Pragmatic Gita - Chapter 1 - Summarized, Vancouver, BC

Chapter 1

Arjuna’s Vishada

You can read the complete text of Chapter 1 via the Pragmatic Gita website

The first chapter sets the stage for Shri Krishna to expound the divine knowledge of Bhagavad Gita. We will summarize this chapter and the key lessons contained in it. From chapter 2 onwards, we will review each shloka and explain the practical lessons contained in them.

Vishada is a state of sorrow and despair. It is the state of mind of Arjuna when he was standing in the middle of the battleground known as the kurukshetra. In fact, for most humans, they seek higher spiritual knowledge only when they are in the state of vishada. Thus, Arjuna’s state of mind being the start of Bhagavad Gita is very symbolic for all of humanity.

The great battle mentioned in the Mahabharata happened between the Pandavas and Kauravas almost 5000 years ago. The Pandavas were the five princes whose father was the late king Pandu, while the Kauravas were the 100 princes whose father was the blind king Drtharashtra. The battlefield where the great war of Mahabharata occurred is called Kurukṣetra, and it is also referred to as “dharmakṣetra.” Here, “Dharma” means righteousness and “kṣetra” means the field. So this is the field where the war for righteousness happened. As beautifully quoted by Swami Vivekananda, The Kauravas had the might, but the Pândavas had the right.

Before the war, Lord Shri Krishna gave the choice to both the sides to either choose just Him or choose his vast army. Duryodhana, the eldest prince of the Kauravas was greedy and chose to have Krishna’s vast army, while the Pandavas gracefully and gratefully chose Lord Krishna himself, even though Krishna said that He will only act as a guide and not use any weapons or actively participate in fighting with anyone. The happenings in the battlefield, including the discourse of the Bhagavad Gita by Lord Krishna, is conveyed to the world through a dialogue between King Dhritarashtra and his minister Sanjaya. Dhritarashtra was blind, although he was very eager to know what was happening on the battlefield.

Sanjaya was a disciple of Sage Ved Vyas, the author of the epic Mahabharata and had received the miraculous power of distant vision from him. Therefore, Sanjaya could see and hear everything that was happening on the battleground of Kurukshetra while being seated next to the king in his palace and gave a running commentary to king Dhritarashtra. The first chapter of the Bhagavad gita begins with Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s query to Sanjaya:

धृतराष्ट्र उवाच | धर्मक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सवः | मामकाः पाण्डवाश्चैव किमकुर्वत सञ्जय ||1||

dhṛitarāśhtra uvācha dharma-kṣhetre kuru-kṣhetre samavetā yuyutsavaḥ māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāśhchaiva kimakurvata sañjaya

“O Sañjaya, after they gathered on the holy field of Kurukṣetra, being eager for battle, what did my sons and the Pāṇḍavas do?”

Verses 1.2 - 1.20 provides an introduction to all the great warriors from both, the pândavas as well as the kaurava armies who are assembled in the battlefield and how they were blowing their conch shells and preparing for war. Verses 1.21 - 1.24 describe the scene where Arjuna requests Shri Krishna to take their chariot to the middle of the battleground, in between both armies. It starts with Arjuna saying:

सेनयोरुभयोर्मध्ये रथं स्थापय मेऽच्युत || 21|| यावदेतान्निरीक्षेऽहं योद्धुकामानवस्थितान् | कैर्मया सह योद्धव्यमस्मिन् रणसमुद्यमे || 22||

senayor ubhayor madhye rathaṁ sthāpaya me ’chyuta yāvadetān nirīkṣhe ’haṁ yoddhu-kāmān avasthitān kairmayā saha yoddhavyam asmin raṇa-samudyame

“O infallible one, please draw my chariot between the two armies so that I may see those present here, who desire to fight, and with whom I must fight with in this great battle.”

Verses 1.25 – 1.47 talk about Arjuna’s state of mind being full of sorrow and