Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 1: Arjuna Viṣāda Yoga
Forty-seven verses. The teaching has not yet begun, but the question of the Gita is born here.
Tap any verse card to open its page with the word-by-word meaning. Pages are now ready for every verse of this chapter.
dharmakṣetre kurukṣetre samavetā yuyutsavaḥ |
māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāścaiva kimakurvata sañjaya || 1 ||Meaning of verse 1.1 →2sañjaya uvāca
dṛṣṭvā tu pāṇḍavānīkaṃ vyūḍhaṃ duryodhanastadā |
ācāryamupasaṅgamya rājā vacanamabravīt || 2 ||Meaning of verse 1.2 →3paśyaitāṃ pāṇḍuputrāṇāmācārya mahatīṃ camūm |
vyūḍhāṃ drupadaputreṇa tava śiṣyeṇa dhīmatā || 3 ||Meaning of verse 1.3 →4atra śūrā maheṣvāsā bhīmārjunasamā yudhi |
yuyudhāno virāṭaśca drupadaśca mahārathaḥ || 4 ||Meaning of verse 1.4 →5dhṛṣṭaketuścekitānaḥ kāśirājaśca vīryavān |
purujitkuntibhojaśca śaibyaśca narapuṅgavaḥ || 5 ||Meaning of verse 1.5 →6yudhāmanyuśca vikrānta uttamaujāśca vīryavān |
saubhadro draupadeyāśca sarva eva mahārathāḥ || 6 ||Meaning of verse 1.6 →7asmākaṃ tu viśiṣṭā ye tānnibodha dvijottama |
nāyakā mama sainyasya saṃjñārthaṃ tānbravīmi te || 7 ||Meaning of verse 1.7 →8bhavānbhīṣmaśca karṇaśca kṛpaśca samitiñjayaḥ |
aśvatthāmā vikarṇaśca saumadattistathaiva ca || 8 ||Meaning of verse 1.8 →9anye ca bahavaḥ śūrā madarthe tyaktajīvitāḥ |
nānāśastrapraharaṇāḥ sarve yuddhaviśāradāḥ || 9 ||Meaning of verse 1.9 →10aparyāptaṃ tadasmākaṃ balaṃ bhīṣmābhirakṣitam |
paryāptaṃ tvidameteṣāṃ balaṃ bhīmābhirakṣitam || 10 ||Meaning of verse 1.10 →11ayaneṣu ca sarveṣu yathābhāgamavasthitāḥ |
bhīṣmamevābhirakṣantu bhavantaḥ sarva eva hi || 11 ||Meaning of verse 1.11 →12tasya sañjanayanharṣaṃ kuruvṛddhaḥ pitāmahaḥ |
siṃhanādaṃ vinadyoccaiḥ śaṅkhaṃ dadhmau pratāpavān || 12 ||Meaning of verse 1.12 →13tataḥ śaṅkhāśca bheryaśca paṇavānakagomukhāḥ |
sahasaivābhyahanyanta sa śabdastumulo’bhavat || 13 ||Meaning of verse 1.13 →14tataḥ śvetairhayairyukte mahati syandane sthitau |
mādhavaḥ pāṇḍavaścaiva divyau śaṅkhau pradadhmatuḥ || 14 ||Meaning of verse 1.14 →15pāñcajanyaṃ hṛṣīkeśo devadattaṃ dhanañjayaḥ |
pauṇḍraṃ dadhmau mahāśaṅkhaṃ bhīmakarmā vṛkodaraḥ || 15 ||Meaning of verse 1.15 →16anantavijayaṃ rājā kuntīputro yudhiṣṭhiraḥ |
nakulaḥ sahadevaśca sughoṣamaṇipuṣpakau || 16 ||Meaning of verse 1.16 →17kāśyaśca parameṣvāsaḥ śikhaṇḍī ca mahārathaḥ |
dhṛṣṭadyumno virāṭaśca sātyakiścāparājitaḥ || 17 ||Meaning of verse 1.17 →18drupado draupadeyāśca sarvaśaḥ pṛthivīpate |
saubhadraśca mahābāhuḥ śaṅkhāndadhmuḥ pṛthakpṛthak || 18 ||Meaning of verse 1.18 →19sa ghoṣo dhārtarāṣṭrāṇāṃ hṛdayāni vyadārayat |
nabhaśca pṛthivīṃ caiva tumulo vyanunādayan || 19 ||Meaning of verse 1.19 →20atha vyavasthitāndṛṣṭvā dhārtarāṣṭrānkapidhvajaḥ |
pravṛtte śastrasampāte dhanurudyamya pāṇḍavaḥ || 20 ||Meaning of verse 1.20 →21hṛṣīkeśaṃ tadā vākyamidamāha mahīpate |
