तमुवाच हृषीकेश: प्रहसन्निव भारत |
सेनयोरुभयोर्मध्ये विषीदन्तमिदं वच: || 10||
tam-uvācha hṛiṣhīkeśhaḥ prahasanniva bhārata
senayorubhayor-madhye viṣhīdantam-idaṁ vachaḥ
tam—to him; uvācha—said; hṛiṣhīkeśhaḥ—Shree Krishna, the master of mind and senses; prahasan—smilingly; iva—as if; bhārata—Dhritarashtra, descendant of Bharat; senayoḥ—of the armies; ubhayoḥ—of both; madhye—in the midst of; viṣhīdantam—to the grief-stricken; idam—this; vachaḥ—words
Translation:
O king Dhritarashtra! Seeing Arjuna lamenting in the middle of two armies, Lord Krishna, as if laughing loud, spoke these words.
Commentary:
As if laughing : `Hasan’ means laughing, `prahasan’ means laughing loud. The man of knowledge is generally amused when he hears the talk of the ignorant and observes what they say and do. Arjuna was caught in the grip of sorrow, as he did not understand the hidden laws of Dharma. Lord Krishna was the very embodiment of knowledge and Dharma. Therefore the specious arguments of Arjuna, the spurious feelings of pity and compassion, the mental distraction, and physical collapse of Arjuna, raised a smile on the lips of the Lord. Those who have not transcended `avidya’ suffer from a false identification with the creations of ‘Maya’, the body and mind and other worldly objects. The man of knowledge on the other hand knows that he is never contaminated by the modifications of the body and mind, and looks at them from the vantage point of a disinterested spectator.
That is the difference between the wise and the ignorant. When a man sees a rope and knows it as only a rope, he is naturally amused to see a man of defective sight who takes the rope to be a snake and jumps about in fear and confusion. The father laughs at the peculiar ideas and behaviour of his little children. So does the wise men smile at the fanciful theories and conduct of the ignorant. Lord Krishna was the master of Yoga and Jnana. To him Arjuna’s peculiar argumentation, his bodily and mental agitation appeared laughable. So a smile beautified the sublime features of the Lord when he observed the mental acrobatics of his former friend and present disciple. Look at this picture and that – the wailing Arjuna and the smiling Lord. Such exactly is the difference between the wise and the ignorant.
