Original text
धृतराष्ट्र उवाच–
धर्म-क्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सवः ।
मामकाः पाण्डवाश् चैव किम् अकुर्वत सञ्जय ॥ १ ॥
IAST transliteration
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca–
dharma-kṣetre kurukṣetre samavetā yuyutsavaḥ |
māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caiva kim akurvata sañjaya || 1 ||
भावार्थ
धृतराष्ट्र ने कहा —
हे संजय! धर्मभूमि कुरुक्षेत्र में युद्ध की इच्छा से एकत्रित हुए मेरे और पाण्डु के पुत्रों ने क्या किया?
English meaning
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca–King Dhṛtarāṣṭra said; dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre–in the religious place named Kurukṣetra;samavetāḥ–assembled; yuyutsavaḥ–desiring to fight; māmakāḥ–my sons (headed by Duryodhana); pāṇḍavāḥ–the sons of Pāṇḍu (headed by Yudhiṣṭhira); ca–and; eva–indeed; kim–what?; akurvata –did they do; sañjaya–O Sañjaya.
Commentary
Śrī Kṛṣṇa spoke the Bhagavad-gītā for the welfare of souls troubled by ignorance, sorrow and attachment. Arjuna became the instrument through whom the Lord explained the nature of the self, righteous action, spiritual knowledge and devotion. The Gītā teaches that karma and jñāna become truly meaningful only when they lead the seeker towards devotion and surrender to the Supreme.
The eighteen chapters of the Bhagavad-gītā may be understood through three principal paths: karma-yoga, jñāna-yoga and bhakti-yoga. Karma-yoga purifies the heart through selfless action, jñāna-yoga awakens knowledge of the self, and bhakti-yoga establishes a loving relationship with Bhagavān. Among them, devotion is the central principle because it gives spiritual purpose to both action and knowledge.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra already knew that the two armies had assembled to fight, yet he asked Sañjaya what they had done. His question reveals fear and attachment. Since Kurukṣetra was known as dharma-kṣetra, a sacred field of righteousness, he feared that its influence might weaken the determination of his sons or inspire a peaceful settlement. Although he outwardly appeared concerned about the situation, inwardly he desired the victory of Duryodhana.
The word kṣetra also means a cultivated field. In this symbolic sense, the Pāṇḍavas represent the crop of dharma, protected and nourished by Śrī Kṛṣṇa, while Duryodhana and the Kauravas represent the weeds of greed, pride and injustice. Just as harmful weeds are removed to protect a field, the forces of adharma were destined to be removed from Kurukṣetra so that righteousness could be restored.