 |
 |
|
|
|
|
Chapter 2. Contents of the Gita Summarized TEXT 6 na caitad vidmah kataran no gariyo
SYNONYMS  na--nor;
ca--also;
etat--this; vidmah--do know; katarat--which;
nah--us;
gariyah--better; yat--what; va--either;
jayema--conquer
us; yadi--if; va--or; nah--us;
jayeyuh--conquer;
yan--those; eva--certainly; hatva--by killing; na--never;
jijivisamah--want to live; te--all of them; avasthitah--are
situated; pramukhe--in the front;
dhartarastrah--the sons
of Dhrtarastra.
TRANSLATION Nor do we
know which is better--conquering them or being conquered by them. The sons
of Dhrtarastra, whom if we kill we should not care to live, are now standing
before us on this battlefield.
PURPORT Arjuna did not
know whether he should fight and risk unnecessary violence, although fighting
is the duty of the ksatriyas, 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 Dhrtarastra 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 he was not only a great devotee of the Lord but
that 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
Sri Krsna (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.
|
