Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 2, Verse 9
सञ्जय उवाच
एवमुक्त्वा हृषीकेशं गुडाकेशः परन्तप।
न योत्स्य इति गोविन्दमुक्त्वा तूष्णीं बभूव ह।।
एवमुक्त्वा हृषीकेशं गुडाकेशः परन्तप।
न योत्स्य इति गोविन्दमुक्त्वा तूष्णीं बभूव ह।।
sañjaya uvāca
evam-uktvā hṛṣīkeśaṁ guḍākeśaḥ parantapa
na yotsya iti govindam uktvā tūṣṇīṁ babhūva ha
also searched as "evam uktva hrishikesham gudakeshah parantapa"
Translation
Sanjaya said, Having thus spoken to Sri Krsna, Arjuna, the conqueror of sleep and the scorcher of foes, said, "I will not fight," and became silent.
Vāṇi's rendering
Having said all this, Arjuna told Krishna "I will not fight" — and fell silent.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| सञ्जयःsañjayaḥ | Sanjaya |
| उवाचuvāca | said |
| एवम्evam | thus, in this way |
| उक्त्वाuktvā | having spoken |
| हृषीकेशम्hṛṣīkeśam | to Hṛṣīkeśa, Krishna, master of the senses |
| गुडाकेशःguḍākeśaḥ | Guḍākeśa, Arjuna, the one who has conquered sleep |
| परन्तपparantapa | O scorcher of foes — Sanjaya addressing Dhṛtarāṣṭra |
| नna | not |
| योत्स्येyotsya | I will fight — with 'na', I will not fight; final 'e' merges into the following 'iti' |
| इतिiti | so saying, closing the quotation |
| गोविन्दम्govindam | to Govinda, Krishna |
| उक्त्वाuktvā | having said |
| तूष्णीम्tūṣṇīm | silent |
| बभूवbabhūva | he became |
| हha | indeed — a word that seals the fact |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 Verse 9 mean?
It marks the end of Arjuna's protest. He has spoken his despair to Krishna, declared "I will not fight," and then gone quiet. Sanjaya reports the silence as a fact, with ha — indeed. Nothing is resolved. The refusal stands, and so does the chariot, in the middle of the field.
What does evam uktva hrishikesham gudakeshah parantapa mean?
Having spoken thus to Hṛṣīkeśa — Krishna, master of the senses — Guḍākeśa, Arjuna, conqueror of sleep. Sanjaya is addressing Dhṛtarāṣṭra as parantapa, scorcher of foes. Three heroic names crowd a single line about a man who has just refused to act.
Why does Sanjaya call Arjuna Gudakesha here?
Because the name says what the moment hides. Guḍākeśa is the one who defeated sleep, and parantapa the one who burns his enemies. Sanjaya will not let Dhṛtarāṣṭra mistake this collapse for cowardice. When the strong man sits down, the reason is not weakness of nerve but weakness of clarity.
What does Arjuna's silence teach me?
That a decision can be spoken and still not be settled. Arjuna's quiet is not resolve; it is the exhaustion of a mind that has argued itself to a stop. If you have gone silent like that after some refusal of your own, notice: this is exactly where the Gītā begins to be spoken.
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Commentary
Arjuna does not argue further. He states his conclusion — I will not fight — and stops talking. Sanjaya, reporting to a blind king who might be pleased by this, chooses his words carefully: Guḍākeśa, the one who conquered sleep; parantapa, scorcher of foes. The man refusing battle is named by his courage. And the one he refuses is Hṛṣīkeśa, master of the senses. That silence is not peace. It is the point where a person has run out of reasons and still hasn't moved. You know it — the argument finished, the decision made, and nothing in you settled. Something has to speak into that quiet.