Apparently Dhritarashtra is nervous. He knows in the back of his mind that the Pandavas are righteous warriors on the path of Dharma. His heart tells him that his sons are wrong, that they are doing injustice to the Pandavas; however, he could not override the weakness he had for his own sons. He was trapped in the mess created by "mine" and "thine." Hence he was restless and impatient to know what transpired on the battlefield.

Also, Dhritarashtra was hoping against hope that this war, which he was sure his sons would lose, might be stopped due to some miracle at the eleventh hour. He was banking upon Kurukshetra being a holy place, Dharma-Kshetra, where many saints and Yogis had practiced their penance. Those holy men had left behind their righteous vibrations. Dhritarashtra hoped that Yudhishthira (one who maintains equipoise in the battlefield) might receive those vibrations and decide to call off the war, order his younger brother to stop the bloodshed, and thus his sons would be saved.

We can clearly see here that as long as Dhritarashtra is bottled up with the concepts of "mine" and "thine," he will be too anxious to know what is to come and thus remain restless and frustrated.

Now Sanjaya begins his narration. Duryodhana, the ruling prince and eldest son of Dhritarashtra, had gone to Drona, his teacher, and started talking to him in a diplomatic way, trying to see how much sympathy still lingered in his heart for the Pandavas, who were his best disciples. Duryodhana knew that Drona and Bhishma were not in his favor. They always liked the Pandavas and their friend Krishna who upheld Dharma. Duryodhana also knew that Drona and Bhishma were fighting on his side as they were duty-bound. However, he wanted to play upon their feelings. He says, "Sir, notice this huge army of Pandavas. It is arranged and commanded by the son of King Drupada. Here are heroes, mighty archers the likes of Bhima, Arjuna, Satyaki, Virata, Drupada . . ." He is trying to remind Drona that Drupada and his son are present in the opposite camp.

King Drupada had earlier insulted Drona in his court. To avenge this insult, Drona had Drupada arrested by his disciples, the Pandavas. Then, with his mind set on killing Drona, Drupada performed a sacrifice and begot a son, Dhrishtadyumna, who was meant to kill Drona. Duryodhana pointed out and reminded Drona of these incidents to rouse his wrath against the Pandavas. He referred to the army of Pandavas as "huge"’ sarcastically. Everyone knew that the Pandavas had only seven Akshohinis against eleven Akshohinis of the Kauravas. However Duryodhana was aware of the fact that an army led by able commanders who intend to fight can easily win.

While Duryodhana was talking to Drona, Bhishma was within listening distance. When Duryodhana was speaking about the bravery of the Pandavas, a thought crossed the minds of Drona and Bhishma: "Why then is he not ready for a settlement with the Pandavas? Why does he intend to fight with them?"

Duryodhana was a cunning diplomat. He immediately changed the topic and said, "Now sir, let us observe our men. The foremost on my side is your good self and the valiant Bhishma. . . ." He described his men as great warriors and his army as the largest, not only in number but also with respect to the commanders such as Bhishma and Drona.

While describing his allies in the army, he let slip that "These heroes are ready to give up their lives for my sake. . . ." This shows that the Kauravas stood for small, selfish ends and never upheld Dharma. While talking about the leadership of the armies, Duryodhana says that his army, protected as it was by Bhishma, was "aparyaptam." He used it with a double meaning. Aparyaptam means invincible and more than a match. But it also means insufficient or not up to the mark. Thus Duryodhana cleverly implied that though his army was huge, it still was not up to the mark, since the commander of the army, Bhishma, had a soft spot in his heart for the Pandavas.

On the other hand, the army of the Pandavas was small but it was protected and led by Bhima who was bent upon winning the battle. Thus the most important figure on the side of Kauravas was Bhishma. Hence it was the duty of all concerned, Duryodhana continued, to stay in their formations and protect Bhishma; hinting thereby that there was need to keep an eye on him. Protection and dejection were his concerns.

Now Bhishma, too, could see what was going on in the mind of Duryodhana. He wanted to dispel the doubts lingering in that man’s mind. He immediately roared like a lion, took out his conch, and blew. The sound created by all these war instruments is described as tumultuous, or tremendous.

