Bhagavad Gita 2.6न चैतद्विद्मः कतरन्नो गरीयो यद्वा जयेम यदि वा नो जयेयुः।यानेव हत्वा न जिजीविषाम स्तेऽवस्थिताः प्रमुखे धार्तराष्ट्राः ॥
na chaitadvidmaḥ kataranno garīyo yadvā jayema yadi vā no jayeyuḥ
yāneva hatvā na jijīviṣhāmas te ’vasthitāḥ pramukhe dhārtarāṣhṭrāḥ
Sanskrit recitation
Krishna turns to face him · 2.1–2.10 · Scene
Translation
I can hardly tell which would be better, that we should conquer them or that they should conquer us. Even the sons of Dhritarashtra, whom we do not wish to slay, stand facing us.
Hindi translation
हम यह भी नहीं जानते कि हमलोगोंके लिये युद्ध करना और न करना - इन दोनोंमेंसे कौन-सा अत्यन्त श्रेष्ठ है; और हमें इसका भी पता नहीं है कि हम उन्हें जीतेंगे अथवा वे हमें जीतेंगे। जिनको मारकर हम जीना भी नहीं चाहते, वे ही धृतराष्ट्रके सम्बन्धी हमारे सामने खड़े हैं।
Meaning
Arjuna did not know whether he should fight and risk unnecessary violence, although fighting is the duty of the kṣatriyas, or whether he should refrain and live by begging. If he did not conquer the enemy, begging would be his only means of subsistence. Nor was there certainty of victory, because either side might emerge victorious. Even if victory awaited them (and their cause was justified), still, if the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra died in battle, it would be very difficult to live in their absence. Under the circumstances, that would be another kind of defeat for them. All these considerations by Arjuna definitely proved that not only was he a great devotee of the Lord but he was also highly enlightened and had complete control over his mind and senses. His desire to live by begging, although he was born in the royal household, is another sign of detachment. He was truly virtuous, as these qualities, combined with his faith in the words of instruction of Śrī Kṛṣṇa (his spiritual master), indicate. It is concluded that Arjuna was quite fit for liberation. Unless the senses are controlled, there is no chance of elevation to the platform of knowledge, and without knowledge and devotion there is no chance of liberation. Arjuna was competent in all these attributes, over and above his enormous attributes in his material relationships.
After A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Krishna turns to face him· 2.1–2.10→
Teachers usually read this idea across several verses together, one shared reflection covers the whole unit.
- 2.1Sanjaya said: To him, who was thus overcome with pity, despondent, with eyes full of tears…
- 2.2The Blessed Lord said, "From whence has this perilous strait come upon you, this dejection…
- 2.3Do not yield to impotence, O Arjuna, son of Pritha. It does not befit you. Cast off this…
- 2.4Arjuna said, "O Madhusudana, how can I fight in battle with arrows against Bhishma and…
- 2.5Better it is, indeed, in this world to accept alms than to slay the most noble teachers.…
2.6I can hardly tell which would be better, that we should conquer them or that they should…
- 2.7My heart is overpowered by the taint of pity; my mind is confused as to my duty. I ask…
- 2.8I do not see that this sorrow that burns up my senses would be removed, even if I were to…
- 2.9Sanjaya said: Having spoken thus to Hrishikesha, the Lord of the senses, Arjuna, the…
- 2.10To him who was despondent in the midst of the two armies, Krishna, smiling, O Bharata,…
Word-by-word→
- na
- not
- te
- they
- cha
- and
- eva
- certainly
- vā
- or
- etat
- this
- yadi
- if
- yān
- whom
- naḥ
- us
- hatvā
- after killing
- jayema
- we may conquer
- katarat
- which
- yat vā
- whether
- pramukhe
- before us
- vidmaḥ
- we know
- jayeyuḥ
- they may conquer
- garīyaḥ
- is preferable
- avasthitāḥ
- are standing
- jijīviṣhāmaḥ
- we desire to live
- dhārtarāṣhṭrāḥ
- the sons of Dhritarashtra
Read this when you feel
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