CHAPTER ONE Bhagavad Gita

Observing the Armies on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra

धृतराष्ट्र उवाच धर्मक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सवः ।
मामकाः पाण्डवाश्चैव किमकुर्वत सञ्जय ॥ १ ॥

TRANSLATION

Dhṛtarastra said: O Sanjaya, after assembling in the place of pilgrimage at Kurukṣetra, what did my sons and the sons of Pandu do, being desirous to fight?

PURPORT

Bhagavad-gétä is the widely read theistic science summarized in the Gétä-
mähätmya (Glorification of the Gétä). There it says that one should read
Bhagavad-gétä very scrutinizingly with the help of a person who is a devotee of
Çré Kåñëa and try to understand it without personally motivated
interpretations. The example of clear understanding is there in the Bhagavad-
gétä itself, in the way the teaching is understood by Arjuna, who heard the
Gétä directly from the Lord. If someone is fortunate enough to understand
Bhagavad-gétä in that line of disciplic succession, without motivated
interpretation, then he surpasses all studies of Vedic wisdom, and all scriptures
of the world. One will find in the Bhagavad-gétä all that is contained in other
scriptures, but the reader will also find things which are not to be found
elsewhere. That is the specific standard of the Gétä. It is the perfect theistic
science because it is directly spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
Lord Çré Kåñëa.
The topics discussed by Dhåtaräñöra and Saïjaya, as described in the
Mahäbhärata, form the basic principle for this great philosophy. It is
understood that this philosophy evolved on the Battlefield of Kurukñetra,
which is a sacred place of pilgrimage from the immemorial time of the Vedic
age. It was spoken by the Lord when He was present personally on this planet
for the guidance of mankind.
The word dharma-kñetra (a place where religious rituals are performed) is
significant because, on the Battlefield of Kurukñetra, the Supreme Personality
of Godhead was present on the side of Arjuna. Dhåtaräñöra, the father of the
Kurus, was highly doubtful about the possibility of his sons’ ultimate victory. In
his doubt, he inquired from his secretary Saïjaya, “What did my sons and the
sons of Päëòu do?” He was confident that both his sons and the sons of his
younger brother Päëòu were assembled in that Field of Kurukñetra for a
determined engagement of the war. Still, his inquiry is significant. He did not
want a compromise between the cousins and brothers, and he wanted to be
sure of the fate of his sons on the battlefield. Because the battle was arranged
to be fought at Kurukñetra, which is mentioned elsewhere in the Vedas as a
place of worship―even for the denizens of heaven―Dhåtaräñöra became very
fearful about the influence of the holy place on the outcome of the battle. He
knew very well that this would influence Arjuna and the sons of Päëòu
favorably, because by nature they were all virtuous. Saïjaya was a student of
Vyäsa, and therefore, by the mercy of Vyäsa, Saïjaya was able to envision the
Battlefield of Kurukñetra even while he was in the room of Dhåtaräñöra. And
so, Dhåtaräñöra asked him about the situation on the battlefield.
Both the Päëòavas and the sons of Dhåtaräñöra belong to the same family, but
Dhåtaräñöra’s mind is disclosed herein. He deliberately claimed only his sons as
Kurus, and he separated the sons of Päëòu from the family heritage. One can
thus understand the specific position of Dhåtaräñöra in his relationship with
his nephews, the sons of Päëòu. As in the paddy field the unnecessary plants
are taken out, so it is expected from the very beginning of these topics that in
the religious field of Kurukñetra where the father of religion, Çré Kåñëa, was
present, the unwanted plants like Dhåtaräñöra’s son Duryodhana and others
would be wiped out and the thoroughly religious persons, headed by
Yudhiñöhira, would be established by the Lord. This is the significance of the
words dharma-kñetre and kuru-kñetre, apart from their historical and Vedic
importance.