Check whether your means still serve your original purpose.
Sanjaya narrates to King Dhritarashtra
येषामर्थे काङ्क्षितं नो राज्यं भोगाः सुखानि च।त इमेऽवस्थिता युद्धे प्राणांस्त्यक्त्वा धनानि च।।
yeṣām arthe kāṅkṣitaṁ no rājyaṁ bhogāḥ sukhāni ca ta ime 'vasthitā yuddhe prāṇāṁs tyaktvā dhanāni ca
Use this verse when your goal starts hurting what it was meant to protect.
Meaning
Those for whose sake we desired kingdom, pleasures, and happiness are standing here in battle, ready to give up life and wealth.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Arjuna sees that the people for whom he wanted success are now the very people threatened by it.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
This verse deepens the question of purpose. Success is usually pursued for someone or something: family security, social respect, service, legacy, happiness. Arjuna realizes that the purpose and the price have collided.
This is a timeless dilemma. A person may work endlessly for family but become emotionally absent from them. A business may grow for customer benefit but start harming customer trust.
A leader may pursue a mission but damage the people carrying it. The Gita teaches us to continuously check alignment: are my means still serving my original purpose?
Read the traditional commentary
Arjuna's logic reaches its most emotionally coherent point: the entire purpose of acquiring a kingdom was to enjoy it with those he loves — and those very people are now standing opposite him on the battlefield, staking their lives. The means (war) has made the ends (shared happiness with loved ones) impossible. The very people the victory was meant to celebrate are the casualties required to achieve it.
This is a real paradox, and one the Gita takes seriously. It is also a compressed version of many human dilemmas: we pursue a goal 'for the sake of' someone, only to find that the pursuit itself damages that someone. Parents who overwork to provide for children who need their presence.
Leaders who sacrifice relationships to build organisations for people they love. The instrument devours the purpose it was meant to serve.
Yet Arjuna's argument, while emotionally sound, misses a deeper context: the war has not been chosen for luxury — it is a last resort after every diplomatic option was exhausted. The dharmic stakes are larger than personal happiness. Krishna will need to show him the framework within which this personal truth sits.
In daily life
Do not sacrifice the very people or values for whom you began the journey.
A parent working for their child’s future may need to ask whether the child also needs presence, not only money.
Try this today
Write one goal and one person or value it must never harm.
My path remains aligned with the people and values I cherish.Reflect
What original purpose have I forgotten while chasing the goal?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘त इमे’ mean in this verse?
The Gita on grief, 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 3.4Walking away from your duties does not free you — freedom is found by acting without attachment, not by avoiding action.
- Verse 13.22What you cling to shapes where you go — attachment to nature's qualities keeps the wheel of rebirth turning.
- Verse 14.6Even peace and wisdom can quietly bind you if you cling to them as possessions rather than passing gifts.
Swipe left for 1.34 · Dharma becomes difficult when roles overlap, but that is where wisdom is needed most.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 1.33
Who says Bhagavad Gita 1.33, and to whom?
Sanjaya narrates to King Dhritarashtra in verse 1.33, in Chapter 1, Arjuna's Dilemma (Arjuna Vishada Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 1.33 mean?
Those for whose sake we desired kingdom, pleasures, and happiness are standing here in battle, ready to give up life and wealth. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 1.33 for daily life?
Do not sacrifice the very people or values for whom you began the journey. A parent working for their child’s future may need to ask whether the child also needs presence, not only money.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 1.33 mean?
येषाम् अर्थे — for whose sake; काङ्क्षितम् — is desired; नः — by us; राज्यम् — kingdom; भोगाः — enjoyments.
Where does verse 1.33 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 33 of 47 in Chapter 1, Arjuna's Dilemma. The next verse is 1.34.