Chapter 1, Verse 1.
Dhrtarastra
said: O Sanjaya, after assembling in the place of pilgrimage at
Kuruksetra, what did my sons and the sons of Pandu do, being desirous to
fight?
Chapter 1, Verse 2.
Sanjaya
said: O King, after looking over the army gathered by the sons of
Pandu, King Duryodhana went to his teacher and began to speak the
following words:
Chapter 1, Verse 3.
O my teacher, behold the great army of the sons of Pandu, so expertly arranged by your intelligent disciple, the son of Drupada.
Chapter 1, Verse 4.
Here
in this army there are many heroic bowmen equal in fighting to Bhima
and Arjuna; there are also great fighters like Yuyudhana, Virata and
Drupada.
Chapter 1, Verse 5.
There are also great, heroic, powerful fighters like Dhrstaketu, Cekitana, Kasiraja, Purujit, Kuntibhoja and Saibya.
Chapter 1, Verse 6.
There
are the mighty Yudhamanyu, the very powerful Uttamauja, the son of
Subhadra and the sons of Draupadi. All these warriors are great chariot
fighters.
Chapter 1, Verse 7.
O
best of the brahmanas, for your information, let me tell you about the
captains who are especially qualified to lead my military force.
Chapter 1, Verse 8.
There
are personalities like yourself, Bhisma, Karna, Krpa, Asvatthama,
Vikarna and the son of Somadatta called Bhurisrava, who are always
victorious in battle.
Chapter 1, Verse 9.
There
are many other heroes who are prepared to lay down their lives for my
sake. All of them are well equipped with different kinds of weapons, and
all are experienced in military science.
Chapter 1, Verse 10.
Our
strength is immeasurable, and we are perfectly protected by Grandfather
Bhisma, whereas the strength of the Pandavas, carefully protected by
Bhima, is limited.
Chapter 1, Verse 11.
Now
all of you must give full support to Grandfather Bhisma, standing at
your respective strategic points in the phalanx of the army.
Chapter 1, Verse 12.
Then
Bhisma, the great valiant grandsire of the Kuru dynasty, the
grandfather of the fighters, blew his conchshell very loudly like the
sound of a lion, giving Duryodhana joy.
Chapter 1, Verse 13.
After that, the conchshells, bugles, trumpets, drums and horns were all suddenly sounded, and the combined sound was tumultuous.
Chapter 1, Verse 14.
On
the other side, both Lord Krsna and Arjuna, stationed on a great
chariot drawn by white horses, sounded their transcendental conchshells.
Chapter 1, Verse 15.
Then,
Lord Krsna blew His conchshell, called Pancajanya; Arjuna blew his, the
Devadatta; and Bhima, the voracious eater and performer of Herculean
tasks, blew his terrific conchshell called Paundram.
Chapter 1, Verse 16-18.
King
Yudhisthira, the son of Kunti, blew his conchshell, the Ananta-vijaya,
and Nakula and Sahadeva blew the Sughosa and Manipuspaka. That great
archer the King of Kasi, the great fighter Sikhandi, Dhrstadyumna,
Virata and the unconquerable Satyaki, Drupada, the sons of Draupadi, and
the others, O King, such as the son of Subhadra, greatly armed, all
blew their respective conchshells.
Chapter 1, Verse 19.
The
blowing of these different conchshells became uproarious, and thus,
vibrating both in the sky and on the earth, it shattered the hearts of
the sons of Dhrtarastra.
Chapter 1, Verse 20.
O
King, at that time Arjuna, the son of Pandu, who was seated in his
chariot, his flag marked with Hanuman, took up his bow and prepared to
shoot his arrows, looking at the sons of Dhrtarastra. O King, Arjuna
then spoke to Hrsikesa [Krsna] these words:
Chapter 1, Verse 21-22.
Arjuna
said: O infallible one, please draw my chariot between the two armies
so that I may see who is present here, who is desirous of fighting, and
with whom I must contend in this great battle attempt.
