Bhagavad Gita BG 11.41
Chapter 11, Verse 41 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
सखेति मत्वा प्रसभं यदुक्तं हे कृष्ण हे यादव हे सखेति । अजानता महिमानं तवेदं मया प्रमादात्प्रणयेन वापि ॥
sakheti matva prasabham yad uktam he krishna he yadava he sakheti ajanata mahimanam tavedam maya pramadat praNayena vApi
Meaning
Whatever I have said presumptuously — 'Hey Krishna, Hey Yadava, Hey Friend' — out of negligence or even out of love, not knowing your greatness, O Krishna…
Understanding
Arjuna's heartbreaking confession of past familiarity. Sakheti matva (thinking of you as a friend — just a friend). The specific words he used: 'Hey Krishna, Hey Yadava, Hey Sakha (friend)' — informal, familiar address between equals. Ajanata mahimanam tavedam (not knowing this your greatness). Pramadat (out of negligence, carelessness) — and the poignant qualification: praNayena vapi (or even out of love). He is not sure which it was — negligence or love? The confession is that he had treated the Infinite as a familiar companion, and only now sees the magnitude of what he had been in the presence of.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| सखा | sakha | friend |
| इति | iti | thus |
| मत्वा | matva | thinking, considering |
| प्रसभम् | prasabham | presumptuously, rashly |
| यत् | yat | what |
| उक्तम् | uktam | was said |
| हे कृष्ण | he krishna | O Krishna |
| हे यादव | he yadava | O Yadava |
| हे सखे | he sakhe | O friend |
| अजानता | ajanata | by one who did not know |
| महिमानम् | mahimanam | greatness |
| तव | tava | Your |
| इदम् | idam | this |
| मया | maya | by me |
| प्रमादात् | pramadat | out of carelessness |
| प्रणयेन | pranayena | out of affection |
| वा अपि | va api | or even |