Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 11, Verse 14
ततः स विस्मयाविष्टो हृष्टरोमा धनञ्जयः।
प्रणम्य शिरसा देवं कृताञ्जलिरभाषत।।
प्रणम्य शिरसा देवं कृताञ्जलिरभाषत।।
tataḥ sa vismayāviṣṭo hṛṣṭa-romā dhanañjayaḥ
praṇamya śirasā devaṁ kṛtāñjalir abhāṣata
also searched as "tatah sa vismayavishto hrishtaroma dhananjayah"
Translation
Then, Arjuna, overcome with amazement, his hairs standing on end, bowed his head to the Lord and spoke with folded hands.
Vāṇi's rendering
Wonder seized him; his hair stood on end. Bowing his head, palms joined, Arjuna began to speak.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ततःtataḥ | then, after that |
| सःsa | he |
| विस्मय-आविष्टःvismaya-āviṣṭaḥ | seized by wonder, entered into by astonishment (sandhi: vismayāviṣṭo) |
| हृष्ट-रोमाhṛṣṭa-romā | his body hair bristling, standing on end |
| धनञ्जयःdhanañjayaḥ | Arjuna, winner of wealth |
| प्रणम्यpraṇamya | having bowed low |
| शिरसाśirasā | with his head |
| देवम्devaṁ | to the shining one, the god |
| कृत-अञ्जलिःkṛta-añjaliḥ | with palms joined together (sandhi: kṛtāñjalir) |
| अभाषतabhāṣata | spoke |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11 Verse 14 mean?
It marks the moment Arjuna stops arguing. Having seen the whole universe standing in one form, he is overtaken — hair on end, head lowered, palms joined. The verse describes no insight and no conclusion. It describes a body reacting before the mind can catch up, and a man who can now only praise.
What does tatah sa vismayavishto hrishtaroma dhananjayah teach us?
That reverence begins below thought. Vismaya — wonder — is said to enter him, not to be produced by him. The hair rising, the head bowing, the hands folding: these come first, and speech comes after. When something large meets you, you will find your body already answering.
Why is Arjuna called Dhananjaya here?
Because the name means conqueror of wealth — the warrior at his most capable, the one who has won everything winnable. That is precisely the man now standing with his palms pressed together, unable to begin. The Gītā places his proudest title next to his deepest bow on purpose.
Is trembling or gooseflesh a sign of real devotion?
The Gītā notices it without making it a requirement. Hṛṣṭa-romā is simply what happened to Arjuna. Some are shaken visibly; others go quiet and still. What matters is not the shiver but what follows it — Arjuna bowed, and then he spoke to Krishna rather than about him.
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Commentary
The greatest archer in the world cannot speak. Arjuna, who argued with Krishna for ten chapters, who had a counterargument for every teaching, is reduced to a body — hair lifting on his arms, head going down, hands finding each other. Notice the order. The body knows before the mind assembles a sentence. Wonder is not a thought he has; it is something that seizes him. And when speech returns, it returns as praise, not as questions. You have met this too, smaller: the moment the objections stop. What you do in that silence is the whole of bhakti. Arjuna bowed first.