Verses 1.24-25

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verses 1.24-25:

सञ्जय उवाच–
एवम् उक्तो हृषीकेशो गुडाकेशेन भारत ।
सेनयोर् उभयोर् मध्ये स्थापयित्वा रथोत्तमम् ॥ २४ ॥
भीष्म-द्रोण-प्रमुखतः सर्वेषां च महीक्षिताम्
उवाच पार्थ पश्यैतान् समवेतान् कुरून् इति ॥ २५ ॥

sañjaya uvāca–
evam ukto hṛṣīkeśo guḍākeśena bhārata |
senayor ubhayor madhye sthāpayitvā rathottamam || 24 ||
bhīṣma-droṇa-pramukhataḥ sarveṣāṃ ca mahīkṣitām
uvāca pārtha paśyaitān samavetān kurūn iti || 25 ||

sañjayaḥ uvāca–Sañjaya said; evam–thus; uktaḥ–addressed; hṛṣīkeśaḥ–Śrī Kṛṣṇa; guḍākeśena–by the conqueror of sleep (Arjuna); bhārata–O descendent of Bharata; senayoḥ–armies; ubhayoḥ–of the two; madhye–in the midst; sthāpayitvā–having situated; ratha-uttamam–best of chariots; bhīṣma–Grandsire Bhīṣma; droṇa–Droṇācārya; pramukhataḥ–in the presence; sarveṣām–of all; ca–also; mahī-kṣitām–the kings of the Earth; uvāca–He said; pārtha–O son of Pṛthā (Arjuna); paśya–behold; etān–these; samavetān–assembled; kurūn–Kurus; iti–thus.

Sañjaya said: O Bhārata (King Dhṛtarāṣṭra), having thus been addressed by Guḍākeśa (Arjuna), Hṛṣīkeśa (Śrī Kṛṣṇa) drew the excellent chariot into the midst of both armies, in the presence of all the kings and prominent personalities like Bhīṣma and Droṇa. He then said: O Pārtha, just behold this assembly of Kurus.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Ṭīkā

(By Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura; the innermost intention of the commentary named ‘the shower of essential meanings’)

Hṛṣīkeśa means ‘the controller of all the senses’. Although Kṛṣṇa is Hṛṣīkeśa, when He received orders from Arjuna, He became controlled by Arjuna’s sense of speech alone. Aho! Bhagavān is controlled only by prema. Guḍākeśa consists of two words, guḍā and akeśā. Guḍā refers to guḍa, very sweet, unrefined sugar. Just as guḍā only exhibits sweetness, similarly, Bhagavān exhibits the sweet taste of His own affection. Akeśā refers to the manifestations of the Lord who preside over the modes of nature, called guṇa-avatāras: Viṣṇu, Brahmā and Maheśa. A indicates Viṣṇu, ka Brahmā, and īśa indicates Mahādeva (Śiva). How can these parts, or guṇa-avatāras, manifest their majesty before Arjuna, considering that, out of prema, Svayam Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the crest jewel of all incarnations, obeyed his orders? Instead, they consider their lives to be successful by manifesting the sweetness of their affection towards Arjuna, who is therefore known as Guḍākeśa (one who receives sweet affection from the three guṇa-avatāras). Indeed, Bhagavān Mahāviṣṇu, who is the Lord of the transcendental world, once admitted to Arjuna, “I only brought the sons of the brāhmaṇa here with a desire to see both you and Kṛṣṇa” (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.89.58).

Guḍākā also means ‘sleep’, and one who has control over sleep is called Guḍākeśa. It is not surprising that the same Arjuna, by whose prema even Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the controller of māyā, becomes controlled, conquered just one ordinary function of illusion called sleep. This is its hidden meaning.

Bhīṣma-droṇa-pramukhataḥ means ‘in front of Bhīṣma and Droṇa’, and sarveṣāṃ mahīkṣitām means ‘in front of all the other kings also’.