Bhagavad Gita BG 2.9
Chapter 2, Verse 9 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
सञ्जय उवाच । एवमुक्त्वा हृषीकेशं गुडाकेशः परन्तप । न योत्स्य इति गोविन्दमुक्त्वा तूष्णीं बभूव ह ॥ ९ ॥
sañjaya uvāca evam uktvā hṛṣīkeśaṃ guḍākeśaḥ parantapa na yotsya iti govindam uktvā tūṣṇīṃ babhūva ha
Meaning
Sanjaya said: Having thus spoken to Krishna, Arjuna the conqueror of sleep said to Govinda: 'I shall not fight' — and fell silent.
Understanding
Arjuna's final words before the teaching begins: 'na yotsye' — I will not fight. Then silence. Sanjaya's words carry three epithets: 'Hrishikesha' (master of the senses, for Krishna), 'Gudakesha' (conqueror of sleep — the usually alert Arjuna), and 'Parantapa' (scorcher of enemies, his address to Dhritarashtra); Arjuna himself calls Krishna 'Govinda.' These names remind us of who these people really are, contrasted with this moment of paralysis. The silence is profound — it is the silence of a person who has exhausted his arguments and now waits.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| गुडाकेशः | guḍākeśaḥ | Gudakesha — Arjuna (conqueror of sleep) |
| परन्तप | parantapa | scorcher of enemies |
| न योत्स्ये | na yotsye | I shall not fight |
| गोविन्दम् | govindam | Govinda — Krishna (protector of cows / giver of joy) |
| तूष्णीम् | tūṣṇīm | silently / in silence |
| बभूव | babhūva | became / fell (silent) |
| सञ्जय उवाच | sañjaya uvāca | Sanjaya said (speaker attribution) |
| एवम् उक्त्वा | evam uktvā | having thus spoken |
| हृषीकेशम् | hṛṣīkeśam | to Krishna (accusative — master of senses) |
| इति | iti | thus (quotation marker — "I shall not fight") |
| उक्त्वा | uktvā | having said (second instance) |
| ह | ha | indeed (emphatic Vedic particle) |