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Dhritarashtra asked, “On the holy land of Kurukshetra, on the field of righteousness, what did my sons and the sons of Pāndu do when they gathered with the intent to fight, O Sanjaya?” | |
Sanjaya said: “Having seen the Pandava army arranged in a military formation, King Duryodhana approached his teacher, Dronacharya, and spoke the following words.” “Behold this mighty army of the sons of Pāndu, O Teacher, arranged in a disciplined military formation by your intelligent disciple, the son of Drupada.” | |
“Here are the powerful warriors, Yuyudhana, Virata, and Drupada, wielding bows and equal to Bhima and Arjuna; There are also mighty warriors like Dhrishtaketu, Chekitana, and the valiant King of Kashi; Purujit, Kuntibhoja, and Shaibya, the best among men; Yudhamanyu, brave Uttamauja, son of Subhadra and the heroic sons of Draupadi, who are all mighty warriors.” | |
“But, O best of the twice-born, I will now tell you about the prominent leaders of our army. I will inform you of those who are the chiefs of our forces.” | |
“Yourself, Bhishma, Karna, Kripa, Ashvatthama, Vikarna, and the son of Somadatta, are all formidable warriors.” | |
“Also, numerous brave warriors are ready to lay down their lives in my service. They possess exceptional skills in the art of warfare and are equipped with a wide range of formidable weapons.” | |
“The strength of our army, guarded by the mighty Bhishma, knows no bounds, while the strength of their army, shielded by Bhima, has its limitations.” | |
“Hence, I urge all the commanders to wholeheartedly stand by Grandsire Bheeshma's side, while simultaneously safeguarding your designated positions.” | |
"Then, the eldest of the Kuru dynasty, the great patriarch Bhishma, roared like a lion, causing joy to Duryodhana. He blew his conch shell, which was powerful and resonant." | |
"At that time, the blowing of various conch shells, drums, and horns became tumultuous. The sound reverberated throughout the sky and the earth." | |
"On the other side, both Lord Krishna and Arjuna, stationed on a grand chariot yoked with white horses, blew their divine conch shells." | |
"Then, Hrishikesha (Lord Krishna), the master of the senses, blew his conch shell called Panchajanya, and Arjuna, the mighty archer, blew his conch shell called Devadatta. Bhima, the doer of extraordinary feats, blew his conch shell called Paundra." | |
"King Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti, blew the Anantavijaya conch shell. Nakula and Sahadeva blew the Sughosha and Manipushpaka conch shells, respectively. The mighty archer Kashi, the great chariot warrior Shikhandi, and the invincible Satyaki, all blew their respective conch shells. The king of Panchala, Draupada, and the sons of Draupadi, along with the powerful warrior Abhimanyu, all blew their conch shells." | |
“The uproar of blowing conch shells shattered the hearts of Dhritarashtra's sons, reverberating through the sky and earth." | |
"At that time, Arjuna, the son of Pāndu, who had Hanuman as the emblem on his flag, seeing the sons of Dhritarashtra drawn in military array, spoke the following words to Lord Krishna." | |
"O Achyuta, please place my chariot between the two armies so that I may observe those who stand here in this great battle.” | |
“For I wish to see those who are assembled here to fight, and with whom I must engage in this war." | |
"I desire to see those who have assembled here to fight on the side of the evil-minded son of Dhritarashtra in this battle." | |
Sanjaya said, “Having thus been addressed by Arjuna, Hrishikesha placed the magnificent chariot between the two armies O Bharata.” | |
“O Partha, behold these great warriors, headed by Bhishma and Drona, and other prominent warriors, who are ready to battle.” | |
“There, Arjuna could see on both sides of the armies - his fathers, grandfathers, teachers, uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, friends and well-wishers, all arrayed for battle.” | |
“Seeing all his relatives and loved ones, both in the Pandava and Kaurava armies, standing there, filled with sorrow and dejection, the son of Kunti spoke as follows.” | |
“O Krishna, seeing my relatives, standing prepared in the battle and eager to fight, my limbs are shuddering, and my mouth is drying up." | |
"My body trembles and my hair stands on end. The Gandiva bow is slipping from my hand and my skin is burning all over. ” | |
"I am unable to remain steady, and my mind is whirling like the wind. O Keshava. I see bad omens." | |
"I do not foresee any good in killing my own relatives in battle.” | |
"O Krishna, I do not desire victory, nor kingdom, nor pleasures. What use is a kingdom to me, O Govinda? What use is enjoyment or even life?" "What purpose will a kingdom of pleasures, or even life itself serve when the very people for whom we desire these things are standing before us, ready to engage in battle?” | |
"Teachers, fathers, sons, and grandfathers, uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons, nephews, and other relatives.” “O Madhusudana, I do not wish to kill these relatives, even if they attack me. I hold no desire for dominion over the three worlds, let alone this earthly kingdom." | |
"O Janardhana, what joy will we find by killing the sons of Dhritarashtra? Only sin will accrue to us by slaying these felons." "Therefore, we are not justified in killing our relatives, the sons of Dhritarashtra. How can we be happy by causing the destruction of our own relatives, O Madhava?" | |
"Even though these people, with their hearts overwhelmed by greed, do not see any fault in destroying the family, or the sin of betraying friends, why should we, O Janardana, who clearly see the wrong in the destruction of a family, engage in these acts of sin?" "O Janardana, how can we, who can clearly see the wrong in the destruction of a family, not understand the sin that results from killing our own relatives? | |
"When a lineage is destroyed, its ancient traditions are lost. When Dharma is lost, O Krishna, the entire lineage becomes filled with adharma". “O Krishna, when adharma prevails, the women of the lineage become degraded, and from the degradation of women, there is adultery and mixture of castes.” | |
“The contamination of familial lineage condemns both the perpetrators of the family's destruction and the family itself to a state of damnation. Consequently, their forefathers suffer degradation as they are deprived of the essential offerings of rice-ball and water.” | |
“The transgressions committed by those who undermine the integrity of the family result in the intermingling of castes, leading to the erosion of longstanding customs and traditions specific to each caste and clan.” | |
"O Janardhana, I heard that those who destroy the sacred customs of their families endure an eternal sojourn in hell." | |
“Oh, what a great sin we are about to commit! Out of greed for kingdom and pleasure, we are about to kill our own kinsmen.” | |
“If these weapon-bearing sons of Dhritarashtra kill me, unarmed and unresisting, that would be better for me.” | |
“Sanjaya said, “Having spoken thus, Arjuna sat down in the chariot in the midst of the army, casting aside his bow with arrows, his mind overwhelmed with grief.” |