Chapter 2 Verse 9

 

Verse 9

 

सञ्जय उवाच |

एवमुक्त्वा हृषीकेशं गुडाकेश: परन्तप |

न योत्स्य इति गोविन्दमुक्त्वा तूष्णीं बभूव ह || 9||

Transliteration:

Sanjaya uvAca

evamuktvA hrushIkeshaM parantapa.

Na yotsya iti govindamuktvA tUshNIm babhUva ha..9..

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Word by word meaning

 सञ्जय उवाच – Sanjaya uvAca

एवं - उक्त्वा – having said thus ; हृषीकेशं -  to Hrishikesha; गुडाकेश: - Gudakesha; परन्तप – conqueror of enemies न योत्स्य – won’t fight इति – thus; गोविन्दं - उक्त्वा – said to Govinda; तूष्णीं -  silent; बभूव – became; ह – he;

Meaning:

Gudakesha, the conqueror of his foes, having said thus “I wont fight” to Hrishikesha, became silent.

Significance:

Gudakesha – is a person who has won over his sleep. Sleep is onething for which everyone has to succumb at one point of time. When a person can win over his sleep, he should be a person with so much determination. Arjuna who has this kind of strong determination is now dropping his weapons and refuting to fight a war.

तूष्णीं : Becoming silent, here means arjuna becomes silent, and not his mind. He surrenders himself to the Supreme Lord for his mental peace.

Hrishikesha: is a person who is a conqueror of senses. Lord Krishna is addressed as Hrishikesha as Arjuna needs the Guidance of a person who can guide his own senses in the right direction.

Chapter 2 Verse - 8

 

Verse 8

न हि प्रपश्यामि ममापनुद्याद्

यच्छोकमुच्छोषणमिन्द्रियाणाम् |

अवाप्य भूमावसपत्नमृद्धं

राज्यं सुराणामपि चाधिपत्यम् || 8||

Transliteration:

Na hi prapashyAmi mamApanudyAd

yacchokamucchoShanamindriyAnAm.

bhUmAvasapatnamruddham

rAjyam surANAm cAdhipatyam..8..

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Word by word meaning

न – do not; हि – indeed; प्रपश्यामि – (I) see; मम – my; अपनुद्याद् – drive away; यत् – (that) which; शोकम् – sorrow; उच्छोषणम् – wither off; इन्द्रियाणाम्- senses; भूमौ -  on Earth; अवसपत्नम् – unrivalled; ॠद्धम् – prosperous; राज्यं -  kingdom; सुराणाम् – of the Devas; च – and; अधिपत्यम्- supremacy;

Meaning

I indeed do not see a way to drive away this sorrow of my senses, even after attaining the unrivalled and prosperous kingdom in the Earth and even supremacy over the Devas.

Significance

The use of the word “हि” is used in the sense of “Certainly” in this verse. Arjuna is very sure that he is not finding his way to ward off his sufferings. His eyes are suffering on seeing his close ones on either side of the army. His ears are suffering on hearing the cry of people on losing their loved ones. His mind is suffering on thinking of the instance that Rajasuya yagna, by which they are the ruler of the Earth, still when thinking of enjoying the pleasures of ruling a kingdom gives Arjuna sorrow. This is because of the delusion of his mind due to compassion in inappropriate place.

Chapter 2 Verse 7

 

Verse 7

कार्पण्यदोषोपहतस्वभाव:

पृच्छामि त्वां धर्मसम्मूढचेता: |

यच्छ्रेय: स्यान्निश्चितं ब्रूहि तन्मे

शिष्यस्तेऽहं शाधि मां त्वां प्रपन्नम् || 7||

Transliteration:

kArpanyadoshopahatasvabhAvaH

prucchAmi tvAM dharmasammUDhacetAH

yacchreyaH syAnnishcitaM brUhi tanme

shiShyaste.ahaM shAdhi mAM tvAM prapannam..

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Word by word meaning

कार्पण्य – cowardice; दोष – flaw; उपहत- damaged; ​स्वभाव: - nature; पृच्छामि- I ask; त्वां -  (to) you;धर्म – righteous; सम्मूढ – deluded; चेता: - intellect; यत् - which is; श्रेयः - the best; स्यात् – may be; निश्चितं – definitely; ब्रूहि – tell (me); तत् - that;  मे – for me; शिष्य: - disciple; ते – for you(your);अहं – I; शाधि – guide; मां – me; त्वां – your(to you); प्रपन्नम् - surrendered॥ ७॥

Meaning:

(Now) my nature is damaged by the flaw of cowardice , my intellect is deluded , I ask you the right (deed) which is definitely the best for me; Tell to this disciple of yours, who have surrendered to you.

Significance:

‘kArpanya’ is the nature of people who are weak , who lack spirit. Those people who are stingy are termed as ‘krupana’. This adjective suits who are narrow minded too. In whichever meaning this does not suit Arjuna here in the war-field. Arjuna identifies this flaw of his in an inappropriate situation.

