Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 1, Verse 22
यावदेतान्निरीक्षेऽहं योद्धुकामानवस्थितान्।
कैर्मया सह योद्धव्यमस्मिन्रणसमुद्यमे।।
कैर्मया सह योद्धव्यमस्मिन्रणसमुद्यमे।।
yāvadetān nirīkṣe ’haṁ yoddhu-kāmān avasthitān
kairmayā saha yoddhavyam asmin raṇa-samudyame
also searched as "yavadetan nirikshe aham yoddhukaman avasthitan"
Translation
So that I may have a good look at those who are standing, eager to fight, and know with whom I must fight in this enterprise of war.
Vāṇi's rendering
Let me see the men who stand here hungry for battle — the ones I am to fight.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| यावत्yāvat | until, for as long as it takes — so that meanwhile |
| एतान्etān | these men, the ones standing here |
| निरीक्षेnirīkṣe | I may look closely, survey, take in with my eyes |
| अहम्aham | I (sandhi: nirīkṣe + aham becomes nirīkṣe 'haṁ) |
| योद्धुकामान्yoddhu-kāmān | those wanting to fight, hungry for battle |
| अवस्थितान्avasthitān | arrayed, standing in position |
| कैःkaiḥ | with which men (sandhi: kaiḥ + mayā becomes kairmayā) |
| मयाmayā | by me |
| सहsaha | together with |
| योद्धव्यम्yoddhavyam | is to be fought, must be fought |
| अस्मिन्asmin | in this |
| रणसमुद्यमेraṇa-samudyame | in this undertaking of war, this venture now breaking open |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1 Verse 22 mean?
Arjuna asks Krishna to hold the chariot still long enough for him to study the men arrayed against him. He frames it as reconnaissance — who is here, who must be answered. The verse is the last moment he speaks as a soldier. What he sees in the next breath will take his bow from his hand.
What does yavadetan nirikshe aham mean in the Gita?
It means: for as long as it takes me to look these men over. Nirīkṣe is not a glance but a careful looking. Arjuna wants the whole field in his eyes before the arrows start. He gets exactly what he asks for, and it is more than he can bear.
Why does Arjuna want to see the enemy before fighting?
Because he still believes they are an enemy — a formation, a problem of tactics. He is asking a professional question. The tragedy of this verse is that the answer to whom must I fight turns out to be grandfathers, teachers, cousins. He asked for information and received grief.
What can I learn from Bhagavad Gita 1.22 in my own life?
That looking is never neutral. Arjuna thought he was gathering facts and instead met his own heart. When you finally turn and face the thing you have been circling — the conversation, the diagnosis, the truth about someone you love — do not expect to come away unmoved. Seeing costs something. It is still worth the price.
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
View on the App Store
Commentary
Arjuna asks to look. He wants a survey — a soldier's count of who stands opposite, who is eager, who will need answering first. It is a reasonable request, and it destroys him. Between this verse and the collapse that follows lies nothing but seeing. He asked whom he must fight; the field answers with faces he has eaten beside. Notice that he never asks Krishna what to do here — only to be driven close enough to look. You have done this. You have gone to look at the thing, certain you were only gathering facts, and come back changed.