I have no desire left for victory, O Krishna! No desire for kingdom or for material comfort! Of what use are victory, kingdom and happiness? I could have valued them if I could make these, my fellow-beings, happy! But today, I see those very beloved souls confronting me on the battlefield. They are ready to lay down their lives in the bid to kill me. They have come , already having forsaken their wealth and life. Among them I see my teachers, elders, their sons, my grandfathers, uncles, the relatives of the ladies of our family, the brothers of our ladies and all such as are related to us by ties of blood. I do not have the heart to kill them even when they are here to kill me. I shun the kingdom of earth and heaven if the way to that kingdom passes over the blood of these people.
What happiness are we going to see by killing Kauravas? The burden of the sin we are going to incur by killing these stubborn, ill-willed creatures will be heavier than the satisfaction of winning the war.
The Kauravas are without conscience; I know they are completely blinded by avarice. They have brought us to this impasse by their ruthless, unwise deliberations , driven by greed, and unjust aspiration for power. Do they not see that this war is going to lead to a total destruction of the dynasty? Do they not see that it's an unforgivable sin to be treacherous to your family? They neither see , nor do they want to see. But we still abide by the love of family, and when we see the annihilation that will be brought forth by this war, should we not stay away from it?
I shall lay down my weapons. Let the armed warriors: Duryodhan and his brothers: hurl their missiles at me. I do not mind getting killed.
Having expressed his grief thus, Arjun got off his chariot; dropped his bow and the sack of arrows, and sat down on the ground, near his chariot. He was deeply distressed.
This marks the end of the chapter called 'Vishada Yoga'.(Vishada means the pain and agony that is experienced after consuming a slow poison )
copyright:(Sushama Karnik, Retd HOD English, Patkar College, Mumbai)
Translated from Sanskrit by Sushama Karnik
What happiness are we going to see by killing Kauravas? The burden of the sin we are going to incur by killing these stubborn, ill-willed creatures will be heavier than the satisfaction of winning the war.
The Kauravas are without conscience; I know they are completely blinded by avarice. They have brought us to this impasse by their ruthless, unwise deliberations , driven by greed, and unjust aspiration for power. Do they not see that this war is going to lead to a total destruction of the dynasty? Do they not see that it's an unforgivable sin to be treacherous to your family? They neither see , nor do they want to see. But we still abide by the love of family, and when we see the annihilation that will be brought forth by this war, should we not stay away from it?
I shall lay down my weapons. Let the armed warriors: Duryodhan and his brothers: hurl their missiles at me. I do not mind getting killed.
Having expressed his grief thus, Arjun got off his chariot; dropped his bow and the sack of arrows, and sat down on the ground, near his chariot. He was deeply distressed.
This marks the end of the chapter called 'Vishada Yoga'.(Vishada means the pain and agony that is experienced after consuming a slow poison )
copyright:(Sushama Karnik, Retd HOD English, Patkar College, Mumbai)
Translated from Sanskrit by Sushama Karnik
Mulțumesc, Sushama!
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