Gita 1-25
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मूलम्
भीष्मद्रोणप्रमुखतः सर्वेषां च महीक्षिताम् |
उवाच पार्थ पश्यैतान् समवेतान् कुरूनिति || १-२५ ||
Meaning
शब्दार्थाः (Word for word)
भीष्मद्रोणप्रमुखतः -- facing Drona and Bhishma; सर्वेषाम् -- among all; च -- and; महीक्षिताम् -- among kings; उवाच -- said; पार्थ -- O Son of Pritha! (Arjuna); पश्य -- see; एतान् -- these; समवेतान् -- assembled; कुरून् -- people of the Kuru clan; इति -- thus (functions as an indicator of the end of a quote);
अन्वयः (Word order)
.... भीष्मद्रोणप्रमुखतः, सर्वेषां महीक्षितां च, उवाच "पार्थ! एतान् समवेतान् कुरून् पश्य" इति ।
Verses 24 and 25 are best read together. The combined अन्वयः is --
सञ्जयः उवाच "भारत! एवं गुडाकेशेन उक्तः हृषीकेशः सेनयोः उभयोः मध्ये सर्वेषां महीक्षितां च भीष्मद्रोणप्रमुखतः रथोत्तमं स्थापयित्वा उवाच "पार्थ! एतान् समवेतान् कुरून् पश्य" इति ।
अनुवादः (Translation)
.. in front of Bhishma, Drona and all the kings said --
" O Son of Pritha (Arjuna)! See all these assembled Kurus."
Verses 24, and 25 are best read together. The combined translation is
Sanjaya said " O Bharata! Thus spoken to by Arjuna — one who had won over sleep, Hrishikesha, the Lord of the senses, having situated the best of chariots in the middle of both the armies, in front of Bhishma, Drona and all the kings said --
" O Son of Pritha (Arjuna)! See all these assembled Kurus."
Notes
- Several commentators point out that the use of हृषीकेशः for Krishna in these verses indicates that it is Krishna himself who causes this confusion in Arjuna. Ramanuja also says this implicitly by noting here that Krishna is in fact सर्वान्तर्यामी . RSDji also uses the same words. It is also worth noting here in that context that the narrator (Vyasa/Sanjaya) consistently uses हृषीकेशः from verse 15.
- RSDji notes that Krishna uses the word कुरून् instead of धार्तराष्ट्रान् to remind Arjuna of the kinship of the two sides and that, in the end, they are "one" despite the war they are fighting.
- I think it is useful to look at Verse 1 again in this context and contrast Dhritarashtra's separate use of मामकाः पाण्डवाः च एव समवेताः with the समवेतान् कुरून् . It is the use of the latter that reminds Arjuna, who is festering with anger that there is a larger group (than the Pandavas) to which both of the parties belong.
Practice Notes
(Balaji)
Nothing other than a repetition of point 3 under the practice notes of Verse 1. In the interim period, I have tried to practice this a bit more and still find it only marginally useful. I find that warning myself of the negative consequences more useful.