1. Arjuna's Dilemma

Arjun Viṣhād Yog

BG 1.1

Dhritarashtra said: In this realm of Dharma, on the sacred field of Kurukshetra, my sons have gathered to fight with the sons of Pandu. Tell me Sanjaya, what is happening now?

धृतराष्ट्र उवाच
धर्मक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सवः
मामकाः पाण्डवाश्चैव किमकुर्वत सञ्जय


The Gita opens with a question by the blind king Dhritarashtra to his trusted advisor Sanjaya, who has a divine gift of omniscience. The king is asking Sanjaya to describe the events that are currently transpiring on a distant battlefield, as his sons prepare to fight against the sons of his half-brother Pandu for control of the kingdom. Since the Gita was originally passed down by oral tradition, explicit markers like "dhṛitarāśhtra uvācha" are commonly used to indicate a change in speaker, and recited at a different pitch and tone from the verse's anuṣṭubh meter.

kṣhetre

The king refers to his kingdom, the Kuru kingdom (kuru-kṣhetre), as a "land of Dharma" (dharma-kṣhetre). There are a wide range of translations for the word "dharma", with the most common being "duty" and "righteousness". The actual concept of dharma, equivalent to dhamma in Pali, is a highly nuanced topic that takes great effort to understand. In the Mahabharata epic, various characters exemplify dharma through steadfast devotion to a divinely ordained duty, personal sacrifice for the sake of one's family, and strict adherence to moral conduct in day-to-day affairs. In the Gita, the nuances of dharma and the practical aspects of one's prescribed duty is discussed at great length.

samavetā

The Sanskrit word samavetā can mean both "material desire" and "moral compulsion". The Kauravas are the primary instigators of the armed conflict, blinded by material desire to retain full control of the kingdom. The Pandavas are fighting for a righteous cause, after their good-faith attempts at negotiation and peaceful compromise are rejected. This dual meaning of samavetā is found again in the 25th verse of this chapter.

Notes on Sanskrit

Sanskrit does not have articles like "the", "a", and "and". It also has a wider range of grammatical structures, and leaves a correspondingly wide range of interpretations for most verses. Some have interpreted this first verse as a rhetorical question to Sanjay - “in this kingdom, where we follow these high-minded principles, my sons and nephews have gathered to fight over my throne?” Others have interpreted it as a despondent question posed by a king who is clearly aware of his family's impending demise, especially in the context of previous events from the Mahabharata epic.

  • dhṛitarāśhtra — Dhritarashtra
    The blind king of Hastinapur

    धृतराष्ट्र

  • uvācha — said

    उवाच

  • dharma-kṣhetre — the land of Dharma
    A society where individuals live according to the moral code of Dharma

    • dharma — Dharma
      A moral code of sacred duty, righteousness, and loyalty

      धर्म

    • kṣhetre — land area

      क्षेत्रे
    धर्मक्षेत्रे

  • kuru-kṣhetre — Kurukshetra
    The land of the Kuru kingdom

    • kuru — Kuru
      The Kuru clan is referenced extensively in Vedic literature, and archaeological evidence suggests a technologically-advanced civilization that existed 2800-3200 years ago.

    • kṣhetre — land area, kingdom

    कुरुक्षेत्रे

  • samavetā — come together
    From Sanskrit particle sam (सम्) - "along with, together", and aveta (अवेत) - joined with

    समवेता

  • yuyutsavaḥ — eager for battle
    From yuyutsu (युयुत्सु), meaning "hostile" or "wishing to fight"

    युयुत्सव

  • māmakāḥ — my sons
    Literally "what is mine", implied to mean his hundreds sons who are now preparing for war

    मामकाः

  • pāṇḍavāśhchaiva — and the Pandavas

    • pāṇḍavā — Pandava

      पाण्डवा

    • chaiva — also

      श्चैव
    पाण्डवाश्चैव

  • kimakurvata — What did they do?

    • kim — what
      When used interrogatively, kim means "who", "what", or "which", depending on context.

      किम

    • akurvata — did they do?

      कुर्वत
    किमकुर्वत

  • sañjaya — Sanjaya
    Advisor to the king Dhritarashtra, who is being posed a question in this verse.

    सञ्जय

Similar verses

Chapter 1, Verse 1