1764 verses · verified Sanskrit text · IAST · English translation
kathaṃ bhīṣmamahaṃ saṃkhye droṇaṃ ca madhusūdana । iṣubhiḥ prati yotsyāmi pūjārhāvarisūdana ॥
“'How shall I strike Bhīṣma and Droṇa in battle with arrows, O Madhusūdana — men worthy of worship, O foe-slayer?'”
gurūnahatvā hi mahānubhāvānśreyo bhoktuṃ bhaikṣyamapīha loke । hatvārthakāmāṃstu gurūnihaiva bhuñjīya bhogānrudhirapradigdhān ॥
“'Better to eat even a beggar's alms in this world than slay these great-souled teachers; yet slaying these teachers here, greedy for wealth and desire, I would enjoy pleasures stained with blood.'”
na caitadvidmaḥ kataranno garīyo yadvā jayema yadi vā no jayeyuḥ । yāneva hatvā na jijīviṣāmaste'vasthitāḥ pramukhe dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ ॥
“'We know not which is weightier for us — whether we conquer them or they conquer us; the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra stand arrayed before us, and we would not wish to live after killing them.'”
kārpaṇyadoṣopahatasvabhāvaḥ pṛcchāmi tvāṃ dharmasammūḍhacetāḥ । yacchreyaḥ syānniścitaṃ brūhi tanme śiṣyaste'haṃ śādhi māṃ tvāṃ prapannam ॥
“'My nature stricken with the taint of helplessness, my mind bewildered about duty, I ask you: tell me plainly what is best. I am your pupil — instruct me, who have taken refuge in you.'”
na hi prapaśyāmi mamāpanudyādyacchokamucchoṣaṇamindriyāṇām । avāpya bhūmāvasapatnamṛddhaṃ rājyaṃ surāṇāmapi cādhipatyam ॥
“'I see nothing that could dispel this grief which withers my senses, not even unrivalled prosperous kingship on earth, nor lordship over the gods.'”
evamuktvā hṛṣīkeśaṃ guḍākeśaḥ parantapa । na yotsya iti govindamuktvā tūṣṇīṃ babhūva ha ॥
“Having spoken thus to Hṛṣīkeśa, Guḍākeśa the tormentor of foes said to Govinda 'I will not fight,' and fell silent.”
hṛṣīkeśaḥ prahasanniva bhārata । senayorubhayormadhye viṣīdantamidaṃ vacaḥ ॥
“To him, grieving between the two armies, O Bhārata, Hṛṣīkeśa spoke these words, as if smiling.”
aśocyānanvaśocastvaṃ prajñāvādāṃśca bhāṣase । gatāsūnagatāsūṃśca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ ॥
“'You grieve for those who should not be grieved for, yet speak words of wisdom; the learned grieve neither for the dead nor the living.'”
na tvevāhaṃ jātu nāsaṃ na tvaṃ neme janādhipāḥ । na caiva na bhaviṣyāmaḥ sarve vayamataḥ param ॥
“'Never was there a time when I was not, nor you, nor these rulers of men; nor shall any of us ever cease to be hereafter.'”
dehino'sminyathā dehe kaumāraṃ yauvanaṃ jarā । tathā dehāntaraprāptirdhīrastatra na muhyati ॥
“'As childhood, youth and old age come to the embodied self in this body, so does it pass to another body; the wise are not deluded by this.'”
mātrāsparśāstu kaunteya śītoṣṇasukhaduḥkhadāḥ । āgamāpāyino'nityāstāṃstitikṣasva bhārata ॥
“'Contacts of the senses, O son of Kuntī, that give cold and heat, pleasure and pain, come and go and are impermanent — endure them, O Bhārata.'”
yaṃ hi na vyathayantyete puruṣaṃ puruṣarṣabha । samaduḥkhasukhaṃ dhīraṃ so'mṛtatvāya kalpate ॥
“'The man they do not torment, O best of men, who is even-minded in pain and pleasure and steadfast — he is fit for immortality.'”
nāsato vidyate bhāvo nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ । ubhayorapi dṛṣṭo'ntastvanayostattvadarśibhiḥ ॥
“'Of the unreal there is no being, of the real no non-being; the boundary of each has been seen by the seers of truth.'”
avināśi tu tadviddhi yena sarvamidaṃ tatam । vināśamavyayasyāsya na kaścitkartumarhati ॥
“'Know that to be indestructible by which all this is pervaded; none can bring about the destruction of this imperishable one.'”
antavanta ime dehā nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ । anāśino'prameyasya tasmādyudhyasva bhārata ॥
“'These bodies of the eternal, indestructible, immeasurable embodied self are said to have an end — therefore fight, O Bhārata.'”
ya enaṃ vetti hantāraṃ yaścainaṃ manyate hatam । ubhau tau na vijānīto nāyaṃ hanti na hanyate ॥
“'Whoever knows it as the slayer, and whoever thinks it slain — both do not understand; it neither slays nor is slain.'”
