dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca (1.1)
dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre
samavetā yuyutsavaḥ
māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caiva
kim akurvata sañjaya
dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ uvāca — King Dhṛtarāṣṭra said; dharma-kṣetre — in the place of pilgrimage; kuru-kṣetre — in the place named Kurukṣetra; samavetāḥ — assembled; yuyutsavaḥ — desiring to fight; māmakāḥ — my party (sons); pāṇḍavāḥ — the sons of Pāṇḍu; ca — and; eva — certainly; kim — what; akurvata — did they do; sañjaya — O Sañjaya.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: O Sañjaya, after my sons and the sons of Pāṇḍu assembled in the place of pilgrimage at Kurukṣetra, desiring
to fight, what did they do?
kārpaṇya-doṣopahata-svabhāvaḥ (2.7)
pṛcchāmi tvāṁ dharma-sammūḍha-cetāḥ
yac chreyaḥ syān niścitaṁ brūhi tan me
śiṣyas te ’haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam
kārpaṇya — of miserliness; doṣa — by the weakness; upahata — being
afflicted; svabhāvaḥ — characteristics; pṛcchāmi — I am asking; tvām — unto You; dharma — religion; sammūḍha — bewildered; cetāḥ — in heart; yat —
what; śreyaḥ — all-good; syāt — may be; niścitam —
confidently; brūhi — tell; tat — that; me — unto me; śiṣyaḥ — disciple; te — Your; aham — I am; śādhi — just instruct; mām
— me; tvām — unto You; prapannam — surrendered.
Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure
because of miserly weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me for
certain what is best for me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered
unto You. Please instruct me.
na hi prapaśyāmi mamāpanudyād (2.8)
yac chokam ucchoṣaṇam indriyāṇām
avāpya bhūmāv asapatnam ṛddhaṁ
rājyaṁ surāṇām api cādhipatyam
na
— do not; hi — certainly; prapaśyāmi — I see; mama — my; apanudyāt — can drive
away; yat — that which; śokam — lamentation; ucchoṣaṇam — drying up; indriyāṇām — of the senses;
avāpya — achieving; bhūmau — on the earth; asapatnam — without rival; ṛddham — prosperous; rājyam — kingdom; surāṇām — of the demigods; api — even; ca — also; ādhipatyam —
supremacy.
I can find no means to drive away this grief which is drying up
my senses. I will not be able to dispel it even if I win a prosperous,
unrivaled kingdom on earth with sovereignty like the demigods in heaven.
śrī-bhagavān uvāca (2.11)
aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ
prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase
gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca
nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ
śrī-bhagavān uvāca — the Supreme Personality of
Godhead said; aśocyān — not worthy of lamentation; anvaśocaḥ — you are lamenting; tvam — you; prajñā-vādān
— learned talks; ca — also; bhāṣase — speaking; gata —
lost; asūn — life; agata — not passed; asūn — life; ca
— also; na — never; anuśocanti — lament; paṇḍitāḥ — the learned.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: While speaking learned
words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise
lament neither for the living nor for the dead.
na tv evāhaṁ jātu nāsaṁ (2.12)
na tvaṁ neme janādhipāḥ
na caiva na bhaviṣyāmaḥ
sarve vayam ataḥ param
na
— never; tu — but; eva — certainly; aham — I; jātu — at any time; na — did not;
āsam — exist; na — not; tvam — you; na — not; ime — all these; jana-adhipāḥ — kings; na — never; ca — also; eva — certainly; na — not;
bhaviṣyāmaḥ — shall exist; sarve vayam — all of us; ataḥ param — hereafter.
Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all
these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.
dehino ’smin yathā dehe (2.13)
kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
tathā dehāntara-prāptir
dhīras tatra na muhyati
dehinaḥ — of the embodied; asmin — in this; yathā — as; dehe — in the
body; kaumāram — boyhood; yauvanam — youth; jarā — old age; tathā — similarly;
deha-antara — of transference of the body; prāptiḥ — achievement; dhīraḥ — the sober; tatra — thereupon; na — never; muhyati — is
deluded.
