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Setting the Scene

Udgiverens forord

Although widely published and read by itself, Bhagavad-gītā originally appears as an episode in the Mahābhārata, the epic Sanskrit history of the ancient world. The Mahābhārata tells of events leading up to the present Age of Kali. It was at the beginning of this age, some fifty centuries ago, that Lord Kṛṣṇa spoke Bhagavad-gītā to His friend and devotee Arjuna.

Selv om Bhagavad-gītā for det meste bliver udgivet og læst for sig selv, står den oprindeligt som en episode i Mahābhārata, det store epos på sanskrit fra Oldtidens Indien. Mahābhārata fortæller om begivenheder, der leder frem til Kali, den nuværende tidsalder. Det var i begyndelsen af denne tidsalder for omkring 5.000 år siden, at Herren Kṛṣṇa talte Bhagavad-gītā til Sin ven og hengivne Arjuna.

Their discourse – one of the greatest philosophical and religious dialogues known to man – took place just before the onset of war, a great fratricidal conflict between the hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra and on the opposing side their cousins the Pāṇḍavas, or sons of Pāṇḍu.

Deres samtale, der er en af menneskehedens og verdenshistoriens store filosofiske og religiøse dialoger, foregik lige før starten på en omfattende krig, en broderstrid mellem Dhṛtarāṣṭras 100 sønner og deres Pāṇḍava-fætre, Pāṇḍus fem sønner.

Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Pāṇḍu were brothers born in the Kuru dynasty, descending from King Bharata, a former ruler of the earth, from whom the name Mahābhārata derives. Because Dhṛtarāṣṭra, the elder brother, was born blind, the throne that otherwise would have been his was passed down to the younger brother, Pāṇḍu.

Dhṛtarāṣṭra og Pāṇḍu var brødre i Kuru-dynastiet og nedstammede fra Kong Bharata, en tidligere monark, der regerede over Jorden, og som navnet Mahābhārata kan føres tilbage til. Fordi Dhṛtarāṣṭra, den ældre bror, var født blind, blev tronen, der ellers skulle have været hans, overdraget til hans yngre bror Pāṇḍu.

When Pāṇḍu died at an early age, his five children – Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhīma, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva – came under the care of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, who in effect became, for the time being, the king. Thus the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra and those of Pāṇḍu grew up in the same royal household. Both were trained in the military arts by the expert Droṇa and counseled by the revered “grandfather” of the clan, Bhīṣma.

Pāṇḍu døde i en tidlig alder, hvilket var grunden til, at hans fem sønner – Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhīma, Arjuna, Nakula og Sahadeva – kom i varetægt hos Dhṛtarāṣṭra, der i praksis blev konge for en tid. Således voksede Dhṛtarāṣṭras og Pāṇḍus sønner op under samme kongelige tag. Begge blev oplært i våbenkunst af kongehusets erfarne militærlærer, Droṇa, og vejledt af klanens højt respekterede bedstefader, Bhīṣma.

Yet the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, especially the eldest, Duryodhana, hated and envied the Pāṇḍavas. And the blind and weak-minded Dhṛtarāṣṭra wanted his own sons, not those of Pāṇḍu, to inherit the kingdom.

Alligevel hadede og misundte Dhṛtarāṣṭras sønner, specielt den ældste, Duryodhana, ikke desto mindre Pāṇḍavaerne. Den blinde og svage Dhṛtarāṣṭra ville ligeledes helst have, at hans egne og ikke Pāṇḍus sønner skulle arve kongeriget.

Thus Duryodhana, with Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s consent, plotted to kill the young sons of Pāṇḍu, and it was only by the careful protection of their uncle Vidura and their cousin Lord Kṛṣṇa that the Pāṇḍavas escaped the many attempts against their lives.

Derfor konspirerede Duryodhana med Dhṛtarāṣṭras samtykke om at dræbe Pāṇḍus unge sønner. Kun på grund af deres onkel Vidura og deres fætter Kṛṣṇas omhyggelige beskyttelse slap Pāṇḍavaerne helskindet fra de mange forsøg på at slå dem ihjel.

