Gita 01.26 – The Brutality Of The Imminent Fratricide Sinks In

 

Audio Link 2:  https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-01-26-the-brutality-of-the-imminent-fratricide-sinks-in/

 

tatrāpaśyat sthitān pārthaḥ

pitṝn atha pitāmahān

ācāryān mātulān bhrātṝn

putrān pautrān sakhīṁs tathā

śvaśurān suhṛdaś caiva

senayor ubhayor api 

 

Word-for-word:

tatra — there; apaśyat — he could see; sthitān — standing; pārthaḥ — Arjuna; pitṝn — fathers; atha — also; pitāmahān — grandfathers; ācāryān — teachers; mātulān — maternal uncles; bhrātṝn — brothers; putrān — sons; pautrān — grandsons; sakhīn — friends; tathā — too; śvaśurān — fathers-in-law; suhṛdaḥ — well-wishers; ca — also; eva — certainly; senayoḥ — of the armies; ubhayoḥ — of both parties; api — including.

 

Translation:

There Arjuna could see, within the midst of the armies of both parties, his fathers, grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, friends, and also his fathers-in-law and well-wishers.

 

Explanation:

Kṛṣṇa has brought Arjuna’s chariot between the two armies and asked Arjuna to ‘see,’ as stated in the previous verse (pārtha paśyaitān). Now, as Arjuna looks (tatrāpaśyat), what does he see? He sees a wide array of relatives from various generations. This vision irreversibly and undeniably drives home the heart-wrenching reality that this is, indeed, a brutal fratricidal war, in which many relatives from different generations will fight against one another.

 

Pitṝn atha pitāmahān: The word ‘pitāmahān’ normally refers to Bhīṣma—it can also refer to Bhīṣma here, but Bhīṣma has already been mentioned in the previous verse (bhīṣma-droṇa-pramukhataḥ). While it can refer to Bhīṣma, it may also refer to Somadatta.

 

There were actually three generations elder to Arjuna who were fighting. First, there was Bāhlika, his son Somadatta, and Somadatta’s son Bhūriśravā. Bhūriśravā belonged to the generation of Arjuna’s father. Bāhlika was the elder brother of Śāntanu, and although he was the crown prince, he decided to devote his life to expanding the Kuru kingdom by conquering Balkh, which is located in modern-day Afghanistan. He was so caught up in that campaign that he felt he would be unable to fulfill the royal responsibility of administering the entire kingdom, and that is why Śāntanu became king.

 

In one sense, Bāhlika was actually older than the ‘Pitāmaha’ as well. While Bhīṣma is referred to as ‘Pitāmaha’ (grandfather) since he is the son of Śāntanu, Bāhlika was Śāntanu’s elder brother and Bhīṣma’s uncle, making him a generation older than even Bhīṣma. So, we could say he was not just a grandfather but a great-grandfather. Therefore, they are generically referred to as ‘Pitāmaha’ in this context. In Bhīṣma’s generation, there was also Bāhlika’s son, Somadatta, who is also considered in the category of ‘Pitāmaha.’ Both father and son, Bāhlika and Somadatta, are referred to as ‘Pitāmaha.’

 

As for ‘pitṝn,’ in this context, it does not refer directly to any living father. Arjuna’s father, Pāṇḍu, had long passed away, and the Kauravas’ father, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, was blind and not part of the battle. So, ‘pitṝn’ refers to those from the father’s generation. In this category comes Bhūriśravā, the son of Somadatta and the grandson of Bāhlika. He is one of the commanders in the Kaurava army, leading one of the eleven akṣauhiṇīs.

 

Actually, Bāhlika was killed by Bhīma, while Somadatta and Bhūriśravā were killed by Sātyaki. Somadatta was slain by Sātyaki in one-to-one combat. Bhūriśravā, on the other hand, was attacking and trying to kill an unarmed, wounded, fallen, and unconscious Sātyaki when Arjuna severed his arm with an arrow. Afterward, while Bhūriśravā went into a mystic trance, Sātyaki regained consciousness and killed him. Thus, the way Bhūriśravā tried to kill Sātyaki while he was unarmed and unconscious is the same way he ended up being killed by Sātyaki.