Chapter 1, Verse 23.
Let me see those who have come here to fight, wishing to please the evil-minded son of Dhrtarastra.
Chapter 1, Verse 24.
Sanjaya
said: O descendant of Bharata, being thus addressed by Arjuna, Lord
Krsna drew up the fine chariot in the midst of the armies of both
parties.
Chapter 1, Verse 25.
In
the presence of Bhisma, Drona and all other chieftains of the world,
Hrsikesa, the Lord, said, Just behold, Partha, all the Kurus who are
assembled here.
Chapter 1, Verse 26.
There
Arjuna could see, within the midst of the armies of both parties, his
fathers, grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons,
grandsons, friends, and also his father-in-law and well-wishers--all
present there.
Chapter 1, Verse 27.
When
the son of Kunti, Arjuna, saw all these different grades of friends and
relatives, he became overwhelmed with compassion and spoke thus:
Chapter 1, Verse 28.
Arjuna
said: My dear Krsna, seeing my friends and relatives present before me
in such a fighting spirit, I feel the limbs of my body quivering and my
mouth drying up.
Chapter 1, Verse 29.
My whole body is trembling, and my hair is standing on end. My bow Gandiva is slipping from my hand, and my skin is burning.
Chapter 1, Verse 30.
I
am now unable to stand here any longer. I am forgetting myself, and my
mind is reeling. I foresee only evil, O killer of the Kesi demon.
Chapter 1, Verse 31.
I
do not see how any good can come from killing my own kinsmen in this
battle, nor can I, my dear Krsna, desire any subsequent victory,
kingdom, or happiness.
Chapter 1, Verse 32-35.
O
Govinda, of what avail to us are kingdoms, happiness or even life
itself when all those for whom we may desire them are now arrayed in
this battlefield? O Madhusudana, when teachers, fathers, sons,
grandfathers, maternal uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons,
brothers-in-law and all relatives are ready to give up their lives and
properties and are standing before me, then why should I wish to kill
them, though I may survive? O maintainer of all creatures, I am not
prepared to fight with them even in exchange for the three worlds, let
alone this earth.
Chapter 1, Verse 36.
Sin
will overcome us if we slay such aggressors. Therefore it is not proper
for us to kill the sons of Dhrtarastra and our friends. What should we
gain, O Krsna, husband of the goddess of fortune, and how could we be
happy by killing our own kinsmen?
Chapter 1, Verse 37-38.
O
Janardana, although these men, overtaken by greed, see no fault in
killing one's family or quarreling with friends, why should we, with
knowledge of the sin, engage in these acts?
Chapter 1, Verse 39.
With
the destruction of dynasty, the eternal family tradition is vanquished,
and thus the rest of the family becomes involved in irreligious
practice.
Chapter 1, Verse 40.
When
irreligion is prominent in the family, O Krsna, the women of the family
become corrupt, and from the degradation of womanhood, O descendant of
Vrsni, comes unwanted progeny.
Chapter 1, Verse 41.
When
there is increase of unwanted population, a hellish situation is
created both for the family and for those who destroy the family
tradition. In such corrupt families, there is no offering of oblations
of food and water to the ancestors.
Chapter 1, Verse 42.
Due
to the evil deeds of the destroyers of family tradition, all kinds of
community projects and family welfare activities are devastated.
Chapter 1, Verse 43.
O
Krsna, maintainer of the people, I have heard by disciplic succession
that those who destroy family traditions dwell always in hell.
Chapter 1, Verse 44.
Alas, how strange it is that we are preparing to commit greatly sinful acts, driven by the desire to enjoy royal happiness.
Chapter 1, Verse 45.
I would consider it better for the sons of Dhrtarastra to kill me unarmed and unresisting, rather than to fight with them.
Chapter 1, Verse 46.
Sanjaya
said: Arjuna, having thus spoken on the battlefield, cast aside his bow
and arrows and sat down on the chariot, his mind overwhelmed with
grief.
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