Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 9

Chapter 2 – Sankhya Yoga · Speaker: Sanjaya

Sanskrit verse

सञ्जय उवाच ।
एवमुक्त्वा हृषीकेशं गुडाकेशः परन्तप ।
न योत्स्य इति गोविन्दमुक्त्वा तूष्णीं बभूव ह ॥

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca .
evamuktvā hṛṣīkeśaṃ guḍākeśaḥ parantapaḥ .
na yotsya iti govindamuktvā tūṣṇīṃ babhūva ha ॥

Meaning

Sanjaya said: Having spoken thus to Hrishikesha, Gudakesha, the scorcher of foes, said to Govinda, ‘I will not fight’, and fell silent.

Word meanings

एवम् – thus
उक्त्वा – having spoken
हृषीकेशम् – to Hrishikesha, lord of the senses (Krishna)
गुडाकेशः – Gudakesha, conqueror of sleep (Arjuna)
परन्तप – O scorcher of foes (addressed to Dhritarashtra)
न योत्स्ये – I will not fight
इति – thus
गोविन्दम् – to Govinda (Krishna)
तूष्णीम् – silent
बभूव ह – became

Anvaya (word order)

सञ्जयः उवाच — परन्तप, गुडाकेशः हृषीकेशं गोविन्दम् एवम् उक्त्वा ‘न योत्स्ये’ इति उक्त्वा तूष्णीं बभूव ह ।

Explanation

Sanjaya continues the narration, telling Dhritarashtra that Arjuna, after pouring out his heart, makes a plain declaration — ‘na yotsye’, ‘I will not fight’ — and then falls silent. This is not the silence of defeat but the silence of waiting. The disciple has said all he has to say; now it is the teacher's turn.

The names in this verse are full of meaning. Arjuna is ‘Gudakesha’, the one who has conquered sleep — that is, sloth and tamas. The irony is that this very conqueror of sleep is now lost in the slumber of delusion. Krishna is ‘Hrishikesha’, master of the senses, and ‘Govinda’. He who governs the senses of all beings will now give direction to Arjuna's shaken mind.

Sanjaya addresses Dhritarashtra as ‘Parantapa’. Some commentators see a subtle hint here: the blind king may have been pleased to hear that Arjuna would not fight, but Sanjaya knows that, with Hrishikesha present, this state of affairs will not last.

The verse teaches that silence is necessary for learning. As long as we keep talking, filled with our own arguments, another's words cannot sink in. Arjuna's silence is the beginning of the flow of the Gita's wisdom.

Context

In 2.4–2.8 Arjuna voiced his dilemma and surrendered. Here Sanjaya reports that he declared ‘I will not fight’ and became silent. In the next verse (2.10) Krishna, as if smiling, begins to reply.

Life lesson

Once you have spoken your mind, learn to be silent and listen. Only when we quietly hear a wise voice can new understanding enter us.

Key terms

Gudakesha: conqueror of sleep — Arjuna
Hrishikesha: lord of the senses — Krishna
Govinda: protector of cows, gladdener of the senses — Krishna