Chapter 2 Shloka 6

न चैतद् विद्म: कतरन्नो गरीयो यद् वा जयेम यदि वा नो जयेयु:।

यानेव हत्वा न जिजीविषामस्तेऽवस्थिता: प्रमुखे धार्तराष्ट्रा:।।६।।

Arjuna continues:

We do not even know as to what is the proper course of action – to fight or not to fight; whether we will win or be vanquished by the Kauravas. The sons of Dhritrashtra stand opposite us – after killing whom, we would not even wish to live!

Chapter 2 Shloka 6

न चैतद् विद्म: कतरन्नो गरीयो यद् वा जयेम यदि वा नो जयेयु:।

यानेव हत्वा न जिजीविषामस्तेऽवस्थिता: प्रमुखे धार्तराष्ट्रा:।।६।।

Arjuna continues:

We do not even know as to what is the proper course of action – to fight or not to fight; whether we will win or be vanquished by the Kauravas. The sons of Dhritrashtra stand opposite us – after killing whom, we would not even wish to live!

Now Arjuna is in a dilemma. He wants to take the correct line of action but does not know whether fighting against his kin is conducive to dharma or against it.

1. Which is the path of shreya and the path of preya?

2. Which is the right path, the path of Truth, and which is the erroneous path?

3. Which is the path of dharma and which is the path opposed to dharma?

4. Which is the path of duty and which is the path opposed to it?

In actual fact Arjuna knows the answer:

a) Arjuna had come to battle after full preparation.

b) He knew he would be fighting against the Kauravas.

c) He knew that Drona and Bhishma were in the opposite camp.

Yet, when he asked Krishna to place the chariot between the two forces, he became troubled and said, “My limbs are trembling, my mouth is parched, my weapons are falling from my hands, my skin is burning and I can hardly stand.”

How could he fight in such a state? Now he was all out to find a reason to escape from the situation.

It did not behove a Kshatriya warrior to leave the battlefield without fighting, and Arjuna considered himself to be a great warrior and a man of wisdom. He had to thus use credible arguments to prove his present decision to be conducive to dharma.

Let us recapitulate what Arjuna had said. In earlier shlokas Arjuna had conceded that:

a) Duryodhana is of an evil intellect and tyrannical; (Chp.1, shloka 26)

b) The opposing forces are covetous and do not consider the consequences of the destruction of the family; (Chp.1, shloka 36)

c) They do not see the sin incurred in rising in revolt against their friends and kindred; (Chp.1, shloka 38)

d) They do not consider that age old traditions and values are at stake when the family is destroyed; (Chp.1, shloka 38)

e) With the destruction of the ancient dharma the whole clan is encompassed in adharma; (Chp.1, shloka 40)

f) The ascendency of adharma causes the women of the family to be sullied and illegitimate offspring to be born; (Chp.1, shloka 41)

g) The birth of such destructive offspring leads to a decline in family traditions and the destruction of a whole culture; (Chp.1, shloka 43)

h) Such people, whose family traditions have thus perished, abide in hell. (Chp.1, shloka 44)

Yet, despite a firm conviction of the Kaurava’s evil influences, Arjuna’s anxiety causes him to argue:

a) Of what avail are the pleasures of such a kingdom? We do not seek victory – we do not even seek to live! (Chp.1, shloka 32)

b) The very people for whom we seek the pleasures of this kingdom, stand before us having renounced their all and prepared to die. (Chp.1, shloka 33)

c) I do not wish for supremacy over the three worlds. (Chp.1, shloka 35)

d) We shall merely incur sin by killing these evil doers. (Chp.1, shloka 36)

e) It does not behove us to kill our own kith and kin- in doing so we shall only reap sorrow, not happiness. (Chp.1, shloka 37)

f) It would be better for my future well being if the Kauravas killed me unarmed! (Chp.1, shloka 46)

When Lord Krishna rebuked Arjuna saying “Do not be a coward!” Arjuna resorted to a new trend of argument. “How can we kill our great Guru and Grandsire? We don’t even know who will win and who will lose. We do not even wish to live having killed Dhritrashtra’s sons!”

Little one, all these arguments are contradictory:

1. If dharma has to be preserved, then that faction of the family which abides in dharma should rule the kingdom;

2. If the sinful and greedy faction rules, the destruction of the community will be inevitable;

3. That Guru or elder who supports adharma is neither revered nor worthy of worship;

4. Those whose hearts are full of greed, become destroyers of their ancient culture.

Arjuna’s fear is revealed in his next argument: “Who knows who will win – the Kauravas or us?” This was the crux of the problem:

a) Fear arose on seeing the enemy ranks.

b) Doubts regarding their own chances of victory assailed him.

c) He had misgivings about their own strength.

d) He began questioning his own intentions and lost courage.

The consequences of moha

When moha arises, such doubts are inevitable.

1. The individual then forgets his very nature and misinterprets knowledge.

2. He misjudges his duty and fails to discern between the noble and the dishonourable path.

3. Truth and falsehood become questionable for him and he cannot distinguish between dharma and adharma.

Thus moha is the root of the individual’s downfall and timely realisation of this can prevent the destruction of the individual.

One must first cleanse one’s own home from sin. The well being of one’s family, community and even one’s country is dependent on this. You owe this duty to yourself and this is your foremost dharma. Indeed, this is true worship of the Lord.

Little one, most sadhaks are wary after hearing this truth because:

a) They seek to escape from their duty.

b) They do not wish to transcend their body or else they would have permitted the body to perform its duty.

c) They fear the personal consequences of a life of yagya.

d) They fear any blemish upon their personal reputation.

e) They seek to establish themselves – not the Lord! That is why they do not rescue the innocent from the tyrant nor protect goodness and virtue.

The Lord takes birth for this very purpose – and this must be every sadhak’s life’s purpose. If even such people do not strive to emulate the Lord’s example, the Name of the Supreme will soon be obliterated from the hearts of all!

It is only when you give living proof of the Lord’s qualities in your life that those qualities will be established in the world and evil will be vanquished. It is only then that familial tradition and the culture of the community will be preserved.

Injunctions for a sadhak

1. A sadhak must relinquish his attachment with ‘I’ and ‘mine’.

2. He must detach himself from all intellectual preconceptions also.

3. He must interpret the Scriptures from the Lord’s point of view.

4. He must not treat the Gita as mere knowledge, but as the Lord’s injunction.

5. True followers of ‘Arisudana’ will destroy the demons of the earth; they will not flee from their duty howsoever unpleasant it may be.

The first chapter of the Gita, and the first six shlokas of the second chapter are extremely important for a sadhak. If we cannot understand Arjuna’s dilemma, we will not be able to understand our present problems, nor the mistakes we make – then how will we be able to comprehend this divine text further?