As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from
boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at
death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.
mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya (2.14)
śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ
āgamāpāyino ’nityās
tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata
mātrā-sparśāḥ — sensory perception; tu
— only; kaunteya — O son of Kuntī; śīta — winter; uṣṇa — summer; sukha — happiness; duḥkha — and pain; dāḥ — giving; āgama
— appearing; apāyinaḥ — disappearing; anityāḥ — nonpermanent; tān — all of them; titikṣasva —
just try to tolerate; bhārata — O descendant of the Bharata dynasty.
O son of Kuntī, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and
distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and
disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O
scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.
yaṁ hi na vyathayanty ete
(2.15)
puruṣaṁ puruṣarṣabha
sama-duḥkha-sukhaṁ dhīraṁ
so ’mṛtatvāya kalpate
yam — one to whom; hi — certainly; na — never; vyathayanti
— are distressing; ete — all these; puruṣam — to a person; puruṣa-ṛṣabha — O best among men; sama — unaltered; duḥkha — in distress; sukham — and happiness; dhīram —
patient; saḥ — he; amṛtatvāya — for liberation; kalpate — is considered eligible.
O best among men [Arjuna], the person who is not disturbed by
happiness and distress and is steady in both is certainly eligible for
liberation.
nāsato vidyate bhāvo (2.16)
nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ
ubhayor api dṛṣṭo ’ntas
tv anayos tattva-darśibhiḥ
na — never; asataḥ — of the nonexistent; vidyate
— there is; bhāvaḥ — endurance; na
— never; abhāvaḥ — changing quality; vidyate
— there is; sataḥ — of the eternal; ubhayoḥ — of the two; api — verily; dṛṣṭaḥ — observed; antaḥ — conclusion; tu
— indeed; anayoḥ — of them; tattva
— of the truth; darśibhiḥ — by the seers.
Those who are seers of the truth have concluded that of the
nonexistent [the material body] there is no endurance and of the eternal [the
soul] there is no change. This they have concluded by studying the nature of
both.
avināśi tu tad viddhi (2.17)
yena sarvam idaṁ tatam
vināśam avyayasyāsya
na kaścit kartum arhati
avināśi — imperishable; tu — but; tat — that; viddhi
— know it; yena — by whom; sarvam — all of the body; idam
— this; tatam — pervaded; vināśam — destruction; avyayasya
— of the imperishable; asya — of it; na kaścit — no one; kartum
— to do; arhati — is able.
That which pervades the entire body you should know to be
indestructible. No one is able to destroy that imperishable soul.
antavanta ime dehā (2.18)
nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ
anāśino ’prameyasya
tasmād yudhyasva bhārata
anta-vantaḥ — perishable; ime
— all these; dehāḥ — material bodies; nityasya
— eternal in existence; uktāḥ — are said; śarīriṇaḥ — of the embodied
soul; anāśinaḥ — never to be
destroyed; aprameyasya — immeasurable; tasmāt — therefore; yudhyasva
— fight; bhārata — O descendant of Bharata.
The material body of the indestructible, immeasurable and
eternal living entity is sure to come to an end; therefore, fight, O descendant
of Bharata.
ya enaṁ vetti hantāraṁ (2.19)
yaś cainaṁ manyate hatam
ubhau tau na vijānīto
nāyaṁ hanti na hanyate
yaḥ — anyone who; enam
— this; vetti — knows; hantāram — the killer; yaḥ — anyone who; ca — also; enam — this; manyate
— thinks; hatam — killed; ubhau — both; tau — they; na
— never; vijānītaḥ — are in knowledge; na
— never; ayam — this; hanti — kills; na — nor; hanyate
— is killed.