Now, Lord Kṛṣṇa was not an ordinary man but the Supreme Godhead Himself, who had descended to earth and was playing the role of a prince in a contemporary dynasty. In this role He was also the nephew of Pāṇḍu’s wife Kuntī, or Pṛthā, the mother of the Pāṇḍavas. So both as a relative and as the eternal upholder of religion, Kṛṣṇa favored the righteous sons of Pāṇḍu and protected them.

Her skal det specielt nævnes, at Herren Kṛṣṇa ikke var et almindeligt menneske, men den Højeste Guddom Selv, der var nedsteget til Jorden og spillede rollen som en prins i et samtidigt dynasti. I denne rolle var Han også nevø til Pāṇḍus hustru Kuntī eller Pṛthā, Pāṇḍavaernes moder. Så både som slægtning og den evige opretholder af religion støttede Kṛṣṇa Pāṇḍus retskafne sønner og beskyttede dem.

Ultimately, however, the clever Duryodhana challenged the Pāṇḍavas to a gambling match. In the course of that fateful tournament, Duryodhana and his brothers took possession of Draupadī, the chaste and devoted wife of the Pāṇḍavas, and insultingly tried to strip her naked before the entire assembly of princes and kings. Kṛṣṇa’s divine intervention saved her, but the gambling, which was rigged, cheated the Pāṇḍavas of their kingdom and forced them into thirteen years of exile.

Det endte med, at den snu Duryodhana udfordrede Pāṇḍavaerne til et terningespil. Under dette skæbnesvangre spil forgreb Duryodhana og hans brødre sig på Draupadī, Pāṇḍavaernes kyske og hengivne hustru, da de på den mest fornærmelige måde forsøgte at afklæde hende foran alle de forsamlede fyrster og konger. Kṛṣṇas guddommelige indgriben reddede hende fra denne forsmædelse, men terningespillet, der var manipuleret, snød Pāṇḍavaerne for deres land og sendte dem i 13 års landflygtighed.

Upon returning from exile, the Pāṇḍavas rightfully requested their kingdom from Duryodhana, who bluntly refused to yield it. Duty-bound as princes to serve in public administration, the five Pāṇḍavas reduced their request to a mere five villages. But Duryodhana arrogantly replied that he wouldn’t spare them enough land into which to drive a pin.

Da Pāṇḍavaerne vendte tilbage fra eksilet, bad de om at få deres retmæssige kongerige tilbage fra Duryodhana, der imidlertid på groveste vis nægtede at give det fra sig. Som pligttro fyrster, hvis opgave det var at tjene som regenter og administratorer, indskrænkede de fem Pāṇḍavaer deres krav til blot fem landsbyer. Men Duryodhana svarede arrogant, at han ikke engang ville lade dem have så meget land, som de kunne stikke en nål i.

Throughout all this, the Pāṇḍavas had been consistently tolerant and forbearing. But now war seemed inevitable.

Igennem hele dette forløb havde Pāṇḍavaerne konsekvent været tolerante og overbærende. Men nu syntes krig uundgåelig.

Nonetheless, as the princes of the world divided, some siding with the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, others with the Pāṇḍavas, Kṛṣṇa Himself took the role of messenger for the sons of Pāṇḍu and went to the court of Dhṛtarāṣṭra to plead for peace. When His pleas were refused, war was now certain.

Mens hele verdens fyrster delte sig i to lejre, og nogle holdt med Dhṛtarāṣṭras sønner, og andre tog Pāṇḍavaernes side, påtog Kṛṣṇa Selv Sig rollen som budbringer for Pāṇḍus sønner og aflagde et besøg ved Dhṛtarāṣṭras hof for indtrængende at appellere om fred. Da Hans forslag blev afvist, var krigen en realitet.

