Arjuna Vishada Yoga (अर्जुनविषादयोगः)

Arjuna Vishada Yoga (Samskrit: अर्जुनविषादयोगः) is the commonly given name to the first chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. As the name suggests, it is the chapter in which Arjuna pours out his agony.

परिचयः ॥ Introduction

The great Mahabharata war between the Pandavas and the Kauravas took place on the holy plain of Kurukshetra. After the failure of Lord Krishna’s peace mission, when He Himself went to Hastinapura as the emissary of the Pandavas, there was no other alternative for the Pandavas but to engage in war for their rightful share of the kingdom.

All the famous warriors from both sides had assembled on the battlefield. Tents and wagons, weapons and machines, chariots and animals covered the vast plain.

Lord Krishna arrived on the scene in a magnificent chariot yoked by white horses. He was to act as the charioteer of Arjuna, one of the Pandava princes.

The din of hundreds of conches, blaring forth suddenly, announced the commencement of the battle. Arjuna blew his conch “Devadatta”, while Bhima, his brother, sounded the “Paundra”. All the other great warriors blew their respective conches.

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॥

tataḥ śaṅkhāśca bheryaśca paṇavānakagomukhāḥ । sahasaivābhyahanyanta sa śabdastumulo'bhavat ॥1-13॥

tataḥ śvetairhayairyukte mahati syandane sthitau । mādhavaḥ pāṇḍavaścaiva divyau śaṅkhau pradadhmatuḥ ॥1-14॥

pāñcajanyaṁ hr̥ṣīkeśo devadattaṁ dhanañjayaḥ । pauṇḍraṁ dadhmau mahāśaṅkhaṁ bhīmakarmā vr̥kodaraḥ ॥1-15॥

As the two armies were arrayed, ready for battle, Arjuna requested Krishna to place his chariot between them so that he might survey his opponents. He was bewildered by the scene before him, for he beheld on both sides, fathers and grandfathers, teachers and uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons, relatives and comrades.

Confusion reigned in Arjuna’s mind. Should he participate in this terrible carnage? Was it proper to destroy one’s relatives for the sake of a kingdom and some pleasures? Would it not be much better for him to surrender everything in favour of his enemies and retire in peace? As these thoughts rushed into his mind, a feeling of despondency overtook Arjuna. He had no enthusiasm to engage in this battle. Letting his bow slip from his hands, Arjuna could do nothing but turn to Lord Krishna for guidance and enlightenment.

These despondent queries of Arjuna are elaborated in the first chapter of the Bhagavad Gita called Arjuna Vishada Yoga.

Summary of the First Chapter

The 5th verse of Gitartha Samgraha by Yamunacharya summerises the chapter one of the Gita.

अस्थानस्नेहकार्पण्यधर्माधर्मधियाऽऽकुलम् । पार्थं प्रपन्नमुद्दिश्य शास्त्रावतरणं कृतम् ॥ ५ ॥

asthānasnehakārpaṇyadharmādharmadhiyā''kulam । pārthaṁ prapannamuddiśya śāstrāvataraṇaṁ kr̥tam ॥ 5 ॥

Meaning: Arjuna saw the dear relatives like Bhima, Masters (acharyas) like Drona assembled opposite him to engage in battle with him.  Arjuna's love and compassion (Daya) for them overflowed although they had no fitness for that display of affection.  As a result, Arjuna concluded that the righteous war with them befitting his status as a Kshathriya was unrighteous (Adharma).  He was overcome with weakness.  He threw down his bow and arrows and sat down with dejection at the foot of his chariot. Next, Arjuna appealed to Lord, his charioteer to show him the right way.  With smile on His face, Lord Parthasarathy (Sri Krishna) commenced His teaching (upadesha) for Arjuna on the real nature of the embodied soul (Svarupams of Jivatma), of the Supreme Soul or God (Paramatma), the means to reach God (Paramatma) and related esoteric meanings of Vedanta.  Lord's teaching (upadesha) was like nectar for Arjuna and easy to understand.

Background of the Gita

The Gita begins with the words of Dhritarashtra.

धृतराष्ट्र उवाच | धर्मक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सवः । मामकाः पाण्डवाश्चैव किमकुर्वत संजय ॥१-१॥

dhr̥tarāṣṭra uvāca | dharmakṣetre kurukṣetre samavetā yuyutsavaḥ । māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāścaiva kimakurvata saṁjaya ॥1-1॥

Meaning: Dhritarashtra said: What did the sons of Pandu and also my people do when they had assembled together, eager for battle on the holy plain of Kurukshetra, O Sanjaya?

