The War's Commencement - Bhagavad Gita

The Vrajavāsīs resided at dharma-ksetra, Kurukṣetra for three months. When Kṛṣṇa met Yaśodā Mātā, He went running and hid under the shawl of His mother. Yaśodā Mātā embraced Him, covering Him with her cloth. At that time, Kṛṣṇa was over 100 years old and had already many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. In spite of this, he hid in the lap of Yaśodā Mātā and began to weep. Yaśodā Mātā wept like a cow who had found her long-lost calf.
Kṛṣṇa called out, "Mother, mother!" Milk flowed in streams from Yaśodā Mātā's breasts. And Kṛṣṇa drank her breast milk. Kṛṣṇa drowned in the fathomless ocean of Yaśodā Mātā's parental affection. At that time He forgot, "I am God", He forgot, "I am the Lord of Dvārakā" and "I am the Greatest." He became totally absorbed in the vatsalya-sneha of His mother.
The Vrajavāsīs have anurāga for Kṛṣṇa. This anurāga is of two kinds: sambandhānugā and kāmānugā. Kāmānugā has two classifications. One is called sambhoga-icchamayi and the other, tat-tat-bhava-icchamayi.
So what is the mood of these devotees? They desire, "How can I please Kṛṣṇa?" They then prepare themselves, and serve Him accordingly, simply to fulfill His heart's desires.
Kṛṣṇa gave the Vrajavāsīs the responsibility to train others in the way of this anuragamayi bhakti or loving service.
Māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caiva
Now, what events are unfolding in the field of dharma, the "Dharma-ksetra" which had already been prepared by Kuru Mahārāja? Here, the armies of the Pāṇḍavas and the Kauravas have now assembled and are preparing to fight.
Why is a war about to commence? We should very carefully try to understand this by realizing or hearing the conception of the gosvāmīs and guru-varga. Why is there a battle about to happen in the first place?
Mahārāja Drupada and Droṇācārya were boyhood friends. One was a brāhmaṇa, and the other a kṣatriya. They were close friends in their days of study. Droṇācārya was a poor brāhmaṇa. After his days in gurukula he married and had a son who he named, Aśvatthāmā.
He and his family were so poor, that Droṇācārya had no means to give milk to his son. The boy's mother mixed white flour and water so that it appeared to resemble milk, and she fed this to her son. Seeing this, Droṇācārya became very distressed. He said, "My friend Drupada is very wealthy. I will go and beg a cow from him, and then I will be able to give real milk to my son."
Droṇācārya went to Drupada, and asked him for a cow. Droṇācārya requested Drupada while speaking sweet words, reminding him of their childhood friendship. Drupada became angered, and abused Droṇācārya saying, "How can we be friends? Friendship must be on equal terms among equals. You are only a poor beggar, and I am a king. How can you call yourself my friend? We can never be equals. Get out!"
Droṇācārya left despondent, but as he was leaving, he saw the young sons of Pāṇḍu and the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra peering into a well. He asked them, “Why are you sad?" As he walked over to where they were, he saw that they had dropped a ball they had been playing with into the well.
They replied, "Our ball dropped down the well."
Droṇācārya then took some kusha reeds that were growing nearby and shot them down into the well as if they were arrows one after another. Sticking together like a chain and fixing themselves to the ball, he then pulled the ball out of the well.
Seeing this, the boys called Bhīṣma. Upon arriving, Bhīṣma asked Droṇācārya to become the Guru of the young princes. "We have been searching for a teacher to train these boys in the art of battle. From today, you will be their archery master."
Thus, Droṇācārya became the teacher of the royal family of Hastināpura.
When the Pāṇḍavas and Kauravas were all trained fully, and their studies in archery were complete, they were due to give some dakṣiṇā to their teacher. Arjuna asked Droṇācārya, "What would you desire as dakṣiṇā?
Droṇācārya replied to Arjuna, "My wish is that you capture Mahārāja Drupada. Bind him like an animal, and bring him before me, placing him at my feet."
The Pāṇḍavas and Kauravas went out to fight with Drupada and his army. Arjuna captured Drupada, tied him up, and brought him before Droṇācārya.
