Chapter 2, Verse 2
श्रीभगवानुवाच कुतस्त्वा कश्मलमिदं विषमे समुपस्थितम् । अनार्यजुष्टमस्वर्ग्यमकीर्तिकरमर्जुन ॥२-२॥
śrī bhagavān uvāca kutas tvā kaśmalam idaṃ viṣame samupasthitam | anārya-juṣṭam asvargyam akīrti-karam arjuna ||2-2||
Meaning
The Supreme Lord said: My dear Arjuna, how have these impurities come upon you at this critical moment? This is not befitting a man who knows what is valuable in life. It does not lead to higher planets but to infamy.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna opens his teaching not with gentle consolation but with a direct, almost sharp challenge. The word 'kaśmalam' refers not merely to grief but to a kind of spiritual pollution — a clouding of the discriminative faculty (buddhi) that prevents one from seeing clearly. Krishna is not without compassion, but he recognizes that false sympathy would only deepen Arjuna's confusion. The phrase 'viṣame' indicates that this crisis has come at the worst possible moment, on the battlefield, where hesitation is catastrophic.
The rebuke identifies three problems with Arjuna's state: it is 'anārya' (unworthy of a noble soul), 'asvargyam' (spiritually regressive), and 'akīrti-karam' (dishonoring). Krishna is pointing out that what Arjuna calls compassion is actually ego-driven sentimentality — a confusion of personal attachment with genuine virtue.
In modern life, we often face our own 'viṣame' — high-stakes moments at work, in relationships, or in leadership — where we succumb to paralysis disguised as sensitivity. Krishna's rebuke reminds us that clarity and decisive action, grounded in right understanding, are themselves forms of compassion. Spiritual weakness dressed as kindness serves no one.
💡 Key Takeaway
Recognize when what feels like compassion is actually ego-driven weakness, and choose clarity over comfortable inaction.
Related Verses
क्लैब्यं मा स्म गमः पार्थ नैतत्त्वय्युपपद्यते । क्षुद्रं हृदयदौर्बल्यं त्यक्त्वोत्तिष्ठ परन्तप ॥२-३॥
klaibyaṃ mā sma gamaḥ pārtha naitat tvayy upapadyate | kṣudraṃ hṛdaya-daurbalyaṃ tyaktvottiṣṭha parantapa ||2-3||
Do not yield to this unmanliness, O Partha. It does not befit you. Shake off this faint-heartedness and arise, O scorcher of enemies.
अर्जुन उवाच कथं भीष्ममहं सङ्ख्ये द्रोणं च मधुसूदन । इषुभिः प्रतियोत्स्यामि पूजार्हावरिसूदन ॥२-४॥
arjuna uvāca kathaṃ bhīṣmam ahaṃ saṅkhye droṇaṃ ca madhusūdana | iṣubhiḥ pratiyotsyāmi pūjārhāv arisūdana ||2-4||
Arjuna said: O Madhusudana, how can I counterattack with arrows in battle against Bhishma and Drona, who are worthy of my worship, O destroyer of enemies?
गुरूनहत्वा हि महानुभावान् श्रेयो भोक्तुं भैक्ष्यमपीह लोके । हत्वार्थकामांस्तु गुरूनिहैव भुञ्जीय भोगान् रुधिरप्रदिग्धान् ॥२-५॥
gurūn ahatvā hi mahānubhāvān śreyo bhoktum bhaikṣyam apīha loke | hatvārtha-kāmāṃs tu gurūn ihaiva bhuñjīya bhogān rudhira-pradigdhān ||2-5||
It would be better to live in this world by begging than to slay these great-souled teachers. Even if they desire worldly gain, they are still my gurus, and if I kill them, every enjoyment here will be stained with their blood.