Chapter 2
Sankhya Yoga
Topic: Arjun submits to Krushna.
Synopsis:
The Chapter 2 of Gita is named as Sankhya Yoga. Sankhya means a reliable method of gaining knowledge. In spite of the name pointing to one topic i.e knowledge, in fact the other topics are included in the chapter, to cover the core principles of Gita. Therefore, this chapter is also reckoned as gist of entire Gita.
Before the core topics are initiated, the ongoing problem of Arjun’s grief (which is the subject of chapter 1) is carried further. This topic is comprising of 1-10 stanzas of chapter 2.
In the last stanza of Chapter 1, Sanjay narrated to Dhrutrashtra, that ‘Arjun put aside his bow along with the arrows and sat down in the rear part of the chariot’ thus indicating that Arjun is not going to fight.
Thenceforth, Sanjay continues in the first
stanza of chapter 2 as follows.
sañjaya uvāca
तं तथा कृपयाविष्टमश्रुपूर्णाकुलेक्षणम् ।
विषीदन्तमिदं वाक्यमुवाच मधुसूदनः ॥ २-१ ॥
taṃ tathā kṛpayā''viṣṭam aśrupūrṇākulēkṣaṇam|
viṣīdantamidaṃ vākyamuvāca madhusūdanaḥ||1||
Sañjaya said:
1. Krsna spoke these following words to that grieving
Arjuna who was completely overpowered by attachment as described before and
whose eyes were blurred with brimful of tears.
I). In this stanza Sanjay has used a word ‘Krupaya’ for the cause of Arjun’s grief.
Many scholars have translated ‘Krupaya’ as compassion. Compassion is shown by a strong person to week. Here Arjun is not even in self control, forget about being strong to help others. The correct word for the cause of his grief is his delusion due to the attachment or bond with some persons in enemy army.
śrībhagavānuvāca |
कुतस्त्वा कश्मलमिदं विषमे समुपस्थितम् ।
अनार्यजुष्टमस्वर्ग्यमकीर्तिकरमर्जुन ॥ २-२ ॥
kutastvā kaśmalamidaṁ viṣame samupasthitam |
anāryajuṣṭamasvargyama kīrtikaramarjuna ||2||
2. Lord Krsna said – Oh! Arjun! From where did this
dejection which is not entertained by noble people, which will not lead to
heaven and will lead to ill-fame come to you at this wrong moment?
क्लैब्यं मा स्म गमः पार्थ नैतत्त्वय्युपपद्यते ।
क्षुद्रं हृदयदौर्बल्यं त्यक्त्वोत्तिष्ठ परन्तप ॥ २-३ ॥
klaibyaṁ mā sma gamaḥ pārtha naitattvayyupāpadyate |
kṣudraṁ hṛdayadaurbalyaṁ tyaktvottiṣṭha parantapa ||3||
3. Oh Arjuna! Do not take to unmanliness. This state does
not befit you.Having given
up this mean faint heartedness, get up, Oh Arjun!
iśrībhagavānuvāca |
Inference:
kutastvā kaśmalamidaṁ viṣame samupasthitam |
anāryajuṣṭamasvargyama kīrtikaramarjuna ||2||
2. Lord Krsna said – Oh! Arjun! From where did this
dejection which is not entertained by noble people, which will not lead to
heaven and will lead to ill-fame come to you at this wrong moment?
klaibyaṁ mā sma gamaḥ pārtha naitattvayyupāpadyate |
kṣudraṁ hṛdayadaurbalyaṁ tyaktvottiṣṭha parantapa ||3||
i) Though in the beginning of the stanza, a word 'Bhagvan’ means God is used
for Krushna, his speech is not
yet with divine touch. He has given only worldly advice to Arjun to pull him out of
despondency. Had Arjun responded to this advice and agreed to fight, there
would be no enough ground to teach him Gita.
