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TEXT 6

TEXT 6

Devanagari

Devanagari

न चैतद्विद्मः कतरन्नो गरीयो
यद्वा जयेम यदि वा नो जयेयुः ।
यानेव हत्वा न जिजीविषाम-
स्तेऽवस्थिताः प्रमुखे धार्तराष्ट्राः ॥ ६ ॥

Text

Texte

na caitad vidmaḥ kataran no garīyo
yad vā jayema yadi vā no jayeyuḥ
yān eva hatvā na jijīviṣāmas
te ’vasthitāḥ pramukhe dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ
na caitad vidmaḥ kataran no garīyo
yad vā jayema yadi vā no jayeyuḥ
yān eva hatvā na jijīviṣāmas
te ’vasthitāḥ pramukhe dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ

Synonyms

Synonyms

na — nor; ca — also; etat — this; vidmaḥ — do we know; katarat — which; naḥ — for us; garīyaḥ — better; yat — whether; jayema — we may conquer; yadi — if; — 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.

na: non plus; ca: aussi; etat: ce; vidmaḥ: nous savons; katarat: qui; naḥ: pour nous; garīyaḥ: mieux; yat vā: soit que; jayema: nous vainquions; yadi: si; vā: ou; naḥ: nous; jayeyuḥ: ils vainquent; yān: ceux qui; eva: certes; hatvā: en tuant; na: jamais; jijīviṣāmaḥ: nous ne voudrions vivre; te: eux tous; avasthitāḥ: sont situés; pramukhe: sur le front; dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ: les fils de Dhṛtarāṣṭra.

Translation

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.

J’ignore s’il vaut mieux les vaincre ou être par eux vaincu. En tuant les fils de Dhṛtarāṣṭra, je perdrai le goût de vivre; et pourtant, les voici maintenant alignés devant nous sur ce champ de bataille.

Purport

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.

Bien que le devoir du kṣatriya lui commande de se battre, Arjuna ne sait s’il faut risquer d’inutiles violences ou, au contraire, s’abstenir de lutter et vivre de mendicité – car à moins de vaincre ses ennemis, il n’aura aucun autre moyen de subsistance. Le succès n’est d’ailleurs pas acquis, puisque l’un et l’autre camp sont en mesure de l’emporter. Et même si la victoire attend ceux dont la cause est juste, quelle douleur de vivre sans les fils de Dhṛtarāṣṭra, morts au combat. La victoire ne serait finalement qu’une sorte de défaite. Ces réflexions d’Arjuna prouvent qu’il est non seulement un très grand dévot du Seigneur, mais encore quelqu’un de profondément éclairé et de parfaitement maître de son mental et de ses sens. Son désir de vivre de mendicité, alors qu’il est de sang royal, est une autre marque de son détachement. L’authenticité de sa vertu est bien réelle. Toutes ces qualités, jointes à sa foi dans les enseignements du Seigneur (son maître spirituel), le prouvent. Arjuna est donc parfaitement digne de la libération. À moins de se rendre maître des sens, on n’a aucune chance de s’élever au niveau de la connaissance; et sans connaissance et dévotion, il est impossible d’accéder à la libération. Or, outre ses mérites exceptionnels en ce qui concerne ses relations matérielles, Arjuna possède toutes ces qualités spirituelles.