Lord Krishna and Arjuna were seated in a chariot yoked with three white horses. Responding, they blew their divine conches. Bhima, Yudhishthira, Nakula, Sahadeva, King of Kasi, Sikhandi, Dhrishtadyumna, Virata, Satyaki, Drupada and his sons, and the youngest, Abhimanu, all blew their conchs. The deafening sound thus created by the conchs of the Pandava warriors was so powerful and terrifying that it rent the hearts of the Kauravas and echoed throughout the earth and sky.

Whenever a person speaks, his words carry the power of his personality. When the Kauravas blew their conchs, they only created a big noise. They did not have the power of conviction or divinity behind them as they were on the path of unrighteousness (Adharma). When Lord Krishna, Arjuna, and others blew their conchs, the combined sound carried along with it the power of their souls. Therein was a feeling and resonance of power, purity, righteousness, and courage. It is no wonder that such a sound created terror in the hearts of the evil-minded people.

Now Arjuna saw the activity in the Kaurava army. He knew that the time had come to begin the war. He had prepared himself for this moment for years. He had practiced penance and obtained the famous Pashupati-astra [Pashupati: another name of Shiva; Astra: weapon or missile] from Lord Shiva. He had now entered the battlefield sitting in his well-known chariot. His flag, the monkey emblem, was flying high on his chariot. He lifts his mighty bow, Gandiva, by his powerful hand and says, "Oh Lord Krishna, please take my chariot to the center of the two armies. I want to get an idea with whom I am going to fight. Let me see those who have assembled here to please the evil-minded Duryodhana."

Here Arjuna is described as Kapi-dhwaja, a person with a monkey emblem. Arjuna was in a haughty mood, bent upon war and overconfident. He was in an "ego-centered" mood. Arjuna was also hoping that the unjust rule of Duryodhana was unpopular enough to many to unhinge support from those Duryodhana was depending on.

Lord Krishna knew of Arjuna’s weakness. He moved the chariot deliberately so that Arjuna could see Bhishma, Drona, and others and then said, "Arjuna, take a good look at the Kurus who have assembled here." He called them "Kurus," meaning by that they were his blood relatives. Now Arjuna saw there before him fathers and grandfathers, teachers such as Drona, maternal uncles, brothers, cousins, their sons and grandsons, fathers-in-law, friends, and relatives in both the armies.

When he saw only relatives all around, his heart sank. He could not bear the idea that he had to fight these people. He became nervous. He said to his friend, "Oh Lord Krishna; these are my relatives. Am I to fight with them? Am I here to kill my own kith and kin? My teachers, my fathers, my sons, my grandfathers, my maternal uncles, cousins, brothers. I do not wish to kill them even if I am offered all the three worlds in return! Then, do you think I will proceed with this war for a petty piece of this world?

"What are we going to gain by killing these Kauravas, even if they be sinners? We may end up as greater sinners! These are my people. How can we ever be happy if we kill our own people? Maybe these Kauravas are intoxicated with lust and greed. Maybe they are not able to distinguish the right from the wrong. Does that mean that we, too, should adopt their ways? We are in a position to foresee the catastrophe.

"This will definitely lead to the death and destruction of many families and dynasties. That will put an end to their old traditions and cultures. Unrighteous, evil men will then prevail. The families will be broken up. The women will go astray. That will lead to a mixture of castes. The result will be hell for those who are dead and those who survive. The Sanatana Dharma will thus perish. Oh my God, what am I doing here? We are all set to commit the greatest sin. We have virtually become blind because of our greed and lust for political power of this empire. We are now bent upon cutting the throats of our own people.

"What a folly! I won’t do it. I will not fight. If they attack me, I will not resist. I will not lift my little finger. I am here on the battlefield. I have no weapons with me. Let the Kauravas come. Let them attack me. Let them kill me, that would be the best thing."

So saying, Arjuna dropped his bow and arrows and sank in the rear seat of his chariot, full of sorrow and frustration. Arjuna uses the word Swa-jana, my people, in connection with his blood relatives. This term has a deeper meaning which we will discuss later.

This chapter is known as "Arjuna-Vishada-Yoga" which means "Yoga of Despondency of Arjuna." Despondency can also be a Yoga in the instrument sense of being able to put one on the divine path. When one is disappointed, frustrated, sick, and tired, he does not wish to do anything. At that moment, if he meets a spiritual teacher, he will get the right type of guidance. Then he picks up courage, gets up, and acts according to the directions of his teacher. Thus he attains peace, bliss, and plenty.

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