Devanagari
न चैतद्विद्मः कतरन्नो गरीयो
यद्वा जयेम यदि वा नो जयेयुः ।
यानेव हत्वा न जिजीविषाम-
स्तेऽवस्थिताः प्रमुखे धार्तराष्ट्राः ॥ ६ ॥
Verse text
na caitad vidmaḥ kataran no garīyo
yad vā jayema yadi vā no jayeyuḥ
yān eva hatvā na jijīviṣāmas
te ’vasthitāḥ pramukhe dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ
Synonyms
na
—
nor
;
ca
—
also
;
etat
—
this
;
vidmaḥ
—
do we know
;
katarat
—
which
;
naḥ
—
for us
;
garīyaḥ
—
better
;
yat vā
—
whether
;
jayema
—
we may conquer
;
yadi
—
if
;
vā
—
or
;
naḥ
—
us
;
jayeyuḥ
—
they conquer
;
yān
—
those who
;
eva
—
certainly
;
hatvā
—
by killing
;
na
—
never
;
jijīviṣāmaḥ
—
we would want to live
;
te
—
all of them
;
avasthitāḥ
—
are situated
;
pramukhe
—
in the front
;
dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ
—
the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.
Translation
Nor do we know which is better – conquering them or being conquered by them. If we killed the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, we should not care to live. Yet they are now standing before us on the battlefield.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
6. We do not know which is better—whether we should conquer them or whether they should conquer us. These sons of Dhṛtarāṣtra, by killing whom we do not wish to live, are situated facing us.
Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
6. We do not know which is better—whether we should conquer them or whether they should conquer us. These sons of Dhṛtarāṣtra, by killing whom we do not wish to live, are standing before us.
Purport
Arjuna did not know whether he should fight and risk unnecessary violence, although fighting is the duty of the kṣatriyas, or whether he should refrain and live by begging. If he did not conquer the enemy, begging would be his only means of subsistence. Nor was there certainty of victory, because either side might emerge victorious. Even if victory awaited them (and their cause was justified), still, if the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra died in battle, it would be very difficult to live in their absence. Under the circumstances, that would be another kind of defeat for them. All these considerations by Arjuna definitely proved that not only was he a great devotee of the Lord but he was also highly enlightened and had complete control over his mind and senses. His desire to live by begging, although he was born in the royal household, is another sign of detachment. He was truly virtuous, as these qualities, combined with his faith in the words of instruction of Śrī Kṛṣṇa (his spiritual master), indicate. It is concluded that Arjuna was quite fit for liberation. Unless the senses are controlled, there is no chance of elevation to the platform of knowledge, and without knowledge and devotion there is no chance of liberation. Arjuna was competent in all these attributes, over and above his enormous attributes in his material relationships.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Moreover I do not know if I shall be victorious or defeated even if I am prepared to kill them. And I do not know which will be better, victory or defeat: if I conquer them or they conquer me. And even if I am victorious, that also is defeat, for I will not want to live.
Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
“Even though you know that eating by begging is censured for the kṣatriya, and that your own duty is to fight, you criticize fighting.”
“No, I do not know which is better for me—fighting or begging. I do not know if it is better to give up violence and live by begging, or if it is better to fight according to my duty. And I do not know whether I will be victorious over Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons or they will be victorious over me in the battle once it has started.”
“But there will certainly be victory for you, situated firmly in dharma and having great prowess in fighting.”
“I will not desire to live, having killed all of them (yān)—the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra and elders like Bhīṣma, what to speak of enjoying the fruits of victory. Though we will be victorious, we will certainly be defeated in terms of the results (with no desire to live or enjoy the result of victory). Thus, the superiority of fighting over begging has not been established.”
Thus, such a verse as this shows Arjuna’s qualification for jṣāna, which is well known in the śruti:
tasmād evaṁ vic chānta-dānta uparatas titikṣuḥ śraddhānvito bhūtvātmany evātmānaṁ paśyet
One who thus has knowledge, who has control of the mind and senses, who is indifferent to the world, and who is tolerant and filled with faith, should see the supreme self in the self alone. Bṛhad Āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.4.23
In verse 32 of the first chapter he shows control of senses and mind (śama and dama) by saying “What is the use of kingdom, enjoyment and living?” He shows indifference (uparati) to the enjoyment of this life and the next life in verse 35 of the first chapter with the statement “I do not desire to kill them even if I have sovereignty over the three worlds.” When he says in this verse that it is better to live by begging, he shows his tolerance of dualities of nature (titikṣa). His deep faith in the words of the guru (śraddhā) will be shown in the next verse. One does not have qualification for receiving knowledge if one is devoid of these traits, just as lame person is not qualified for actions.
Surrender Unto Me
Arjuna have been putting foward many strong arguments. But what is the ultimate result of all his arguments and strong words?