Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 11, Verse 35
सञ्जय उवाच
एतच्छ्रुत्वा वचनं केशवस्य
कृताञ्जलिर्वेपमानः किरीटी।
नमस्कृत्वा भूय एवाह कृष्णं
सगद्गदं भीतभीतः प्रणम्य।।
एतच्छ्रुत्वा वचनं केशवस्य
कृताञ्जलिर्वेपमानः किरीटी।
नमस्कृत्वा भूय एवाह कृष्णं
सगद्गदं भीतभीतः प्रणम्य।।
sañjaya uvāca
etac cchrutvā vacanaṁ keśavasya
kṛtāñjalir vepamānaḥ kirīṭī
namaskṛtvā bhūya evāha kṛṣṇaṁ
sa-gadgadaṁ bhīta-bhītaḥ praṇamya
also searched as "etacchrutva vachanam keshavasya"
Translation
Sanjaya said, Having heard this speech of Krsna, Arjuna did Him obeisance; and trembling with awe, he bowed down again, and with folded palms, his voice choked with emotion, he spoke to Krsna.
Vāṇi's rendering
Hearing this, Arjuna trembled. Palms pressed together, bowing again and again, voice breaking with fear, he spoke.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| सञ्जयःsañjayaḥ | Sanjaya |
| उवाचuvāca | said |
| एतत्etat | this (appears as etac by sandhi before the next word) |
| श्रुत्वाśrutvā | having heard |
| वचनम्vacanam | the speech, the words |
| केशवस्यkeśavasya | of Krishna, called Keśava |
| कृताञ्जलिःkṛtāñjaliḥ | with palms pressed together in salutation |
| वेपमानःvepamānaḥ | trembling |
| किरीटीkirīṭī | the one who wears the diadem — Arjuna |
| नमस्कृत्वाnamaskṛtvā | having made obeisance |
| भूयःbhūyaḥ | again, once more (bhūya before eva by sandhi) |
| एवeva | indeed, only |
| आहāha | spoke (eva + āha joins as evāha) |
| कृष्णम्kṛṣṇam | to Krishna |
| सगद्गदम्sa-gadgadam | with a voice choked and stammering |
| भीतभीतःbhīta-bhītaḥ | frightened, frightened — afraid through and through |
| प्रणम्यpraṇamya | bowing low |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11 Verse 35 mean?
Sanjaya describes Arjuna's body, not his understanding. Having heard Krishna speak from the vast form, Arjuna presses his palms together, bows repeatedly, and begins to speak with his voice breaking. The verse records what awe does to a man — it shakes him. And he speaks anyway.
What does etacchrutva vachanam keshavasya mean?
It means "having heard this speech of Keśava." The line turns from Krishna's voice back to Arjuna's condition. He has been addressed directly by the one holding all worlds, and the only reply his body can make is trembling, folded palms, and a bow repeated because one was not enough.
Why is Arjuna afraid if he loves Krishna?
Because bhakti is not comfort. Arjuna asked to see and was shown the whole of it, and the seeing exceeded him. The Gītā calls him bhīta-bhītaḥ — frightened, frightened. Love that has met something larger than itself shakes. That shaking is not a failure of devotion; it is devotion under weight.
Why is Arjuna called kiriti in this verse?
Kirīṭī means the wearer of the diadem — the crowned warrior, the one who has never lost. Sanjaya uses that title precisely here, in the moment of trembling, so that Dhṛtarāṣṭra hears it. The greatest archer alive is bowing with his voice broken. Rank protects no one from being shown the truth.
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Commentary
Sanjaya returns for a single line, and it is a line about a body. Arjuna asked to see, and he has seen. Watch the hands — pressed together. Watch the voice — breaking. He bows, and bows again, as though once could not hold it. This is not the composure of a man who has understood. It is the shaking of one shown more than he can carry, who stays. Fear and love arrive in the same breath here; the Gītā does not separate them. What you have prayed for may not steady you when it comes. Speak anyway, trembling.