🪷 Bhagavad-Gītā · 1.8
Chapter 1 · अर्जुनविषादयोग · Arjuna-Viṣāda-Yoga · "The Yoga of Arjuna's Despondency" · Verse 8 of 47
🪷 English Translations
Five authentic English voices · each from a distinct sampradāya · together revealing the verse's full śabda-tattva.
Shri Purohit Swami · Poetic English · 1935 · public domain · Cosmo Press tradition
1.8 You come first; then Bheeshma, Karna, Kripa, great soldiers; Ashwaththama, Vikarna and the son of Somadhatta;
Swami Sivananda · Direct prose · Divine Life Society
1.8. "Thyself and Bhishma, and Karna and also Kripa, the victorious
in war, Asvatthama, Vikarna, and also Bhurisrava, the son of Somadatta.
Swami Gambīrānanda · Word-key glosses · Advaita Ashrama · Śaṅkara-school
1.8 Sri Sankaracharya did not comment on this sloka. The commentary starts from 2.10.
Swami Ādidevānanda · Śrī-Vaiṣṇava perspective · Rāmānuja school
1.1 - 1.19 Dhrtarastra said - Sanjaya said Duryodhana, after viewing the forces of Pandavas protected by Bhima, and his own forces protected by Bhisma conveyed his views thus to Drona, his teacher, about the adeacy of Bhima's forces for conering the Kaurava forces and the inadeacy of his own forces for victory against the Pandava forces. He was grief-stricken within.
Observing his (Duryodhana's) despondecny, Bhisma, in order to cheer him, roared like a lion, and then blowing his conch, made his side sound their conchs and kettle-drums, which made an uproar as a sign of victory. Then, having heard that great tumult, Arjuna and Sri Krsna the Lord of all lords, who was acting as the charioteer of Arjuna, sitting in their great chariot which was powerful enough to coner the three worlds; blew their divine conchs Srimad Pancajanya and Devadatta. Then, both Yudhisthira and Bhima blew their respective conchs separately. That tumult rent asunder the hearts of your sons, led by Duryodhana. The sons of Dhrtarastra then thought, 'Our cause is almost lost now itself.' So said Sanjaya to Dhrtarastra who was longing for their victory.
Sanjaya said to Dhrtarastra: Then, seeing the Kauravas, who were ready for battle, Arjuna, who had Hanuman, noted for his exploit of burning Lanka, as the emblem on his flag on his chariot, directed his charioteer Sri Krsna, the Supreme Lord-who is overcome by parental love for those who take shelter in Him who is the treasure-house of knowledge, power, lordship, energy, potency and splendour, whose sportive delight brings about the origin, sustentation and dissolution of the entire cosmos at His will, who is the Lord of the senses, who controls in all ways the senses inner and outer of all, superior and inferior - by saying, 'Station my chariot in an appropriate place in order that I may see exactly my enemies who are eager for battle.'
Dr. S. Sankaranarayan · Academic precision · modern scholarly
1.8. Your goodself, and Bhisma, and Karna, krpa, Salya, Jayadratha, Asvatthaman, and Vikarna, and Somadatta's son, the valourous;
🪷 English Commentaries · The Ācārya Voices
The classical commentary tradition rendered in English · each ācārya speaks from their own sampradāya · the seer chooses the depth of darśana.
Swami Sivananda · Verse-by-verse word-keys with Sanskrit anchors
1.8 भवान् yourself? भीष्मः Bhishma? च and? कर्णः Karna? च and? कृपः Kripa? च and? समितिञ्जयः victorious in war? अश्वत्थामा Asvatthama? the son of Dronacharya? विकर्णः Vikarna? च and? सौमदत्तिः the son of Somadatta? तथा thus? एव even? च and.No Commentary.
Swami Gambīrānanda · Advaita-school commentary (Śaṅkara tradition)
1.8 Sri Sankaracharya did not comment on this sloka. The commentary starts from 2.10.
Swami Ādidevānanda · Rāmānuja Śrī-Vaiṣṇava commentary
1.1 - 1.19 Dhrtarastra said - Sanjaya said Duryodhana, after viewing the forces of Pandavas protected by Bhima, and his own forces protected by Bhisma conveyed his views thus to Drona, his teacher, about the adeacy of Bhima's forces for conering the Kaurava forces and the inadeacy of his own forces for victory against the Pandava forces. He was grief-stricken within.
Observing his (Duryodhana's) despondecny, Bhisma, in order to cheer him, roared like a lion, and then blowing his conch, made his side sound their conchs and kettle-drums, which made an uproar as a sign of victory. Then, having heard that great tumult, Arjuna and Sri Krsna the Lord of all lords, who was acting as the charioteer of Arjuna, sitting in their great chariot which was powerful enough to coner the three worlds; blew their divine conchs Srimad Pancajanya and Devadatta. Then, both Yudhisthira and Bhima blew their respective conchs separately. That tumult rent asunder the hearts of your sons, led by Duryodhana. The sons of Dhrtarastra then thought, 'Our cause is almost lost now itself.' So said Sanjaya to Dhrtarastra who was longing for their victory.
Sanjaya said to Dhrtarastra: Then, seeing the Kauravas, who were ready for battle, Arjuna, who had Hanuman, noted for his exploit of burning Lanka, as the emblem on his flag on his chariot, directed his charioteer Sri Krsna, the Supreme Lord-who is overcome by parental love for those who take shelter in Him who is the treasure-house of knowledge, power, lordship, energy, potency and splendour, whose sportive delight brings about the origin, sustentation and dissolution of the entire cosmos at His will, who is the Lord of the senses, who controls in all ways the senses inner and outer of all, superior and inferior - by saying, 'Station my chariot in an appropriate place in order that I may see exactly my enemies who are eager for battle.'
Dr. S. Sankaranarayan · Modern academic scholarship
1.2 1.9 Why this exhaustive counting? The reality of things is this:
Swami Chinmayānanda · Chinmaya Mission · modern Vedantic teaching
।।1.8।। यद्यपि कुछ क्षणों के लिये अपराध की भावना एवं मानसिक उतेंजना के कारण दुर्योधन का विवेक लुप्त हो गया था किन्तु एक तानाशाह की भाँति उसने शीघ्र ही अपने आप को संयमित कर लिया। सम्भवत द्रोणाचार्य के उत्साहरहित मौन से वह समझ गया कि उन्हें द्विज कहकर सम्बोधित करके वह शील की मर्यादा का उल्लंघन कर रहा था।
🪷 Place in the Bhagavad-Gītā
- This is verse 8 of 47 in Chapter 1 · Arjuna-Viṣāda-Yoga (The Yoga of Arjuna's Despondency)
- Chapter theme: The seeker's collapse at the threshold of dharma
- Ṣaṭka grouping: TVAM-Ṣaṭka (BG 1-6 · the jīva)
- Chapter hub: /arjuna-vishada
🪷 ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय 🪷
सर्वम् कृष्णार्पणम् — this verse is one maṇi (jewel) on Krishna's thread (BG 7.7)