🪷 Bhagavad-Gītā · 2.9
Chapter 2 · सांख्ययोग · Sāṅkhya-Yoga · "The Yoga of Knowledge" · Verse 9 of 72
🪷 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
2.9 Sanjaya continued: "Arjuna, the conqueror of all enemies, then told the Lord of All-Hearts that he would no fight, and became silent, O King!
Swami Sivananda · Direct prose · Divine Life Society
2.9 Sanjaya said Having spoken thus to Hrishikesha (the Lord of the senses), Arjuna (the coneror of sleep), the destroyer of foes, said to Krishna, "I will not fight" and became silent.
Swami Gambīrānanda · Word-key glosses · Advaita Ashrama · Śaṅkara-school
2.9 Sri Sankaracharya did not comment on this sloka. The commentary starts from 2.10.
Swami Ādidevānanda · Śrī-Vaiṣṇava perspective · Rāmānuja school
2.9 - 2.10 Sanjaya said Thus, the Lord, the Supreme Person, introduced the Sastra regarding the self for the sake of Arjuna - whose natural courage was lost due to love and compassion in a misplaced situation, who thought war to be unrighteous even though it was the highest duty for warriors (Ksatriyas), and who took refuge in Sri Krsna to know what his right duty was -, thinking that Arjuna's delusion would not come to an end except by the knowledge of the real nature of the self, and that war was an ordained duty here which, when freed from attachment to fruits, is a means for self-knowledge. Thus, has it been said by Sri Yamunacarya: 'The introduction to the Sastra was begun for the sake of Arjuna, whose mind was agitated by misplaced love and compassion and by the delusion that righteousness was unrighteousness, and who took refuge in Sri Krsna.'
The Supreme Person spoke these words as if smiling, and looking at Arjuna, who was thus overcome by grief resulting from ignorance about the real nature of the body and the self, but was nevertheless speaking about duty as if he had an understanding that the self is distinct from the body, and while he (Arjuna), torn between contradictory ideas, had suddenly become inactive standing between the two armies that were getting ready to fight. Sri Krsna said, as if in ridicule, to Arjuna the words beginning with, 'There never was a time when I did not exist' (II. 12), and ending with 'I will release you from all sins; grieve not!' (XVIII. 66) - which have for their contents the real nature of the self, of the Supreme Self, and of the paths of work (Karma), knowledge (Jnana) and devotion (Bhakti) which constitute the means for attaining the highest spiritual fulfilment.
Dr. S. Sankaranarayan · Academic precision · modern scholarly
2.9. Sanjaya said O scorcher of foes (O Dhrtarastra) ! Having spoken to Hrsikesa (the master of sense-organs), Govinda (Krsna) in this manner, and having declared 'I will not fight', Gudakesa (Arjuna), became silent !
🪷 Hindi Translation · हिन्दी अनुवाद
For the Hindi-aware seer · Pūjya Swami Rāmsukhdās ji's translation · the highest-readability modern Hindi rendering · Gītā-Press Gorakhpur tradition.
🪷 Swami Rāmsukhdās · Sādhaka-Sañjīvanī tradition · Gītā-Press Gorakhpur · highest modern Hindi reading
।।2.9।। संजय बोले - हे शत्रुतापन धृतराष्ट्र! ऐसा कहकर निद्राको जीतनेवाले अर्जुन अन्तर्यामी भगवान् गोविन्दसे 'मैं युद्ध नहीं करूँगा' ऐसा साफ-साफ कहकर चुप हो गये।
🪷 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
2.9 एवम् thus? उक्त्वा having spoken? हृषीकेशम् to Hrishikesha? गुडाकेशः Arjuna (the coneror of sleep)? परन्तप destroyer of foes? न योत्स्ये I will not fight? इति thus? गोविन्दम् to Govinda? उक्त्वा having said? तूष्णीम् silent? बभूव ह became.No commentary.
Swami Gambīrānanda · Advaita-school commentary (Śaṅkara tradition)
2.9 Sri Sankaracharya did not comment on this sloka. The commentary starts from 2.10.
Swami Ādidevānanda · Rāmānuja Śrī-Vaiṣṇava commentary
2.9 - 2.10 Sanjaya said Thus, the Lord, the Supreme Person, introduced the Sastra regarding the self for the sake of Arjuna - whose natural courage was lost due to love and compassion in a misplaced situation, who thought war to be unrighteous even though it was the highest duty for warriors (Ksatriyas), and who took refuge in Sri Krsna to know what his right duty was -, thinking that Arjuna's delusion would not come to an end except by the knowledge of the real nature of the self, and that war was an ordained duty here which, when freed from attachment to fruits, is a means for self-knowledge. Thus, has it been said by Sri Yamunacarya: 'The introduction to the Sastra was begun for the sake of Arjuna, whose mind was agitated by misplaced love and compassion and by the delusion that righteousness was unrighteousness, and who took refuge in Sri Krsna.'
