In Bhagavad Gita 1.28, Arjuna, filled with deep compassion and sorrow, tells Krishna that seeing his own people eager for battle has left him shaken.
Sanskrit Verse
सञ्जय उवाच · Sanjaya said
कृपया परयाविष्टो
विषीदन्निदमब्रवीत्
अर्जुन उवाच · Arjuna said
दृष्ट्वेमं स्वजनं कृष्ण
युयुत्सुं समुपस्थितम् ॥ १-२८ ॥
kṛpayā parayāviṣṭo
viṣīdannidamabravīt
dṛṣṭvemaṃ svajanaṃ kṛṣṇa
yuyutsuṃ samupasthitam
English transliteration kripayaa parayaavishto
visheedannidamabraveet
drishtvemam svajanam krishna
yuyutsum samupasthitam ॥ 1.28 ॥
Translation / Meaning
Sanjaya said: overcome with deep compassion, he spoke in sorrow. Arjuna said: O Krishna, seeing these my own people standing here, eager to fight,
Arjuna’s description of his condition runs from 1.28 to 1.30.
Word Meanings
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| कृपया kṛpayā | by compassion, pity |
| परया parayā | deep, extreme |
| आविष्टः āviṣṭaḥ | overcome |
| विषीदन् viṣīdan | grieving |
| इदम् idam | this |
| अब्रवीत् abravīt | spoke |
| दृष्ट्वा dṛṣṭvā | seeing |
| इमम् imam | these |
| स्वजनम् svajanam | my own people sva (own) + janam (people) |
| कृष्ण kṛṣṇa | O Kṛṣṇa |
| युयुत्सुम् yuyutsum | eager to fight |
| समुपस्थितम् samupasthitam | standing here, assembled |
Word-wise Chanting
- kṛ–pa–yā pa–ra–yā–viṣ–ṭo 8 syllables kri-pa-yaa pa-ra-yaa-vish-to
- vi–ṣī–dan–ni–da–mab–ra–vīt | 8 syllables vi-shee-dan-ni-da-mab-ra-veet
- dṛṣ–ṭve–maṃ sva–ja–naṃ kṛṣ–ṇa 8 syllables drish-tve-mam sva-ja-nam krish-na
- yu–yut–suṃ sa–mu–pas–thi–tam || 1-28 8 syllables yu-yut-sum sa-mu-pas-thi-tam
How to read this
How to chant: each line is one pāda (quarter-verse); chant it in one breath. The hyphen (-) divides the syllables, inside a word and across a sandhi join, so every pāda shows its 8 syllables (11 in triṣṭubh verses). A consonant cluster is divided after its first consonant (kar-ma, vet-ti): that syllable is held longer. Mark above a syllable: guru, long (two beats); laghu, short (one beat). | closes the half-verse, || the verse; the number is the syllable count of the pāda.
Deeper Explanation – Chapter 1 Verse 28
Context
Arjuna has seen all his kinsmen in both armies (1.26–1.27). The verse begins with Sanjaya’s comment and then gives Arjuna’s first words of grief, which continue in 1.29–1.30.
Meaning
Sanjaya names Arjuna’s state precisely: he is overcome by kṛpā, compassion or pity, and by viṣāda, despondency. Compassion is a noble feeling, but here it overwhelms his judgement. Arjuna begins to speak not as a warrior with a duty but as a man in pain. The chapter is named for this despondency: Arjuna Vishada Yoga.
The Gita treats Arjuna’s feeling with great respect. His grief is the sign of a tender heart, not of cowardice. Yet feeling alone cannot guide action; it must be held in a wider understanding. The whole teaching that follows is Krishna’s answer to a compassion that has lost its footing. Even despondency, honestly faced, becomes the doorway to yoga.
In Practice
When strong emotion rises, name it precisely to yourself, as Sanjaya names Arjuna’s state. Naming a feeling gives you room to hold it wisely.
Related Verses
Continue Your Study
This verse belongs to Chapter 1: Arjuna Vishada Yoga (The Yoga of Arjuna’s Despondency). Read the chapter overview, browse every verse of the Gita, or return to the chapter-by-chapter guide. For a reading plan, see how to study the Bhagavad Gita and the study resources.