Sanjaya continued,—­“Having spoken thus on the field of battle, Arjuna, his mind troubled with grief, casting aside his bow and arrows, sat down on his car.”

[Here ends the first lesson entitled “Survey of Forces"[132] in the dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna of the Bhagavadgita, the essence of religion, the knowledge of Brahma, and the system of Yoga, comprised within the Bhishma Parva of the Mahabharata of Vyasa containing one hundred thousand verses.]

Section XXVI [(Bhagavad Gita Chapter II)]

Sanjaya said,—­“Unto him thus possessed with pity, his eyes filled and oppressed with tears, and desponding, the slayer of Madhu said these words.”

The Holy One said,—­“Whence, O Arjuna, hath come upon thee, at such a crisis, this despondency that is unbecoming a person of noble birth, that shuts one out from heaven, and that is productive of infamy?  Let no effeminacy be thine, O son of Kunti.  This suits thee not.  Shaking off this vile weakness of hearts, arise, O chastiser of foes.—­”

Arjuna said,—­“How, O slayer of Madhu, can I with arrows contend in battle against Bhishma and Drona, deserving as they are.  O slayer of foes, of worship?[133] Without slaying (one’s) preceptors of great glory, it is well (for one), to live on even alms in this world.  By slaying preceptors, even if they are avaricious of wealth, I should only enjoy pleasures that are bloodstained![134] We know not which of the two is of greater moment to us, viz., whether we should conquer them or they should conquer us.  By slaying whom we would not like to live,—­even they, the sons of Dhritarashtra, stand before (us).  My nature affected by the taint of compassion, my mind unsettled about (my) duty, I ask thee.  Tell me what is assuredly good (for me).  I am thy disciple.  O, instruct me, I seek thy aid.[135] I do not see (that) which would dispel that grief of mine blasting my very senses, even if I obtain a prosperous kingdom on earth without a foe or the very sovereignty of the gods.[136]’”

Sanjaya said,—­Having said this unto Hrishikesa, that chastiser of foes-Gudakesa—­(once more) addressed Govinda, saying,—­’I will not fight,’—­and then remained silent.[137] Unto him overcome by despondency, Hrishikesa, in the midst of the two armies, said.

“The Holy One said,—­’Thou mournest those that deserve not to be mourned.  Thou speakest also the words of the (so-called) wise.  Those, however, that are (really) wise, grieve neither for the dead nor for the living.  It is not that, I or you or those rulers of men never were, or that all of us shall not hereafter be.  Of an Embodied being, as childhood, youth, and, decrepitude are in this body, so (also) is the acquisition of another body.  The man, who is wise, is never deluded in this.[138] The contacts of the senses with their (respective) objects producing (sensations of) heat and cold, pleasure and pain, are not permanent, having (as they do) a