Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1, Verse 29

English Translation

And there is trembling in my body, and there is horripillation; the Gandiva (bow) slips from the hand and even the skin burns intensely.

Detailed Commentary

।।1.29।। EXPLANATION-- 'Dṛṣṭvemaṁ svajanaṁ Kṛṣṇa yuyutsuṁ samupasthitam' – The name 'Kṛṣṇa' was very dear to Arjuna. This address appears nine times in the Bhagavad Gītā. No other address for Lord Kṛṣṇa has been used as frequently. Similarly, the name 'Pārtha' was very dear to the Lord for Arjuna. Therefore, Lord and Arjuna used these names in their conversations, and this was well-known among people. From this perspective, Sañjaya also mentions the names 'Kṛṣṇa' and 'Pārtha' at the end of the Gītā: 'Yatra yogeśvaraḥ Kṛṣṇo yatra Pārtho dhanurdharaḥ' (18.78). Dhṛtarāṣṭra had earlier said 'samavetā yuyutsavaḥ' (gathered desirous of battle), and here Arjuna too says 'yuyutsuṁ samupasthitam' (gathered desirous of battle); but there is a great difference in their perspectives. From Dhṛtarāṣṭra's perspective, Duryodhana and others are 'my sons,' and Yudhiṣṭhira and others are 'Pāṇḍu's sons'—there is this distinction; hence, Dhṛtarāṣṭra there used 'māmakāḥ' (my sons) and 'pāṇḍavāḥ' (Pāṇḍu's sons). But from Arjuna's perspective, there is no such distinction; hence, Arjuna here says 'svajanam' (kinsmen), which includes people from both sides. Dhṛtarāṣṭra fears and grieves at the prospect of his sons dying in battle; but Arjuna grieves at the prospect of his kinsmen from both sides dying, thinking that whoever dies on either side, they are still our family. So far, the word 'dṛṣṭvā' (having seen) has appeared three times: 'Dṛṣṭvā tu pāṇḍavānīkam' (1.2), 'Vyavasthitāndṛṣṭvā dhārtarāṣṭrān' (1.20), and here 'Dṛṣṭvemaṁ svajanam' (1.28). The purport of these three is that Duryodhana's seeing was of one kind, meaning Duryodhana's sentiment was solely for battle; but Arjuna's seeing was of two kinds. First, upon seeing the Pāṇḍava army, Arjuna was filled with valor and stood ready for battle, raising his bow; and now, upon seeing his kinsmen, he is overcome with cowardice, withdrawing from battle, and his bow is slipping from his hand. 'Sīdanti mama gātrāṇi... bhramatīva ca me manaḥ'—Arjuna is filled with anxiety and sorrow regarding the future outcome of the war. The effect of this anxiety and sorrow is spreading throughout Arjuna's entire body. Arjuna clearly states this effect: each limb (avayava) of my body—hands, feet, face, etc.—is becoming slack. My mouth is drying up, making it difficult to speak. My entire body is trembling. All my body hair is standing on end, meaning my entire body is experiencing goosebumps. The Gāṇḍīva bow, whose twang once terrified enemies, is now slipping from my hand. My skin is burning all over my body. My mind is bewildered, meaning I cannot even discern what I should do. I am unable to stand even here, on the chariot in the battlefield. It feels as though I will faint and fall. Standing in such a calamitous battle feels like a sin. CONNECTION—Having described eight signs of sorrow in his body in the previous verse, Arjuna now explains the impropriety of fighting from the perspective of omens indicating future consequences.