It is said that, when both sides were prepared to commence the battle, the sage Veda Vyasa approached blind Dhritarashtra and said, “If you wish to see this terrible carnage with your own eyes I can give you the gift of vision.” The Kaurava king replied, “O Chief of the Brahmarishis! I have no desire to see with my own eyes this slaughter of my family, but I should like to hear all the details of the battle.”

Then the sage conferred the gift of divine vision on Sanjaya, the trusty counsellor of the king, and told the king, “Sanjaya will describe to you all the incidents of the war. Whatever happens in the course of the war, he will directly see, hear or otherwise come to know. Whether an incident takes place before his eyes or behind his back, during the day or during the night, privately or in public, and whether it is reduced to actual action or appears only in thought, it will not remain hidden from his view. He will come to know everything, exactly as it happens. No weapon will touch his body nor will he feel tired.”

After the ten days of continued war between the Pandavas and the Kauravas, when the great warrior Bhishma was thrown down from his chariot by Arjuna, Sanjaya announces the news to Dhritarashtra. In agony the king asks Sanjaya to narrate the full details of the previous ten days war, from the very beginning, in all detail as it happened. Here commences the Bhagavad Gita.

Here, Kurukshetra, the place of battle is referred to as Dharmakshetra. Sri Velukudi in his discourse, gives the etymology as follows:

धर्मक्षयात् त्रायते इति धर्मक्षेत्रम् । dharmakṣayāt trāyate iti dharmakṣetram ।

Meaning: That which saves Dharma from getting destroyed.

Also, the question posed by Dhritarashtra here, 'what his sons and Pandavas who have gone to wage war , are doing ?' is vital. Though it seems like an oxymoron, it has to be understood that it was Dhritarashtra's anxiety about Kauravas losing that made him raise this question. That is why Dhritarashtra is considered blind not just by sight, but also ignorant to jnana (knowledge). For, even though he knew that the Kauravas were at fault and were the sole reason for the war, he was blinded by the love for his sons.

As a reply to the above shloka, Sanjaya begins to narrate the situation on the battle field and thus, begins the Bhagavad Gita.

सञ्जय उवाच | दृष्ट्वा तु पाण्डवानीकं व्यूढं दुर्योधनस्तदा । आचार्यमुपसंगम्य राजा वचनमब्रवीत् ॥१-२॥

पश्यैतां पाण्डुपुत्राणामाचार्य महतीं चमूम् । व्यूढां द्रुपदपुत्रेण तव शिष्येण धीमता ॥१-३॥

sañjaya uvāca | dr̥ṣṭvā tu pāṇḍavānīkaṁ vyūḍhaṁ duryodhanastadā । ācāryamupasaṁgamya rājā vacanamabravīt ॥1-2॥

paśyaitāṁ pāṇḍuputrāṇāmācārya mahatīṁ camūm । vyūḍhāṁ drupadaputreṇa tava śiṣyeṇa dhīmatā ॥1-3॥

Meaning: Sanjaya said: Having seen the army of the Pandavas drawn up in battle array, King Duryodhana then approached his teacher (Drona) and spoke these words: "Behold, O Teacher, this mighty army of the sons of Pandu, arrayed by the son of Drupada (Dhrishtadyumna), thy wise disciple !"

सैन्यविवरणम् ॥ The Pandava and Kaurava Army

In shlokas 4-9 of the first chapter of the Gita, Sanjaya describes Duryodhana enlisting the names of some of the valiant warriors from both, the Pandava and Kaurava armies.

Pandava Army	Kaurava Army
युयुधनः ॥ Yuyudhana	द्रोणाचार्यः ॥ Dronacharya
विराटः ॥ Virata	भीष्मः ॥ Bhishma
द्रुपदः ॥ Drupada	कर्णः ॥ Karna
धृष्टकेतुः ॥ Dhrishtaketu	कृपः ॥ Kripa
चेकितानः ॥ Chekitana	अश्वत्थामा ॥ Ashvatthama
काशिराजः ॥ Raja of Kashi	विकर्णः ॥ Vikarna
पुरुजित् ॥ Purujit	सौमदत्तिः ॥ Son of Somadatta (Jayadratha)
कुन्तिभोजः ॥ Kuntibhoja
शैब्यः ॥ Shaibya
युधमन्युः ॥ Yudhamanyu
उत्तमौजाः ॥ Uttamaujas
सौभद्रः ॥ Son of Subhadra (Abhimanyu)
द्रौपदेयाः ॥ Sons of Draupadi

