Chapter 1 Shlokas 34, 35

आचार्या: पितर: पुत्रास्तथैव च पितामहा:।

मातुला: श्वशुरा: पौत्रा: श्याला: सम्बन्धिनस्तथा।।३४।।

एतान्न हन्तुमिच्छामि घ्नतोऽपि मधुसूदन।

अपि त्रैलोक्यराज्यस्य हेतो: किं नु महीकृते।।३५।।

Arjuna says: These people standing before us are our:

Preceptors, cousins, grandfathers, uncles, fathers-in-law, grand-children, brothers-in-law and other relations. I would not kill them for the suzerainty of all the three spheres – let alone merely for the acquisition of this land, O Madhusudan, even if I am killed in the bargain.

Chapter 1 Shlokas 34, 35

आचार्या: पितर: पुत्रास्तथैव च पितामहा:।

मातुला: श्वशुरा: पौत्रा: श्याला: सम्बन्धिनस्तथा।।३४।।

एतान्न हन्तुमिच्छामि घ्नतोऽपि मधुसूदन।

अपि त्रैलोक्यराज्यस्य हेतो: किं नु महीकृते।।३५।।

Arjuna says: These people standing before us are our:

Preceptors, cousins, grandfathers, uncles, fathers-in-law, grand-children, brothers-in-law and other relations. I would not kill them for the suzerainty of all the three spheres – let alone merely for the acquisition of this land, O Madhusudan, even if I am killed in the bargain.

Arjuna again talks of his relations:

1. How can I kill them?

2. I cannot hurt them even if I meet my death at their hands.

3. I cannot kill them even for sovereignty over the three worlds.

Arjuna was right from his point of view. He was stating a noble and righteous sentiment. Little one, understand this carefully: Arjuna was not merely stating the names of his relations. He was reiterating his relationship with them and consequently recollecting his duties towards them. He was not condemning them for supporting Duryodhana, but merely doubting where his own duty lay. He was not criticising, defaming or degrading anyone. He did not mean to show any disrespect to anyone.

Duryodhana on the other hand, recollected every one by name and did not recognise any relationship, elder or younger. He was merely using each one to satiate his own lust for power and was blinded by his greed, jealousy and desire.

Arjuna’s Dilemma

1. Arjuna did not want to kill his Guru, his illustrious grandfather, his brothers, their sons and grandsons and other kith and kin.

2. He was not prepared to destroy innumerable homes to gain pleasure for himself.

3. He was against taking the life of his elders to gain what was rightfully his.

4. He was ready to annihilate himself rather than kill others.

But remember little one, Arjuna had fought many battles before without any such considerations. His dilemma arose upon seeing his own kith and kin in the enemy lines.

Arjuna calls Lord Krishna ‘Madhusudan’

Madhu means pleasant, intoxicating, one that evokes desire and attachment. If desire for the pleasurable increases, one’s sense of duty and of dharma declines. Sudan means ‘the destroyer’.

Madhusudan

Lord Krishna Himself descends upon earth as ‘Madhu’ and attracts the jiva to Himself. Then the jiva renounces attachment to the gross and journeys on the path of Truth. He disregards the pleasures of the world and adheres to dharma. The Lord Himself has transcended all worldly attractions and conquered all pleasurable desires. Thus He is Madhusudan.

By calling the Lord ‘Madhusudan’ Arjuna sought the Lord’s support: “You too are not drawn to the pleasurable! I am merely saying that I shall not fight this war for gaining a kingdom or its pleasures. Nor do I seek mastery over the three realms – Brahmloka, the world of the mind or the nether world.”

This is the state of a sadhak established in sattva and one who is attached to the attribute of sattva, when he:

a) finds himself unable to act contrary to his established concepts and basic beliefs;

b) is attached to his own intellect;

c) begins to become attached to his own image of godliness.

Then such a one finds it extremely difficult to renounce his attributes and would rather die than forgo those qualities which he has hitherto upheld and practised.

He who is attached to the attribute of sattva, is indeed veiled by it. It becomes a veritable fetter. He may be noble and of saintly qualities, but he begins to take pride in those attributes and nurtures his ego. He takes credit for those traits and thus becomes bound by them instead of transcending them.

Where is the lacuna?

Such a one has not yet risen above his body sense, sense of doership, and pride in his individualism.

Arjuna thus:

a) tried to escape from the war;

b) took shelter under his attachment to the quality of sattva which was predominant in him in order to escape from his duty;

c) began to think that it was against the principles of dharma to fight this war.

He therefore took the support of his feelings, of his bhavana, to justify his decision and to absolve himself of any blame. He thus sought to prove himself to be just and to demonstrate even his wrong knowledge to be in keeping with dharma. He also tried to justify his moha or emotional attachments in this manner.

This is the work of bhavana. It changes the meanings of knowledge in order to cloak imagination with the garb of reality. Arjuna too is attempting to justify his attachment to his ‘goodness’ through the tenets of spiritual or scriptural knowledge.

Little one, mark the irony! Before him stood Lord Krishna Himself – the Embodiment of knowledge – Love Itself, luminous Spirituality in physical form – He who was Pure Atma manifest, stood before Arjuna. Even then, Arjuna could not understand the essence of this Being due to his attachment with his own attribute of sattva. He actually began to prove himself right to the One who was Dharma Himself and tried to show Him the path of knowledge!

Had Arjuna actually believed himself to be right, he would not have shown any mental or physical signs of nervousness. He would not have been so overwrought or anxious, nor would the Gandiva have slipped from his hands. It was his moha which had confused him and now constituted the knowledge which guided his attitudes. It provided him with a false sense of confidence on the one hand and filled him with doubts and aberrations on the other.

Arjuna’s plight often befalls many a seeker. Such seekers tend to escape from normal behaviour and don new modes of unnatural action due to their ‘moha’ or blind attachment to themselves.