Arjuna’s Surrender (Geeta 2.1–2.9): From Despair to Wisdom
Verses and translation
In this verses we will learn about Arjuna’s surrender
Verse 2.1
सञ्जय उवाच |
तं तथा कृपयाविष्टमश्रुपूर्णाकुलेक्षणम् ।
विषीदन्तमिदं वाक्यमुवाच मधुसूदनः ॥ १॥
Sanjaya said:
Seeing Arjuna full of compassion, his eyes brimming with tears, overwhelmed by sorrow and despair, Madhusudana (Krishna) spoke these words.
Verse 2.2
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
कुतस्त्वा कश्मलमिदं विषमे समुपस्थितम् ।
अनार्यजुष्टमस्वर्ग्यमकीर्तिकरमर्जुन ॥ २॥
The Blessed Lord said:
From where has this weakness come upon you at this critical moment, O Arjuna? It is unworthy of an Aryan, it does not lead to heaven, and it brings disgrace.
Verse 2.3
क्लैब्यं मा स्म गमः पार्थ नैतत्त्वय्युपपद्यते ।
क्षुद्रं हृदयदौर्बल्यं त्यक्त्वोत्तिष्ठ परन्तप ॥ ३॥
Yield not to impotence, O Partha! It does not befit you. Cast off this petty faint-heartedness and arise, O scorcher of foes!
Verse 2.4
अर्जुन उवाच |
कथं भीष्ममहं संख्ये द्रोणं च मधुसूदन ।
इषुभिः प्रतियोत्स्यामि पूजार्हावरिसूदन ॥ ४॥
Arjuna said:
O Madhusudana, how shall I fight with arrows in battle against Bhishma and Drona, who are worthy of worship, O destroyer of enemies?
Verse 2.5
गुरूनहत्वा हि महानुभावान्श्रेयो भोक्तुं भैक्ष्यमपीह लोके ।
हत्वार्थकामांस्तु गुरुनिहैव भुञ्जीय भोगान्रुधिरप्रदिग्धान् ॥ ५॥
It is better to live in this world by begging than to slay these great souls, my teachers. If I kill them, all my worldly enjoyments will be tainted with blood.
Verse 2.6
न चैतद्विद्मः कतरन्नो गरीयो यद्वा जयेम यदि वा नो जयेयुः ।
यानेव हत्वा न जिजीविषामस्तेऽवस्थिताḥ प्रमुखे धार्तराष्ट्राः ॥ ६॥
We do not know which is better for us — whether we should conquer them or they should conquer us. The sons of Dhritarashtra, whom we do not even wish to live after killing, now stand before us in battle.
Verse 2.7
कार्पण्यदोषोपहतस्वभावः पृच्छामि त्वां धर्मसम्मूढचेताः ।
यच्छ्रेयः स्यान्निश्चितं ब्रूहि तन्मे शिष्यस्तेऽहं शाधि मां त्वां प्रपन्नम् ॥ ७॥
My very nature is overpowered by weakness and my mind is confused about dharma. I ask You to tell me clearly what is truly good for me. I am Your disciple. I surrender myself to You. Please instruct me.
Verse 2.8
न हि प्रपश्यामि ममापनुद्याद्यच्छोकमुच्छोषणमिन्द्रियाणाम् ।
अवाप्य भूमावसपत्नमृद्धं राज्यं सुराणामपि चाधिपत्यम् ॥ ८॥
I do not see what can remove this grief that is drying up my senses, even if I were to obtain unrivaled prosperity on earth or lordship over the gods.
Verse 2.9
सञ्जय उवाच |
एवमुक्त्वा हृषीकेशं गुडाकेशः परन्तप ।
न योत्स्य इति गोविन्दमुक्त्वा तूष्णीं बभूव ह ॥ ९॥
Sanjaya said:
Having spoken thus to Hrishikesha (Krishna), Arjuna (Gudakesha, the conqueror of sleep) said to Govinda, “I shall not fight,” and fell silent.
Scenic Context: Arjuna’s surrender
The battlefield of Kurukshetra, charged with tension, suddenly feels heavy with silence. Arjuna, the warrior who once stood unshaken before the mightiest enemies, now sits broken on his chariot. His bow Gandiva has slipped from his hands, and his eyes are blurred with tears. The conqueror of enemies has been conquered by his own emotions.
Krishna, seeing His dear friend drowning in despair, speaks for the first time. His words are not soft; they cut like a sword. He criticizes Arjuna’s weakness: “From where has this cowardice come upon you, O Partha? This is unworthy of you. It will bring you disgrace and rob you of heaven.” It is as if He is trying to shake Arjuna out of a dream.
