duryodhana, the evil-minded.

Being thus addressed by Arjuna, Lord Krishna, having stationed that best of chariots, in the midst of the two armies, in front of Bhishma and Drona and all the rulers of the earth, said:<ref name=":0" /> <blockquote>पार्थ पश्यैतान्समवेतान्कुरूनिति ॥१-२५॥<ref name=":2" /> pārtha paśyaitānsamavetānkurūniti ॥1-25॥</blockquote>Meaning: “O Arjuna, behold now all these Kurus gathered together!”

=== Arjuna's reasoning ===

 

Arjuna's thoughts as he sees his kith and kin arrayed in the battlefield is out poured in the following verses.<blockquote>येषामर्थे काङ्क्षितं नो राज्यं भोगाः सुखानि च । त इमेऽवस्थिता युद्धे प्राणांस्त्यक्त्वा धनानि च ॥१-३३॥</blockquote><blockquote>आचार्याः पितरः पुत्रास्तथैव च पितामहाः । मातुलाः श्वशुराः पौत्राः श्यालाः संबन्धिनस्तथा ॥१-३४॥</blockquote><blockquote>एतान्न हन्तुमिच्छामि घ्नतोऽपि मधुसूदन । अपि त्रैलोक्यराज्यस्य हेतोः किं नु महीकृते ॥१-३५॥<ref name=":2" /></blockquote><blockquote>yeṣāmarthe kāṅkṣitaṁ no rājyaṁ bhogāḥ sukhāni ca । ta ime'vasthitā yuddhe prāṇāṁstyaktvā dhanāni ca ॥1-33॥</blockquote><blockquote>ācāryāḥ pitaraḥ putrāstathaiva ca pitāmahāḥ । mātulāḥ śvaśurāḥ pautrāḥ śyālāḥ saṁbandhinastathā ॥1-34॥</blockquote><blockquote>etānna hantumicchāmi ghnato'pi madhusūdana । api trailokyarājyasya hetoḥ kiṁ nu mahīkr̥te ॥1-35॥</blockquote>Meaning: Those for whose sake we desire kingdoms, enjoyments and pleasures, stand here in battle, having renounced life and wealth. Teachers, fathers, sons and also grandfathers, grandsons, fathers-in-law, maternal uncles, brothers-in-law and relatives - These I do not wish to kill, though they kill me,O Krishna, even for the sake of dominion over the three worlds, leave alone killing them for the sake of the earth!<ref name=":0" />

Then Arjuna beheld there stationed, grandfathers and fathers, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons and friends, too. He saw fathers-in-law and friends also in both armies. The son of Kunti, Arjuna, seeing all these kinsmen standing arrayed, spoke thus sorrowfully, filled with deep pity.<ref name=":0" /><blockquote>दृष्ट्वेमं स्वजनं कृष्ण युयुत्सुं समुपस्थितम् | सीदन्ति मम गात्राणि मुखं च परिशुष्यति ॥१-२८॥</blockquote><blockquote>वेपथुश्च शरीरे मे रोमहर्षश्च जायते | गाण्डीवं स्रंसते हस्तात्त्वक्चैव परिदह्यते॥१-२९॥</blockquote><blockquote>न च शक्नोम्यवस्थातुं भ्रमतीव च मे मनः | निमित्तानि च पश्यामि विपरीतानि केशव ॥१-३०॥</blockquote><blockquote>न च श्रेयोऽनुपश्यामि हत्वा स्वजनमाहवे | न काङ्क्षे विजयं कृष्ण न च राज्यं सुखानि च॥१-३१॥<ref name=":2" /></blockquote><blockquote>dr̥ṣṭvemaṁ svajanaṁ kr̥ṣṇa yuyutsuṁ samupasthitam | sīdanti mama gātrāṇi mukhaṁ ca pariśuṣyati॥1-28॥</blockquote><blockquote>vepathuśca śarīre me romaharṣaśca jāyate | gāṇḍīvaṁ sraṁsate hastāttvakcaiva paridahyate॥1-29॥</blockquote><blockquote>na ca śaknomyavasthātuṁ bhramatīva ca me manaḥ | nimittāni ca paśyāmi viparītāni keśava॥1-30॥</blockquote><blockquote>na ca śreyo'nupaśyāmi hatvā svajanamāhave | na kāṅkṣe vijayaṁ kr̥ṣṇa na ca rājyaṁ sukhāni ca ॥1-31॥</blockquote>Meaning: Seeing these, my kinsmen, O Krishna, arrayed, eager to fight, my limbs fail and my mouth is parched up, my body quivers and my hairs stand on end! The (bow) “Gandiva” slips from my hand and my skin burns all over; I am unable even to stand, my mind is reeling, as it were. And I see adverse omens, O Kesava! I do not see any good in killing my kinsmen in battle. For I desire neither victory, O Krishna, nor pleasures nor kingdoms! <ref name=":0" />

== References ==

== References ==