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Bhagavad Gita · 1.30 · Arjuna's Dilemma·30 of 47

गाण्डीवं स्रंसते हस्तात्त्वक्चैव परिदह्यतेन च शक्नोम्यवस्थातुं भ्रमतीव च मे मनः

gāṇḍīvaṁ sraṁsate hastāt tvak chaiva paridahyate

na cha śhaknomy avasthātuṁ bhramatīva cha me manaḥ

Sanskrit recitation

When the body freezes · 1.28–1.47 · Teaching

Translation

The Gandiva slips from my hand, and my skin burns all over; I am unable to stand, and my mind is reeling, as it were.

Meaning

Due to his impatience, Arjuna was unable to stay on the battlefield, and he was forgetting himself on account of this weakness of his mind. Excessive attachment for material things puts a man in such a bewildering condition of existence. Bhayaṁ dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ syāt ( Bhāg. 11.2.37): such fearfulness and loss of mental equilibrium take place in persons who are too affected by material conditions. Arjuna envisioned only painful reverses in the battlefield – he would not be happy even by gaining victory over the foe. The words nimittāni viparītāni are significant. When a man sees only frustration in his expectations, he thinks, “Why am I here?” Everyone is interested in himself and his own welfare. No one is interested in the Supreme Self. Arjuna is showing ignorance of his real self-interest by Kṛṣṇa’s will. One’s real self-interest lies in Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa. The conditioned soul forgets this, and therefore suffers material pains. Arjuna thought that his victory in the battle would only be a cause of lamentation for him.

After Swami Sivananda

When the body freezes· 1.28–1.47

Teachers usually read this idea across several verses together, one shared reflection covers the whole unit.

Word-by-word
me
my
na
not
cha
and
eva
indeed
tvak
skin
hastāt
from (my) hand
manaḥ
mind
śhaknomi
am able
sraṁsate
is slipping
avasthātum
remain steady
paridahyate
is burning all over
bhramati iva
whirling like
gāṇḍīvam
Arjun’s bow

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