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Posted by Our Heritage Revisited on Wednesday, 26 August 2015

Wednesday 5 August 2015

Reading what is in the Bhagvad Gita : Chapter I, Vishad Yog


My book is in the nature of a primer, an introduction to our amazing ancient Hindu scriptures, covering a span of about 2000 years in just 66 pages.  Of necessity, therefore, the book had to restrict information on the individual texts to the barest minimum. I thought, through this blog, I would elaborate some more on the basic information of our books.

I start with the Bhagvad Gita. It is the dialogue between Arjun and Krishna in a situation where the warrior Arjun throws down his arms, dejected at the thought of the ensuing war with his relatives and respected elders on the other side. The book, in Sanskrit verses, has eighteen adhyayas or chapters.

The first adhyaya is called ‘Vishad Yog” (विषाद योग). Vishad here means despondency. It starts with the blind King Dhitrarashtra asking his charioteer and advisor, Sanjay (who has been given divine vision and hearing) to narrate what is happening in the far-away battlefield of Kurushetra. The entire Bhagvad Gita is Sanjay’s narration before the start of the war.

The Kaurav prince Duryodhan, the eldest of the hundred sons of Dhitrarashtra, accompanied by Dronacharya, the guru or teacher of the princes of both sides, surveys the army of his opponents - the Pandavs (his cousins).  It is a mighty army with several brave and strong warriors led by Arjun, the third son and an archer par excellence, accompanied by the second son, the mighty Bheem. Duryodhan  is confident of victory when he compares them with the might and valour of his own army, which includes the patriarch Bhishma. There is a fearsome sound as the leaders of all the armies blow their conch shells before the start of the war.

Arjun requests his charioteer Krishna, the eighth incarnation of God Vishnu, to drive to the middle of the battlefield so he too can take stock. He is dismayed on seeing all his near and dear on the other side – his guru, his respected elders, close relatives and even dear youngsters, his in-laws, friends and others close to his heart. And so starts his dismay, confusion, worry, apprehension and anxiety – how can he possibly fight against them and kill them – his own family?

He tells Krishna, that not for the three worlds would he embark on a journey that can only be considered sinful, and here at stake is only a part of the earth. Such a course would doom his entire kin. The other side had not thought of the unpardonable crimes that would be committed by this war, but that could be no reason for they themselves not to see this.


His weapons fall to the ground and Arjun is ready to give up.

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