BHAGAVAD GEETA – 12 : Swami Advayanandaji.

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Chapter-1.

Arjuna Vishadha yogam  (“Yoga of Arjuna’s Despondency” )

Sri Veda Vyasaji

Discourse – 1 (47 Slogas)

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Monday, 26 Jun, 2023. 06:35.

Post - 12.

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Slogam - 19: Kaurava Hearts Shattered

1 

Sah ghoshah Dhaartaraashtraanaam  =  By that uproar, Dhritarashtra’s party’s

2 

hridayaani vyadaarayat;  =  hearts were rent asunder;

3 

nabhah cha prithiveem cha eva  =  both heaven and earth also

4 

tumulah vyanu-naadayan.  =  reverberated with that tumultuous sound.

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And what was the effect on the Kauravas of the Pandava response? Veda Vyasa is 

prolific in his description, as we mentioned earlier.

This is the moment when, one may say, “Krishna won the victory for the Pandavas 

without a single weapon being discharged”.

That is what He said He would do, and He has fulfilled that prediction at this 

moment. By the sheer deafening sound of His conch, He sent shivers down the hearts of the 

Kauravas. They were left without any hope. In spirit, they were as good as dead; only their 

bodies now remained to be despatched on the battlefield, devoid of any spirit.

In this very dialogue of the Geeta, Krishna will be reminding Arjuna of this moment 

of psychological victory. In Chapter 11, we will hear Him say, “Arjuna, I have already 

destroyed these armies. You just take all the glory now and fight!”

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Slogas - 20 & 21A: The Moment that Matters

1 

Atha vyavasthitaan drishtvaa  =  Thereafter, seeing standing arrayed before him

2 

Dhaartaraashtraan kapidhvajah;  =  Dhritarashtra’s party, with the monkey ensign

3 

pravritte shastra sampaate  =  with the discharge of weapons about to begin,

4 

dhanuh udyamya Paandavah;  =  taking up his bow, that son of Pandu (Arjuna),

5 

Hrisheekesham tadaa vaakyam  =  then directing his words to Hrishikesha (Krishna), 

6 

idam aaha mahee-pate :  =  said to the “Lord of the Earth” (Krishna) :

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1 

The word ‘Atha’ meaning “thereafter” has great significance at this point. It 

specifies the moment when the battle begins. It means : 

i) After the sound of the conches died down; 

ii) After both sides announced that they were ready; 

iii) After Krishna said He will take the responsibility; and

iv) After the hearts of the Kauravas were broken, and only their corpses stood on the 

battlefield!

5

Similarly, ‘Tadaa’ meaning “then”, just before Arjuna speaks, also carries 

enormous significance:

i) When the war was thrust upon Arjuna;

ii) When Duryodhana tried every trick to kill them; 

iii) When he tried to burn them alive in the ‘wax palace’; 

iv) When he refused to give them any land, not even the ‘size of the tip of a needle”; 

v) When the war was about to begin in earnest, not just being boasted about.

That decisive moment has arrived. The long string of events prior to this moment are 

all meant to be included in the words Atha and Tadaa. The destiny of the whole of India is 

at stake in the battle that is to ensue.

2 

The reference to the Hanuman symbol refers to the flag on Arjuna’s chariot which 

had this symbol painted on it. Here, just prior to launching the attack, it serves as an 

invocation to that supreme servant of the Lord, Sri Hanuman, who in an age prior to this 

one, served Lord Rama in His battle against the forces of the evil Ravana.

We are being reminded of Sri Rama’s role as the Avatara, at the very moment when 

the Lord’s Avatara as Krishna is about to fulfil the same purpose – to destroy the forces of 

unrighteousness and uphold Dharma. This is a master-stroke from the pen of Veda Vyasa.

3-4 

These lines contain dramatic irony in them. What actually happens moments 

later is the very opposite. Between these words and the actual start of the battle, the entire 

message of the Geeta is delivered on the battlefield. To bring these two actions to reality, it 

needed the delivery of the whole Geeta! The significance of the Geeta is thus dramatized in 

these two lines.

6 

Here is another one of those statements that brings out the contrast between the 

two sides in the war. While Duryodhana gets his authorization from Dhritarashtra, the “Lord 

of the Kuru Kingdom”, Arjuna awaits his authorization from Sri Krishna, “The Lord of the 

Earth.” One lord represents terrestrial power; the other Lord represents spiritual power.

This is indeed a battle between these two opposing forces. And Sri Vyasaji finds a 

most poignant way and the most poignant moment to bring out this contrast!

*****

Next

Slogas - 21B & 22: Arjuna Instructs Krishna

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