- 2.1तं तथा कृपयाविष्टमश्रुपूर्णाकुलेक्षणम् ।Sanjaya describes Arjuna as deeply overwhelmed by sorrow and compassion, unable to act with his usual clarity and strength.
- 2.2कुतस्त्वा कश्मलमिदं विषमे समुपस्थितम् ।Krishna tells Arjuna that this collapse of courage is not worthy of him and will not lead to anything noble or uplifting.
- 2.3क्लैब्यं मा स्म गमः पार्थ नैतत्त्वय्युपपद्यते ।Krishna urges Arjuna to cast off his weakness of heart, remember who he is, and rise to face the situation bravely.
- 2.4कथं भीष्ममहं सङ्ख्ये द्रोणं च मधुसूदन ।Arjuna cannot imagine fighting Bhishma and Drona, because he sees them not merely as opponents but as elders worthy of reverence.
- 2.5गुरूनहत्वा हि महानुभावान् श्रेयो भोक्तुं भैक्ष्यमपीह लोके ।Arjuna feels that even a life of begging would be better than winning comfort and power through the death of those he honors.
- 2.6न चैतद्विद्मः कतरन्नो गरीयो यद्वा जयेम यदि वा नो जयेयुः ।Arjuna is so confused that he cannot even tell whether victory or defeat would be better, because both seem full of pain.
- 2.7कार्पण्यदोषोपहतस्वभावः पृच्छामि त्वां धर्मसम्मूढचेताः ।Arjuna admits that his judgment has failed him, asks Krishna to tell him what is truly best, and accepts the role of a student seeking…
- 2.8न हि प्रपश्यामि ममापनुद्याद् यच्छोकमुच्छोषणमिन्द्रियाणाम् ।Arjuna says that no kingdom, wealth, or power could remove the sorrow that is draining his body and mind.
- 2.9एवमुक्त्वा हृषीकेशं गुडाकेशः परन्तप ।After speaking his anguish aloud, Arjuna tells Krishna he will not fight and falls into silence.
- 2.10हृषीकेशः प्रहसन्निव भारत ।Krishna begins to speak to the grieving Arjuna with calmness and gentleness, even in the middle of a battlefield.
- 2.11अशोच्यानन्वशोचस्त्वं प्रज्ञावादांश्च भाषसे ।Krishna tells Arjuna that he is grieving in ignorance, because the wise do not mourn the living or the dead in this way.
- 2.12न त्वेवाहं जातु नासं न त्वं नेमे जनाधिपाः ।Krishna explains that the self does not begin or end with one lifetime; it continues through past, present, and future.
- 2.13देहिनोऽस्मिन्यथा देहे कौमारं यौवनं जरा ।Just as the body passes from childhood to youth to old age, the embodied self passes on beyond death as well, and the wise are not…
- 2.14मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्णसुखदुःखदाः ।Pleasure and pain arise from contact with the world through the senses, and because they are temporary, Krishna asks Arjuna to endure them…
- 2.15यं हि न व्यथयन्त्येते पुरुषं पुरुषर्षभ ।The one who remains steady through pleasure and pain without being shaken becomes fit for the highest spiritual realization.
- 2.16नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सतः ।Krishna teaches that the unreal has no lasting existence, while what is truly real can never be destroyed.
- 2.17अविनाशि तु तद्विद्धि येन सर्वमिदं ततम् ।That which pervades all existence is indestructible, and no one has the power to destroy that eternal reality.
- 2.18अन्तवन्त इमे देहा नित्यस्योक्ताः शरीरिणः ।Bodies may perish, but the one who dwells within them is eternal, immeasurable, and beyond destruction.
- 2.19य एनं वेत्ति हन्तारं यश्चैनं मन्यते हतम् ।Those who think the self can kill or be killed do not truly understand, because the self is beyond physical destruction.
- 2.20न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन् नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः ।The self is never born, never dies, and never stops existing; it remains eternal even when the body falls away.
- 2.21वेदाविनाशिनं नित्यं य एनमजमव्ययम् ।One who truly knows the self to be unborn, eternal, and indestructible can no longer see life only through the lens of bodily death.
- 2.22वासांसि जीर्णानि यथा विहाय नवानि गृह्णाति नरोऽपराणि ।Krishna compares the soul changing bodies to a person changing old clothes for new ones, showing that bodily death is not the end of the…
- 2.23नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावकः ।The soul cannot be cut by weapons, burned by fire, soaked by water, or dried by wind.
- 2.24अच्छेद्योऽयमदाह्योऽयमक्लेद्योऽशोष्य एव च ।The self is everlasting, all-pervading, stable, and unchanging, and therefore cannot be harmed in the ways the body can be harmed.
- 2.25अव्यक्तोऽयमचिन्त्योऽयमविकार्योऽयमुच्यते ।The self is unseen, beyond ordinary thought, and unchanging, so Krishna says there is no reason to grieve over it.
