Bhagavad Gita BG 3.1
Chapter 3, Verse 1 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
अर्जुन उवाच । ज्यायसी चेत्कर्मणस्ते मता बुद्धिर्जनार्दन । तत्किं कर्मणि घोरे मां नियोजयसि केशव ॥ १ ॥
arjuna uvāca jyāyasī cet karmaṇas te matā buddhir janārdana tat kiṃ karmaṇi ghore māṃ niyojayasi keśava
Meaning
Arjuna said: O Janardana, O Kesava, if You consider that intelligence (buddhi) is superior to fruitive work (karma), then why do You engage me in this ghastly warfare?
Understanding
Arjuna opens Chapter 3 with a pointed question that reflects genuine intellectual confusion. In Chapter 2, Krishna praised the path of Sankhya (wisdom) and spoke of the Sthitaprajna. Arjuna naturally wonders: if knowledge is the higher path, why should he do a terrible thing like killing kinsmen? He addresses Krishna as Janardana (one who relieves suffering) and Kesava (one with beautiful hair, or slayer of the demon Kesi), two names that together invoke both Krishna's compassion and his power — Arjuna is asking from a place of genuine bewilderment, not defiance.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ज्यायसी | jyāyasī | superior / better |
| बुद्धिः | buddhiḥ | intelligence / wisdom |
| कर्मणः | karmaṇaḥ | than action / work |
| घोरे | ghore | terrible / ghastly |
| नियोजयसि | niyojayasi | you are engaging / assigning |
| अर्जुन उवाच | arjuna uvāca | Arjuna said (speaker attribution) |
| चेत् | cet | if / since (conditional) |
| कर्मणस् ते | karmaṇas te | than action in your opinion / by you |
| मता | matā | considered / regarded / thought |
| जनार्दन | janārdana | O Janardana — Krishna (stirrer of people) |
| तत् किम् | tat kim | then why / then what |
| कर्मणि | karmaṇi | in action / to action (locative) |
| माम् | māṃ | me (accusative) |
| केशव | keśava | O Keshava — Krishna |