Arjuna's Sorrow

The blind king Dhritarashtra asks his advisor Sanjaya: "On the sacred field of Kurukshetra, where my sons and the sons of Pandu have gathered to fight — tell me, Sanjaya, what did they do?"

Sanjaya tells the king: "When Prince Duryodhana saw the Pandava army standing in perfect battle formation, he went straight to his teacher Dronacharya and spoke these words."

Duryodhana said to Drona: "Teacher, look at this mighty army of the Pandavas, arranged in battle formation by Dhrishtadyumna — the son of Drupada and your own clever student."

Duryodhana continued: "In the Pandava army, there are mighty heroes and great archers who are as skilled as Bhima and Arjuna in battle — warriors like Satyaki, King Virata, and the great chariot-warrior King Drupada."

"There are also Dhrishtaketu, Chekitana, the brave King of Kashi, Purujit, Kuntibhoja, and Shaibya — all great warriors, each a bull among men."

"And the courageous Yudhamanyu, the powerful Uttamaujas, Abhimanyu the son of Subhadra, and all five sons of Draupadi — every one of them is a great chariot warrior."

Duryodhana said: "But now, O best of Brahmins, let me also tell you about the distinguished leaders on our side. I name them so you may know the commanders of my army."

"On our side there is yourself, Drona, and the mighty Bhishma, Karna, Kripa who always wins in battle, Ashwatthama, Vikarna, and Bhurishravas the son of Somadatta."

"And there are many other heroes who are ready to lay down their lives for my sake. They are armed with all kinds of weapons and are all highly skilled in the art of warfare."

"Our army, protected by Bhishma, is unlimited in strength. But their army, protected by Bhima, is limited." — Or does Duryodhana actually mean the opposite? This famous verse has a double meaning that scholars have debated for centuries.

Duryodhana says: "All of you, standing at your assigned positions in the battle formation, must protect Bhishma from every side. This is the most important thing!" He is nervous and wants to make sure his strongest warrior stays safe.

Then the mighty Bhishma, the oldest and most respected elder of the Kuru clan, roared loudly like a lion and blew his conch shell with a thunderous blast. The sound filled Duryodhana's heart with joy and courage.

After Bhishma's conch, suddenly all the other instruments burst out together — conch shells, kettledrums, tabors, war drums, and cow-horn trumpets — all at once! The combined sound was absolutely tremendous and earth-shaking.

Then, on the Pandava side, Krishna and Arjuna — seated in a magnificent chariot drawn by white horses — blew their divine conch shells. This was the Pandava answer to the Kaurava war drums, and it came from just two people and two conches.

Krishna blew his conch called Panchajanya. Arjuna blew his conch called Devadatta, meaning "given by the gods." And Bhima — the mighty warrior with the appetite of a wolf — blew his enormous conch called Paundra. Each conch had its own name and its own story.

King Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti, blew his conch called Anantavijaya, which means "endless victory." The twins Nakula and Sahadeva blew their conches — Sughosha ("sweet-sounding") and Manipushpaka ("jewel-flower"). All five Pandava brothers were now sounding their conches together.

The great archer King of Kashi, the mighty chariot-warrior Shikhandi, Dhrishtadyumna the bold and splendid, King Virata, and the invincible Satyaki — all these warriors were on the Pandava side, ready for battle.

King Drupada, the sons of Draupadi, and the mighty-armed Abhimanyu (son of Arjuna and Subhadra) — all blew their conch shells, each one separately, one after another. Sanjaya is telling the blind king that the Pandava side had many great warriors joining in.

That tremendous sound echoed through the sky and across the earth. It shattered the hearts of Dhritarashtra's sons. The Pandava war cry was so powerful that it pierced the courage of the Kauravas and filled them with fear.

Then Arjuna, whose chariot flew the flag of Hanuman, looked at the Kaurava army drawn up in battle formation. As the clash of weapons was about to begin, he raised his great bow Gandiva and spoke to Krishna: he was about to ask Krishna to drive his chariot between the two armies so he could see who he was about to fight.

