Bhagavad Gita BG 2.10
Chapter 2, Verse 10 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
तमुवाच हृषीकेशः प्रहसन्निव भारत । सेनयोरुभयोर्मध्ये विषीदन्तमिदं वचः ॥ १० ॥
tam uvāca hṛṣīkeśaḥ prahasann iva bhārata senayor ubhayor madhye viṣīdantam idaṃ vacaḥ
Meaning
O Dhritarashtra, then Krishna, as if smiling, spoke these words to the grieving Arjuna in the midst of the two armies.
Understanding
A remarkable detail: Krishna speaks 'prahasann iva' — as if smiling. In the midst of the greatest crisis of Arjuna's life, between two armies about to clash, Krishna smiles. This is not mockery — it is the smile of one who sees through the illusion causing another's suffering. The smile signals that what appears as a terrible problem to Arjuna is, from the perspective of wisdom, something that can be resolved. The teaching is about to begin.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| हृषीकेशः | hṛṣīkeśaḥ | Krishna (master of the senses) |
| प्रहसन् इव | prahasann iva | as if smiling / with a smile |
| भारत | bhārata | O descendant of Bharata (Dhritarashtra) |
| सेनयोः उभयोः मध्ये | senayor ubhayoḥ madhye | between the two armies |
| विषीदन्तम् | viṣīdantam | to the grieving one / to him who laments |
| तम् | tam | to him (Arjuna) |
| उवाच | uvāca | spoke / said (Krishna) |
| इदम् | idam | this / these (words) |
| वचः | vacaḥ | words / speech |