Success without meaning becomes emptiness.
Sanjaya narrates to King Dhritarashtra
न काङ्क्षे विजयं कृष्ण न च राज्यं सुखानि च।किं नो राज्येन गोविन्द किं भोगैर्जीवितेन वा।।
na kāṅkṣe vijayaṁ kṛṣṇa na ca rājyaṁ sukhāni ca kiṁ no rājyena govinda kiṁ bhogair jīvitena vā
Use this verse when achievement feels empty or costly.
Meaning
O Krishna, I do not desire victory, kingdom, or pleasures. What use is kingdom, enjoyment, or even life itself to us?
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Arjuna questions the value of success when it costs what he loves. The Gita begins by challenging success without meaning.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
This verse is deeply relevant for modern ambition. Arjuna asks: what is the use of victory if it destroys the very relationships and values for which victory was desired? Many professionals chase titles, wealth, growth, followers, or recognition, only to realize that success without inner meaning feels empty.
Arjuna’s question is not the final teaching of the Gita, but it is a necessary question. It forces us to examine the purpose behind ambition. The Gita does not reject action or success; it rejects blind craving. Success must be connected to dharma, service, and inner fulfillment.
Read the traditional commentary
Arjuna reaches the heart of his argument: what is the point of victory if it is purchased at the cost of those we love? He renounces, in this moment, everything that makes the war worth fighting — kingdom, power, pleasure, even life. This sounds like spiritual detachment, and it is — but it is premature detachment, rooted in the wrong motive. It is the exhausted surrender of grief, not the conscious surrender of wisdom.
The Gita distinguishes carefully between renunciation born of higher understanding (jñāna-vairāgya) and renunciation born of despair (śoka-vairāgya). The first is liberating; the second is merely another form of attachment in disguise, clinging to the peace of non-action because the pain of righteous action is too great to bear.
Arjuna is not wrong about the value he is placing on relationships over material gains. He is wrong, the Gita will show, in thinking that inaction will protect those he loves, and wrong in abandoning his dharma as if that were a noble sacrifice. True wisdom will need to integrate both his love for his people and his sacred duty.
In daily life
Define success by values, not only by visible achievement.
A person may get a promotion but lose health, peace, and family connection; the title alone may not feel like victory.
Try this today
Write your current top goal and the deeper value it should serve.
I seek success that serves meaning, dharma, and inner peace.Reflect
What am I chasing, and why does it matter?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘गोविन्द’ 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 1.33 · Check whether your means still serve your original purpose.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 1.32
Who says Bhagavad Gita 1.32, and to whom?
Sanjaya narrates to King Dhritarashtra in verse 1.32, in Chapter 1, Arjuna's Dilemma (Arjuna Vishada Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 1.32 mean?
O Krishna, I do not desire victory, kingdom, or pleasures. What use is kingdom, enjoyment, or even life itself to us? (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 1.32 for daily life?
Define success by values, not only by visible achievement. A person may get a promotion but lose health, peace, and family connection; the title alone may not feel like victory.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 1.32 mean?
न काङ्क्षे — I do not desire; विजयम् — victory; राज्यम् — kingdom; सुखानि — pleasures; किम् नः — what is it to us.
Where does verse 1.32 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 32 of 47 in Chapter 1, Arjuna's Dilemma. The next verse is 1.33.