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Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 1
Arjuna Vishada Yoga
The Yoga of Arjuna's Despair
The Gita opens not with a sermon but with a breakdown. Arjuna collapses before the battle — a precise study of how a capable person comes apart under moral and emotional pressure. Every great teaching that follows is the answer to the honesty of this despair.
All 47 verses
Each verse links to its full Sanskrit text, transliteration, plain-English meaning, key learning and practical application.
Gita 1.1dharmakṣetre kurukṣetre samavetā yuyutsavaḥ | māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāścaiva kimakurvata …Dhritarashtra said: O Sanjaya, gathered on the field of dharma, the field of the Kurus, eager to fight, what did my sons…Gita 1.2dṛṣṭvā tu pāṇḍavānīkaṃ vyūḍhaṃ duryodhanastadā | ācāryamupasaṅgamya rājā vacanam…Sanjaya said: Seeing the army of the Pandavas drawn up in formation, King Duryodhana approached his teacher Drona and sp…Gita 1.3paśyaitāṃ pāṇḍuputrāṇāmācārya mahatīṃ camūm | vyūḍhāṃ drupadaputreṇa tava śiṣyeṇ…Behold, O teacher, this mighty army of the sons of Pandu, arrayed by your own gifted pupil, the son of Drupada.Gita 1.4-6atra śūrā maheṣvāsā bhīmārjunasamā yudhi | yuyudhāno virāṭaśca drupadaśca mahāra…Here are heroes, mighty archers, equal in battle to Bhima and Arjuna, Yuyudhana, Virata, and the great warrior Drupada; …Gita 1.7-9asmākaṃ tu viśiṣṭā ye tānnibodha dvijottama | nāyakā mama sainyasya saṃjñārthaṃ …But know also, O best of the twice-born, the distinguished leaders of my own army, yourself, Bhishma, Karna, Kripa victo…Gita 1.10aparyāptaṃ tadasmākaṃ balaṃ bhīṣmābhirakṣitam | paryāptaṃ tvidameteṣāṃ balaṃ bhī…Our army, protected by Bhishma, is unlimited; but their army, protected by Bhima, is limited.Gita 1.11ayaneṣu ca sarveṣu yathābhāgamavasthitāḥ | bhīṣmamevābhirakṣantu bhavantaḥ sarva…Therefore, all of you, stationed in your respective positions in the divisions of the army, protect Bhishma above all.Gita 1.12tasya sañjanayanharṣaṃ kuruvṛddhaḥ pitāmahaḥ | siṃhanādaṃ vinadyoccaiḥ śaṅkhaṃ d…Then the aged Kuru grandsire, Bhishma, the glorious one, roaring like a lion, blew his conch loudly to cheer Duryodhana.Gita 1.13tataḥ śaṅkhāśca bheryaśca paṇavānakagomukhāḥ | sahasaivābhyahanyanta sa śabdastu…Then suddenly conches, kettledrums, tabors, trumpets, and horns blared forth all at once, and the sound was tumultuous.Gita 1.14tataḥ śvetairhayairyukte mahati syandane sthitau | mādhavaḥ pāṇḍavaścaiva divyau…Then, seated in their magnificent chariot yoked with white horses, Krishna and Arjuna sounded their divine conches.Gita 1.15pāñcajanyaṃ hṛṣīkeśo devadattaṃ dhanañjayaḥ | pauṇḍraṃ dadhmau mahāśaṅkhaṃ bhīma…Krishna blew Panchajanya; Arjuna blew Devadatta; and Bhima of terrible deeds blew his great conch Paundra.Gita 1.16-18anantavijayaṃ rājā kuntīputro yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | nakulaḥ sahadevaśca sughoṣamaṇipuṣp…King Yudhishthira blew Anantavijaya; Nakula and Sahadeva blew Sughosha and Manipushpaka. The great archer king of Kashi,…Gita 1.19sa ghoṣo dhārtarāṣṭrāṇāṃ hṛdayāni vyadārayat | nabhaśca pṛthivīṃ caiva tumulo'bh…That tumultuous sound, resounding through heaven and earth, shattered the hearts of Dhritarashtra's sons.Gita 1.20atha vyavasthitāndṛṣṭvā dhārtarāṣṭrān kapidhvajaḥ | pravṛtte śastrasampāte dhanu…Then, seeing Dhritarashtra's men arrayed and the clash of weapons about to begin, Arjuna, whose banner bore Hanuman, rai…Gita 1.21-22hṛṣīkeśaṃ tadā vākyamidamāha mahīpate | senayorubhayormadhye rathaṃ sthāpaya me'…Arjuna said: O Krishna, place my chariot between the two armies, so that I may see those who stand here eager to fight, …Gita 1.23yotsyamānānavekṣe'haṃ ya ete'tra samāgatāḥ | dhārtarāṣṭrasya durbuddheryuddhe pr…Let me see those assembled here, ready to fight, wishing to please the evil-minded son of Dhritarashtra in battle.Gita 1.24-25evamukto hṛṣīkeśo guḍākeśena bhārata | senayorubhayormadhye sthāpayitvā