Chapter 1 – Arjuna’s Despondency
Verse 28
Krpya, parya, aavishtH, visheedan’, idam’, abrveet’,
Drshtva, imm’, swajanam’, Krishna, yuyutsum’, samupsthitam’||28||
Arjuna said:
“O Krishna! On seeing my own kinsmen assembled here with the desire to fight, my limbs weaken and my mouth dries up.”
Deep Interpretation / Detailed Explanation:
In this verse, Arjuna expresses his mental and physical distress. When he sees his teachers, relatives, brothers, uncles, sons, grandsons, and friends standing before him, ready for war, a wave of compassion rises within him.
Arjuna says that his strength is leaving him, and his limbs have gone weak.
His mouth has dried up, which indicates anxiety and emotional turmoil.
This is not merely a warrior’s weakness — it reflects the pain of a sensitive human being who does not wish to wage war against his loved ones.
This verse reveals that Arjuna is no longer in a proper mental state to fight.
He is now overwhelmed by attachment, compassion, and confusion.
Key Points:
- Arjuna finds it unbearable to even imagine fighting against his own family.
- A deep sense of human compassion and emotional connection has awakened within him.
- This verse marks a crucial turning point — the beginning of Arjuna’s Vishada Yoga (the Yoga of Despondency – sorrow, attachment, and duty-conflict).
- From here, Lord Krishna’s divine teachings of the Bhagavad Gita begin.