ii) Krushna asks Arjun, from where this kashmalm means unfit attitude has
come to you.
ii) Arya is
translated as Noble. The meaning of Arya in Sanskritn is a person who does not
lose mental balance in adverse conditions. He will intelligently confront the
conditions and take best decisions and act to improve the situation. According
to the standards of that time, a warrior should fight for right values even at
the cost of his life.
arjuna uvāca |
कथं भीष्ममहं सङ्ख्ये द्रोणं च मधुसूदन ।
इषुभिः प्रतियोत्स्यामि पूजार्हावरिसूदन ॥ २-४ ॥
kathaṁ bhīṣmamahaṁ saṁkhye droṇaṁ ca madhusūdana |
iṣubhiḥ pratiyotsyāmi pūjārhāvarisūdana ||4||
4. Arjuna asked – Oh Krsna! How can I fight against
adorable Bhīṣma and
Drōṇa in his war with arrows, Oh Krsna?
गुरूनहत्वा हि महानुभावान्
श्रेयो भोक्तुं भैक्ष्यमपीह लोके ।
हत्वार्थकामांस्तु गुरूनिहैव
भुञ्जीय भोगान् रुधिरप्रदिग्धान् ॥ २-५ ॥
gurūnahatvā hi mahānubhāvān
śreyo bhoktuṁ bhaikṣyamapīha loke |
hatvārthakāmāṁstu gurūnihaiva
bhuñjīya bhogāna rudhirapradigdhāna ||5||
5. In this world, even to live on alms is indeed better
than killing the noble
Gurus. On the other hand, by killing these Gurus I will
enjoy here only the
blood-stained pleasures of wealth and sense objects.
Inference:
Instead of favorably responding to Krushna’s encouraging
words, Arjun is lamenting for Bhishma –his highly loving grand uncle and
Drona his Guru, a teacher loving him most,. Both are venerable for Arjun and
therefore, though he is capable to fight with them, due to the attachment, he
finds it difficult. He says it is better to do begging for living
rather than kill them and enjoy the kingdom stained with their blood.
न चैतद्विद्मः कतरन्नो गरीयो
यद्वा जयेम यदि वा नो जयेयुः ।
यानेव हत्वा न जिजीविषाम-
स्तेऽवस्थिताः प्रमुखे धार्तराष्ट्राः ॥ २-६ ॥
na caitadvidmaḥ kataranno garīyo
yadvā jayema yadi vā no jayeyuḥ
|
yāneva hatvā na jijīviṣāmaste'vasthitāḥ
pramukhe dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ ||2.6||
6. Moreover, we do
not know which one of these two courses is better and whether we will
conquer them or they will conquer us. Those very Kauravas killing whom
we will not even decide to live, are assembled in front.
Inference:
In this stanza, it appears that thinking faculty of Arjun is impaired due to attachment.
Arjun had fought many battles in the past. Therefore bloodshed and maiming and killing would not be unbearable for him to see. Also he had won against Bhishma, Duryodhan and Karn etc in other war as described in Mahabharat. As a Kshatriya warrior, it is Arjun's duty to fight but he is upset by the consequences of the war. He thinks that he can avoid a war and its bad consequences merely by not fighting. This amounts to dereliction of duty which will entail the sin of omission of the duty.
In
Arjun’s belief, to fight or not ,either way there is a sin.
Arjun is so confused that he doubts which will be better
whether they (Pandava) win or they are won by Kauravas, He says that by killing
whom we do not wish to live - those sons of Dhrutrashtra are in front of us.
कार्पण्यदोषोपहतस्वभावः
पृच्छामि त्वां धर्मसम्मूढचेताः ।
यच्छ्रेयः स्यान्निश्चितं ब्रूहि तन्मे
शिष्यस्तेऽहं शाधि मां त्वां प्रपन्नम् ॥ २-७ ॥
kārpaṇyadoṣopahatasvabhāvaḥpṛcchāmi tvām dharmasaṁmūḍhacetāḥ |
yacchreyaḥ syānniścitaṁ brūhi tanme
śiṣyaste'haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam ||2.7||
7. With my mind overpowered by helplessness and with my intellect completely deluded regarding righteousness, I ask You. Decidedly tell (me) that which is good for me. I am Your disciple. Teach me who have surrendered to You.