Neither he who thinks the living entity the slayer nor he who
thinks it slain is in knowledge, for the self slays not nor is slain.
na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin (2.20)
nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ
ajo nityaḥ śāśvato ’yaṁ purāṇo
na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre
na — never; jāyate — takes birth; mriyate — dies; vā
— either; kadācit — at any time (past, present or future); na —
never; ayam — this; bhūtvā — having come into being; bhavitā
— will come to be; vā — or; na — not; bhūyaḥ — or is again coming to be; ajaḥ — unborn; nityaḥ — eternal; śāśvataḥ — permanent; ayam — this; purāṇaḥ — the oldest; na
— never; hanyate — is killed; hanyamāne — being killed; śarīre
— the body.
For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He
has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into
being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when
the body is slain.
vedāvināśinaṁ nityaṁ (2.21)
ya enam ajam avyayam
kathaṁ sa puruṣaḥ pārtha
kaṁ ghātayati hanti kam
veda — knows; avināśinam — indestructible; nityam —
always existing; yaḥ — one who; enam
— this (soul); ajam — unborn; avyayam — immutable; katham
— how; saḥ — that; puruṣaḥ — person; pārtha — O Pārtha (Arjuna); kam — whom;
ghātayati — causes to hurt; hanti — kills; kam — whom.
O Pārtha, how can a person who knows that the soul is
indestructible, eternal, unborn and immutable kill anyone or cause anyone to
kill?
vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (2.22)
navāni gṛhṇāti naro ’parāṇi
tathā śarīrāṇi vihāya jīrṇāny
anyāni saṁyāti navāni dehī
vāsāṁsi — garments; jīrṇāni — old and worn out; yathā — just as; vihāya —
giving up; navāni — new garments; gṛhṇāti — does accept; naraḥ — a man; aparāṇi — others; tathā
— in the same way; śarīrāṇi — bodies; vihāya
— giving up; jirṇāni — old and useless; anyāni
— different; saṁyāti — verily accepts; navāni
— new sets; dehī — the embodied.
As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul
similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.
nainaṁ chindanti śastrāṇi (2.23)
nainaṁ dahati pāvakaḥ
na cainaṁ kledayanty āpo
na śoṣayati mārutaḥ
na — never; enam — this soul; chindanti — can cut to
pieces; śastrāṇi — weapons; na —
never; enam — this soul; dahati — burns; pāvakaḥ — fire; na — never; ca — also; enam — this
soul; kledayanti — moistens; āpaḥ — water; na —
never; śoṣayati — dries; mārutaḥ — wind.
The soul can never be cut to pieces by any weapon, nor burned by
fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind.
acchedyo ’yam adāhyo ’yam (2.24)
akledyo ’śoṣya eva ca
nityaḥ sarva-gataḥ sthāṇur
acalo ’yaṁ sanātanaḥ
acchedyaḥ — unbreakable; ayam
— this soul; adāhyaḥ — unable to be burned;
ayam — this soul; akledyaḥ — insoluble; aśoṣyaḥ — not able to be dried; eva — certainly; ca —
and; nityaḥ — everlasting; sarva-gataḥ — all-pervading; sthāṇuḥ — unchangeable; acalaḥ — immovable; ayam
— this soul; sanātanaḥ — eternally the same.
This individual soul is unbreakable and insoluble, and can be
neither burned nor dried. He is everlasting, present everywhere, unchangeable,
immovable and eternally the same.
avyakto ’yam acintyo ’yam (2.25)
avikāryo ’yam ucyate
tasmād evaṁ viditvainaṁ
nānuśocitum arhasi
avyaktaḥ — invisible; ayam
— this soul; acintyaḥ — inconceivable; ayam
— this soul; avikāryaḥ — unchangeable; ayam
— this soul; ucyate — is said; tasmāt — therefore; evam —
like this; viditvā — knowing it well; enam — this soul; na
— do not; anuśocitum — to lament; arhasi — you deserve.