 

Ācāryān mātulān bhrātṝn: Here, ‘ācāryān’ can refer to Droṇa but may also refer to Kṛpa. Since Droṇa has already been mentioned previously, the emphasis here is on Kṛpa, who was also a teacher. Both of them taught the Pāṇḍavas, although Droṇa was the most prominent teacher, while Kṛpa served more as an assistant teacher.

 

The word ‘mātulān’ refers to maternal uncles. There were two such uncles on the Kaurava side: one was directly related to the Pāṇḍavas, while the other was indirectly related through the Kauravas. Śalya had initially intended to join the Pāṇḍavas, but Duryodhana tricked him by offering such generous hospitality that Śalya was greatly pleased and vowed to give his life to whoever had extended it. Duryodhana then revealed himself and said that he was the one who had arranged the hospitality. He requested Śalya to fight on his behalf. Although Śalya realized he had been deceived, he was bound by his word and felt obligated to honor his vow. Śalya was the brother of Mādrī, who was the stepmother of Arjuna and the mother of Nakula and Sahadeva. Therefore, as Mādrī’s brother, Śalya was like a maternal uncle to Arjuna.

 

Similarly, on the other side, Gandhārī was like a mother-like figure for Arjuna. She was of a generation comparable to that of a mother, and her brother was Śakuni. Hence, ‘mātulān’ refers to Śakuni in this context.

 

The term ‘bhrātṝn,’ meaning brothers, refers to all the hundred Kauravas and the five Pāṇḍavas. Thus, Arjuna can see that the brothers are about to fight.

 

Putrān pautrān sakhīṁs tathā: On the Kaurava side, Duryodhana had married and had a son, Lakṣmaṇa. By that time, Lakṣmaṇa had also married and had sons (‘putrān pautrān’). The term ‘sakhīṁs’ refers to friends. There are two similar terms here: ‘sakhīṁs’ and in the next line ‘suhṛdaś.’ ‘Sakhīṁs’ are those who were not exactly close friends but contemporaries. Intimacy of friendship is conveyed by ‘suhṛdaś,’ referring to those who were true well-wishers. ‘Sakhīṁs’ included individuals like Jayadratha and Aśvatthāmā, who were Arjuna’s contemporaries in both age and education, having been educated together in Droṇa’s gurukula and having formed some nominal level of friendship.

 

Śvaśurān: Refers to fathers-in-law, similar to ‘sasur’ in Hindi. This term refers to Drupada. Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa emphasizes the last line, ‘senayor ubhayor api,’ indicating that Arjuna is not only observing the people on the opposite side but also those on his own side. Arjuna’s primary concern is not just assessing the strength of his opponents, which he has already done, but also understanding the reality of the brutal war that is about to unfold.

 

On his side, Arjuna sees his father-in-law, Drupada. Subhadrā’s father, Vasudeva, did not participate in the battle because the Yādavas decided to remain neutral, following Balarāma’s stance. Draupadī’s father, Drupada, is present. Additionally, there is Virāṭa. Virāṭa is not exactly Arjuna’s father-in-law but is the father-in-law of his son, Abhimanyu. Abhimanyu was married to Uttarā, whose father was Virāṭa. Hence, there is a relationship, though not exactly in the same manner.

 

Suhṛdaś caiva means well-wishers. This refers to Kṛtavarmā. Kṛtavarmā and Arjuna were close friends. Kṛtavarmā was a Yādava commander, specifically the commander of the Yādava army. When the Yādava army was given to the Kauravas by Kṛṣṇa, Duryodhana requested Kṛtavarmā to join his side. Although Kṛtavarmā knew that the Pāṇḍavas’ cause was virtuous, he had to fight on the Kaurava side because, as a commander, he was obligated to follow Duryodhana’s request and his army had been handed over to the Kauravas. Despite this, Kṛtavarmā was a well-wisher who did not wish any harm to the Pāṇḍavas.

 

Thus, Arjuna sees all of them.

 

This scene illustrates the brutal reality of the war, where relatives from many generations are set to fight each other. This harsh reality will sink into Arjuna, overwhelming him emotionally, and his turmoil will be depicted in the subsequent verses.

 

Thank you.