Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 6

Chapter 2 – Sankhya Yoga · Speaker: Arjuna

Sanskrit verse

न चैतद्विद्मः कतरन्नो गरीयो
यद्वा जयेम यदि वा नो जयेयुः ।
यानेव हत्वा न जिजीविषामस्-
तेऽवस्थिताः प्रमुखे धार्तराष्ट्राः ॥

Transliteration

na caitadvidmaḥ kataranno garīyo yadvā jayema yadi vā no jayeyuḥ .
yāneva hatvā na jijīviṣāmaḥ te.avasthitāḥ pramukhe dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ ॥

Meaning

Nor do we know which is better for us — that we should conquer them or that they should conquer us. The very sons of Dhritarashtra, after slaying whom we would not even wish to live, stand arrayed before us.

Word meanings

न – not
च – and
एतत् – this
विद्मः – we know
कतरत् – which of the two
नः – for us
गरीयः – better, weightier
यत् वा – whether
जयेम – we should conquer
यदि वा – or if
नः – us
जयेयुः – they should conquer
यान् – whom
एव – very, indeed
हत्वा – having slain
न जिजीविषामः – we would not wish to live
ते – they
अवस्थिताः – are standing
प्रमुखे – in front
धार्तराष्ट्राः – the sons of Dhritarashtra

Anvaya (word order)

यत् वा (वयम्) जयेम, यदि वा (ते) नः जयेयुः — कतरत् नः गरीयः (इति) एतत् च न विद्मः । यान् एव हत्वा न जिजीविषामः ते धार्तराष्ट्राः प्रमुखे अवस्थिताः ।

Explanation

This verse marks the height of Arjuna's confusion. He is no longer merely arguing that war is wrong; he confesses that he cannot even tell whether victory or defeat would be better. His intellect has lost its power to decide. And it is this honest admission that opens the way for him to become a disciple.

Both outcomes look tragic to him. If the Pandavas lose, injustice triumphs and their rightful claim is crushed. If they win, they must slay the very kinsmen ‘after killing whom we would not wish to live’. Such a victory seems to him worse than defeat.

Notice that Arjuna says ‘we’, not ‘I’. He speaks for his brothers too — Yudhishthira, Bhima, Nakula and Sahadeva. His grief is not merely private; he gives voice to the dilemma of the entire Pandava camp.

Life, too, brings moments when every choice seems painful and no option looks clearly ‘right’. Such knots are not untied by calculating gains and losses. They call for a higher vision rooted in dharma and in the truth of the Self — the very vision Krishna is about to unfold.

Context

In 2.5 Arjuna declared begging preferable to killing his teachers. Here he admits he cannot reach any firm conclusion. This bewilderment leads directly to his complete surrender in the next verse (2.7).

Life lesson

When every option looks tangled, honestly admitting our uncertainty is the first step towards a solution. The courage to say ‘I do not know’ is what opens the door to learning.

Key terms

Gariyah: weightier, more worthy, better
Dhartarashtra: sons of Dhritarashtra — the Kauravas
Jijivisha: the will to live