Gita 1-31
Contents (hide)
मूलम्
निमित्तानि च पश्यामि विपरीतानि केशव |
न च श्रेयोऽनुपश्यामि हत्वा स्वजनमाहवे || १-३१ ||
Meaning
शब्दार्थाः (Word for word)
निमित्तानि -- omens; च -- also; पश्यामि -- I see; विपरीतानि -- inauspicious (this is a secondary meaning; primary meaning -- opposite/inverted) ; केशव -- O Keshava! (another name of Krishna); न -- Not; च -- also; श्रेयः -- ultimate good; अनुपश्यामि -- perceive, foresee; हत्वा -- having killed; स्वजनम् -- own people; आहवे -- in war;
अन्वयः (Word order)
केशव! विपरीतानि निमित्तानि पश्यामि च । आहवे स्वजनम् हत्वा श्रेयः च न अनुपश्यामि ।
अनुवादः (Translation)
(Arjuna continues) "O Keshava! I also see inauspicious omens. I also do not foresee ultimate good (coming of) killing our own people in war"
Notes
- Ramanuja does not comment on this verse separately.
- RSDji feels that Arjuna wishes to say that he sees the war as not leading to good both by external omens (विपरीतानि निमित्तानि पश्यामि) and by his own cogitation (न श्रेयः अनुपश्यामि).
- श्रेयः is generally contrasted with प्रेयः in our scriptures (for instance, कठोपनिषद् ). The former indicates ultimate good while the latter indicates what is immediately pleasurable. This verse is the first one where Arjuna raises a clear objection -- he does not see ultimate good coming out of this war. In a later verse, he also says that he finds nothing immediately pleasing coming out of killing Dhritarashtra's people.
- Once again, it is worth noting the frequent use of स्वजनम् and similar words in this and the coming verses.
Practice Notes
(Balaji)
None