Bhagavad Gita BG 1.47
Chapter 1, Verse 47 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
सञ्जय उवाच । एवमुक्त्वार्जुनः सङ्ख्ये रथोपस्थ उपाविशत् । विसृज्य सशरं चापं शोकसंविग्नमानसः ॥ ४७ ॥
sañjaya uvāca evam uktvārjunaḥ saṅkhye rathopastha upāviśat visṛjya sa-śaraṃ cāpaṃ śoka-saṃvigna-mānasaḥ
Meaning
Sanjaya said: Having thus spoken on the battlefield, Arjuna cast aside his bow and arrows and sat down in the chariot, his mind overwhelmed with grief.
Understanding
The final verse of Chapter 1. Sanjaya narrates the defining image: Arjuna, having spoken his grief, casts aside his bow and arrows — the very symbols of his warrior identity — and sinks down in the chariot. 'Śoka-saṃvigna-mānasaḥ' — his mind overwhelmed with grief (śoka). This is 'Arjuna Vishada Yoga' — the yoga of Arjuna's despondency. Paradoxically, this complete breakdown is the necessary precondition for the greatest spiritual teaching ever given. The Gita begins precisely here — from the depths of human despair.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| एवम् उक्त्वा | evam uktvā | having thus spoken |
| सङ्ख्ये | saṅkhye | on the battlefield |
| रथोपस्थे | rathopasthe | in the chariot seat |
| उपाविशत् | upāviśat | sat down |
| विसृज्य | visṛjya | having cast aside / having put down |
| शोकसंविग्नमानसः | śoka-saṃvigna-mānasaḥ | his mind overwhelmed / agitated with grief |
| अर्जुनः | arjunaḥ | Arjuna |
| सशरम् | sa-śaram | together with the arrows / with arrows |
| चापम् | cāpam | the bow |
| सञ्जय उवाच | sañjaya uvāca | Sanjaya said (speaker attribution) |