Step 4 of 7 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Pick any verse to see what it means and how to use it in your life.

  1. 1Tap a chapter, then a verse
  2. 2Read what it means
  3. 3Try the practice
700 verses37 detailed
Or browse by chapter
Chapter

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

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940414243444546

Deep profile← → keys move between verses

Questions & crisisChapter 1 · Observing the Armies on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra
1.211.23

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 1.22

Arjuna asks to survey the armies

अर्जुन उवाच

सेनयोरुभयोर्मध्ये रथं स्थापय मेऽच्युत ।

यावदेतान्निरीक्षेऽहं योद्‍धुकामानवस्थितान् ॥ २१ ॥

कैर्मया सह योद्धव्यमस्मिन्‍रणसमुद्यमे ॥ २२ ॥

arjuna uvāca

senayor ubhayor madhye

rathaṁ sthāpaya me ’cyuta

yāvad etān nirīkṣe ’haṁ

yoddhu-kāmān avasthitān

kair mayā saha yoddhavyam

asmin raṇa-samudyame

Translation

Arjuna said: O infallible one, please draw my chariot between the two armies so that I may see those present here, who desire to fight, and with whom I must contend in this great trial of arms.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

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

Arjuna Wants to See

  1. 1Arjuna asks Kṛṣṇa to place his chariot between the armies so he can see whom he must fight.
  2. 2Kṛṣṇa mercifully serves His friend and never fails in His affection for His devotees.
  3. 3Even as Arjuna’s charioteer, Kṛṣṇa remains the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  4. 4The Lord and His devotee lovingly serve each other. Kṛṣṇa takes pleasure in accepting His pure devotee’s orders.
  5. 5Arjuna does not want to fight his relatives. Duryodhana refuses peace, and Arjuna wants to see who insists on this unwanted war.

Where we are

In the story

Chapter 1, Observing the Armies on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra: arjuna asks to survey the armies.

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 1.22 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 1.20Arjuna asks to survey the armiesBG 1.21Arjuna asks to survey the armiesBG 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 1.22 — 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.