The Supreme Person spoke these words as if smiling, and looking at Arjuna, who was thus overcome by grief resulting from ignorance about the real nature of the body and the self, but was nevertheless speaking about duty as if he had an understanding that the self is distinct from the body, and while he (Arjuna), torn between contradictory ideas, had suddenly become inactive standing between the two armies that were getting ready to fight. Sri Krsna said, as if in ridicule, to Arjuna the words beginning with, 'There never was a time when I did not exist' (II. 12), and ending with 'I will release you from all sins; grieve not!' (XVIII. 66) - which have for their contents the real nature of the self, of the Supreme Self, and of the paths of work (Karma), knowledge (Jnana) and devotion (Bhakti) which constitute the means for attaining the highest spiritual fulfilment.
Dr. S. Sankaranarayan · Modern academic scholarship
2.9 See Comment under 2.10
Swami Chinmayānanda · Chinmaya Mission · modern Vedantic teaching
।।2.9।। संजय आगे वर्णन करते हुये कहता है कि भगवान् की शरण में जाकर गुडाकेशनिद्राजित एवं शत्रु प्रपीड़क अर्जुन ने यह कहा कि वह युद्ध नहीं करेगा और फिर वह मौन हो गया।केवल एक अंध धृतराष्ट्र को छोड़कर किसी भी व्यक्ति को यह अधिकार या सार्मथ्य नहीं थी कि वह युद्ध को इन क्षणों में भी रोक सके। अवश्यंभावी और अपरिहार्य युद्ध को धृतराष्ट्र द्वारा रोकने की क्षीण आशा संजय के हृदय में थी। शत्रुपीड़क अर्जुन अब तीनों जगत् को जीतने वाले (गोविन्द) भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण की शरण में पहुँच गया था इसलिये उसकी विजय अब निश्चित थी परन्तु जन्मान्ध धृतराष्ट्र ने किसी की भी श्रेष्ठ सलाह को अत्यधिक पुत्र प्रेम के कारण नहीं सुना।
🪷 Hindi Vyākhyā · हिन्दी व्याख्या
Pūjya Swami Rāmsukhdās ji's Sādhaka-Sañjīvanī · one of the greatest modern Hindi vyākhyās of the Gītā · direct, pure, deeply Vedāntic · the modern Sanātana-jāgaraṇa.
🪷 Swami Rāmsukhdās · Sādhaka-Sañjīvanī · Hindi vyākhyā · the modern bilingual anchor
।।2.9।। व्याख्या--'एवमुक्त्वा हृषीकेषम् ৷৷. बभूव ह'-- अर्जुनने अपना और भगवान् का--दोनोंका पक्ष सामने रखकर उनपर विचार किया, तो अन्तमें वे इसी निर्णयपर पहुँचे कि युद्ध करनेसे तो अधिक-से-अधिक राज्य प्राप्त हो जायगा, मान हो जायगा, संसारमें यश हो जायगा, परन्तु मेरे हृदयमें जो शोक है, चिन्ता है, दुःख है, वे दूर नहीं होंगे। अतः अर्जुनको युद्ध न करना ही ठीक मालूम दिया।
यद्यपि अर्जुन भगवान्की बातका आदर करते हैं और उसको मानना भी चाहते हैं; परंतु उनके भीतर युद्ध करनेकी बात ठीक-ठीक जँच नहीं रही है। इसलिये अर्जुन अपने भीतर जँची हुई बातको ही यहाँ स्पष्टरूपसे, साफ-साफ कह देते हैं कि 'मैं युद्ध नहीं करूँगा'। इस प्रकार जब अपनी बात, अपना निर्णय भगवान्से साफ-साफ कह दिया, तब भगवान्से कहनेके लिये और कोई बात बाकी नहीं रही; अतः वे चुप हो जाते हैं।
सम्बन्ध-- जब अर्जुनने युद्ध करनेके लिये साफ मना कर दिया तब उसके बाद क्या हुआ--इसको सञ्जय आगेके श्लोकमें बताते हैं।
🪷 Place in the Bhagavad-Gītā
- This is verse 9 of 72 in Chapter 2 · Sāṅkhya-Yoga (The Yoga of Knowledge)
- Chapter theme: Krishna's first teaching · the niṣkāma-karma sūtra · BG 2.47
- Ṣaṭka grouping: TVAM-Ṣaṭka (BG 1-6 · the jīva)
- Chapter hub: /sankhya-yoga
🪷 ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय 🪷
सर्वम् कृष्णार्पणम् — this verse is one maṇi (jewel) on Krishna's thread (BG 7.7)