The dramatist in Vyasa, with his innate craftsmanship, lifts the scene from the battle front to the quiet and silent chambers of the palace, where the blind Dhritarashtra is listening to ‘the running commentary’ given by Sanjaya. In thus lifting the reader more than once* away from the awe-inspiring atmosphere of Kurukshetra, Vyasa is not only adding dynamic movement to the picture but also giving a necesary psychological rest for the reader’s mind from such a subtle theme of awful beauty.

It is not to be forgotten at all that Sanjaya in the Geeta is “OUR OWN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,” who is fully sympathetic with the righteous cause of the Pandavas. Naturally, therefore, as soon as he reports the Lord’s own words — that all the mighty men of the times, who are the top-ranking men in position in the Kaurava forces, have already been annihilated — he wants to bring to the blind old man’s awareness, the magnitude of the impending disaster. As we have noticed earlier, the only one who could call the war off, even at this moment, is Dhritarashtra himself. And Sanjaya is very anxious to see that the war is not fought. Thus, we see here, in the stanza, in the very language used, the motive of the reporter.

HAVING HEARD THE WORDS OF KESHAVA, ARJUNA, THE CROWNED-ONE, WITH FOLDED PALMS AND TREMBLING WITH FEAR, ADDRESSED AGAIN — The very language used and the picture drawn, reflect the mind of the reporter. Suddenly, Arjuna is called here as “the crowned-one,” perhaps, as a bold forecast, by which Sanjaya expects Dhritarashtra to see the folly of the disastrous war. But a blind man can never SEE things, and much less if he is intellectually blind with delusion.

If the good sense of the blind king cannot be invoked because of his extremely deluded love for his children, Sanjaya expects to give a psychological treatment to the royal father. A lengthy description of how others are getting frightened is a sure method of spreading panic even among moderately courageous listeners. If Arjuna, the warrior, the bosom friend of Krishna is “TREMBLING AND ADDRESSING THE LORD IN A CHOCKED VOICE, OVER-WHELMED WITH FEAR,” Sanjaya expects every sensible man to realise the horrors of the war that is imminent, and the dire consequences that are in store for the vanquished. Even these words of Sanjaya have no effect upon Dhritarashtra who is blind to everything except his mad affection for his own children.

ARJUNA APOSTROPHIZES THE UNIVERSAL-FORM:

Srutva, hearing; etat, this, aforesaid; vacanam, utterance; kesavasya, of Kesava; Kiriti, krtanjalih, with joined palms; and vepamanah, trembling; nama-skrtva, prostrating himself; aha, said; bhuyah eva, again; krsnam, to Krsna; sa-gadgadam, with a faltering voice-. A person’s throat becomes choked with phlegm and his eyes full of tears when, on being struck with fear, he is overcome by sorrow, and when, on being overwhelmed with affection, he is filled with joy. The indistinctness and feebleness of sound in speech that follows as a result is what is called faltering (gadgada). A speech that is accompanied with (saha) this is sa-gadgadam. It is used adverbially to the act of utterance. Pranamya, bowing down with humility; bhita-bhitah, overcome by fits of fear, with his mind struck again and again with fear-this is to be connected with the remote word aha (said). At this juncture the words of Sanjaya have a purpose in view. How? It is thus: Thinking that the helpless Duryodhana will be as good as dead when the four unconquerable ones, viz Drona and others, are killed, Dhrtarastra, losing hope of victory, would conclude a treaty. From that will follow peace on either side. Under the influence of fate, Dhrtarastra did not even listen to that!