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॥

atra śūrā maheṣvāsā bhīmārjunasamā yudhi । yuyudhāno virāṭaśca drupadaśca mahārathaḥ ॥1-4॥

dhr̥ṣṭaketuścekitānaḥ kāśirājaśca vīryavān । purujitkuntibhojaśca śaibyaśca narapuṅgavaḥ ॥1-5॥

yudhāmanyuśca vikrānta uttamaujāśca vīryavān । saubhadro draupadeyāśca sarva eva mahārathāḥ ॥1-6॥

asmākaṁ tu viśiṣṭā ye tānnibodha dvijottama । nāyakā mama sainyasya saṁjñārthaṁ tānbravīmi te ॥1-7॥

bhavānbhīṣmaśca karṇaśca kr̥paśca samitiṁjayaḥ । aśvatthāmā vikarṇaśca saumadattistathaiva ca ॥1-8॥

anye ca bahavaḥ śūrā madarthe tyaktajīvitāḥ । nānāśastrapraharaṇāḥ sarve yuddhaviśāradāḥ ॥1-9॥

Having thus surveyed the armies on either side, Duryodhana said,

अपर्याप्तं तदस्माकं बलं भीष्माभिरक्षितम् । पर्याप्तं त्विदमेतेषां बलं भीमाभिरक्षितम् ॥१-१०॥

अयनेषु च सर्वेषु यथाभागमवस्थिताः । भीष्ममेवाभिरक्षन्तु भवन्तः सर्व एव हि ॥१-११॥

aparyāptaṁ tadasmākaṁ balaṁ bhīṣmābhirakṣitam । paryāptaṁ tvidameteṣāṁ balaṁ bhīmābhirakṣitam ॥1-10॥

ayaneṣu ca sarveṣu yathābhāgamavasthitāḥ । bhīṣmamevābhirakṣantu bhavantaḥ sarva eva hi ॥1-11॥

Meaning: This army of ours marshalled by Bhishma is insufficient, whereas their army, marshalled by Bhima, is sufficient. Therefore, do ye all, stationed in your respective positions in the several divisions of the army, protect Bhishma alone.

It seems odd in this place for Duryodhana to invoke Bhima as the protector of the Pandava army when Yudhisthira is the chief and Drshtadyumna is the senapati just like Bhisma is Senapati of Kauravas. Even if he was trying to compare archery prowess of Bhishma, it should have been Arjuna at the other end. This makes the choice of comparison a mysterious one.

However, one possible hidden reason may be - both Bhishma and Bhima have taken deadly Vows.

• Bhishma had vowed that he will NOT kill the five pandavas
• While Bhima had vowed that he will not spare the 100 kauravas

So, Duryodhana is bringing out the contrast between the two by saying that his army is led by Bhishma, who has vowed NOT to kill the five pandavas who are the strength of his opposition. Whereas on the other side, Bhima has taken vow to kill all the 100 kauravas, including tearing Dushasana.

However, A literal interpretation of the shloka is, "our strength is immesurable, and we are perfectly protected by Grandfather Bhishma, whereas the strength of the Pandavas, carefully protected by Bhima, is limited." For, aparyapta means unlimited, and Paryapta means limited. So, it may be intrepreted that Duryodhana is boasting here that his army's strength is unlimited, whereas Pandava's army is limited. However, the invokation of Bhima suggests that he is scared and is actually praising the Pandava army.

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,

महीपते । सेनयोरुभयोर्मध्ये रथं स्थापय मेऽच्युत ॥१-२१॥

यावदेतान्निरिक्षेऽहं योद्‌धुकामानवस्थितान् । कैर्मया सह योद्धव्यमस्मिन् रणसमुद्यमे ॥१-२२॥

योत्स्यमानानवेक्षेऽहं य एतेऽत्र समागताः । धार्तराष्ट्रस्य दुर्बुद्धेर्युद्धे प्रियचिकीर्षवः ॥१-२३॥

mahīpate । senayorubhayormadhye rathaṁ sthāpaya me'cyuta ॥1-21॥

yāvadetānnirikṣe'haṁ yod‌dhukāmānavasthitān । kairmayā saha yoddhavyamasmin raṇasamudyame ॥1-22॥

yotsyamānānavekṣe'haṁ ya ete'tra samāgatāḥ । dhārtarāṣṭrasya durbuddheryuddhe priyacikīrṣavaḥ ॥1-23॥

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:

पार्थ पश्यैतान्समवेतान्कुरूनिति ॥१-२५॥ pārtha paśyaitānsamavetānkurūniti ॥1-25॥

Meaning: “O Arjuna, behold now all these Kurus gathered together!”