Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1(Part-4) – Arjuna Vishada Yoga (Arjuna’s Distress)

Verse 37-38
यद्यप्येते न पश्यन्ति लोभोपहतचेतसः।
कुलक्षयकृतं दोषं मित्रद्रोहे च पातकम्॥

कथं न ज्ञेयमस्माभिः पापादस्मान्निवर्तितुम्।
कुलक्षयकृतं दोषं प्रपश्यद्भिर्जनार्दन॥

O Janärdana, although these men, overtaken by greed, see no fault in killing
one’s family or quarreling with friends, why should we, with knowledge of the
sin, engage in these acts?

A kñatriya is not supposed to refuse to battle or gamble when he is so
invited by some rival party. Under such obligation, Arjuna could not refuse to
fight because he was challenged by the party of Duryodhana. In this
connection, Arjuna considered that the other party might be blind to the
effects of such a challenge. Arjuna, however, could see the evil consequences
and could not accept the challenge. Obligation is actually binding when the
effect is good, but when the effect is otherwise, then no one can be bound.
Considering all these pros and cons, Arjuna decided not to fight.

Verse 39
कुलक्षये प्रणश्यन्ति कुलधर्माः सनातनाः ।
धर्मे नष्टे कुलं कृत्स्नम् अधर्मोऽभिभवत्युत ॥ ३९ ॥

With the destruction of dynasty, the eternal family tradition is vanquished, and
thus the rest of the family becomes involved in irreligious practice.

In the system of the varëäçrama institution there are many principles of
religious traditions to help members of the family grow properly and attain
spiritual values. The elder members are responsible for such purifying
processes in the family, beginning from birth to death. But on the death of the
elder members, such family traditions of purification may stop, and the
remaining younger family members may develop irreligious habits and thereby
lose their chance for spiritual salvation. Therefore, for no purpose should the
elder members of the family be slain.

Verse 40
अधर्माभिभवात्कृष्ण प्रदुष्यन्ति कुलस्त्रियः ।
स्त्रीषु दुष्टासु वार्ष्णेय जायते वर्णसङ्करः ॥४०॥

When irreligion is prominent in the family, O Kåñëa, the women of the family
become corrupt, and from the degradation of womanhood, O descendant of
Våñëi, comes unwanted progeny.

Good population in human society is the basic principle for peace,
prosperity and spiritual progress in life. The varëäçrama religion’s principles
were so designed that the good population would prevail in society for the
general spiritual progress of state and community. Such population depends on
the chastity and faithfulness of its womanhood. As children are very prone to
be misled, women are similarly very prone to degradation. Therefore, both
children and women require protection by the elder members of the family. By
being engaged in various religious practices, women will not be misled into
adultery. According to Cäëakya Paëòit, women are generally not very
intelligent and therefore not trustworthy. So, the different family traditions of
religious activities should always engage them, and thus their chastity and
devotion will give birth to a good population eligible for participating in the
varëäçrama system. On the failure of such varëäçrama-dharma, naturally the
women become free to act and mix with men, and thus adultery is indulged in
at the risk of unwanted population. Irresponsible men also provoke adultery in
society, and thus unwanted children flood the human race at the risk of war
and pestilence.

Verse 41
सङ्करो नरकायैव कुलघ्नानां कुलस्य च ।
पतन्ति पितरो ह्येषां लुप्तपिण्डोदकक्रियाः ॥ ४१ ॥

When there is increase of unwanted population, a hellish situation is created
both for the family and for those who destroy the family tradition. In such
corrupt families, there is no offering of oblations of food and water to the
ancestors.
PURPORT
According to the rules and regulations of fruitive activities, there is a need
to offer periodical food and water to the forefathers of the family. This
offering is performed by worship of Viñëu, because eating the remnants of food
offered to Viñëu can deliver one from all kinds of sinful actions. Sometimes
the forefathers may be suffering from various types of sinful reactions, and
sometimes some of them cannot even acquire a gross material body and are
forced to remain in subtle bodies as ghosts. Thus, when remnants of prasädam
food are offered to forefathers by descendants, the forefathers are released
from ghostly or other kinds of miserable life. Such help rendered to forefathers
is a family tradition, and those who are not in devotional life are required to
perform such rituals. One who is engaged in the devotional life is not required
to perform such actions. Simply by performing devotional service, one can
deliver hundreds and thousands of forefathers from all kinds of misery. It is
stated in the Bhägavatam:

देवर्षि-भूताप्त-नृणां पितॄणां
न किङ्करो नायमृणी च राजन् ।
सर्वात्मना यः शरणं शरण्यं
गतो मुकुन्दं परिहृत्य कर्तम् ॥

“Anyone who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of Mukunda, the giver of liberation,
giving up all kinds of obligation, and has taken to the path in all seriousness, owes neither
duties nor obligations to the demigods, sages, general living entities, family members,
humankind or forefathers.” Such obligations are automatically
fulfilled by performance of devotional service to the Supreme Personality of
Godhead.

Verse 42
दोषैरेतैः कुलघ्नानां वर्णसङ्करकारकैः ।
उत्साद्यन्ते जातिधर्माः कुलधर्माश्च शाश्वताः ॥ ४२ ॥

Due to the evil deeds of the destroyers of family tradition, all kinds of
community projects and family welfare activities are devastated.

The four orders of human society, combined with family welfare activities
as they are set forth by the institution of the sanätana-dharma or varëäçramadharma, are designed to enable the human being to attain his ultimate
salvation. Therefore, the breaking of the sanätana-dharma tradition by
irresponsible leaders of society brings about chaos in that society, and
consequently people forget the aim of life—Viñëu. Such leaders are called
blind, and persons who follow such leaders are sure to be led into chaos.

Verse 43
उत्सन्नकुलधर्माणां मनुष्याणां जनार्दन ।
नरके नियतं वासो भवतीत्यनुशुश्रुम ॥ ४३ ॥

O Kåñëa, maintainer of the people, I have heard by disciplic succession that
those who destroy family traditions dwell always in hell.

Arjuna bases his argument not on his own personal experience, but on
what he has heard from the authorities. That is the way of receiving real
knowledge. One cannot reach the real point of factual knowledge without
being helped by the right person who is already established in that knowledge.
There is a system in the varëäçrama institution by which one has to undergo
the process of ablution before death for his sinful activities. One who is always
engaged in sinful activities must utilize the process of ablution called the
präyaçcitta. Without doing so, one surely will be transferred to hellish planets
to undergo miserable lives as the result of sinful activities.

Verse 44
अहो बत महत्पापं कर्तुं व्यवसिताः वयम्।
यद्राज्यसुखलोभेन हन्तुं स्वजनमुद्यता:।।

Alas, how strange it is that we are preparing to commit greatly sinful acts,
driven by the desire to enjoy royal happiness.

Driven by selfish motives, one may be inclined to such sinful acts as the
killing of one’s own brother, father, or mother. There are many such instances
in the history of the world. But Arjuna, being a saintly devotee of the Lord, is
always conscious of moral principles and therefore takes care to avoid such
activities

Verse 45
यदि मां अप्रतिवारम्अ शस्त्रं शस्त्रपाणयः
धार्तराष्ट्रो रणे हन्युस्त तन्मे क्षेमतरं भवेत्

I would consider it better for the sons of Dhåtaräñöra to kill me unarmed and
unresisting, rather than fight with them.

It is the custom—according to kñatriya fighting principles—that an
unarmed and unwilling foe should not be attacked. Arjuna, however, in such
an enigmatic position, decided he would not fight if he were attacked by the
enemy. He did not consider how much the other party was bent upon fighting.
All these symptoms are due to softheartedness resulting from his being a great
devotee of the Lor

Verse 46
सञ्जय उवाच
एवम् उक्तः अर्जुनः सङ्ख्ये रथोपस्थ उपविशत
विसृज्य स-शरं चापं शोकसांविग्न-मानसः

Saïjaya said: Arjuna, having thus spoken on the battlefield, cast aside his bow
and arrows and sat down on the chariot, his mind overwhelmed with grief.

While observing the situation of his enemy, Arjuna stood up on the
chariot, but he was so afflicted with lamentation that he sat down again,
setting aside his bow and arrows. Such a kind and softhearted person, in the
devotional service of the Lord, is fit to receive self-knowledge.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Purports to the First Chapter of the Çrémad
Bhagavad-gétä in the matter of Observing the Armies on the Battlefield of
Kurukñetra