Under the BanyanOld stories, illustrated and annotated

Kurukshetra Companion, the Bhagavad Gita four verses at a time

Chapter 1: Arjuna Viṣāda Yoga

Arjuna's Despair, 47 verses

20 of 47 verses so far. New readings each morning.

Chapter 1 sets the stage. Two armies drawn from one royal family face each other on the plain of Kurukshetra; the blind king asks for news, the commanders size up their forces, and the warrior Arjuna, seeing relatives and teachers on the other side, collapses in grief. It is called “Arjuna's Despair” because the whole teaching of the Gita begins as an answer to that collapse.

The story so far

  1. 1.1–4A blind king asks what happened

    In the palace, the blind king Dhṛtarāṣṭra asks Sañjaya what “my sons and Pāṇḍu's sons” did at Kurukshetra; on the field, Duryodhana anxiously sizes up the other army for his teacher Droṇa. Lesson: notice how “mine” and “theirs” shape a question before any answer arrives.

  2. 1.5–8Duryodhana counts his heroes

    Duryodhana finishes listing the great warriors of the Pāṇḍava army, then names his own commanders, starting with his teacher Droṇa and the elder Bhīṣma. Lesson: notice when taking stock turns into counting to calm your nerves.

  3. 1.9–12Bhīṣma answers with a lion's roar

    Duryodhana compares the two armies in words that can mean boast or fear, orders everyone to guard Bhīṣma, and Bhīṣma answers with a lion's roar and a conch blast. Lesson: notice when cheering someone up stands in for actually answering their worry.

  4. 1.13–16The conches answer back

    The Kaurava army answers Bhīṣma with a sudden din, then Krishna, Arjuna and the Pāṇḍava brothers each blow their own named conch. Lesson: notice the difference between joining a crowd's noise and saying something in your own voice.

  5. 1.17–20Arjuna lifts his bow

    The rest of the Pāṇḍava allies blow their conches, the roar shakes the Kaurava side, and Arjuna raises his bow as the fighting is about to start. Lesson: when something hits harder than it should, ask what worry it is landing on.

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