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
1.271.29

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 1.28

Compassion entangled with attachment

अर्जुन उवाच

दृष्ट्वेमं स्वजनं कृष्ण युयुत्सुं समुपस्थितम् ।

सीदन्ति मम गात्राणि मुखं च परिश‍ुष्यति ॥ २८ ॥

arjuna uvāca

dṛṣṭvemaṁ sva-janaṁ kṛṣṇa

yuyutsuṁ samupasthitam

sīdanti mama gātrāṇi

mukhaṁ ca pariśuṣyati

Translation

Arjuna said: My dear Kṛṣṇa, seeing my friends and relatives present before me in such a fighting spirit, I feel the limbs of my body quivering and my mouth drying up.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

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

Arjuna’s Compassion

  1. 1Arjuna tells Kṛṣṇa that seeing his friends and relatives ready to fight makes his limbs tremble and his mouth dry.
  2. 2Genuine devotion to the Lord brings godly qualities; education and culture alone do not.
  3. 3Arjuna feels compassion for soldiers on both sides, knowing that they may soon die.
  4. 4Seeing so many of his relatives eager to fight overwhelms and astonishes him.
  5. 5His trembling and dry mouth show a pure devotee’s softheartedness, not weakness.

Where we are

In the story

Chapter 1, Observing the Armies on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra: arjuna recognizes loved ones and trembles.

What it teaches

Study note

The crisis is narrated through Arjuna’s own physical symptoms.

From the purport

Summary — read the full purport on Vedabase

Prabhupāda identifies bodily attachment as a cause of Arjuna’s bewilderment.

How it feels

Interpretive

Grief and conflict

2

Key ideas in this verse

The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.

Grief & illusion

Arjuna trembles when seeing his relatives.

3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

When does my care for others become entangled with the fear of losing them?

Practice

Notice where attachment clouds discernment; distinguish the person from the body.

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 1.46The bow fallsBG 2.7The moment Arjuna becomes a discipleBG 18.73My illusion is gone

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

Ask the study guide

Ask about BG 1.28 — 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.