na jāyate mriyate vā kadācinnāyaṃ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ । ajo nityaḥ śāśvato'yaṃ purāṇo na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre ॥
“'It is never born nor ever dies, nor having been will it again come not to be; unborn, eternal, everlasting, ancient, it is not slain when the body is slain.'”
vedāvināśinaṃ nityaṃ ya enamajamavyayam । kathaṃ sa puruṣaḥ pārtha kaṃ ghātayati hanti kam ॥
“'Knowing it as indestructible, eternal, unborn, unchanging, O Pārtha — how could that man cause any to be slain, or slay anyone?'”
vāsāṃsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya navāni gṛhṇāti naro'parāṇi । tathā śarīrāṇi vihāya jīrṇānyanyāni saṃyāti navāni dehī ॥
“'As a man casts off worn-out clothes and takes new ones, so the embodied self casts off worn-out bodies and takes new ones.'”
nainaṃ chindanti śastrāṇi nainaṃ dahati pāvakaḥ । na cainaṃ kledayantyāpo na śoṣayati mārutaḥ ॥
“'Weapons do not cut it, fire does not burn it, waters do not wet it, and wind does not dry it.'”
acchedyo'yamadāhyo'yamakledyo'śoṣya eva ca । nityaḥ sarvagataḥ sthāṇuracalo'yaṃ sanātanaḥ ॥
“'It cannot be cut, burned, wetted or dried; it is eternal, all-pervading, stable, immovable, everlasting.'”
avyakto'yamacintyo'yamavikāryo'yamucyate । tasmādevaṃ viditvainaṃ nānuśocitumarhasi ॥
“'It is called unmanifest, unthinkable, unchangeable; so knowing it as such, you ought not grieve.'”
atha cainaṃ nityajātaṃ nityaṃ vā manyase mṛtam । tathāpi tvaṃ mahābāho naivaṃ śocitumarhasi ॥
“'And even if you think it ever-born or ever-dead, still, O mighty-armed, you ought not grieve thus.'”
jātasya hi dhruvo mṛtyurdhruvaṃ janma mṛtasya ca । tasmādaparihārye'rthe na tvaṃ śocitumarhasi ॥
“'For death of the born is certain, and birth of the dead is certain; so for what cannot be avoided, you ought not grieve.'”
avyaktādīni bhūtāni vyaktamadhyāni bhārata । avyaktanidhanānyeva tatra kā paridevanā ॥
“'Beings are unmanifest at the start, manifest in the middle, O Bhārata, and unmanifest at the end — what lament is there in that?'”
āścaryavatpaśyati kaścidenamāścaryavadvadati tathaiva cānyaḥ । āścaryavaccainamanyaḥ śṛṇoti śrutvāpyenaṃ veda na caiva kaścit ॥
“'One sees it as a wonder, another speaks of it as a wonder, another hears of it as a wonder — yet even hearing, none understands it.'”
dehī nityamavadhyo'yaṃ dehe sarvasya bhārata । tasmātsarvāṇi bhūtāni na tvaṃ śocitumarhasi ॥
“'This dweller in the body of everyone is eternally inviolable, O Bhārata; so you ought not grieve for any beings.'”
svadharmamapi cāvekṣya na vikampitumarhasi । dharmyāddhi yuddhācchreyo'nyatkṣatriyasya na vidyate ॥
“'And considering your own duty too, you ought not waver; for a warrior there is nothing better than a lawful battle.'”
yadṛcchayā copapannaṃ svargadvāramapāvṛtam । sukhinaḥ kṣatriyāḥ pārtha labhante yuddhamīdṛśam ॥
“'Happy are the warriors, O Pārtha, who meet such a battle, unsought, an open gate to heaven.'”
atha cettvamimaṃ dharmyaṃ saṃgrāmaṃ na kariṣyasi । tataḥ svadharmaṃ kīrtiṃ ca hitvā pāpamavāpsyasi ॥
“'But if you will not fight this lawful battle, then abandoning your duty and honour, you will incur sin.'”
akīrtiṃ cāpi bhūtāni kathayiṣyanti te'vyayām । sambhāvitasya cākīrtirmaraṇādatiricyate ॥
“'And beings will speak of your undying dishonour; for one held in honour, dishonour is worse than death.'”
bhayādraṇāduparataṃ maṃsyante tvāṃ mahārathāḥ । yeṣāṃ ca tvaṃ bahumato bhūtvā yāsyasi lāghavam ॥
“'The great warriors will think you hung back from battle out of fear, and you, once highly esteemed by them, will come to be lightly held.'”
avācyavādāṃśca bahūnvadiṣyanti tavāhitāḥ । nindantastava sāmarthyaṃ tato duḥkhataraṃ nu kim ॥
“'Many unspeakable words will your enemies utter, slandering your prowess — what could be more painful than that?'”