He lacks the spirit to engage in war, his compassion stops him from doing his duty. He now asks for Krishna’s guidance to show him which is the dharma he has to follow , which is best for him. Even in our day-to-day life we pray for petty things to God, but we don’t know which will do good to us. A good disciple/devotee will surrender himself to Guru/God and take the path shown by them, for the trust in them that only they can show them the right path.

Chapter 2 Verse 6

 

 

 

Verse – 6

 

न चैतद्विद्म: कतरन्नो गरीयो
 

यद्वा जयेम यदि वा नो जयेयु: |
 

यानेव हत्वा न जिजीविषाम
 

स्तेऽवस्थिता: प्रमुखे धार्तराष्ट्रा: || 6||

 

Transliteration

na caitadvidmaH kataranno garIyo

yadvA jayema yadi vA no jayeyuH.

Yaneva hatvA na jijIviShAma

Ste.avasthitAH pramukhe dhArtarAShrtAH..6..

 

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Word-by-word meaning

न – not; च – and; एतत् – this; विद्मः – we know;कतरत् – among the two; नः – for us; गरीयः – best; यत्-वा – or; जयेम – we win (over them); यदि - वा – or else; नो -  we; जयेयु: -  being conquered (by them)यान् – whom ; एव – only/certainly; हत्वा – having killed; न – not; जिजीविषामः – wish to live; ते – they; अवस्थिताः- who are here; प्रमुखे -  facing (us); धार्तराष्ट्रा: -  sons of Dhritharashtra;

Meaning:

I do not understand which is the best (choice) for us – to conquer them or to be conquered by them ; Certainly we don’t wish to live after killing the sons of Dhritarashtra , who are present here against us.

Significance:

Way of life has been prescribed to all the varnas for the happy and peaceful environment in a society. Prime duty of a Kshatriya is to engage in a war. Arjuna here hesitates to engage in this war, thus he sways away from his Dharma. There he sees two paths – one in which he has to engage the war, consequence of which will be killing of his own men in the battle field. The other is backing out from the the war, by dropping the weapons and getting killed by them. Arjuna feels rather than to live with the guilt of killing his own men, it is better to get killed in the war. Those people who stand in front of Arjuna are those who were the reason of pleasure in his life, now the same people are the reason for his misery. This is the reality in our life, when one thing gives us pleasure , the same object will give us misery. Pleasure is misery in disguise. This is one situation we all face in our life, to face the challenges in our life we need mental strength and a guide to show us the right path.

 

Chapter 2 Vere - 5

Verse 5

गुरूनहत्वा हि महानुभावान्
श्रेयो भोक्तुं भैक्ष्यमपीह लोके |
हत्वार्थकामांस्तु गुरूनिहैव
भुञ्जीय भोगान् रुधिरप्रदिग्धान् || 5||

Translitertion

gurUnahatvA hi mahAnubhAvAn

shreyo bhoktum bhaikshyamapIha loke

hatvArthakAmAMstu gurUnihaiva

bhunjIya bhogAn rudhirapradigdhAn..5..

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Word-by-word meaning

गुरून् – Gurus;अहत्वा – by not killing; हि – only;महानुभावान् – great souls; श्रेयो – best ; भोक्तुं – enjoy;भैक्ष्यम् – by begging; अपि – also;इह – in this;लोके- world;  हत्वा – having killed; अर्थ – wealth; कामान् – pleasures; तु – thus; गुरून्- gurus; इह – here; एव​ – itself; भुञ्जीय – bound to enjoy;भोगान् – the happiness; रुधिर- प्रदिग्धान् – stained by blood.

Meaning

It is best to live by begging in this world by not killing the Gurus and ancestors who are great souls;; rather than to enjoy the wealth and pleasures , which would be blood-stained , by the act of killing them ,

Significance

Here in this verse we shall see a change in meter of the verse, the change in meter is to indicate the change in the mindset of Arjuna. Arjuna who was agitated initially now calmed down a bit. He tries to find logical reasons for not fighting!!

हत्वा –अर्थ –कामान् – this word when splitted we get the following meaning -हत्वा – having killed; अर्थ – wealth; कामान् – pleasures; The word also serves as an adjective to the word “ गुरून् “ Those ancestors and Teachers who are consumed by wealth. Bhishma , Drona , Kripa are indebted to the Kingdom in some way or other. Infact Bhishma himself says in Mahabharata that he has to take the side of Kaurava army for the acceptance of wealth.

Chapter 2 Verse - 4

 

Verse – 4

अर्जुन उवाच |

कथं भीष्ममहं सङ्ख्ये द्रोणं च मधुसूदन |

इषुभि: प्रतियोत्स्यामि पूजार्हावरिसूदन || 4||

Transliteration:

Arjuna uvAca

Katham bhIShmamaham sankhye dronam ca madhusUdana.

iShubhiH pratiyotsyAmi pUjArhAvarisUdana..4..

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Word-by-word Meaning:

अर्जुन उवाच – Arjuna Said;

कथं – how; भीष्मम् – Bhishma; अहं – I; सङ्ख्ये – in the war-field; द्रोणं – Drona; च – and; मधुसूदन – MadhusUdana; इषुभि: - with arrows; प्रतियोत्स्यामि – (I will)fight against; पूजार्हौ – (both of them who are) worthy to be worshipped; अरि सूदन​ – slayer of enemies;

Meaning:

Arjuna said,

O Madhusudana, how can I fight against Bhishma and Drona with my arrows, who are worthy to be worshipped. O Destroyer of enemies.

