Bhagavad Gītā › Chapter 2 › Verse 8
Bhagavad Gītā 2.8: A sadness nothing fixes
न हि प्रपश्यामि ममापनुद्याद्यच्छोकमुच्छोषणमिन्द्रियाणाम् ।
अवाप्य भूमावसपत्नमृद्धं राज्यं सुराणामपि चाधिपत्यम् ॥
na hi prapaśyāmi mamāpanudyādyacchokamucchoṣaṇamindriyāṇām
avāpya bhūmāvasapatnamṛddhaṃ rājyaṃ surāṇāmapi cādhipatyam
Recitation: NehalDaveND (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 4.0, adapted, original recording
Meaning
I do not see what could dispel this grief that dries up my senses, even if I were to gain an unrivalled, prosperous kingdom on earth, or even lordship over the gods. Arjuna sees that no outward gain can heal an inward wound, which prepares the ground for Kṛṣṇa’s teaching about the Self.
For children
Arjuna says: “I am so sad. Even if I got the biggest kingdom in the world, or ruled over the gods, I would still feel sad inside.”
Having asked Kṛṣṇa to teach him (2.7), Arjuna explains why: no outward gain could lift his sorrow.
Word by word
न हि प्रपश्यामि ममापनुद्याद् — I cannot see anything that would take away
- na hi: not indeed
- prapaśyāmi: I see
- mama: my
- apanudyāt: could drive away
यच्छोकमुच्छोषणमिन्द्रियाणाम् — this sorrow that dries up my senses
- śoka: sorrow, grief
- ucchoṣaṇa: drying up
- indriya: sense
अवाप्य भूमावसपत्नमृद्धं — not even winning a rich kingdom on earth with no rival
- avāpya: having gained
- bhūmi: earth
- asapatna: without a rival
- ṛddha: rich, prosperous
राज्यं सुराणामपि चाधिपत्यम् — or ruling over the gods themselves
- rājya: kingdom
- sura: god
- ādhipatya: rule, lordship
Arjuna speaks this verse. The Sanskrit is checked against four editions; meanings and word notes are simple learning aids written for MahaPrabha Gurukul, awaiting review by a Sanskrit teacher.