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Chapter 2 · Contents of the Gītā Summarized · 72 verses

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Questions & crisisChapter 2 · Contents of the Gītā Summarized
2.72.9

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 2.8

Grief, confusion, and Arjuna accepting discipleship

न हि प्रपश्यामि ममापनुद्याद् -

यच्छोकमुच्छोषणमिन्द्रियाणाम् ।

अवाप्य भूभावसपत्‍नमृद्धं

राज्यं सुराणामपि चाधिपत्यम् ॥ ८ ॥

na hi prapaśyāmi mamāpanudyād

yac chokam ucchoṣaṇam indriyāṇām

avāpya bhūmāv asapatnam ṛddhaṁ

rājyaṁ surāṇām api cādhipatyam

Translation

I can find no means to drive away this grief which is drying up my senses. I will not be able to dispel it even if I win a prosperous, unrivaled kingdom on earth with sovereignty like the demigods in heaven.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

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

Taking Shelter of Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1Arjuna says that even an unrivaled earthly kingdom or power like the demigods’ cannot remove the grief drying up his senses.
  2. 2Learning, wealth and high position cannot solve life’s problems. A true spiritual master is fully Kṛṣṇa conscious, regardless of social position.
  3. 3To end grief for good, take shelter of Kṛṣṇa through His genuine representative. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the path to peace.

Where we are

In the story

Chapter 2, Contents of the Gītā Summarized: grief, confusion, and arjuna accepting discipleship.

What it teaches

Theme summary

Honest questions open the way to wisdom.

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Key ideas in this verse

The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.

Key ideas: saṁśaya, viṣāda.

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does BG 2.8 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.

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The story behind it

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

All stories for chapter 2 ›
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Related verses

Keep going: verses that carry this teaching further.

BG 2.1Grief, confusion, and Arjuna accepting discipleshipBG 2.2Grief, confusion, and Arjuna accepting discipleshipBG 1.28Compassion entangled with attachmentBG 1.46The bow falls

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

Ask the study guide

Ask about BG 2.8 — 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.