Krishna Counsels War; Yudhishthira's Misgivings

Verse 1 (5.154.1)

वासुदेवस्य तद्वाक्यमनुस्मृत्य युधिष्ठिरः । पुनः पप्रच्छ वार्ष्णेयं कथं मन्दोऽब्रवीदिदम् ॥

vāsudevasya tadvākyamanusmṛtya yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | punaḥ papraccha vārṣṇeyaṃ kathaṃ mando'bravīdidam

Recalling those words of Vasudeva, Yudhishthira questioned the Vrishni again: "How could that foolish man have spoken so?

Note on the text: Corrected मन्दोऽऽब्रवीदिदम् → मन्दोऽब्रवीदिदम् (misprint in Wikisource; doubled avagraha, as in the critical edition's mando 'bravīd).

Verse 2 (5.154.2)

अस्मिन्नभ्यागते काले किंच नः क्षममच्युत । कथं च वर्तमाना वै स्वधर्मान्न च्यवेमहि ॥

asminnabhyāgate kāle kiṃca naḥ kṣamamacyuta | kathaṃ ca vartamānā vai svadharmānna cyavemahi

"Now that this hour has come upon us, Achyuta, what is right for us to do? And how should we act so as not to fall away from our own dharma?

Note on the text: Speaker: Yudhishthira's direct question (verses 2–5); the page prints no heading, carrying over the narrator.

Verse 3 (5.154.3)

दुर्योधनस्य कर्णस्य शकुनेः सौबलस्य च । वासुदेव मतज्ञोऽसि मम सभ्रातृकस्य च ॥

duryodhanasya karṇasya śakuneḥ saubalasya ca | vāsudeva matajño'si mama sabhrātṛkasya ca

"Vasudeva, you know the mind of Duryodhana, of Karna and of Shakuni son of Subala, and mine too, along with my brothers'.

Verse 4 (5.154.4)

विदुरस्यापि तद्वाक्यं श्रुतं भीष्मस्य चोभयोः । कुन्त्याश्च विपुलप्रज्ञ प्रज्ञा कार्त्स्न्येन ते श्रुता ॥

vidurasyāpi tadvākyaṃ śrutaṃ bhīṣmasya cobhayoḥ | kuntyāśca vipulaprajña prajñā kārtsnyena te śrutā

"You have heard what Vidura said, and Bhishma too, both of them; and you have heard Kunti's counsel in full, O man of vast understanding.

Verse 5 (5.154.5)

सर्वमेतदतिक्रम्य विचार्य च पुनः पुनः । क्षमं यन्नो महाबाहो तद्ब्रवीह्यविचारयन् ॥

sarvametadatikramya vicārya ca punaḥ punaḥ | kṣamaṃ yanno mahābāho tadbravīhyavicārayan

"Setting all this aside and weighing it again and again, tell us without hesitating what is right for us, mighty-armed one."

Verse 6 (5.154.6)

श्रुत्वैतद्धर्मराजस्य धर्मार्थसहितं वचः । मेघदुन्दुभिनिर्घोषः कृष्णो वाक्यमथाब्रवीत् ॥

śrutvaitaddharmarājasya dharmārthasahitaṃ vacaḥ | meghadundubhinirghoṣaḥ kṛṣṇo vākyamathābravīt

Hearing these words of the Dharma King, full of dharma and good sense, Krishna, whose voice was deep as thunderclouds and kettledrums, then spoke.

Verse 7 (5.154.7)

उक्तवानस्मि यद्वाक्यं धर्मार्थसहितं हितम् । न तु तन्निकृतिप्रज्ञे कौरव्ये प्रतितिष्ठति ॥

uktavānasmi yadvākyaṃ dharmārthasahitaṃ hitam | na tu tannikṛtiprajñe kauravye pratitiṣṭhati

"I spoke words that were beneficial and in keeping with dharma and sound policy; but they find no footing in the Kaurava, whose mind is bent on deceit.

Note on the text: Speaker: Krishna's reply (verses 7–15); the page prints no heading, carrying over the narrator.

Verse 8 (5.154.8)

न च भीष्मस्य दुर्मेधाः शृणोति विदुरस्य वा । मम वा भाषितं किंचित्सर्वमेवातिवर्तते ॥

na ca bhīṣmasya durmedhāḥ śṛṇoti vidurasya vā | mama vā bhāṣitaṃ kiṃcitsarvamevātivartate

"That dull-witted man listens neither to Bhishma nor to Vidura, nor to anything I say; he goes past all of it.