arjuna uvāca
senayorubhayormadhye rathaṃ sthāpaya me’cyuta || 21 ||Meaning of verse 1.21 →22yāvadetānnirīkṣe’haṃ yoddhukāmānavasthitān |
kairmayā saha yoddhavyamasminraṇasamudyame || 22 ||Meaning of verse 1.22 →23yotsyamānānavekṣe’haṃ ya ete’tra samāgatāḥ |
dhārtarāṣṭrasya durbuddheryuddhe priyacikīrṣavaḥ || 23 ||Meaning of verse 1.23 →24sañjaya uvāca
evamukto hṛṣīkeśo guḍākeśena bhārata |
senayorubhayormadhye sthāpayitvā rathottamam || 24 ||Meaning of verse 1.24 →25bhīṣmadroṇapramukhataḥ sarveṣāṃ ca mahīkṣitām |
uvāca pārtha paśyaitānsamavetānkurūniti || 25 ||Meaning of verse 1.25 →26tatrāpaśyatsthitānpārthaḥ pitṝnatha pitāmahān |
ācāryānmātulānbhrātṝnputrānpautrānsakhīṃstathā || 26 ||Meaning of verse 1.26 →27śvaśurānsuhṛdaścaiva senayorubhayorapi |
tānsamīkṣya sa kaunteyaḥ sarvānbandhūnavasthitān || 27 ||Meaning of verse 1.27 →28kṛpayā parayāviṣṭo viṣīdannidamabravīt |
arjuna uvāca
dṛṣṭvemaṃ svajanaṃ kṛṣṇa yuyutsuṃ samupasthitam || 28 ||Meaning of verse 1.28 →29sīdanti mama gātrāṇi mukhaṃ ca pariśuṣyati |
vepathuśca śarīre me romaharṣaśca jāyate || 29 ||Meaning of verse 1.29 →30gāṇḍīvaṃ sraṃsate hastāttvakcaiva paridahyate |
na ca śaknomyavasthātuṃ bhramatīva ca me manaḥ || 30 ||Meaning of verse 1.30 →31nimittāni ca paśyāmi viparītāni keśava |
na ca śreyo’nupaśyāmi hatvā svajanamāhave || 31 ||Meaning of verse 1.31 →32na kāṅkṣe vijayaṃ kṛṣṇa na ca rājyaṃ sukhāni ca |
kiṃ no rājyena govinda kiṃ bhogairjīvitena vā || 32 ||Meaning of verse 1.32 →33yeṣāmarthe kāṅkṣitaṃ no rājyaṃ bhogāḥ sukhāni ca |
ta ime’vasthitā yuddhe prāṇāṃstyaktvā dhanāni ca || 33 ||Meaning of verse 1.33 →34ācāryāḥ pitaraḥ putrāstathaiva ca pitāmahāḥ |
mātulāḥ śvaśurāḥ pautrāḥ śyālāḥ sambandhinastathā || 34 ||Meaning of verse 1.34 →35etānna hantumicchāmi ghnato’pi madhusūdana |
api trailokyarājyasya hetoḥ kiṃ nu mahīkṛte || 35 ||Meaning of verse 1.35 →36nihatya dhārtarāṣṭrānnaḥ kā prītiḥ syājjanārdana |
pāpamevāśrayedasmānhatvaitānātatāyinaḥ || 36 ||Meaning of verse 1.36 →37tasmānnārhā vayaṃ hantuṃ dhārtarāṣṭrānsvabāndhavān |
svajanaṃ hi kathaṃ hatvā sukhinaḥ syāma mādhava || 37 ||Meaning of verse 1.37 →38yadyapyete na paśyanti lobhopahatacetasaḥ |
kulakṣayakṛtaṃ doṣaṃ mitradrohe ca pātakam || 38 ||Meaning of verse 1.38 →39kathaṃ na jñeyamasmābhiḥ pāpādasmānnivartitum |
kulakṣayakṛtaṃ doṣaṃ prapaśyadbhirjanārdana || 39 ||Meaning of verse 1.39 →40kulakṣaye praṇaśyanti kuladharmāḥ sanātanāḥ |
dharme naṣṭe kulaṃ kṛtsnamadharmo’bhibhavatyuta || 40 ||Meaning of verse 1.40 →41adharmābhibhavātkṛṣṇa praduṣyanti kulastriyaḥ |
strīṣu duṣṭāsu vārṣṇeya jāyate varṇasaṅkaraḥ || 41 ||Meaning of verse 1.41 →42saṅkaro narakāyaiva kulaghnānāṃ kulasya ca |
patanti pitaro hyeṣāṃ luptapiṇḍodakakriyāḥ || 42 ||Meaning of verse 1.42 →43doṣairetaiḥ kulaghnānāṃ varṇasaṅkarakārakaiḥ |
