Bhagavad Gita 2.1

Sanskrit

तं तथा कृपयाविष्टमश्रुपूर्णाकुलेक्षणम् । विषीदन्तमिदं वाक्यमुवाच मधुसूदनः ॥2.1॥

Transliteration

taṃ tathā kṛpayāviṣṭamaśrupūrṇākulekṣaṇam | viṣīdantamidaṃ vākyamuvāca madhusūdanaḥ ‖2.1‖

Meaning

“Sanjaya said: To him who was thus overcome with pity, his eyes filled with tears and downcast, despairing, Krishna spoke these words.”

Key learning

Krishna watched the whole breakdown in silence and speaks only now, when Arjuna's despair is complete and his tears are real. Wisdom doesn't interrupt. It waits for the moment a person can actually hear it. Advice given too early just bounces off someone still caught in their feelings. Notice too that the Gita describes Arjuna's state with respect, never contempt.

How to apply this today

Time your advice. When someone you love is mid-meltdown, sobbing or spiraling, your wise words are nearly useless until the wave has passed. When your child fails a test, don't analyze their study habits in the first hour. Sit with them first. When your partner vents about work, ask, "Do you want help, or just my ear right now?" Krishna's first lesson is given before he says a word: be present first, speak later.

Theme: The Yoga of Knowledge

This verse is part of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2: Sankhya Yoga , read all verses in this chapter.

Read the full Bhagavad Gita

Teachmysoul gives you all 700 Gita verses with Sanskrit, plain-English meaning, a key learning and a practical application for daily life, a calm two-minute habit on web, iOS and Android.