Verse 9 (5.154.9)

नैष कामयते धर्मं नैष कामयते यशः । जितं स मन्यते सर्वं दुरात्मा कर्णमाश्रितः ॥

naiṣa kāmayate dharmaṃ naiṣa kāmayate yaśaḥ | jitaṃ sa manyate sarvaṃ durātmā karṇamāśritaḥ

"He has no desire for dharma, no desire for good name. Leaning on Karna, that wicked man thinks he has already won everything.

Verse 10 (5.154.10)

बन्धमाज्ञापयामास मम चापि सुयोधनः । न च तं लब्धवान्कामं दुरात्मा पापनिश्चयः ॥

bandhamājñāpayāmāsa mama cāpi suyodhanaḥ | na ca taṃ labdhavānkāmaṃ durātmā pāpaniścayaḥ

"Suyodhana even ordered that I be bound; but that wicked man, set on evil, did not get his wish.

Verse 11 (5.154.11)

न च भीष्मो न च द्रोणो युक्तं तत्राहतुर्वचः । सर्वे तमनुवर्तन्ते ऋते विदुरमच्युत ॥

na ca bhīṣmo na ca droṇo yuktaṃ tatrāhaturvacaḥ | sarve tamanuvartante ṛte viduramacyuta

"Neither Bhishma nor Drona said a fitting word there; all of them follow him, except Vidura, O unswerving one.

Note on the text: Corrected विदुरमुच्युत → विदुरमच्युत (misprint in Wikisource; उ for अ, as in the critical edition's viduram acyuta).

Verse 12 (5.154.12)

शकुनिः सौबलश्चैव कर्णदुःशासनावपि । त्वय्ययुक्तान्यभाषन्त मूढा मूढममर्षणम् ॥

śakuniḥ saubalaścaiva karṇaduḥśāsanāvapi | tvayyayuktānyabhāṣanta mūḍhā mūḍhamamarṣaṇam

"Shakuni son of Subala, and Karna and Duhshasana as well, fools all, spoke unfitting words about you to that foolish, intolerant man.

Verse 13 (5.154.13)

किंच तेन मयोक्तेन यान्यभाषत कौरवः । संक्षेपेण दुरात्मासौ न युक्तं त्वयि वर्तते ॥

kiṃca tena mayoktena yānyabhāṣata kauravaḥ | saṃkṣepeṇa durātmāsau na yuktaṃ tvayi vartate

"But what use would it be for me to repeat what the Kaurava said? In brief, that wicked man does not behave rightly toward you.

Verse 14 (5.154.14)

पार्थिवेषु न सर्वेषु य इमे तव सैनिकाः । यत्पापं यन्न कल्याणं सर्वं तस्मिन्प्रतिष्ठितम् ॥

pārthiveṣu na sarveṣu ya ime tava sainikāḥ | yatpāpaṃ yanna kalyāṇaṃ sarvaṃ tasminpratiṣṭhitam

"Whatever is sinful and whatever is ill-omened, found in none of these kings who are your soldiers, is all lodged in him.

Verse 15 (5.154.15)

न चापि वयमत्यर्थं परित्यागेन कर्हिचित् । कौरवैः शममिच्छामस्तत्र युद्धमनन्तरम् ॥

na cāpi vayamatyarthaṃ parityāgena karhicit | kauravaiḥ śamamicchāmastatra yuddhamanantaram

"Nor do we, for our part, wish at any price to buy peace with the Kauravas by giving everything up. So war is what comes next."

Verse 16 (5.154.16)

तच्छ्रुत्वा पार्थिवाः सर्वे वासुदेवस्य भाषितम् । अब्रुवन्तो मुखं राज्ञः समुदैक्षन्त भारत ॥

tacchrutvā pārthivāḥ sarve vāsudevasya bhāṣitam | abruvanto mukhaṃ rājñaḥ samudaikṣanta bhārata

Hearing Vasudeva's words, all the kings said nothing and looked at the king's face, O Bharata.

Verse 17 (5.154.17)

युधिष्ठिरस्त्वभिप्रायमभिलक्ष्य महीक्षिताम् । योगमाज्ञापयामास भीमार्जुनयमैः सह ॥

yudhiṣṭhirastvabhiprāyamabhilakṣya mahīkṣitām | yogamājñāpayāmāsa bhīmārjunayamaiḥ saha

Perceiving the kings' intent, Yudhishthira, together with Bhima, Arjuna and the twins, gave orders to prepare for war.

Verse 18 (5.154.18)

ततः किलकिलाभूतमनीकं पाण्डवस्य ह । आज्ञापिते तदा योगे समहृष्यन्त सैनिकाः ॥

tataḥ kilakilābhūtamanīkaṃ pāṇḍavasya ha | ājñāpite tadā yoge samahṛṣyanta sainikāḥ

Then a joyful clamour went up through the Pandava army; when the order to prepare was given, the soldiers rejoiced.

