Bhagavad Gita BG 2.8
Chapter 2, Verse 8 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
न हि प्रपश्यामि ममापनुद्याद्यच्छोकमुच्छोषणमिन्द्रियाणाम् । अवाप्य भूमावसपत्नमृद्धं राज्यं सुराणामपि चाधिपत्यम् ॥ ८ ॥
na hi prapaśyāmi mamāpanudyād yac chokam ucchoṣaṇam indriyāṇām avāpya bhūmāv asapatnam ṛddhaṃ rājyaṃ surāṇām api cādhipatyam
Meaning
For I do not see what could remove this grief that dries up my senses — not even if I were to attain a prosperous and unrivalled kingdom on earth, or even lordship over the gods.
Understanding
Arjuna articulates the depth of his grief: nothing in the material world can remove it. Not a prosperous kingdom (asapatnam = unrivalled, ṛddham = prosperous), not even 'ādhipatya' (lordship) over the gods themselves. This is a profound statement: Arjuna has gone beyond desire for worldly things. He has touched the edge of a spiritual crisis that only spiritual wisdom can resolve — which is why what follows (the Gita) must be given.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| अपनुद्यात् | apanudyāt | could remove / could dispel |
| शोकम् | śokam | grief / sorrow |
| उच्छोषणम् | ucchoṣaṇam | that which dries up / withers |
| इन्द्रियाणाम् | indriyāṇām | of the senses |
| असपत्नम् | asapatnam | unrivalled / without a rival |
| आधिपत्यम् | ādhipatyam | lordship / sovereignty |
| न हि | na hi | for I do not / for it is not so |
| प्रपश्यामि | prapaśyāmi | I see / I perceive |
| मम | mama | my (grief) |
| यत् | yat | which / that which could |
| अवाप्य | avāpya | having attained / even upon obtaining |
| भूमौ | bhūmau | on earth / in this world |
| ऋद्धम् | ṛddham | prosperous / flourishing / unrivalled |
| राज्यम् | rājyam | kingdom |
| सुराणाम् | surāṇām | of the gods / of the demigods |
| अपि | api | even / also |
| च | ca | and (conjunction) |