Vyasa · a new plain-English translation from the Sanskrit
1.1 Dhritarashtra said: On the field of dharma, the field of Kuru, gathered together and eager to fight, what did my sons and the sons of Pandu do, Sanjaya?
1.2 Sanjaya said: Having seen the army of the Pandavas arrayed for battle, King Duryodhana approached his teacher Drona and spoke these words.
1.3 Behold, teacher, this great army of the sons of Pandu, arrayed by your own pupil, the wise son of Drupada.
1.4 Here are heroes, great archers, equal in battle to Bhima and Arjuna: Yuyudhana, Virata, and Drupada, the great warrior.
1.5 Dhrishtaketu, Chekitana, and the valiant king of Kashi; Purujit, Kuntibhoja, and Shaibya, a bull among men.
1.6 The mighty Yudhamanyu and the valiant Uttamaujas; the son of Subhadra, and the sons of Draupadi, all of them great warriors.
1.7 But know also, best of the twice-born, those distinguished among us; I name to you the leaders of my army, so that you may recognize them.
1.8 Yourself, and Bhishma, and Karna, and Kripa, ever victorious in battle; Ashvatthama, Vikarna, and the son of Somadatta.
1.9 And many other heroes, ready to give up their lives for my sake, armed with many kinds of weapons, all skilled in war.
1.10 Our army, guarded by Bhishma, is unlimited, while theirs, guarded by Bhima, is limited.
1.11 Therefore, standing each in his own place at every point of entry, all of you must guard Bhishma alone.
1.12 Then the aged Kuru elder, the grandsire, roaring a lion's roar to gladden Duryodhana's heart, blew his conch loudly, mighty in valor.
1.13 Then conches and kettledrums, cymbals, drums, and horns were sounded all at once; the sound was tumultuous.
1.14 Then, standing in their great chariot yoked with white horses, Krishna and Arjuna blew their divine conches.
1.15 Hrishikesha blew the Panchajanya, Dhananjaya blew the Devadatta, and Bhima, of fearsome deeds, blew his great conch Paundra.
1.16 King Yudhishthira, son of Kunti, blew the Anantavijaya; Nakula and Sahadeva blew the Sughosha and the Manipushpaka.
1.17 The king of Kashi, supreme archer, and Shikhandi, the great warrior, Dhrishtadyumna, Virata, and the unconquered Satyaki,
1.18 Drupada, and the sons of Draupadi, O lord of the earth, and the mighty-armed son of Subhadra, all blew their conches, each his own.
1.19 That tumultuous sound tore at the hearts of Dhritarashtra's sons, echoing through the sky and the earth.
1.20 Then, seeing Dhritarashtra's sons drawn up in position as the flying of weapons was about to begin, Arjuna, whose banner bore the monkey, the son of Pandu, took up his bow,
1.21 Arjuna said: and spoke these words to Hrishikesha, lord of the earth: Place my chariot, Achyuta, between the two armies,
1.22 so that I may look upon those arrayed here, eager for battle, with whom I must fight in this coming struggle of war.
1.23 I wish to see those who are gathered here ready to fight, wishing to please the evil-minded son of Dhritarashtra in this war.
1.24 Sanjaya said: Thus addressed by Gudakesha, O descendant of Bharata, Hrishikesha placed that finest of chariots between the two armies,
1.25 before Bhishma and Drona and all the rulers of the earth, and said: Behold, Partha, these Kurus gathered together.
1.26 There Partha saw standing before him fathers and grandfathers, teachers, uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, and friends,
1.27 fathers-in-law and companions too, in both armies. Seeing all these kinsmen standing arrayed, the son of Kunti,
1.28 Arjuna said: overcome by deep compassion, spoke these sorrowful words: Seeing my own people here, Krishna, drawn up eager to fight,
1.29 my limbs give way and my mouth goes dry; there is trembling in my body, and my hair stands on end.
1.30 The bow Gandiva slips from my hand, and my skin is burning; I cannot stand still, my mind seems to whirl.
1.31 And I see omens that bode ill, Keshava. I foresee no good to come from killing my own people in battle.
1.32 I have no desire for victory, Krishna, nor for kingship, nor for pleasures. What use is kingship to us, Govinda, what use are enjoyments or life itself,
1.33 when those for whose sake we desired kingship, enjoyments, and pleasures stand here in battle, having given up their lives and their wealth.
1.34 Teachers, fathers, sons, and grandfathers too, uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons, brothers-in-law, and other kinsmen,
1.35 these I do not wish to kill, even though they would kill me, Madhusudana, not even for the sake of dominion over the three worlds, let alone for the earth.
1.36 What joy would we gain from killing Dhritarashtra's sons, Janardana? Only evil would fall upon us if we killed these men, even though they are the aggressors.
1.37 Therefore we ought not to kill Dhritarashtra's sons, our own kinsmen; for how could we be happy, Madhava, after killing our own people?
1.38 Even if these men, their minds overcome by greed, see no wrong in destroying a family or committing treachery against friends,
1.39 why should we not know enough to turn back from this evil, Janardana, we who see clearly the wrong done in destroying a family?
1.40 When a family is destroyed, its eternal traditions perish; when tradition is lost, lawlessness overtakes the whole family.
1.41 When lawlessness prevails, Krishna, the women of the family are corrupted; and when women are corrupted, O descendant of Vrishni, the mingling of castes arises.
1.42 Such mingling drags the destroyers of the family, and the family itself, down to ruin; their ancestors fall, deprived of offerings of rice and water.
1.43 By these wrongs of the destroyers of the family, which bring about the mingling of castes, the eternal traditions of caste and family are torn down.
1.44 We have heard, Janardana, that those whose family traditions are destroyed are doomed to dwell in hell for an unmeasured time.
1.45 Alas, we have resolved to commit a great wrong, in that we are prepared to kill our own people out of greed for the pleasures of kingship.
1.46 It would be better for me if the sons of Dhritarashtra, weapons in hand, were to kill me in battle, unarmed and unresisting.
1.47 Sanjaya said: Having spoken thus on the battlefield, Arjuna sank down onto the seat of his chariot, letting fall his bow and arrows, his mind overwhelmed with grief.