A declaration · reflective in mood · easy to enter
“Victory means nothing when the price is the destruction of what you love.”
I do not desire victory, Krishna, nor kingdom, nor pleasures. What use is kingdom to us, Govinda? What use are pleasures or even life?
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallyI do not desire · victory · Krishna · nor · and · kingdom · pleasures · and · what · to us · with kingdom · Govinda · what · with pleasures · with life · or
Arjuna says he no longer wants victory, a kingdom, pleasure, or even life itself. The fight has lost its meaning for him.
Arjuna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Arjuna Vishada Yoga" (The Yoga of Arjuna's Despair).
Verse 32 sits in Chapter 1 of the Bhagavad Gita — Arjuna Vishada Yoga, "The Yoga of Arjuna's Despair". The chapter has 47 verses in total.
You are staring at the email that could save your career, but it asks you to betray yourself. Suddenly the promotion, the applause, even the job feel empty.
Did you like this verse?
It exposes the moment when outer success can no longer justify inner collapse.
What this verse means
Arjuna says he no longer wants victory, a kingdom, pleasure, or even life itself. The fight has lost its meaning for him.
Context & commentary
On the Kurukshetra battlefield, Arjuna stands collapsed before Krishna. After seeing his own relatives as enemies, he rejects victory, rule, pleasure, and even survival itself. This verse deepens his crisis and shows how completely his desire to fight has broken.
Why this verse still matters
You are staring at the email that could save your career, but it asks you to betray yourself. Suddenly the promotion, the applause, even the job feel empty.
“When the goal feels hollow, even success stops mattering.”
Explore related themes: kurukshetra (95 verses), vairagya (51 verses), arjuna vishada (14 verses)