rathotta…Sanjaya said: Thus addressed by Arjuna, Krishna drew up that finest of chariots between the two armies, before Bhishma, …Gita 1.26tatrāpaśyatsthitānpārthaḥ pitṝnatha pitāmahān | ācāryānmātulānbhrātṝnputrānpautr…There Arjuna saw, standing in both armies, fathers and grandfathers, teachers, uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, and fr…Gita 1.27śvaśurānsuhṛdaścaiva senayorubhayorapi | tānsamīkṣya sa kaunteyaḥ sarvānbandhūna…Seeing all these kinsmen thus arrayed, Arjuna was overcome with deep compassion and, sorrowing, spoke these words.Gita 1.28-30kṛpayā parayāviṣṭo viṣīdannidamabravīt | dṛṣṭvemaṃ svajanaṃ kṛṣṇa yuyutsuṃ samup…Arjuna said: O Krishna, seeing my own kinsmen arrayed and eager to fight, my limbs give way and my mouth goes dry; my bo…Gita 1.31nimittāni ca paśyāmi viparītāni keśava | na ca śreyo'nupaśyāmi hatvā svajanamāha…I see adverse omens, O Krishna, and I foresee no good in killing my own kinsmen in battle.Gita 1.32-35na kāṅkṣe vijayaṃ kṛṣṇa na ca rājyaṃ sukhāni ca | kiṃ no rājyena govinda kiṃ bho…I desire neither victory, O Krishna, nor kingdom, nor pleasures. What use to us is a kingdom, or enjoyments, or even lif…Gita 1.36nihatya dhārtarāṣṭrānnaḥ kā prītiḥ syājjanārdana | pāpamevāśrayedasmānhatvaitānā…What joy could be ours, O Krishna, in killing the sons of Dhritarashtra? Only sin would attach to us were we to slay the…Gita 1.37-38tasmānnārhā vayaṃ hantuṃ dhārtarāṣṭrānsvabāndhavān | svajanaṃ hi kathaṃ hatvā su…Even though these men, their minds overpowered by greed, see no evil in the destruction of family and no sin in betrayin…Gita 1.39-40kathaṃ na jñeyamasmābhiḥ pāpādasmānnivartitum | kulakṣayakṛtaṃ doṣaṃ prapaśyadbh…With the destruction of the family, the eternal family dharmas perish; and when dharma is destroyed, adharma overwhelms …Gita 1.41adharmābhibhavātkṛṣṇa praduṣyanti kulastriyaḥ | strīṣu duṣṭāsu vārṣṇeya jāyate v…When adharma prevails, O Krishna, the women of the family become corrupted; and when women are corrupted, there arises a…Gita 1.42-43saṅkaro narakāyaiva kulaghnānāṃ kulasya ca | patanti pitaro hyeṣāṃ luptapiṇḍodak…This confusion drags both the destroyers of the family and the family itself to hell; for their ancestors fall, deprived…Gita 1.44utsannakuladharmāṇāṃ manuṣyāṇāṃ janārdana | narake niyataṃ vāso bhavatītyanuśuśr…We have heard, O Krishna, that those whose family dharmas are destroyed dwell forever in hell.Gita 1.45aho bata mahatpāpaṃ kartuṃ vyavasitā vayam | yadrājyasukhalobhena hantuṃ svajana…Alas! We are resolved to commit a great sin, prepared to slay our own kinsmen out of greed for the pleasures of a kingdo…Gita 1.46yadi māmapratīkāramaśastraṃ śastrapāṇayaḥ | dhārtarāṣṭrā raṇe hanyustanme kṣemat…It would be better for me if the sons of Dhritarashtra, weapons in hand, were to kill me, unresisting and unarmed, in th…Gita 1.47evamuktvārjunaḥ saṅkhye rathopastha upāviśat | visṛjya saśaraṃ cāpaṃ śokasaṃvign…Sanjaya said: Having spoken thus on the battlefield, Arjuna cast aside his bow and arrows and sank down upon the seat of…
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All 18 chapters
1Arjuna Vishada YogaThe Yoga of Arjuna's Despair2Sankhya YogaThe Yoga of Knowledge3Karma YogaThe Yoga of Action4Jnana Karma Sanyasa YogaKnowledge & Renunciation of Action5Karma Sanyasa YogaThe Yoga of Renunciation6Dhyana YogaThe Yoga of Meditation7Jnana Vijnana YogaKnowledge of the Absolute8Akshara Brahma YogaThe Imperishable Absolute9Raja Vidya Raja Guhya YogaThe Royal Knowledge & Royal Secret10Vibhuti YogaThe Yoga of Divine Glories11Vishvarupa Darshana YogaThe Vision of the Universal Form12Bhakti YogaThe Yoga of Devotion13Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga YogaThe Field & the Knower of the Field14Gunatraya Vibhaga YogaThe Three Gunas15Purushottama YogaThe Supreme Person16Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga YogaThe Divine & Demonic Natures17Shraddhatraya Vibhaga YogaThe Three Kinds of Faith18Moksha Sanyasa YogaLiberation through Renunciation