The Pāṇḍavas, men of the highest moral stature, recognized Kṛṣṇa to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whereas the impious sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra did not. Yet Kṛṣṇa offered to enter the war according to the desire of the antagonists. As God, He would not personally fight; but whoever so desired might avail himself of Kṛṣṇa’s army – and the other side could have Kṛṣṇa Himself, as an advisor and helper. Duryodhana, the political genius, snatched at Kṛṣṇa’s armed forces, while the Pāṇḍavas were equally eager to have Kṛṣṇa Himself.

Pāṇḍavaerne, der var mænd af højeste moral og karakter, anerkendte Kṛṣṇa som Guddommens Højeste Personlighed, mens Dhṛtarāṣṭras ugudelige sønner ikke gjorde det. Alligevel tilbød Kṛṣṇa at gå ind i krigen på sidstnævntes præmisser. Som Gud ville Han ikke Selv kæmpe, men den ene side ville få Kṛṣṇas hær, og den anden side kunne have Kṛṣṇa Selv som rådgiver og hjælper. Sat over for dette valg snuppede Duryodhana som det politiske geni, han var, Kṛṣṇas væbnede styrker, mens Pāṇḍavaerne var lige så ivrige efter at få Kṛṣṇa Selv.

In this way, Kṛṣṇa became the charioteer of Arjuna, taking it upon Himself to drive the fabled bowman’s chariot. This brings us to the point at which Bhagavad-gītā begins, with the two armies arrayed, ready for combat, and Dhṛtarāṣṭra anxiously inquiring of his secretary Sañjaya, “What did they do?”

Dette var grunden til, at Kṛṣṇa blev Arjunas vognstyrer og påtog Sig at føre den sagnomspundne bueskyttes stridsvogn. Hermed er vi kommet til det tidspunkt, hvor Bhagavad-gītā begynder med de to kampklare hære opstillet over for hinanden, og Dhṛtarāṣṭra ængsteligt spørger sin sekretær, Sañjaya: “Hvad gjorde de?”

The scene is set, with only the need for a brief note regarding this translation and commentary.

Vejen er beredt – alt er klart. Det eneste, der mere behøves, er en kort bemærkning om denne oversættelse og kommentar.

The general pattern translators have followed in rendering Bhagavad-gītā into English has been to brush aside the person Kṛṣṇa to make room for their own concepts and philosophies. The history of the Mahābhārata is taken as quaint mythology, and Kṛṣṇa becomes a poetic device for presenting the ideas of some anonymous genius, or at best He becomes a minor historical personage.

Generelt har oversættere, når de skulle fremlægge Bhagavad-gītā på engelsk, været tilbøjelige til at tilsidesætte personen Kṛṣṇa for at gøre plads til deres egne ideer og filosofier. Historien i Mahābhārata affejes som en oldtidsmyte, og Kṛṣṇa bliver en kreativ digters påfund for at udtrykke nogle ideer fra et anonymt geni i fordums tid. I bedste fald bliver Kṛṣṇa reduceret til en mindre væsentlig historisk personlighed.

But the person Kṛṣṇa is both the goal and the substance of Bhagavad-gītā, so far as the Gītā speaks of itself.

Ifølge Bhagavad-gītā selv er det imidlertid selve personen Kṛṣṇa, der er målet i Bhagavad-gītā og den, som hele bogen handler om.

This translation, then, and the commentary that accompanies it propose to direct the reader to Kṛṣṇa rather than away from Him. The Bhagavad-gītā thus becomes wholly consistent and comprehensible. Since Kṛṣṇa is the speaker of the Gītā, and its ultimate goal as well, the Bhagavad-gītā As It Is presents this great scripture in its true terms.

Denne oversættelse og dens ledsagende kommentar leder derfor læseren til Kṛṣṇa i stedet for væk fra Ham, hvilket gør Bhagavad-gītās budskab modsigelsesfrit og letforståeligt. Siden Kṛṣṇa er taleren i Bhagavad-gītā såvel som bogens egentlige mål, præsenterer Bhagavad-gītā som den er denne store tekst på dens virkelige præmisser.

The Publishers

The Publishers