Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1, Verse 30

Chapter 1 – Arjuna Vishada Yoga · Speaker: Arjuna

Sanskrit verse

गाण्डीवं स्रंसते हस्तात्त्वक्चैव परिदह्यते ।
न च शक्नोम्यवस्थातुं भ्रमतीव च मे मनः ॥

Transliteration

gāṇḍīvaṃ sraṃsate hastāttvakcaiva paridahyate .
na ca śaknomyavasthātuṃ bhramatīva ca me manaḥ ॥

Meaning

The Gandiva slips from my hand, my skin is burning all over; I cannot stand steady, and my mind seems to be reeling.

Word meanings

गाण्डीवम् – the Gandiva bow
स्रंसते – slips
हस्तात् – from the hand
त्वक् – skin
च एव – and also
परिदह्यते – burns all over
न – not
च – and
शक्नोमि – I am able
अवस्थातुम् – to stand firm
भ्रमति – whirls, reels
इव – as if
मे – my
मनः – mind

Anvaya (word order)

हस्तात् गाण्डीवं स्रंसते, त्वक् च एव परिदह्यते; अवस्थातुं च न शक्नोमि, मे मनः च भ्रमति इव ।

Explanation

The physical effect of Arjuna's despair deepens. Most poignant of all is gandivam sramsate hastat, 'the Gandiva slips from my hand'. The Gandiva was no ordinary bow; it was a divine bow given by Agni, and its twang made enemies tremble. Arjuna had vowed to slay anyone who asked him to lay it down. That same Gandiva is now slipping from his grasp of its own accord.

The image is symbolic. The Gandiva stands for Arjuna's identity, his warrior's dharma and his power to act. Its slipping from his hand shows that attachment has loosened his very capacity for duty. How broken within must be the one who begins to let go of the instrument of his own svadharma!

Tvak paridahyate, 'my skin burns', conveys that acute grief in which the whole body seems on fire. Na cha shaknomy avasthatum, 'I cannot stand', shows his balance failing, physically and mentally.

Most important is bhramativa cha me manah, 'my mind seems to whirl'. Here the despair moves from body to mind. When the mind reels, the intellect cannot decide. The arguments Arjuna offers in the coming verses will arise from this confused mind, rational in appearance but driven at root by attachment.

Context

In the previous verse Arjuna described the weakness of his body; here he speaks of the Gandiva slipping and his mind reeling. In the next verse his attention turns to ill omens and to the outcome of the war.

Life lesson

When attachment runs deep, we begin to let go even of our greatest strength and identity. A decision made by a confused mind may seem reasonable but is not right; so the mind must first be steadied.

Key terms

Gandiva: Arjuna's divine bow, a gift of Agni
Bhrama: whirling of the mind, confusion
Paridaha: burning all over