Inference:
In Stanza 4 - 6, Arjun has degraded from the level of
attachment to the grief level and further down to confusion. This sequence is called in
Sanskrit as ‘Raga, Shok and Moha’ This
is a vicious circle. When one is confused, one cannot think clearly and hence one
becomes unable to decide on his own, what is right.It is necessary to speak to
some capable person for the guidance.
Arjun
realizes this and takes refuge in Krushna, in this stanza.
न हि प्रपश्यामि ममापनुद्याद्
यच्छोकमुच्छोषणमिन्द्रियाणाम् ।
अवाप्य भूमावसपत्नमृद्धं
राज्यं सुराणामपि चाधिपत्यम् ॥ २-८ ॥
na hi prapaśyāmi mamāpanudyād
yacchokamucchoṣaṇamindriyānām |
avāpya bhūmāvasapatnamṛddhaṁ
rājyaṁ surāṇāmapi cādhipatyam ||8||
8. I do not see
anything that can remove this sorrow of mine which
weakens all my sense
organs, even after getting an unrivalled prosperous
kingdom upon earth
and even after getting the kingship over the gods.
sañjaya uvāca |
एवमुक्त्वा हृषीकेशं गुडाकेशः परन्तपः ।
न योत्स्य इति गोविन्दमुक्त्वा तूष्णीं बभूव ह ॥ २-९ ॥
evamuktvā hṛṣīkeśaṁ guḍākeśaḥ prantapaḥ |
na yotsaya iti govindamuktvā tūaṣṇīṁ babhūva ha ||9||
Sañjaya said:
9. Having spoken thus to the Lord Krsna, Arjuna, the
destroyer of enemies,
said to Krsna “I will not fight” and became quiet.
tamuvāca hṛṣīkeśaḥ prahasanniva bhārata |
senayorubhayormadhye viṣīdantamidaṁ vacah ||10||
10. Smiling,
as it were, Lord Krsna spoke these words to that (Arjuna) who
was grieving
in between the two armies, Oh Dhrtarastra!
kārpaṇyadōṣōpahatasvabhāvaḥ
pr̥cchāmi tvām dharmasaṁmūḍhacētāḥ (2.7)
Its translation is ‘Due to this
weakness of confusion, unable to decide what is right for me and hence I am
asking you to tell me what is right. I am your disciple and have taken refuge
in you.
In stanza 8, Arjun elaborates further; the kingdom, which will be won by the war- howsoever wealthy and heavenly and unopposed will not save him from all- organs drying grief
Utilitarian Doctrines:
i) Rāgaḥ meaning
attachment; is not only Arjuna's
problem. This is the fundamental
human problem; the object of attachment will vary from person to person, but the
problem of attachment is universal.
.
Once a
person has the attachment, then, there is the natural consequence called sorrow,
which is called viṣādaḥ. (grief). If a person is attached to something, and
when he loses that, there is sorrow (vishad)
Then
the third problem is when the mind is under the grip of rāgaḥ and śokaḥ, one loses
the capacity to judge things properly; one loses the capacity to discriminate between
right and wrong; what is dharma and adharma, This problem of confusion is called ‘mohaḥ’
means conflict.
In the
essence, the attachment with persons or even objects will lead to grief due to
the thought of losing them. This will further cause confusion to such an extent
that you will not understand what is right and wrong for you.
ii)
Arjuna discovers the helplessness and really
surrenders whole hog.
When you are confused it is better to surrender to God and pray for guidance and also seek advice of wise and helpful person.