Then his tone shifts. He tries to motivate Arjuna: “Do not yield to impotence. Cast off this petty faint-heartedness and arise, O scorcher of enemies!” A call to awaken the warrior spirit still alive somewhere within Arjuna.
But nothing works. Arjuna listens, but his heart refuses to rise. His pain is not the pain of a soldier, but of a son, a disciple, and a brother. The wound is not on the battlefield but deep within — in his sense of dharma, his understanding of right and wrong, his very identity. Unless those deeper knots are touched, he cannot fight, nor can he evolve beyond his emotions.
Finally, exhausted and helpless, Arjuna lowers his head and admits defeat — not in battle, but within himself. His voice trembles as he confesses: “My mind is confused about dharma. I am overcome by weakness. I am Your disciple. I surrender to You. Please instruct me.”
This is the true beginning of the Gita — the moment of Arjuna’s surrender. Not victory, not clarity, but silence after exhaustion, where the ego bows and the heart opens to higher wisdom.
Symbolic Reflection: Practical implications of Arjuna’s surrender
When life brings us to our knees, people around us often try two things. Some criticize: “Why are you so weak? Stand up, stop crying, don’t be a coward.” But criticism never heals. It only deepens the wound, because if we could rise on our own, we already would have. Words that shame us may sting, but they do not give us strength.
Others try motivation: “You are strong, you can do it, just believe in yourself.” For a moment, it works. Like a matchstick lit in the wind, it burns brightly but dies just as fast. Because the real questions — Why am I here? What is the right path? What is the meaning of all this suffering? — are still unanswered. Motivation cannot fill the emptiness of the soul.
This is exactly what happens with Arjuna. Krishna first scolds him. Then He motivates him. Yet nothing works. Because Arjuna’s confusion is not about courage, but about the very purpose of his existence. His grief is not just emotional; it is existential. Unless the root of that confusion is touched, no amount of motivation can make him rise.
And here lies the greatest truth: the answers that lift us out of life’s deepest darkness never come from criticism or motivation — they come only after surrender.
Arjuna’s surrender — “I am Your disciple. I surrender to You. Please instruct me” — is not weakness. It is the most powerful act of his life. In that moment, he drops his pride, his false sense of control, his endless struggle to figure it all out alone. He makes space within himself for a wisdom far greater than his own.
This is why surrender is not giving up — it is opening up. It is saying, “I cannot do this with the same mind that created the confusion. I need a higher hand to guide me.”
And isn’t that our story too? We push ourselves with self-motivation. We punish ourselves with self-criticism. And yet, the fog never clears. Because what we need is not another push or another rebuke — what we need is to bow to the higher within us, the Krishna that waits patiently inside, ready to guide once we stop resisting.
Arjuna’s surrender is the mirror of our own lives. The day we truly surrender, the day we let the higher wisdom take the reins, is the day the real journey begins.
Closing Insights
Life does not break us in battlefields of arrows — it breaks us in unseen wars. In moments when we feel paralyzed by debt, broken relationships, failing health, or the crushing weight of responsibilities. We sit like Arjuna, with our “bow slipping from our hands,” unable to move forward, trapped between what we must do and what our heart cannot accept.
And in those moments, we know this truth: criticism cannot heal us. People may call us lazy, weak, irresponsible — but those words only deepen the shame. Nor does endless motivation sustain us. We can watch videos, repeat affirmations, and shout “I can do it!” — but when the night falls and silence surrounds us, those slogans fade, leaving the same questions burning inside.
The turning point comes when, like Arjuna, we stop pretending to have all the answers. When we whisper, even through tears: “I don’t know. I cannot do this alone. I surrender.”
Surrender does not mean defeat. It means trust. It means opening a door inside us to a higher strength — whether we call it God, Guru, or the still small voice of our own higher self. It is this surrender that allows wisdom, clarity, and courage to enter.
Arjuna’s surrender is not an ancient story — it is our story. Every time we drop our pride and admit our helplessness, we create the space for transformation. That is when life shifts. That is when the real Gita within us begins.
So the question is not whether you are weak or strong. The real question is: Have you surrendered yet?
Read about last verses of Geeta adhyay 1 in my previous blogBhagavad Geeta 1.31–1.47: Defense Mechanisms of the Mind in Arjuna’s Struggle
Learn about next verses Gita 2.10 to 12: Break Free From False Identity and Live as the ternal Self
2 Comments
Pingback:
Pingback: