Gyaneshwari Geeta-5

Gyaneshwari Geeta-5

Dhritarashtra said:

1. In the holy plain of Kurukshetra have gathered eager for battle, mine and Pandu’s sons; what did they do, O Sanjaya?

Dhritarashtra, blinded by his filial affection, asked Sanjaya, “Tell me the news of Kurukshetra (81-85). To that Holy Land, Pandu’s sons and mine have gone in order to wage a war; what they have been doing all this while, tell me all very quickly.”

Sanjaya said:

2. Seeing the army of the Pandavas arrayed in battle, King Duryodhana approached his teacher (Drona) and said these words:

3. Behold this vast army of the Pandavas, O teacher, arrayed by the son of Drupada, (Dhrishtadyumna),thy clever pupil. At that time, Sanjaya said, the Pandava army had gone berserk as if the Death-god had opened his jaws at the time of dissolution. Now that the compact army of the Pandavas is surging forward like spurting poison, who can control it? Or like the submarine fire fanned by the squall of dissolution, drying up the seas and reaching up to the sky, so the irresistible Pandava army, organised into different arrays, looked dreadful (86-90). Duryodhana held the Pandava army in contempt in the same way as the lion thinks nothing much of a herd of elephants. He then approached Dronacharya and said to him, “Please see how this army of the Pandavas
is surging forward. Its different arrays look like walking forts and they have been organised by the clever son of Drupada (Dhrishtadyumna), who has been instructed by you in the art
of war. Look how cleverly he has arrayed this vast army here (91-95).

4. Here are valiant bowmen, peers of Bhima and Arjuna in battle, Yuyudhana (Satyaki), Virata and Drupada, a mighty warrior. Besides there are here great warriors skilled in the art of weaponry and well-versed in the duties of a warrior. They are peers of Bhima and Arjuna in strength, daring and valour. I shall tell you their names on this occasion. Here is the great warrior Satyaki, Virata is here too, as also Drupada, the great car-warrior.

5. Dhrishtaketu, Chekitana and the heroic king of Kashi, Purujit Kuntibhoja and Shaibya, foremost among men,

6. And Yudhamanyu the strong, Uttamauja the brave, Subhadra’s boy and Draupadi’s sons, great warriors all. Look at Chekitana, Dhristaketu, the heroic Kashiraja, Uttamauja and Shaibya, the Lord of kings. Here is Kuntibhoja, Yudhamanyu, King Purujit and others, see them all (96-100). Here is Abhimanyu, who gladdens the heart of Subhadra, a second Arjuna; look at him, so said Duryodhana to Drona. Besides here are the sons of Draupadi, and other car-warriors, countless in number, have also gathered here.

7. Know further, O noblest of the twice-born, the captains of my army, the more distinguished among us; these I name to you for your information.

8. Your good self, Bhishma and Karna and Kripa, ever victorious in battle, Ashvatthama and Vikarna and also Bhurishrava, son of Somadatta. Now I shall take this occasion to tell you the names of prominent warriors in our army. I shall briefly mention only a few of them, those that are chief among us, including yourself. Here are Bhishma, son of Ganga, like unto the sun in lustre and valour, and Karna, who is to the enemies like a lion to the elephants (101-105). If either of them were to so resolve, he could destroy the world. And Kripacharya here alone is able to perform that task. Here is heroic Vikarna and over there is Ashvatthama, of whom even the god of death ever stands in awe. Here are son of Somadatta, Bhurishrava, ever victorious in war,

9. And there are many other heroes, ever ready to risk their lives for my sake, armed with many kinds of weapons, all of them skilled in warfare.and many other warriors whose valour even God Brahma cannot fathom, they are skilled in the science of arms and missiles, why say more! all missiles became current in the world from them only. They are full of valour and peerless in the world and they have espoused my cause with all their heart. Just as a faithful wife thinks only of her husband and none else, these warriors think of me to be their all. They are such great and good loyal servants that they care less for their lives in the execution of their task. Skilful in warfare, they are renowned for their feats of war; why say all this? The warriors’ code came into vogue from them only. So there are all-round warriors in our army too. How can one count them?

Om Namah Shivay