utsādyante jātidharmāḥ kuladharmāśca śāśvatāḥ || 43 ||Meaning of verse 1.43 →44utsannakuladharmāṇāṃ manuṣyāṇāṃ janārdana |
narake’niyataṃ vāso bhavatītyanuśuśruma || 44 ||Meaning of verse 1.44 →45aho bata mahatpāpaṃ kartuṃ vyavasitā vayam |
yadrājyasukhalobhena hantuṃ svajanamudyatāḥ || 45 ||Meaning of verse 1.45 →46yadi māmapratīkāramaśastraṃ śastrapāṇayaḥ |
dhārtarāṣṭrā raṇe hanyustanme kṣemataraṃ bhavet || 46 ||Meaning of verse 1.46 →47sañjaya uvāca
evamuktvārjunaḥ saṅkhye rathopastha upāviśat |
visṛjya saśaraṃ cāpaṃ śokasaṃvignamānasaḥ || 47 ||Meaning of verse 1.47 →
oṃ tatsaditi śrīmadbhagavadgītāsūpaniṣatsu brahmavidyāyāṃ yogaśāstre śrīkṛṣṇārjunasaṃvāde arjunaviṣādayogo nāma prathamo’dhyāyaḥ ||
About Arjuna Viṣāda Yoga
In the first chapter the teaching does not yet begin. The only words Krishna speaks in this chapter are one sentence in the twenty-fifth verse: Partha, look at the Kurus gathered here. That one look drives the rest of the chapter. Among those standing opposite, Arjuna does not see enemies. He sees grandfathers, teachers, uncles, brothers and sons.
How the chapter moves
- Verse 1: Dhritarashtra’s question.
- Verses 2 to 11: Duryodhana goes to Drona and names the leading warriors of both armies.
- Verses 12 to 19: Bhishma’s lion roar, then the conches of both sides.
- Verses 20 to 27: Arjuna asks for his chariot to be placed between the two armies, and sees his own people facing him.
- Verses 28 to 46: Arjuna’s body and mind give way. He gives reason after reason for not fighting.
- Verse 47: Arjuna lays down his bow and arrows and sinks down in the chariot.
Can grief be a yoga?
It is natural to ask why a chapter that describes grief is called a yoga. The traditional answer is simple. Without Arjuna’s collapse there would be no question, and no teaching. Sridhara Swami opens his commentary by describing the Gita as the story of Krishna lifting Arjuna out of an ocean of grief and delusion.
In the twenty-ninth and thirtieth verses Arjuna describes what is happening in his body: his limbs are failing, his mouth is drying, the Gandiva is slipping from his hand, he is trembling, his hair stands on end, his skin is burning, his head is spinning and he cannot stand. In today’s medical language this description comes very close to the bodily signs of acute anxiety. Old records that show so precisely how distress of the mind appears in the body are rare.
About this page
The text here has been compiled from several sources, and the order and numbering follow the commonly used edition. In verses 21 and 28 the line arjuna uvaca comes in the middle of the verse. Some sources explain several verses together; here every verse has a page of its own. Pages are now ready for all forty-seven verses of this chapter.
Sources: several.
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