yeṣāmarthe kāṅkṣitaṃ no rājyaṃ bhogāḥ sukhāni ca . ta ime.avasthitā yuddhe prāṇāṃstyaktvā dhanāni ca ||1-33||
Translations & Commentary
4 curated sources available for this verse.
English Translation by Swami Gambirananda
1.32 1.34 O Govinda! What need do we have of a kingdom, or what (need) of enjoyments and livelihood? Those for whom kingdom, enjoyments and pleasures ae desired by us, viz teachers, uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons, brothers-in-law as also relatives-those very ones stand arrayed for battle risking their lives and wealth.
English Translation by Swami Adidevananda
1.33 Those for whose sake we do desire empire, enjoyment and pleasures, stand here in war renouncing life and wealth----
Hindi Translation + Commentary by Swami Ramsukhdas
।।1.33।। जिनके लिये हमारी राज्य, भोग और सुखकी इच्छा है, वे ही ये सब अपने प्राणों की और धन की आशा का त्याग करके युद्ध में खड़े हैं।
।।1.33।। व्याख्या--'येषामर्थे काङ्क्षितं नो राज्यं भोगाः सुखानि च'--हम राज्य, सुख, भोग आदि जो कुछ चाहते हैं, उनको अपने व्यक्तिगत सुखके लिये नहीं चाहते, प्रत्युत इन कुटुम्बियों, प्रेमियों, मित्रों आदिके लिये ही चाहते हैं। आचार्यों, पिताओं, पितामहों, पुत्रों आदिको सुख-आराम पहुँचे, इनकी सेवा हो जाय, ये प्रसन्न रहें--इसके लिये ही हम युद्ध करके राज्य लेना चाहते हैं, भोग-सामग्री इकट्ठी करना चाहते हैं। 'त इमेऽवस्थिता युद्धे प्राणांस्त्यक्त्वा धनानि च'--पर वे ही ये सब-के-सब अपने प्राणोंकी और धनकी आशाको छोड़कर युद्ध करनेके लिये हमारे सामने इस रणभूमिमें खड़े हैं। इन्होंने ऐसा विचार कर लिया है कि हमें न प्राणोंका मोह है और न धनकी तृष्णा है; हम मर बेशक जायँ, पर युद्धसे नहीं हटेंगे। अगर ये सब मर ही जायँगे, हमें राज्य किसके लिये चाहिये? सुख किसके लिये चाहिये धन किसके लिये चाहिये? अर्थात् इन सबकी इच्छा हम किसके लिये करें? 'प्राणांस्त्यक्त्वा धनानि च' का तात्पर्य है कि वे प्राणोंकी और धनकी आशाका त्याग करके खड़े हैं अर्थात् हम जीवित रहेंगे और हमें धन मिलेगा--इस इच्छाको छोड़कर वे खड़े हैं। अगर उनमें प्राणोंकी और धनकी इच्छा होती, तो वे मरनेके लिये युद्धमें क्यों खड़े होते? अतः यहाँ प्राण और धनका त्याग करनेका तात्पर्य उनकी आशाका त्याग करनेमें ही है।सम्बन्ध-- जिनके लिये हम राज्य, भोग और सुख चाहते हैं, वे लोग कौन हैं--इसका वर्णन अर्जुन आगेके दो श्लोकोंमें करते हैं।
English Translation + Commentary by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
when all those for whom we may desire them are now arrayed on this battlefield?
Arjuna has addressed Lord Kṛṣṇa as Govinda because Kṛṣṇa is the object of all pleasures for cows and the senses. By using this significant word, Arjuna indicates that Kṛṣṇa should understand what will satisfy Arjuna’s senses. But Govinda is not meant for satisfying our senses. If we try to satisfy the senses of Govinda, however, then automatically our own senses are satisfied. Materially, everyone wants to satisfy his senses, and he wants God to be the order supplier for such satisfaction. The Lord will satisfy the senses of the living entities as much as they deserve, but not to the extent that they may covet. But when one takes the opposite way – namely, when one tries to satisfy the senses of Govinda without desiring to satisfy one’s own senses – then by the grace of Govinda all desires of the living entity are satisfied. Arjuna’s deep affection for community and family members is exhibited here partly due to his natural compassion for them. He is therefore not prepared to fight. Everyone wants to show his opulence to friends and relatives, but Arjuna fears that all his relatives and friends will be killed on the battlefield and he will be unable to share his opulence after victory. This is a typical calculation of material life. The transcendental life, however, is different. Since a devotee wants to satisfy the desires of the Lord, he can, Lord willing, accept all kinds of opulence for the service of the Lord, and if the Lord is not willing, he should not accept a farthing. Arjuna did not want to kill his relatives, and if there were any need to kill them, he desired that Kṛṣṇa kill them personally. At this point he did not know that Kṛṣṇa had already killed them before their coming into the battlefield and that he was only to become an instrument for Kṛṣṇa. This fact is disclosed in following chapters. As a natural devotee of the Lord, Arjuna did not like to retaliate against his miscreant cousins and brothers, but it was the Lord’s plan that they should all be killed. The devotee of the Lord does not retaliate against the wrongdoer, but the Lord does not tolerate any mischief done to the devotee by the miscreants. The Lord can excuse a person on His own account, but He excuses no one who has done harm to His devotees. Therefore the Lord was determined to kill the miscreants, although Arjuna wanted to excuse them.