Verse 19 (5.154.19)

अवध्यानां वधं पश्यन्धर्मराजो युधिष्ठिरः । निश्वसन्भीमसेनं च विजयं चेदमब्रवीत् ॥

avadhyānāṃ vadhaṃ paśyandharmarājo yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | niśvasanbhīmasenaṃ ca vijayaṃ cedamabravīt

But Yudhishthira the Dharma King, foreseeing the slaughter of those who ought not to be slain, sighed and said this to Bhimasena and to Vijaya:

Verse 20 (5.154.20)

यदर्थं वनवासश्च प्राप्तं दुःखं च यन्मया । सोऽयमस्मानुपैत्येव परोऽनर्थः प्रयत्नतः ॥

yadarthaṃ vanavāsaśca prāptaṃ duḥkhaṃ ca yanmayā | so'yamasmānupaityeva paro'narthaḥ prayatnataḥ

"The very ruin we went to the forest to avert, for which I endured such suffering, that great calamity is coming upon us all the same, forced upon us.

Note on the text: Corrected सोयमस्मान् → सोऽयमस्मान् (misprint in Wikisource; missing avagraha, as in the critical edition's so 'yam asmān). Speaker: Yudhishthira's lament (verses 20–22), unheaded on the page.

Verse 21 (5.154.21)

यस्मिन्यत्नः कृतोऽस्माभिः स नो हीनः प्रयत्नतः । अकृते तु प्रयत्नेऽस्मानुपावृत्तः कलिर्महान् ॥

yasminyatnaḥ kṛto'smābhiḥ sa no hīnaḥ prayatnataḥ | akṛte tu prayatne'smānupāvṛttaḥ kalirmahān

"What we strove for has slipped from us for all our striving, and what we never strove for, a great strife, has turned upon us.

Verse 22 (5.154.22)

कथं ह्यवध्यैः सङ्ग्रामः कार्यः सह भविष्यति । कथं हत्वा गुरून्वृद्धान्विजयो नो भविष्यति ॥

kathaṃ hyavadhyaiḥ saṅgrāmaḥ kāryaḥ saha bhaviṣyati | kathaṃ hatvā gurūnvṛddhānvijayo no bhaviṣyati

"How can we wage war against those we must not kill? How can there be victory for us after we have slain our aged elders and teachers?"

Verse 23 (5.154.23)

तच्छ्रुत्वा धर्मराजस्य सव्यसाची परन्तपः । यदुक्तं वासुदेवेन श्रावयामास तद्वचः ॥

tacchrutvā dharmarājasya savyasācī parantapaḥ | yaduktaṃ vāsudevena śrāvayāmāsa tadvacaḥ

Hearing the Dharma King, Savyasachin, scorcher of foes, repeated to him the words Vasudeva had spoken.

Verse 24 (5.154.24)

उक्तवान्देवकीपुत्रः कुन्त्याश्च विदुरस्य च । वचनं तत्त्वया राजन्निखिलेनावधारितम् ॥

uktavāndevakīputraḥ kuntyāśca vidurasya ca | vacanaṃ tattvayā rājannikhilenāvadhāritam

"The son of Devaki has told you what Kunti and Vidura said, O king, and you have taken those words in fully.

Note on the text: Speaker: Arjuna's words (verses 24–25), unheaded on the page.

Verse 25 (5.154.25)

न च तौ वक्ष्यतोऽधर्ममिति मे नैष्ठिकी मतिः । नापि युक्तं च कौन्तेय निवर्तितुमयुध्यतः ॥

na ca tau vakṣyato'dharmamiti me naiṣṭhikī matiḥ | nāpi yuktaṃ ca kaunteya nivartitumayudhyataḥ

"It is my firm conviction that those two would never counsel what is against dharma. Nor is it right, son of Kunti, to turn back without fighting."

Verse 26 (5.154.26)

तच्छ्रुत्वा वासुदेवोऽपि सव्यसाचिवचस्तदा । स्मयमानोऽब्रवीद्वाक्यं पार्थमेवमिति ब्रुवन् ॥

tacchrutvā vāsudevo'pi savyasācivacastadā | smayamāno'bravīdvākyaṃ pārthamevamiti bruvan

Hearing these words of Savyasachin, Vasudeva too smiled and spoke to Partha, saying, "It is so."

Verse 27 (5.154.27)

ततस्ते धृतसंकल्पा युद्धाय सह सैनिकाः । पाण्डवेया महाराज तां रात्रिं सुखमावसन् ॥

tataste dhṛtasaṃkalpā yuddhāya saha sainikāḥ | pāṇḍaveyā mahārāja tāṃ rātriṃ sukhamāvasan

Then the Pandavas, their minds made up for war, passed that night in ease together with their soldiers, great king.