Not every negative prediction is wisdom; some are fear seeking certainty.
Sanjaya narrates to King Dhritarashtra
निमित्तानि च पश्यामि विपरीतानि केशव।न च श्रेयोऽनुपश्यामि हत्वा स्वजनमाहवे।।
nimittāni ca paśyāmi viparītāni keśava na ca śreyo 'nupaśyāmi hatvā sva-janam āhave
Use this verse when your mind predicts only negative outcomes.
Meaning
O Keshava, I see adverse signs, and I do not see any good in killing my own people in battle.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Arjuna begins interpreting the situation as harmful and inauspicious. When the mind is overwhelmed, it may see only negative outcomes.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
This verse shows the mind moving from physical distress to moral interpretation. Arjuna says he sees adverse omens and no good in the battle. His concern is genuine, but his perception is now colored by emotional overwhelm.
This happens to all of us. Under pressure, the mind becomes a prediction machine: this will fail, this will hurt everyone, nothing good can come from this. Sometimes these warnings are wise; sometimes they are fear dressed as wisdom.
The Gita teaches us to respect our concerns but examine them in the light of deeper truth.
Read the traditional commentary
Arjuna moves from physical collapse to moral argument. He speaks of 'inauspicious omens' — likely a reference to traditional Indian systems of reading signs before battle. But the deeper point is his rational assessment: he cannot see how any good can come from this. His consequentialist reasoning is not ignoble; it reflects a genuine moral intelligence trying to apply itself to an impossible situation.
The problem is that Arjuna's vision is foreshortened by grief and attachment. He sees the immediate horror of kinsmen slain but cannot see the longer arc: the liberation of the yuga-dharma, the restoration of righteousness, the teaching that will flow from this moment and reach millions across millennia. This is not because he is unwise, but because grief is the lens that limits his sight.
For us, when we are in the grip of acute emotional pain, our forecasting abilities narrow dramatically. We see the cost of the necessary action but cannot see the cost of inaction, nor the longer goods that emerge from difficult choices. This is when counsel — like the counsel Krishna is about to offer — becomes indispensable.
In daily life
When you see only bad outcomes, pause and test whether fear is narrowing your view.
Before a product launch, a founder may see only failure signs. Some risks are real, but fear may exaggerate them.
Try this today
Write three feared outcomes and one possible constructive outcome for each.
I respect my concerns and examine them with wisdom.Reflect
Am I seeing reality, or only the fear-colored version of it?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘न श्रेयः’ mean in this verse?
The Gita on confusion, in other chapters
- Verse 2.1 · SanjayaWhen we are most overwhelmed by emotion is precisely when we most need the clear wisdom of a true guide.
- Verse 3.2 · ArjunaWhen a teaching overwhelms you, ask sincerely for the one clear next step instead of drowning in every possibility.
- Verse 16.7Losing the sense of what is right to do and right to avoid is the first symptom of a life slipping into darkness.
- Verse 18.31A passion-clouded mind sees right and wrong but distorts them to fit its desires.
Swipe left for 1.32 · Success without meaning becomes emptiness.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 1.31
Who says Bhagavad Gita 1.31, and to whom?
Sanjaya narrates to King Dhritarashtra in verse 1.31, in Chapter 1, Arjuna's Dilemma (Arjuna Vishada Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 1.31 mean?
O Keshava, I see adverse signs, and I do not see any good in killing my own people in battle. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 1.31 for daily life?
When you see only bad outcomes, pause and test whether fear is narrowing your view. Before a product launch, a founder may see only failure signs. Some risks are real, but fear may exaggerate them.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 1.31 mean?
निमित्तानि — omens / portents; विपरीतानि — inauspicious / adverse; केशव — O Keshava (Krishna, slayer of Keshi); न श्रेयः — no good / no benefit; अनुपश्यामि — I can foresee.
Where does verse 1.31 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 31 of 47 in Chapter 1, Arjuna's Dilemma. The next verse is 1.32.