Chapter 1, Verse 25
भीष्मद्रोणप्रमुखतः सर्वेषां च महीक्षिताम्। उवाच पार्थ पश्यैतान् समवेतान् कुरूनिति।।
bhīṣma-droṇa-pramukhataḥ sarveṣāṁ ca mahī-kṣitām uvāca pārtha paśyaitān samavetān kurūn iti
Meaning
In front of Bhishma, Drona, and all the rulers of the earth, Krishna said: O Partha, behold these Kurus assembled here.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna places the chariot not just between the armies but specifically before Bhishma and Drona — the two figures who will most deeply shake Arjuna's resolve. Then, with a single word, he points: 'Behold.' This is not instruction or warning; it is simply an invitation to see clearly. The entire Gita begins here, in this moment of being invited to look without flinching at what is actually present.
Arjuna is addressed as 'Partha' — son of Pritha (Kunti) — which emphasises his human identity and maternal lineage, linking him to the love, vulnerability, and human heart that is about to be torn by what he sees. The name stands in contrast to his warrior epithet, reminding us that before he is a hero he is a son, a student, a nephew, a friend.
Krishna's 'paśya' — behold — is the most minimal and most powerful teaching: see what is. Not what you fear it to be, not what you wish it to be, not what it was — but what is actually here. This capacity for clear seeing, without the distorting lens of attachment, is the foundation of all the wisdom that follows.
💡 Key Takeaway
The beginning of wisdom is the courage to simply see what is actually present, without the distortion of fear or desire.
Related Verses
धृतराष्ट्र उवाच | धर्मक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सवः | मामकाः पाण्डवाश्चैव किमकुर्वत सञ्जय ॥१॥
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre samavetā yuyutsavaḥ | māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caiva kim akurvata sañjaya ||1||
Dhritarashtra said: O Sanjaya, after assembling in the place of pilgrimage at Kurukshetra, what did my sons and the sons of Pandu do, being desirous to fight?
सञ्जय उवाच दृष्ट्वा तु पाण्डवानीकं व्यूढं दुर्योधनस्तदा। आचार्यमुपसङ्गम्य राजा वचनमब्रवीत्।।
sañjaya uvāca dṛṣṭvā tu pāṇḍavānīkaṁ vyūḍhaṁ duryodhanas tadā ācāryam upasaṅgamya rājā vacanam abravīt
Sanjaya said: Having seen the army of the Pandavas arrayed in battle formation, King Duryodhana then approached his teacher Drona and spoke these words.
पश्यैतां पाण्डुपुत्राणामाचार्य महतीं चमूम्। व्यूढां द्रुपदपुत्रेण तव शिष्येण धीमता।।
paśyaitāṁ pāṇḍu-putrāṇām ācārya mahatīṁ camūm vyūḍhāṁ drupada-putreṇa tava śiṣyeṇa dhīmatā
O teacher, behold this mighty army of the sons of Pandu, so skilfully arrayed by the son of Drupada — your own talented student.