The Yoga of Arjuna's Dejection

Dhritarashtra asked: O Sanjaya, what did my sons and the sons of Pandu do when they…

Sanjaya said: Seeing the army of the Pandavas arrayed in military formation, King…

O teacher, behold this mighty army of the sons of Pandu, arranged in battle formation by…

Here in this army are many heroic warriors and mighty archers equal in battle to Bhima…

There are also Dhrishtaketu, Chekitana, the valiant king of Kashi, Purujit, Kuntibhoja,…

Yudhamanyu the brave, Uttamaujas the valiant, the son of Subhadra, and the sons of…

O best of brahmins, know also the distinguished leaders of our army

There are yourself, Bhishma, Karna, the ever-victorious Kripa, Ashvatthama, Vikarna, and…

And there are many other heroes who are prepared to lay down their lives for my sake

Our strength, protected by Bhishma, is unlimited, while their strength, protected by…

Therefore, all of you, stationed at your respective positions in the military formation,…

Then Bhishma, the grand old patriarch of the Kuru dynasty, roared like a lion and blew…

Then suddenly, conches, kettledrums, trumpets, drums, and horns all blared forth, and the…

Then, seated in a magnificent chariot yoked with white horses, Madhava (Krishna) and the…

Hrishikesha (Krishna) blew His conch called Panchajanya; Dhananjaya (Arjuna) blew his…

King Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti, blew his conch Anantavijaya; Nakula and Sahadeva…

The king of Kashi, an excellent archer, Shikhandi the great warrior, Dhrishtadyumna,…

Drupada, the sons of Draupadi, and the mighty-armed son of Subhadra (Abhimanyu) — all…

That tumultuous sound, reverberating through the sky and the earth, shattered the hearts…

Then, seeing Dhritarashtra's sons standing ready and the clash of weapons about to begin,…

Arjuna said: O infallible one, please draw my chariot between the two armies so that I…

Let me see those who have come here to fight, wishing to please the evil-minded son of…

Let me see those who have assembled here to fight, wishing to please the evil-minded son…

Sanjaya said: O descendant of Bharata, having thus been addressed by Arjuna, Lord Krishna…

In the presence of Bhishma, Drona, and all the rulers of the earth, Krishna said: O…

There Arjuna saw standing in both armies — fathers, grandfathers, teachers, maternal…

He also saw fathers-in-law and well-wishers in both armies

Overcome by great compassion, Arjuna spoke in sorrow: O Krishna, seeing my own kinsmen…

My whole body trembles, my hair stands on end, my bow Gandiva slips from my hand, and my…

I am unable to stand any longer, my mind seems to whirl, and I see adverse omens, O…

I do not see how any good can come from killing my own kinsmen in this battle

O Govinda, of what use is a kingdom to us, or enjoyments, or even life itself

Teachers, fathers, sons, grandfathers, maternal uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons,…

O slayer of Madhu, I do not wish to kill them, even if they were to kill me — not even…

O Janardana, what pleasure could we derive from killing the sons of Dhritarashtra

Sin alone would be ours if we were to slay these aggressors

Even if these people, their minds overcome by greed, do not see the wrong in destroying…

Why should we, who can clearly see the crime in destroying families, not turn away from…

With the destruction of the family, the eternal family traditions are destroyed

O Krishna, when unrighteousness prevails, the women of the family become corrupted

Such social disorder brings hell to both the destroyers of the family and the family…

By the misdeeds of those who destroy families, creating social disorder, the eternal…

O Janardana, we have heard that those whose family traditions are destroyed dwell in hell…

Alas, what a great sin we have resolved to commit — driven by greed for royal pleasures,…

It would be far better for me if the sons of Dhritarashtra, weapons in hand, were to kill…

Sanjaya said: Having spoken thus on the battlefield, Arjuna cast aside his bow and arrows…

Thus ends the first chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, entitled 'The Yoga of Arjuna's…