Arjuna said: "O Achyuta, O infallible Krishna — drive my chariot and place it between the two armies."

"I wish to see those who have come here to fight, those who are standing ready for battle. Let me know with whom I must contend in this great undertaking of war."

"Let me see those who have assembled here, ready to fight, wishing to please the evil-minded son of Dhritarashtra (Duryodhana) in this battle."

Sanjaya said: "O descendant of Bharata (Dhritarashtra), thus addressed by Arjuna, Krishna drove the finest of chariots and stationed it in the middle, between the two armies."

Krishna said, in the presence of Bhishma, Drona, and all the rulers of the earth: "O Partha, behold all these Kurus assembled here."

There, Arjuna saw standing in both armies — fathers, grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, and friends.

He also saw fathers-in-law and well-wishers in both armies. Seeing all these relatives standing ready for battle, Arjuna, the son of Kunti, was overwhelmed with deep compassion and spoke in great sorrow.

Arjuna said: "O Krishna, seeing my own kinsmen standing here, eager to fight, my limbs are giving way and my mouth is drying up."

"My whole body is trembling, my hair is standing on end, my bow Gandiva is slipping from my hand, and my skin is burning all over."

"I am unable to stand still, my mind is spinning, and I see bad omens everywhere, O Keshava. I cannot foresee any good coming from killing my own kinsmen in battle."

"I do not desire victory, O Krishna, nor kingdom, nor pleasures. Of what use is a kingdom to us, O Govinda? Of what use are enjoyments, or even life itself?"

"Those for whose sake we desire kingdom, enjoyments, and pleasures — they stand here in battle, having given up their lives and wealth."

"Teachers, fathers, sons, and also grandfathers, maternal uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons, brothers-in-law, and other relatives —"

"These I do not wish to kill, O Madhusudana, even if they kill me — not even for the sovereignty of the three worlds, let alone for this earth."

"What pleasure can there be for us after killing the sons of Dhritarashtra, O Janardana? Only sin would come to us from slaying these aggressors."

"Therefore, it is not proper for us to kill our own relatives, the sons of Dhritarashtra. How can we be happy after killing our own kinsmen, O Madhava?"

"Even if they, whose minds are overpowered by greed, see no wrong in destroying a family and no crime in hostility to friends..."

"...why should we, who clearly see the evil in the destruction of a family, not turn away from this sin, O Janardana?"

"With the destruction of a family, the eternal family traditions perish. When dharma is destroyed, adharma — lawlessness — overtakes the entire family."

"O Krishna, when adharma prevails, the women of the family become corrupted. And when women are corrupted, O descendant of Vrishni, there arises a confusion of social order (varna-sankara)." (Here Arjuna is speaking from the social fears and anxieties of his time — this is not a statement of fact, but a reflection of what he believed would happen when families and traditions were destroyed by war.)

"Such disorder brings only hell — for the destroyers of the family and for the family itself. The ancestors fall from their high place, deprived of the sacred offerings of rice and water."

"By these sins of the family destroyers, which cause the breakdown of social order, the eternal duties of the community and the family are destroyed."

"O Janardana, I have heard that those whose family dharma has been destroyed must dwell in hell for an indefinite period of time."

"Alas! What a great sin we have resolved to commit — that we are prepared to kill our own kinsmen, driven by greed for the pleasures of a kingdom!"

"It would be far better for me if the sons of Dhritarashtra, weapons in hand, were to kill me on the battlefield — unarmed and unresisting."

Sanjaya said: "Having spoken thus on the battlefield, Arjuna cast aside his bow and arrows and sat down on the seat of his chariot, his mind overwhelmed with grief."

Sanjaya said: "Having spoken thus to Hrishikesha (Krishna), Gudakesha (Arjuna), the scorcher of foes, sat down on the seat of his chariot in the middle of the battlefield — no longer wishing to fight, his mind overwhelmed with grief."