- 2.26अथ चैनं नित्यजातं नित्यं वा मन्यसे मृतम् ।Krishna says that even if Arjuna believed life and death were a constant cycle with no deeper spiritual meaning, grief would still not…
- 2.27जातस्य हि ध्रुवो मृत्युर्ध्रुवं जन्म मृतस्य च ।Whatever is born must die, and whatever dies is born again, so mourning cannot change what is woven into existence.
- 2.28अव्यक्तादीनि भूतानि व्यक्तमध्यानि भारत ।Beings are unmanifest before birth, visible for a time in life, and unmanifest again after death, so grief based only on appearances…
- 2.29आश्चर्यवत्पश्यति कश्चिदेनमाश्चर्यवद्वदति तथैव चान्यः ।The self is so profound that some see it with wonder, some speak of it with wonder, and many hear of it without truly understanding it.
- 2.30देही नित्यमवध्योऽयं देहे सर्वस्य भारत ।The indwelling self in every body is forever beyond destruction, so Krishna tells Arjuna not to grieve for beings in ignorance.
- 2.31स्वधर्ममपि चावेक्ष्य न विकम्पितुमर्हसि ।Krishna reminds Arjuna that as a warrior his rightful duty is to stand for justice, and he should not shrink from that responsibility.
- 2.32यदृच्छया चोपपन्नं स्वर्गद्वारमपावृतम् ।For a warrior, a righteous battle that comes unsought is a rare and honorable opportunity to fulfill sacred duty.
- 2.33अथ चेत्त्वमिमं धर्म्यं संग्रामं न करिष्यसि ।If Arjuna refuses this righteous battle, he will abandon both his duty and his honor, and that failure will carry moral weight.
- 2.34अकीर्तिं चापि भूतानि कथयिष्यन्ति तेऽव्ययाम् ।Krishna says that lasting dishonor is worse than death for one who has lived with dignity and earned respect.
- 2.35भयाद्रणादुपरतं मंस्यन्ते त्वां महारथाः ।Those who once respected Arjuna will think he fled from fear, and their opinion of him will fall sharply.
- 2.36अवाच्यवादांश्च बहून्वदिष्यन्ति तवाहिताः ।His enemies will mock his ability and speak harshly of him, which Krishna presents as a humiliation worse than battle itself.
- 2.37हतो वा प्राप्स्यसि स्वर्गं जित्वा वा भोक्ष्यसे महीम् ।If Arjuna dies in this righteous struggle, he gains heaven; if he wins, he gains the earth, so either way he should rise and act.
- 2.38सुखदुःखे समे कृत्वा लाभालाभौ जयाजयौ ।Krishna asks Arjuna to meet pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat with equal balance, and then act from that steadiness.
- 2.39एषा तेऽभिहिता साङ्ख्ये बुद्धिर्योगे त्विमां शृणु ।Krishna says he has explained the truth philosophically, and now he will teach the path of yoga through which action no longer binds the…
- 2.40नेहाभिक्रमनाशोऽस्ति प्रत्यवायो न विद्यते ।On this path no sincere effort is ever wasted, and even a little practice protects a person from great fear and downfall.
- 2.41व्यवसायात्मिका बुद्धिरेकेह कुरुनन्दन ।The mind of one who is firmly resolved is steady and one-pointed, while the mind of the irresolute becomes scattered in many directions.
- 2.42यामिमां पुष्पितां वाचं प्रवदन्त्यविपश्चितः ।Krishna criticizes those who get captivated by attractive religious language and mistake verbal or ritual complexity for real wisdom.
- 2.43कामात्मानः स्वर्गपरा जन्मकर्मफलप्रदाम् ।Driven by desire, such people focus on ritual actions for reward, pleasure, status, and heavenly enjoyment rather than liberation.
- 2.44भोगैश्वर्यप्रसक्तानां तयापहृतचेतसाम् ।Those who are attached to pleasure and power lose the focused inner intelligence needed for meditation and steady insight.
- 2.45त्रैगुण्यविषया वेदा निस्त्रैगुण्यो भवार्जुन ।Krishna tells Arjuna to rise beyond the play of the three gunas, beyond opposites and anxiety about gain or security, and to become…
- 2.46यावानर्थ उदपाने सर्वतः सम्प्लुतोदके ।For one who truly understands reality, the scriptures serve a limited role, just as a small well is unnecessary when water is abundant…
- 2.47कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन ।Krishna teaches that we are responsible for doing our actions well, but we are not entitled to control or possess the results they produce.
- 2.48योगस्थः कुरु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा धनञ्जय ।Act while established in yoga, letting go of attachment and staying even in success and failure, because this balance itself is yoga.
- 2.49दूरेण ह्यवरं कर्म बुद्धियोगाद्धनञ्जय ।Action done only for results is lower than action guided by wisdom, so Krishna tells Arjuna to seek refuge in disciplined understanding.