It is said that the soul is invisible, inconceivable and
immutable. Knowing this, you should not grieve for the body.
atha cainaṁ nitya-jātaṁ (2.26)
nityaṁ vā manyase mṛtam
tathāpi tvaṁ mahā-bāho
nainaṁ śocitum arhasi
atha — if, however; ca — also; enam — this soul; nitya-jātam
— always born; nityam — forever; vā — either; manyase —
you so think; mṛtam — dead; tathā api
— still; tvam — you; mahā-bāho — O mighty-armed one; na
— never; enam — about the soul; śocitum — to lament; arhasi
— deserve.
If, however, you think that the soul [or the symptoms of life]
will always be born and die forever, you still have no reason to lament, O
mighty-armed.
jātasya hi dhruvo mṛtyur (2.27)
dhruvaṁ janma mṛtasya ca
tasmād aparihārye ’rthe
na tvaṁ śocitum arhasi
jātasya — of one who has taken his birth; hi — certainly; dhruvaḥ — a fact; mṛtyuḥ — death; dhruvam — it is also a fact; janma —
birth; mṛtasya — of the dead; ca
— also; tasmāt — therefore; aparihārye — of that which is
unavoidable; arthe — in the matter; na — do not; tvam —
you; śocitum — to lament; arhasi — deserve.
One who has taken his birth is sure to die, and after death one
is sure to take birth again. Therefore, in the unavoidable discharge of your
duty, you should not lament.
avyaktādīni bhūtāni (2.28)
vyakta-madhyāni bhārata
avyakta-nidhanāny eva
tatra kā paridevanā
avyakta-ādīni — in the beginning unmanifested; bhūtāni
— all that are created; vyakta — manifested; madhyāni — in the
middle; bhārata — O descendant of Bharata; avyakta —
nonmanifested; nidhanāni — when vanquished; eva — it is all like
that; tatra — therefore; kā — what; paridevanā —
lamentation.
All created beings are unmanifest in their beginning, manifest
in their interim state, and unmanifest again when annihilated. So what need is
there for lamentation?
āścarya-vat paśyati kaścid enam (2.29)
āścarya-vad vadati tathaiva cānyaḥ
āścarya-vac cainam anyaḥ śṛṇoti
śrutvāpy enaṁ veda na caiva kaścit
āścarya-vat — as amazing; paśyati — sees; kaścit
— someone; enam — this soul; āścarya-vat — as amazing; vadati
— speaks of; tathā — thus; eva — certainly; ca — also; anyaḥ — another; āścarya-vat — similarly amazing; ca
— also; enam — this soul; anyaḥ — another; śṛṇoti — hears of; śrutvā — having heard; api — even; enam
— this soul; veda — knows; na — never; ca — and; eva
— certainly; kaścit — someone.
Some look on the soul as amazing, some describe him as amazing,
and some hear of him as amazing, while others, even after hearing about him,
cannot understand him at all.
dehī nityam avadhyo ’yaṁ
(2.30)
dehe sarvasya bhārata
tasmāt sarvāṇi bhūtāni
na tvaṁ śocitum arhasi
dehī — the owner of the material body; nityam — eternally; avadhyaḥ — cannot be killed; ayam — this soul; dehe — in
the body; sarvasya — of everyone; bhārata — O descendant of
Bharata; tasmāt — therefore; sarvāṇi — all; bhūtāni — living entities (that are born); na
— never; tvam — you; śocitum — to lament; arhasi —
deserve.
O descendant of Bharata, he who dwells in the body can never be
slain. Therefore you need not grieve for any living being.
yadṛcchayā copapannaṁ (2.32)
svarga-dvāram apāvṛtam
sukhinaḥ kṣatriyāḥ pārtha
labhante yuddham īdṛśam
yadṛcchayā — by its own accord; ca
— also; upapannam — arrived at; svarga — of the heavenly planets;
dvāram — door; apāvṛtam — wide open; sukhinaḥ — very happy; kṣatriyāḥ — the members of the
royal order; pārtha — O son of Pṛthā; labhante —
do achieve; yuddham — war; īdṛśam — like this.
O Pārtha, happy are the kṣatriyas to whom such fighting
opportunities come unsought, opening for them the doors of the heavenly
planets.