hato vā prāpsyasi svargaṃ jitvā vā bhokṣyase mahīm । tasmāduttiṣṭha kaunteya yuddhāya kṛtaniścayaḥ ॥
“'Slain, you will win heaven; victorious, you will enjoy the earth. So rise up, O son of Kuntī, resolved to fight.'”
sukhaduḥkhe same kṛtvā lābhālābhau jayājayau । tato yuddhāya yujyasva naivaṃ pāpamavāpsyasi ॥
“'Holding pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat alike, gird yourself for battle — thus you will not incur sin.'”
eṣā te'bhihitā sāṃkhye buddhiryoge tvimāṃ śṛṇu । buddhyā yukto yayā pārtha karmabandhaṃ prahāsyasi ॥
“'This wisdom has been declared to you in theory; now hear it in practice — endowed with which wisdom, O Pārtha, you will cast off the bondage of action.'”
nehābhikramanāśo'sti pratyavāyo na vidyate । svalpamapyasya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt ॥
“'Here no effort is wasted, no shortcoming occurs; even a little of this law protects from great fear.'”
vyavasāyātmikā buddhirekeha kurunandana । bahuśākhā hyanantāśca buddhayo'vyavasāyinām ॥
“'Here, O joy of the Kurus, the resolve is single-pointed; the thoughts of the irresolute are many-branched and endless.'”
yāmimāṃ puṣpitāṃ vācaṃ pravadantyavipaścitaḥ । vedavādaratāḥ pārtha nānyadastīti vādinaḥ ॥
“'The undiscerning utter this flowery speech, O Pārtha, delighting in the letter of the Veda and saying there is nothing else.'”
kāmātmānaḥ svargaparā janmakarmaphalapradām । kriyāviśeṣabahulāṃ bhogaiśvaryagatiṃ prati ॥
“'Full of desire, heaven-bound, offering rebirth as the fruit of rites, rich in specific rites, aimed at enjoyment and power.'”
bhogaiśvaryaprasaktānāṃ tayāpahṛtacetasām । vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ samādhau na vidhīyate ॥
“'For those attached to enjoyment and power, whose minds are stolen by that speech, no steadfast resolve takes root in concentration.'”
traiguṇyaviṣayā vedā nistraiguṇyo bhavārjuna । nirdvandvo nityasattvastho niryogakṣema ātmavān ॥
“'The Vedas range over the three qualities — be beyond the three qualities, O Arjuna, free from opposites, ever firm in goodness, heedless of gain and safekeeping, self-possessed.'”
yāvānartha udapāne sarvataḥ saṃplutodake । tāvānsarveṣu vedeṣu brāhmaṇasya vijānataḥ ॥
“'As much use as a flooded well everywhere has for drinking, so much is all the Vedas to the Brahmin who truly knows.'”
karmaṇyevādhikāraste mā phaleṣu kadācana । mā karmaphalaheturbhūrmā te saṅgo'stvakarmaṇi ॥
“'In action alone is your right, never in its fruits; be not moved by the fruits of action, nor attached to inaction.'”
yogasthaḥ kuru karmāṇi saṅgaṃ tyaktvā dhanaṃjaya । siddhyasiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā samatvaṃ yoga ucyate ॥
“'Steadfast in discipline, do your deeds, O Dhanañjaya, abandoning attachment, even-minded in success and failure — evenness of mind is called discipline.'”
dūreṇa hyavaraṃ karma buddhiyogāddhanaṃjaya । buddhau śaraṇamanviccha kṛpaṇāḥ phalahetavaḥ ॥
“'Action is far inferior to the discipline of wisdom, O Dhanañjaya; seek refuge in wisdom — wretched are those moved by fruits.'”
buddhiyukto jahātīha ubhe sukṛtaduṣkṛte । tasmādyogāya yujyasva yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam ॥
“'One endowed with wisdom casts off here both good and evil deeds; so gird yourself for discipline — discipline is skill in deeds.'”
karmajaṃ buddhiyuktā hi phalaṃ tyaktvā manīṣiṇaḥ । janmabandhavinirmuktāḥ padaṃ gacchantyanāmayam ॥
“'For the wise, endowed with wisdom, renouncing the fruit born of deeds, freed from the bond of birth, reach the state free of ill.'”
yadā te mohakalilaṃ buddhirvyatitariṣyati । tadā gantāsi nirvedaṃ śrotavyasya śrutasya ca ॥
“'When your thought crosses beyond the mire of delusion, then you will gain indifference to what is yet to be heard and what has been heard.'”
śrutivipratipannā te yadā sthāsyati niścalā । samādhāvacalā buddhistadā yogamavāpsyasi ॥
“'When your thought, confused by sacred lore, stands firm and steady in concentration, then you will attain discipline.'”