Droṇācārya said to Drupada, "I will not give you the punishment of death. I will let you go, but I will take half your kingdom and give it to my son, Aśvatthāmā. Then we can be friends. As owner of half your kingdom, I will be your equal. From today, I have become worthy of calling myself your friend."
Great anger came into the mind of Drupada. Thereafter, he performed a sacrifice from which Draupadī came forth. Dhrstadyumna was also born from this sacrifice.
Draupadī was matchlessly qualified and beautiful for she was a limb; an expansion of Laxmi Devī herself. Dhrstadyumna meanwhile, became an expert in archery and warfare.
In time, the wedding ceremony for Draupadī was arranged. Duryodhana, the Pāṇḍavas and indeed thousands of princes and Kings came to win the hand of Draupadī. At that time, the Pāṇḍavas had been in exile and were residing incognito in the forest. Kṛṣṇa brought them along with Him to the assembly. Arjuna, who, like his brothers was disguised as a brāhmaṇa, won the hand of Draupadī. Then, by the wish of their mother she was married to all the five Pāṇḍavas.
As Arjuna departed with Draupadi aboard his chariot, Duryodhana and the other princes attacked the Pāṇḍavas (who were all the while dressed in the guise of brāhmaṇas) and were handily defeated by them.
After this incident, the Pāṇḍavas were called to the Kuru assembly and given half the kingdom. Duryodhana however, gave them a deserted region which was dry and in a mountainous area. There, the Pāṇḍavas transformed this dessert into a lush garden with a magnificent palace by the help of Kṛṣṇa.
Duryodhana had a grudge against the Pāṇḍavas because he himself did not win the hand of Draupadī. He had defeated the Pāṇḍavas in gambling and tried to strip Draupadī, intending to force her to sit naked on his lap in the midst of the royal assembly. He gloated, “You are my maidservant now. Come, sit naked on my lap." He then sent his brother Dusasana forward in a failed attempt to disrobe her.
Draupadī who is known as yajnasini, prepared to curse the entire dynasty to destruction. However, if the dynasty were to be destroyed the population would not receive any teaching or good instruction.
If someone performs bad activities in his life, thinking himself to be the doer or the master, and possesses the tendency to enjoy as a master, simply by killing him, this wicked nature will not leave him. There will be no benefit by killing him. An alternative, appropriate process must be constructed.
Meanwhile, Gāndhārī arrived and began to rebuke Duryodhana, "You're not worthy of being called my son! Draupadi is the wife of your elder brother and is as good as your mother. You want to make her sit naked on your lap? Then why don't you force me, your mother to become naked as well."
She then turned and begged forgiveness from Draupadī, "O Draupadī, you are pure, chaste and the upholder of your dynasty. If you curse this dynasty it will be destroyed at the root. Please, do not do this."
Draupadī had entreated Bhīṣma for help before the vicious attempt to disrobe her had occurred, but he remained silent and downcast. She prayed in appeal to blind Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Droṇācārya and Krpacarya, but no one rose to give her any solace or rescue.
Bad association has such an effect. Bhīṣma himself has said, "Eating the foodstuffs or living on the wealth of another makes the mind contaminated. Man is the slave of money, but wealth is the servant of no one.”
Bhīṣma had remained on his seat with his head down. Yet, illusion, bad association or eating Duryodhana's food were not causes for Bhīṣma’s silence. Rather, he was waiting to see what outcome the desire of God would produce.
He thought, "Why should I do anything independent of God's arrangement? This Draupadī was born forth from sacrifice. She is the property of the Supreme Master. If any other lady had been attacked I would have taken up some action, but she is cared for by the Lord Himself. She appeared from a sacrifice offered to Him. I have no ability to fight against Him, nor His desire."
Therefore Bhīṣma sat silently, waiting to witness the will of God.
Duryodhana's only intention was to enjoy Draupadī. He wanted to make her the object of his enjoyment. The results of this would cause great misfortune to him and his dynasty. When talk again resumed to return the Pāṇḍavas kingdom, he said, "Never! Without fighting, without being defeated in war we will not give anything."
He wanted that the entire Earth be his own and that all objects be for his enjoyment. When this degree of selfishness surrounds living entities and attacks them – when they are unsatisfied in their kāma or selfish desires, then anger arises within them. When there is an obstacle in the acquirement of objects to satisfy one's lusty desires, anger comes.