Arjuna's Dilemma

Shloka: BG 1.1

Dhritarashtra said, "What did my people and the sons of Pandu do when they had assembled together, eager for battle, on ...

Shloka: BG 1.2

Sanjaya said: Having seen the army of the Pandavas drawn up in battle array, King Duryodhana approached his teacher, Dro...

Shloka: BG 1.3

Behold, O Teacher! This mighty army of the sons of Pandu, arrayed by the son of Drupada, thy wise disciple.

Shloka: BG 1.4

Here are heroes, mighty archers, equal in battle to Bhima and Arjuna, Yuyudhana (Satyaki), Virata, and Drupada—all might...

Shloka: BG 1.5

Dhrishtaketu, Chekitana, the valiant king of Kasi, Purujit, Kuntibhoja, and Saibya—the best of men.

Shloka: BG 1.6

The strong Yudhamanyu and the brave Uttamaujas, the son of Subhadra (Abhimanyu, the son of Subhadra and Arjuna), and the...

Shloka: BG 1.7

Know also, O best among the twice-born! the names of those who are the most distinguished amongst ourselves, the leaders...

Shloka: BG 1.8

"Thou thyself, Bhishma, Karna, Kripa, the victorious in war, Asvatthama, Vikarna, and Bhurisrava, the son of Somadatta—a...

Shloka: BG 1.9

And also many other heroes, ready to give up their lives for my sake, armed with various weapons and missiles, all well-...

Shloka: BG 1.10

Our army, marshalled by Bhishma, is insufficient, whereas theirs, marshalled by Bhima, is sufficient.

Shloka: BG 1.11

Therefore, do all of you, stationed in your respective positions in the several divisions of the army, protect Bhishma a...

Shloka: BG 1.12

His glorious grandsire, the oldest of the Kauravas, roared like a lion to cheer Duryodhana and blew his conch.

Shloka: BG 1.13

Then, suddenly, conches, kettledrums, tabors, drums, and cow horns blared forth from the Kaurava side, and the sound was...

Shloka: BG 1.14

Then, Madhava (Krishna) and the son of Pandu (Arjuna), seated in the magnificent chariot yoked with white horses, blew d...

Shloka: BG 1.15

Hrishikesha blew the Panchajanya, Arjuna blew the Devadatta, and Bhima, the wolf-bellied doer of terrible deeds, blew th...

Shloka: BG 1.16

King Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti, blew the Anantavijaya; Nakula and Sahadeva blew the Sughosha and the Manipushpaka.

Shloka: BG 1.17

The king of Kasi, an excellent archer, Sikhandi, the mighty car-warrior, Dhrishtadyumna, Virata, and Satyaki, the unconq...

Shloka: BG 1.18

Drupada and the sons of Draupadi, O Lord of the Earth, and the son of Subhadra, the mighty-armed, blew their conches eac...

Shloka: BG 1.19

The tumultuous sound rent the hearts of Dhritarashtra's party, reverberating through both heaven and earth.

Shloka: BG 1.20

Then, seeing the people of Dhritarashtra's party standing arrayed and the discharge of weapons about to begin, Arjuna, t...

Shloka: BG 1.21

Arjuna said, "O Krishna, place my chariot in the middle between the two armies, so that I may behold those who stand her...

Shloka: BG 1.22

Arjuna said, "O Krishna, place my chariot in the middle between the two armies, so that I may behold those who stand her...

Shloka: BG 1.23

For I desire to observe those who are assembled here to fight, wishing to please in battle the evil-minded Duryodhana—th...

Shloka: BG 1.24

Sanjaya said, Thus addressed by Arjuna, Krishna stationed the best of chariots, O Dhritarashtra, in the midst of the two...

Shloka: BG 1.25

In front of Bhishma and Drona, and all the rulers of the earth, he said: "O Arjuna, son of Pritha, behold these Kurus ga...

Shloka: BG 1.26

Then, Arjuna (son of Pritha) saw there (in the armies) stationed fathers, grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles, broth...

Shloka: BG 1.27

He saw fathers-in-law and friends in both the armies. The son of Kunti, Arjuna, seeing all those kinsmen thus standing a...

Shloka: BG 1.28

Arjuna said, "O Krishna, seeing my kinsmen arrayed here, eager to fight,

Shloka: BG 1.29

My limbs fail, my mouth is parched, my body quivers, and my hair stands on end.

Shloka: BG 1.30

The Gandiva slips from my hand, and my skin burns all over; I am unable to stand, and my mind is reeling, as it were.

Shloka: BG 1.31

And I see ill omens, O Kesava. I do not see any good in slaying my kinsmen in battle.

Shloka: BG 1.32

I desire not victory, O Krishna, nor kingdom, nor pleasures. What use is dominion to us, O Krishna, or pleasures or even...

Shloka: BG 1.33

Those for whose sake we desire kingdom, enjoyments, and pleasures stand here in battle, having renounced life and wealth...

Shloka: BG 1.34

Teachers, fathers, sons, and grandfathers, maternal uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons, brothers-in-law, and other relati...

Shloka: BG 1.35

These I do not wish to kill, O Krishna, even though they kill me, for the sake of dominion over the three worlds; leave ...

Shloka: BG 1.36

By killing these sons of Dhritarashtra, what pleasure could be ours, O Janardana? Only sin would accrue to us from killi...

Shloka: BG 1.37

Therefore, we should not kill the sons of Dhritarashtra, our relatives; for how can we be happy by killing our own kin, ...

Shloka: BG 1.38

Though they, with intelligence overpowered by greed, see no evil in the destruction of families and no sin in hostility ...

Shloka: BG 1.39

Why should we not, who clearly see the evil in the destruction of families, learn to turn away from this sin, O Janardan...

Shloka: BG 1.40

In the destruction of a family, the immemorial religious rites of that family perish; on the destruction of spirituality...

Shloka: BG 1.41

O Krishna, by the prevalence of impiety, the women of the family become corrupt; and, when women are corrupted, O Varshe...

Shloka: BG 1.42

Confusion of castes leads to hell for the slayers of the family, for their forebears fall, deprived of the offerings of ...

Shloka: BG 1.43

By these evil deeds of the destroyers of the family, which cause confusion of castes, the eternal religious rites of the...

Shloka: BG 1.44

We have heard, O Janardana, that those men in whose families the religious practices have been destroyed are inevitably ...

Shloka: BG 1.45

Alas! We are involved in a great sin, for we are prepared to kill our kinsmen, out of greed for the pleasures of a kingd...

Shloka: BG 1.46

If the sons of Dhritarashtra, with weapons in hand, should slay me in battle, unresisting and unarmed, that would be bet...

Shloka: BG 1.47

Sanjaya said, Having thus spoken in the midst of the battlefield, Arjuna cast away his bow and arrow and, his mind overw...