- 2.50बुद्धियुक्तो जहातीह उभे सुकृतदुष्कृते ।One established in wise action rises beyond both good and bad karmic reactions, and this is why yoga is called skill in action.
- 2.51कर्मजं बुद्धियुक्ता हि फलं त्यक्त्वा मनीषिणः ।The wise let go of the fruits born of action, become free from the bondage of repeated birth, and reach a state beyond suffering.
- 2.52यदा ते मोहकलिलं बुद्धिर्व्यतितरिष्यति ।When Arjuna’s intellect crosses beyond confusion and delusion, he will no longer be tossed around by endless opinions and teachings.
- 2.53श्रुतिविप्रतिपन्ना ते यदा स्थास्यति निश्चला ।When the mind is no longer shaken by conflicting ideas and becomes firmly steady in contemplation, yoga is attained.
- 2.54स्थितप्रज्ञस्य का भाषा समाधिस्थस्य केशव ।Arjuna asks Krishna how a person of steady wisdom can be recognized in the way they speak, sit, move, and live.
- 2.55प्रजहाति यदा कामान्सर्वान्पार्थ मनोगतान् ।Krishna says a person of steady wisdom is one who has let go of desires born in the mind and finds contentment within the Self itself.
- 2.56दुःखेष्वनुद्विग्नमनाः सुखेषु विगतस्पृहः ।A person of steady wisdom is not shaken by suffering, does not get carried away by happiness, and is free from attachment, fear, and anger.
- 2.57यः सर्वत्रानभिस्नेहस्तत्तत्प्राप्य शुभाशुभम् ।One whose heart is free from clinging does not get swept away by pleasant experiences or disturbed by unpleasant ones, and such a person’s…
- 2.58यदा संहरते चायं कूर्मोऽङ्गानीव सर्वशः ।A wise person can draw the senses back from outer objects, just as a tortoise withdraws its limbs, whenever restraint is needed.
- 2.59विषया विनिवर्तन्ते निराहारस्य देहिनः ।Mere restraint may remove outer indulgence, but the inner craving remains until a person experiences something higher and more fulfilling.
- 2.60यततो ह्यपि कौन्तेय पुरुषस्य विपश्चितः ।The senses are so restless and powerful that they can pull away even the mind of a sincere and thoughtful seeker.
- 2.61तानि सर्वाणि संयम्य युक्त आसीत मत्परः ।By disciplining the senses and keeping the mind centered on the Divine, a person becomes inwardly steady and truly wise.
- 2.62ध्यायतो विषयान्पुंसः सङ्गस्तेषूपजायते ।When the mind keeps dwelling on sense objects, attachment forms; from attachment comes desire, and when desire is obstructed, anger arises.
- 2.63क्रोधाद्भवति सम्मोहः सम्मोहात्स्मृतिविभ्रमः ।From anger comes delusion, from delusion comes the loss of memory and clarity, and when judgment is destroyed, a person falls from wisdom…
- 2.64रागद्वेषविमुक्तैस्तु विषयानिन्द्रियैश्चरन् ।But one who moves through the world with disciplined senses, free from both attraction and aversion, gains inner serenity and clarity.
- 2.65प्रसादे सर्वदुःखानां हानिरस्योपजायते ।When inner serenity arises, sorrow begins to dissolve, and the mind quickly becomes clear, quiet, and steady.
- 2.66नास्ति बुद्धिरयुक्तस्य न चायुक्तस्य भावना ।Without inner discipline there is no stable wisdom, without wisdom there is no real meditation, without meditation there is no peace, and…
- 2.67इन्द्रियाणां हि चरतां यन्मनोऽनुविधीयते ।If the mind follows even one wandering sense, it can sweep away a person’s understanding just as wind pushes a boat off course.
- 2.68तस्माद्यस्य महाबाहो निगृहीतानि सर्वशः ।Therefore, the one whose senses are fully restrained from their objects becomes firmly established in wisdom.
- 2.69या निशा सर्वभूतानां तस्यां जागर्ति संयमी ।The disciplined sage is awake to truths that the ordinary world ignores, while what the world chases appears empty to the one who truly…
- 2.70आपूर्यमाणमचलप्रतिष्ठं समुद्रमापः प्रविशन्ति यद्वत् ।Just as rivers enter the full and unmoving ocean without disturbing it, desires may arise before the wise, yet they remain peaceful and…
- 2.71विहाय कामान्यः सर्वान्पुमांश्चरति निःस्पृहः ।The person who gives up craving, possessiveness, and ego-centered identity moves through life with freedom and attains peace.
- 2.72एषा ब्राह्मी स्थितिः पार्थ नैनां प्राप्य विमुह्यति ।Krishna says this is the state of being established in Brahman, and one who reaches it is no longer deluded and can attain liberation even…
Read every verse in Bija
A verse each day with its meaning, and Sakha to explain it. Free on iOS and Android.
