On the field of Kurukshetra, the sons and armies of Duryodhana faced their cousins, the sons and armies of the Pandava. Arjuna, the son of Pandu, stood in a chariot drawn by white horses. Krishna stood beside him, the reins in his hands. On Arjuna's banner was the symbol of Hanuman, the servant of Rama.
Arjuna said:
—Immortal Krishna, drive my chariot between the two armies, between the warriors and allies of my brothers, and our enemies, the warriors and allies of our cousins. Let me look upon them who are eager to shed blood.
Krishna drove their chariot between the two armies, as Arjuna had asked. He turned the chariot to face the chiefs of Duryodhana's warriors.
Krishna said:
—Here are the armies of the Kurus, gathered to do battle with you and your brothers.
Arjuna looked upon them and saw among them cousins, fathers and sons, grandfathers and grandsons, uncles, teachers, and friends. Arjuna fell into despair, sinking to the floor of his chariot, and spoke in a voice heavy with grief.
Arjuna said:
—How can I do battle with my kinsmen, with those I love and who have loved me, for whom I have cared, as they once cared for me? Though they have gathered to serve Duryodhana’s folly, to kill me and my brothers on this battlefield, how can I fight them? My body trembles at the thought. My bow falls from my hands. My flesh burns. My arms and legs have no strength. My mind is confused; my reason confounded. I am lost.
—There is no glory in killing these enemies, to whom I am bound by kinship. To spill their blood is no better than spilling my own. Krishna, I do not long for victory. I have no need of a kingdom, or a kingdom's pleasures if I gain them only by destroying my kinsmen. I have no taste for royal bread dipped in their blood.
—Our cousins, our teachers, their fathers and sons, our friends, are these our enemies? How can I think to kill them, even if they are fixed on killing me?
—And if we kill them, evil will fall upon us in victory, as surely as in defeat. Immortal Krishna, though their minds are overcome with greed, though they are unwary of the evil they summon, and the disorder they conjure by destroying this family, by betraying friends, still how can I act against them?
—The ruin of a family is the ruin of righteousness. It is the overturning of order. It is the source of impurity. To act is to bring upon us a day of pitch darkness. We have come here for the sake of an earthly kingdom; we have come ready to do battle for the point of a needle of earth, for a fist of dirt. But by acting, we reserve for ourselves only a place in Hell. It is best for me if Duryodhana and his armies come before me. I will remain disarmed by doubt. I will not resist them as they kill me. This will be my best reward.
These were Arjuna's words to Krishna as the two armies awaited Arjuna's signal to begin the battle.
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No; I'll certainly review it. Are you aware of Buitenen's translation? His is considered among the most accurate scholarly English renderings of the Gita, particularly within the context of the Mahabharata, which Buitenen also translated in English. I'm not aiming for precise fidelity or a strictly literal translation. I'm not a scholar of Sanskrit, and mine is an "interpretation" after all. I began this work in the shadow of a work of fiction: The Temple of Hanuman. However, I've referred extensively to Buitenen's bilingual edition, in contrast to at least five other English versions, to make certain I've not drifted too far from the shores of meaning.
ReplyDeleteI am a student of Gita.I also tried interpreting it.Pl see my blog www.understandingbhagvadgita.blogspot.com
ReplyDeletekeep up you efforts,I treat it as the systematic study of life