TEXT 37 - 38
यद्यप्येते न पश्यन्ति लोभोपहचेतसः।
कुलक्षयकृतं दोषं मित्रद्रोहे च पातकम्॥३७॥
कथं न ज्ञेयमस्माभिः पापादस्मान्निवर्तितुम्।
कुलक्षयकृतं दोषं प्रपश्यद्भिर्जनार्दन॥३८॥
TRANSLATION
"O Janardana, although these men, their hearts overtaken by greed, see no fault in killing one's family or quarreling with friends, why should we, who can see the crime in destroying a family, engage in these acts of sin?"
PURPORT
A ksatriya is not suppose to refuse to battle or gamble when he is so invited by some rival party. Under such an obligation, Arjuna could not refuse to fight, because he had been challenged by the party of Duryodhana. In this connection, Arjuna considered that the other party might be blind to the effects of such a challenge.
Arjuna, however, could see the evil consequences and could not accept the challenge. Obligation is actually binding when the effect is good, but when the effect is otherwise, then no one can be cound. Considering all these pros and cons, Arjuna decided not to fight.
TEXT 39
कुलक्षये प्रणश्यन्ति कुलधर्माः सनातनाः।
धर्मे नष्टे कुलं कृत्स्त्रमधर्मोऽभिभवत्युत॥३९॥
TRANSLATION
"With the destruction of dynasty, the eternal family tradition is vanquished, and thus the rest of the family becomes involved in irreligion."
PURPORT
In the system of the varnasrama institution there are many principles of religious traditions to help members of the family grow properly and attain spiritual values. The elder members are responsible for such purifying processes in the family, beginning from birth to death.
But on the death of the elder members, such family traditios of purification may stop, and the remaining younger family members may develop irreligous habits and thereby lose their chance for spiritual salvation. Therefore, for no purpose should the elder member of the family be slain.
TEXT 40
अधर्माभिभवात्कृष्ण प्रदुष्यन्ति कुलस्त्रियः।
स्त्रीषु दुष्टासु वार्ष्णेय जायते वर्णसङ्करः॥४०॥
TRANSLATION
"When irreligion is prominent in the family, O Krsna, the women of the family become polluted, and from the degradation of womanhood, O descendant of Vrsni, comes unwanted progeny."
PURPORT
Good population in human society is the basic principle for peace, prosperity and spiritual progress in life. The varnasrama religion's principles were so designed that the good population would prevail in society for the general spiritual progress of state and community. Such population depends on the chasity and faithfulness of its womanhood.
As children are very prone to be misled, women are similarly very prone to degradation. Therefore, both children and woman require protection by the elder members of the family. By being engaged in various religious practices, women will not be misled into adultery.
According to Canakya Pandita, women are generally not very intelligent and therefore not trustworthy. So the different family traditions of religious activities should always engage them, and thus their chasity and devotion will give birth to a good population eligible for participating in the varnasrama system.
On the failure of such varnasrama-dharma, naturally the women become free to act and mix with men, and thus adultery is indulged in at the risk of unwanted population. Irresponsible men also provoke adultery in society, and thus unwanted children flood the human race at the risk of war and pestilence.
TEXT 41
सङ्करो नरकायैव कुलघ्रानां कुलस्य च ।
पतन्ति पितरो ह्रोषां लुसपिण्डोदकक्रियाः॥४१॥
TRANSLATION
"An increase of unwanted population certainly causes hellish life both for the family and for those who destroy the family tradition. The ancestors of such corrupt families fall down, because the performance for offering them food and water are entirely stopped."
PURPORT
According to the rules and regulations of fruitive activites, there is a need to offer periodical food and water to the forefathers of the family. This offering is performed by worship of Visnu, because eating the remnants of food offered to Visnu can deliver one from all kinds of sinful reactions, and sometimes some of them cannot even acquire a gross material body and are forced to remain in subtle bodies as ghosts.
Thus, when remnants of prasadam food are offered to forefathers by descendants, the forefathers are released from ghostly or other kinds of miserable life. Such help rendered to forefathers is a family tradition, and those who are not in devotional life are required to perform such rituals.
One who is engaged in the devotional service, one can deliver hundreds and thousands of forefathers from all kinds of misery. It is stated in the Bhagavatam(11.5.41):
devarsi-bhutapta-nrnam pitrnam
na kinkaro nayam rni ca rajan
sarvatmana yah saranam saranyam
gato mukundam parihrtya kartam
"Anyone who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of Mukunda, the giver of liberation, giving up all kinds of obligation, and has taken to the path in all seriousness, owes neither duties nor obligations to the demigods, sages, general living entities, family members, humankind or forefathers."
Such obligations are automatically fulfilled by performance of devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
TEXT 42
दोषैरेतैः कुलघ्रानां वर्णसङ्करकारकैः।
उत्साद्यन्ते जातिधर्मा कुलधर्माश्र्च शाश्र्वताः॥४२॥
TRANSLATION
"By the evil deeds of those who destroy the family tradition and thus give rise to unwanted children, all kinds of community projects and family welfare activities are devastated."
PURPORT
Community projects for the four orders of human society, combined with family welfare activities, as they are set forth by the institution of sanatana-dharma, or varnasrama-dharma, are designed to enable the human being to attain his ultimate salvation.
Therefore, the breaking of the sanatana-dharma tradition by irresponsible leaders of society brings about chaos in that society, and consequently people forget the aim of life-Visnu. Such leaders are called blind, and persons who follow such leaders are sure to be led into chaos.
TEXT 43
उत्सन्नकुलधर्माणां मनुष्याणां जनार्दन।
नरके नियतं वासो भक्तीत्यनुश्रुश्रुम॥४३॥
TRANSLATION
"O Krsna, maintainer of the people, I have heard by disciplic succession that those who destroy family tradition dwell always in hell."
PURPORT
Arjuna bases his argument not on his own personal experience, but on what he has heard from the authorities. That is the way of receiving real knowledge. One cannot reach the real point of factual knowledge without being helped by the right person who is already established in that knowledge. Thereis a system in the varnasrama institution by which before death one has to undergo the process of atonement for his sinful activities.
One who is always engaged in sinful activites must utilize the process of atonement called the prayascitta. Without doing so, one surely will be transferred to hellish planets to undergo miserable lives as the result of sinful activities.
TEXT 44
अहो बत महत्पापं कर्तुं व्यवसिता वयम्।
यद्राज्यसुखलोभेन हन्तुं स्वजनमुद्यताः॥४४॥
TRANSLATION
"Alas, how strange it is that we are preparing to commit greatly sinful acts. Driven by the desire to enjoy royal happiness, we are intent on killing our own kinsmen."
PURPORT
Driven by selfish motives, one may be inclined to such sinful acts as the killing of one's own brother, father or mother. There are many such instances in the history of the world. But Arjuna, being a saintly devotee of the Lord, is always conscious of moral principles and therefore takes care to avoid such activities.
TEXT 45
यदि मामप्रतीकारमशस्त्रं शस्त्रपाणयः।
धार्तराष्ट्रा रणे हन्युस्तन्मे क्षेमतरं भवेत्॥४५॥
TRANSLATION
"Better for me if the sons of Dhrtarastra, weapons in hand, were to kill me unarmed and unresisting on the battlefield."
PURPORT
It is the custom-according to ksatriya fighting principles-that an unarmed and unwilling foe should not be attacked. Arjuna, however, decided that even if attacked by the enemy in such an awkward position, he would not fight. He did not consider how much the other party was bent upon fighting. All these symptoms are due to soft-heartedness resulting from his being a great devotee of the Lord.
TEXT 46
सञ्ञय उवाच
एवमुत्क्वार्जुनः संख्ये रथोपस्थ उपाविशत्।
विसृज्य सशरं चापं शोकसंविग्नमानसः॥४६॥
TRANSLATION
"Sanjaya said: Arjuna, having thus spoken on the battlefield, cast aside his bow and arrows and sat down on the chariot, his mind overwhelmed with grief."
PURPORT
While observing the situation of his enemy, Arjuna stood up on the chariot, but he was so afflicted with lamentation that he sat down again, setting aside his bow and arrows. Such a kind and soft-hearted person, in the devotional service of the Lord, is fit to receive self-knowledge.
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Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Purports to the First Chapter of the Srimad Bhagavad-gita in the matter of Observing the Armies on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra.