Chapter 2, Verse 9
सञ्जय उवाच एवमुक्त्वा हृषीकेशं गुडाकेशः परन्तप । न योत्स्य इति गोविन्दमुक्त्वा तूष्णीं बभूव ह ॥२-९॥
sañjaya uvāca evam uktvā hṛṣīkeśaṃ guḍākeśaḥ parantapa | na yotsya iti govindam uktvā tūṣṇīṃ babhūva ha ||2-9||
Meaning
Sanjaya said: Having thus spoken to Hrishikesha, Gudakesha said to Govinda, 'I shall not fight,' and fell silent.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Sanjaya, narrating the battlefield events to the blind king Dhritarashtra, reports the dramatic moment of Arjuna's final statement of refusal. The juxtaposition of names is meaningful: Arjuna is called 'Guḍākeśa' (conqueror of sleep, master of himself) addressing 'Hṛṣīkeśa' (master of the senses, an epithet of Krishna). The very names suggest that one who has mastered himself is speaking to the One who is the master of all senses — yet Arjuna's action is one of surrender and silence.
The silence that follows 'I will not fight' is pregnant with significance. It is the silence of a man who has exhausted his own arguments and is waiting. He has made his declaration but has not walked away — he remains present, seated before Krishna. This is crucial: Arjuna's silence is not the silence of closed-mindedness but of receptive waiting. He has surrendered as a student (verse 7) and now becomes quiet enough to hear.
For any spiritual seeker or student of life, this verse models the essential posture: state your confusion honestly, then become silent and receptive. The teaching cannot enter a mind that is still performing, defending, or arguing. Silence before a teacher — inner silence — is the beginning of transformation. In modern contexts, this means creating genuine space to listen rather than formulating responses while pretending to hear.
💡 Key Takeaway
After declaring your confusion and surrendering to guidance, become truly silent and receptive — this is when teaching can enter.
Related Verses
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||
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.
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?