Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1 Verse 31 — Arjuna Vishada Yoga
Sanskrit
निमित्तानि च पश्यामि विपरीतानि केशव | न च श्रेयोऽनुपश्यामि हत्वा स्वजनमाहवे ||१-३१||
Transliteration
nimittāni ca paśyāmi viparītāni keśava . na ca śreyo.anupaśyāmi hatvā svajanamāhave ||1-31||
Hindi Meaning
।।1.31।।हे केशव ! मैं शकुनों को भी विपरीत ही देख रहा हूँ और युद्ध में (आहवे) अपने स्वजनों को मारकर कोई कल्याण भी नहीं देखता हूँ।
English Meaning
I do not see how any good can come from killing my own kinsmen in this battle, nor can I, my dear Kṛṣṇa, desire any subsequent victory, kingdom or happiness.
Commentary
Without knowing that one’s self-interest is in Viṣṇu (or Kṛṣṇa), conditioned souls are attracted by bodily relationships, hoping to be happy in such situations. In such a blind conception of life, they forget even the causes of material happiness. Arjuna appears to have even forgotten the moral codes for a kṣatriya. It is said that two kinds of men, namely the kṣatriya who dies directly in front of the battlefield under Kṛṣṇa’s personal orders and the person in the renounced order of life who is absolutely devoted to spiritual culture, are eligible to enter into the sun globe, which is so powerful and dazzling. Arjuna is reluctant even to kill his enemies, let alone his relatives. He thinks that by killing his kinsmen there would be no happiness in his life, and therefore he is not willing to fight, just as a person who does not feel hunger is not inclined to cook. He has now decided to go into the forest and live a secluded life in frustration. But as a kṣatriya, he requires a kingdom for his subsistence, because the kṣatriyas cannot engage themselves in any other occupation. But Arjuna has no kingdom. Arjuna’s sole opportunity for gaining a kingdom lies in fighting with his cousins and brothers and reclaiming the kingdom inherited from his father, which he does not like to do. Therefore he considers himself fit to go to the forest to live a secluded life of frustration.
Hinglish Commentary
Arjuna abhi ek aise samasya mein hai jahan usne apne asli swarth ko bhool diya hai, jo ki Kṛṣṇa ya Viṣṇu mein hai. Wo sirf sharirik sambandhon ki taraf khinch raha hai, sochta hai ki unmein khushi milegi. Is andh bhavna mein wo material khushi ke asal kaaran bhi bhool gaya hai. Ek kṣatriya hone ke naate, Arjuna ko apne dharm ka bhi yaad nahi hai. Kaha gaya hai ki do tarah ke log, ek wo kṣatriya jo battlefield par Kṛṣṇa ke nirdesh par marta hai, aur dusra wo vyakti jo sanyasi hai aur poori tarah se spiritual jeevan ko apnaya hai, dono surya mandal mein jaane ke layak hote hain. Lekin Arjuna to apne dushmanon ko maarne se bhi katrate hai, apne ristedaron ka to sochna hi alag hai. Usse lagta hai ki agar wo apne parivaar ke logon ko maar dega to uski zindagi mein koi khushi nahi rahegi, isliye wo ladne ke liye tayyar nahi hai, jaise koi bhookha insaan khana banane ka man nahi karta. Ab wo soch raha hai ki jungle mein jaakar akeli zindagi bita de, par ek kṣatriya ko toh apni rozi roti ke liye ek rajya chahiye hota hai, kyunki kṣatriya kisi aur kaam mein nahi lag sakte. Lekin Arjuna ke paas koi rajya nahi hai. Uska sirf ek mauka hai rajya paane ka, jo ki apne cousins aur bhaiyon se ladkar apne pita se virasat mein mila rajya wapas lena hai, lekin wo ye karna nahi chahta. Isliye wo apne aap ko jungle mein chali jaane ke liye sahi samajhta hai, jahan wo akeli aur udas zindagi bita sake.