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Chapter 1 · Observing the Armies on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra · 46 verses

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Questions & crisisChapter 1 · Observing the Armies on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra
1.2

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 1.1

The armies gather; conches sound

धृतराष्ट्र उवाच

धर्मक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सव: ।

मामका: पाण्डवाश्चैव किमकुर्वत सञ्जय ॥ १ ॥

dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca

dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre

samavetā yuyutsavaḥ

māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caiva

kim akurvata sañjaya

Translation

Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: O Sañjaya, after my sons and the sons of Pāṇḍu assembled in the place of pilgrimage at Kurukṣetra, desiring to fight, what did they do?

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

What this verse is saying, and where it sits in the story.

The Sacred Battlefield

  1. 1Dhṛtarāṣṭra asks Sañjaya what his sons and Pāṇḍu’s sons did after gathering at holy Kurukṣetra, ready to fight.
  2. 2Dhṛtarāṣṭra fears that the holy place will favor Pāṇḍu’s virtuous sons and doubts his own sons’ victory.
  3. 3Although both sides belong to one family, Dhṛtarāṣṭra treats Pāṇḍu’s sons as separate, showing his partiality.
  4. 4Kṛṣṇa’s presence at Kurukṣetra indicates that He will remove the irreligious and establish the truly religious.
  5. 5Study the Gītā carefully with Kṛṣṇa’s devotee, following Arjuna’s understanding rather than interpretations shaped by personal motives.

Where we are

In the story

Chapter 1, Observing the Armies on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra: the armies gather; conches sound.

What it teaches

Theme summary

Honest questions open the way to wisdom.

2

Key ideas in this verse

The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.

Key ideas: saṁśaya, viṣāda.

3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does BG 1.1 establish in Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport, and how does it connect to questions & crisis?

Practice

Write down the real question behind your current dilemma.

4

The story behind it

Mahābhārata episodes and stories from the purports that shed light on this verse.

All stories for chapter 1 ›
5

Related verses

Keep going: verses that carry this teaching further.

BG 1.2The armies gather; conches soundBG 1.3The armies gather; conches soundBG 2.7The moment Arjuna becomes a discipleBG 6.34The restless mind

Study notes are editorial summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport.

Ask the study guide

Ask about BG 1.1 — get a simple answer linked to related ideas and verses.

Back to step 3The key ideasNext · Step 5 of 7 · 5 minLive the teachingsBring it into your day with a practice and a question, straight from Prabhupāda's purports.