TEXT 6
na caitad vidmah kataran no gariyo
yad va jayema yadi va no jayeyuh
yan eva hatva na jijivisamas
te 'vasthitah pramukhe dhartarastrah
yad va jayema yadi va no jayeyuh
yan eva hatva na jijivisamas
te 'vasthitah pramukhe dhartarastrah
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.
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