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“Grief can make even a warrior lay down his weapons.”
Sanjaya said: Saying this, Arjuna sat down on the chariot seat in the midst of the battlefield, casting aside his bow and arrows, his mind overwhelmed by grief.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallySanjaya said · thus · having spoken · Arjuna · in battle · on the chariot seat · sat down · casting aside · with arrows · bow · mind agitated by grief
Arjuna gives up his bow and sits down in the chariot, overwhelmed by grief.
Sanjaya speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Arjuna Vishada Yoga" (The Yoga of Arjuna's Despair).
Verse 47 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 open the message, stare at it, and set the phone down. The decision is still there, but your hands have gone still because the weight of it has landed.
Did you like this verse?
It shows the exact moment paralysis takes over, before Krishna begins to answer it.
What this verse means
Arjuna gives up his bow and sits down in the chariot, overwhelmed by grief.
Context & commentary
On the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Arjuna has just voiced his despair. Sanjaya watches him drop his bow and arrows and sink down on the chariot seat. The war is about to begin, but Arjuna is already broken.
Why this verse still matters
You open the message, stare at it, and set the phone down. The decision is still there, but your hands have gone still because the weight of it has landed.
“Sometimes the body stops before the heart can bear one more step.”
Explore related themes: kurukshetra (95 verses), arjuna (52 verses), battlefield (20 verses)