Significance:

                    Arjuna again puts forth his point by calling Krishna as ‘Ari-sUdana’. ArisUdana means destroyer of enemies, he indicates that it is easy to fight against an enemy which Lord did, but he now must stand against his own people, which is very difficult. That too against Bhishma – who is his own great-grandfather, and Drona- who has imparted him with abundance of knowledge.  He wanted to convey that he did not want to engage in the war, not because of cowardness, but he feels it is improper to fight against his elders.

                    Arjuna thinks his problem is caused by Duryodhana and his people, i.e, he thinks there is an external cause for his problem. But Krishna knows the root cause of the problem is his mental weakness, which is within him. This is the situation where most of us would be, most of our problems are internal. When we look within ourselves, strengthen our mind, make ourselves powerful with positive thinking, the external factors will not affect us.

Chapter 2 Verse - 3

 

Verse – 3

क्लैब्यं मा स्म गम: पार्थ नैतत्त्वय्युपपद्यते |

क्षुद्रं हृदयदौर्बल्यं त्यक्त्वोत्तिष्ठ परन्तप || 3||

Transliteration

Klaibyam mA sma gamaH pArtha naitattvayyupapadyate.

Kshudram krudayadaurbalyam tyaktvottiShTha parantapa..3..

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Word-by-word Meaning:

क्लैब्यं – cowardliness; मा – do not; स्म – be; गम: - yield to; पार्थ – Son of Kunti; न- not; त्वयि – in you; उपपद्यते -  fit; क्षुद्रं – petty/mean; हृदयदौर्बल्यं – weakness of heart; त्यक्त्वा – leave; उत्तिष्ठ – rise-up; परन्तप – one who have vanquished his enemies.

Meaning:

O Son of Pritha, do not yield to this cowardliness which does not fit you. O Vanquisher of enemies leave this weakness of heart and rise!

Significance:

Duty of a Guru is not to give the solutions of the problem for that instance, but to go to the root cause of the problem and eradicate it. A Guru should help his disciple to learn the art of living. The disciple should be ready to face the challenges in his life , and not wait till all the problems subsides by themselves.This is what Krishna does to Arjuna. The root cause of his physical and mental state is the weakness of his mind. So Krishna asks him to ward of the compassion which is his weakness. Lord commands Arjuna to ‘Arise’ - Arising not only physically but also mentally . One cannot run away from the problems he faces in day-to-day life. At one point or other we have to face them. For that we need mental strength. We have to gain the mental strength only by warding off our weakness in mind, this is the first step to face the world boldly. Lord Krishna calls Arjuna as “Vanquisher of enemies” , by which it is indicated that, Arjuna should be a person who not only destroys the enemies in this world , but also those enemies within him – which are the otherwise qualities, that makes him feel weak

Chapter 2 Verse - 2

 

Verse 2:

श्रीभगवानुवाच |

कुतस्त्वा कश्मलमिदं विषमे समुपस्थितम् |

अनार्यजुष्टमस्वर्ग्यमकीर्तिकरमर्जुन || 2||

Transliteration:

ShribhagavAnuvAca

kutastvA kashmalamidaM viShame samupasthitam.

anAryajuSTamasvargyamakIrtikaramarjuna..2..

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Word-by-word Meaning:

श्रीभगवान- Lord; उवाच – told;
कुतः -  from where; त्वा – for you; कश्मलं – illusion; इदं – this; विषमे – in unsuitable time; सम्-उपस्थितम् – appeared; अनार्य – uncultured; जुष्टम् – fit for; अस्वर्ग्यम् – not leading to attaining heaven; अकीर्तिकरम् – cause of defame; अर्जुन​ – Arjuna;

Meaning:

The Supreme Lord told –

O Arjuna, from where do this illusion - which is a character of an uncultured person, which do not lead to Heaven, which leads to defame , has appeared in this inappropriate time.

Significance:

The Very first words of the Supreme Lord in the Gita is this verse. ‘Bhagavān.’ is used to address Lord Krishna, which means – the one who is with the six Gunas – Omniscience, might, glory , splendor, wisdom and dispassion. It is told in Vishnu- Puranam,

          उत्पत्तिं प्रलयं चैव भूतानामागतिं गतिम् |
         वेत्तिं विद्यामविद्यां च स वाच्यो भगवानिति ||
He who understands the creation and dissolution, the appearance and disappearance of beings, the wisdom and ignorance, should be called Bhagavān.

A Teacher does not spoon feed their student, instead creates the curiosity to explore and learn. A Teacher does not cover up the mistakes of their student instead talks to them about their mistakes , helps them to understand and shows them various paths to success , hints them the secret of success and finally gives they be the eye-opener for their students. Here too Lord Krishna does the same to Arjuna. Arjuna here is a disciple of Lord Krishna. Taking the position of a Teacher, Krishna Points out the mistakes of Arjuna – of showing the weak nature in an inappropriate place like war-field.