Sanjaya said: O scion of the Bharata dynasty, O King! When Arjuna, the conqueror of sleep, spoke thus, the all-knowing Lord Sri Krishna, having stationed the excellent chariot between the two armies, in front of Bhishma the grandsire and Drona the teacher, and in the presence of all the kings, spoke thus: 'O Partha, behold these Kurus assembled here.'
1.24. Commentary: 'By Gudakesha' – The word 'Gudakesha' has two meanings: (1) 'Guda' means curled or coiled, and 'kesha' means hair. One whose head-hair is curled, i.e., curly, is called 'Gudakesha'. (2) 'Gudaka' means sleep, and 'isha' means master. One who is the master of sleep, meaning one who can take sleep or not—one who has control over sleep, is called 'Gudakesha'. Arjuna's hair was curly and he had mastery over sleep; therefore, he is called 'Gudakesha'.
'Thus addressed' – The Lord listens to the words of that devotee who is not a slave to the pleasure of sleep and indolence, who is not a slave to sense enjoyments, but is solely a servant (devotee) of the Lord; not only does He listen, but He also obeys his command. Therefore, upon receiving the command from His friend and devotee Arjuna, the all-knowing Lord Sri Krishna stationed Arjuna's chariot between the two armies.
'Hrishikesha' – The senses are called 'Hrishika'. He who is the Isha, the master, of the senses is called Hrishikesha. The intent of using 'Hrishikesha' in the twenty-first verse and here is that He who is the impeller of the mind, intellect, senses, etc., the one who commands all, that very all-knowing Lord has here become the one who obeys Arjuna's command! How immense is His grace upon Arjuna!
'Having stationed the excellent chariot between the two armies' – In the empty space between the two armies, the Lord stationed Arjuna's excellent chariot.
'In front of Bhishma and Drona and all the rulers of the earth' – The Lord, with remarkable skill, stationed that chariot at such a place from where Arjuna could see before him Bhishma the grandsire, related by family ties; Drona the teacher, related by the bond of knowledge; and the principal kings of the Kaurava army.
'Spoke: O Partha, behold these Kurus assembled here' – The term 'Kuru' includes both the sons of Dhritarashtra and the sons of Pandu, because both are descendants of the Kuru dynasty. The intent of saying 'behold these assembled Kurus' is that upon seeing these Kurus, a feeling should arise within Arjuna that we are all one! Whether they belong to this side or that side; whether they are good or bad; whether virtuous or wicked—they are all my own kinsmen. Consequently, the familial attachment filled with possessiveness lying hidden within Arjuna would become awakened, and with the awakening of this delusion, Arjuna would become an inquirer, so that using Arjuna as an instrument, the great teachings of the Gita could be given for the welfare of future beings in the Kali Yuga—it is with this very intent that the Lord said here, 'Behold these assembled Kurus'. Otherwise, the Lord could have said, 'Behold these sons of Dhritarashtra assembled here'; but saying so would have aroused a fighting spirit in Arjuna, and thus the opportunity for the manifestation of the Gita would not have arisen at all! Nor would the dormant familial delusion within Arjuna have been removed, which the Lord considers His responsibility to remove. Just as when a boil appears, physicians first try to ripen it, and when it ripens, they lance it and clean it; similarly, the Lord first awakens the delusion hidden within the devotee and then eradicates it. Here too, the Lord is awakening the delusion hidden within Arjuna by saying 'Behold the Kurus', which He will later destroy through His teachings.
Arjuna had said, 'Let me see them' – 'I may observe' (1.22) and 'I may look' (1.23); therefore, there was no need for the Lord to say here, 'Behold' (you see). The Lord should have merely stationed the chariot. However, the Lord, having stationed the chariot, said 'Behold the Kurus' specifically to awaken Arjuna's delusion.
There is a great difference between familial affection and divine love. When there is possessive affection in the family, one does not even consider the faults of the family; rather, the feeling remains that 'they are mine'. Similarly, when the Lord has special love for a devotee, the Lord does not even consider the devotee's faults; rather, the feeling remains that 'he is mine alone'. In familial affection, action and the object (body, etc.) are primary; in divine love, feeling is primary. In familial affection, ignorance (delusion) is primary; in divine love, intimacy is primary. In familial affection there is darkness; in divine love there is light. In familial affection, a person becomes negligent of duty; in divine love, due to absorption, there can be forgetfulness in performing duty, but a devotee never becomes negligent of duty. In familial affection, the family members are primary; in divine love, the Lord is primary.
Connection: In the previous verse, the Lord told Arjuna to behold the Kurus. What happened after that is described by Sanjaya in the subsequent verses.
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