Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1: Arjuna Vishada Yoga, Meaning in Simple Words

The Gita begins with grief, not with teaching. Chapter 1 shows that even the bravest person can be overcome by attachment, and that is where the need for wisdom is born. So the chapter is called Arjuna Vishada Yoga: even Arjuna's despair became a yoga, because the Gita came out of it.

Verse 1: Dhritarashtra's question

Dharmakshetre kurukshetre samaveta yuyutsavah
mamakah pandavashchaiva kim akurvata sanjaya

Meaning: Dhritarashtra asks, "O Sanjaya, gathered on the holy field of Kurukshetra and eager to fight, what did my sons and the sons of Pandu do?"

The blind king sits in his palace. By saying "my sons" and "Pandu's sons" he reveals his partiality, and that sense of "mine and yours" is the root of the whole war.

Verses 2 to 11: Duryodhana goes to Drona

Seeing the Pandava army in formation, Duryodhana goes to his teacher Drona and names the great warriors on the other side: Yuyudhana (Satyaki), Virata, Drupada, Dhrishtaketu, Chekitana, the king of Kashi, Purujit, Kuntibhoja, Shaibya, Yudhamanyu, Uttamauja, Abhimanyu and the five sons of Draupadi. Then he names his own: Drona himself, Bhishma, Karna, Kripa, Ashvatthama, Vikarna and Bhurishrava. He ends by asking everyone to hold their positions and protect Bhishma. Fear lies under his words; one who stands for wrong has no peace of mind.

Verses 12 to 19: the conches

To cheer Duryodhana, Bhishma roars like a lion and blows his conch, and the Kaurava army answers with conches, drums and horns. From their chariot drawn by white horses Krishna and Arjuna blow divine conches: Krishna the Panchajanya, Arjuna the Devadatta, Bhima the great Paundra. Yudhishthira blows the Anantavijaya, Nakula the Sughosha and Sahadeva the Manipushpaka, followed by the king of Kashi, Shikhandi, Dhrishtadyumna, Virata, Satyaki, Drupada, Draupadi's sons and Abhimanyu. The sound shakes earth and sky and pierces the hearts of Dhritarashtra's sons.

Verses 20 to 27: Arjuna between the armies

As the battle is about to begin, Arjuna, whose banner bears Hanuman, lifts his bow and asks Krishna to place the chariot between the two armies so that he can see whom he must fight. Krishna stops it in front of Bhishma and Drona and says, "Partha, behold the Kurus gathered here." Arjuna sees uncles, grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, friends and in-laws. All are his own, and he is filled with pity.

Verses 28 to 35: Arjuna's grief

Arjuna says: "Seeing my own people ready to fight, my limbs give way, my mouth is dry, my body trembles and my hair stands on end. The Gandiva slips from my hand, my skin burns, I cannot stand and my mind reels. I see bad omens. I see no good in killing my own people. I want neither victory nor kingdom nor pleasure. Those for whom we want kingdom and pleasure stand here ready to give up their lives. I would not kill them even for the three worlds, let alone for this earth."

Verses 36 to 46: fear for the family's dharma

"What joy will we have from killing Dhritarashtra's sons? Even though they are aggressors, we will only incur sin. Greed blinds them to the evil of destroying a family, but we can see it. When a family is destroyed its ancient traditions perish; when dharma perishes adharma spreads, women go astray, the social order is confused, and the ancestors are deprived of their offerings. Alas, out of greed for a kingdom we are ready to kill our own. Better that I lay down my weapons and let the Kauravas kill me unresisting."

Verse 47: Arjuna puts down his bow

Evam uktvarjunah sankhye rathopastha upavishat
visrijya sasharam chapam shokasamvignamanasah

Meaning: Having spoken thus on the battlefield, Arjuna cast aside his bow and arrows and sat down in the chariot, his mind overwhelmed by grief.

What this chapter teaches

• Arjuna's words sound kind, but they come from attachment, not duty. Telling compassion from attachment is one of life's great skills.
• In a crisis the mind builds arguments to escape a hard task; Arjuna's reasoning is a clear example.
• When the mind is tangled, the first step is to turn to a true guide, which Arjuna does in the next chapter.
• Even a hero like Arjuna feels a dry mouth and trembling; admitting fear is not weakness.