FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Bhagavad-gītā 1.26

तत्रापश्यत्स्थितान्पार्थः पितॄनथ पितामहान्। आचार्यान्मातुलान्भ्रातॄन्पुत्रान्पौत्रान्सखींस्तथा। श्वश‍ुरान्सुहृदश्चैव सेनयोरुभयोरपि ॥ २६ ॥
tatrāpaśyat sthitān pārthaḥ
[tatraapashyat sthitaan paarthah]
pitṝn atha pitāmahān
[pitreen atha pitaamahaan]
ācāryān mātulān bhrātṝn
[aachaaryaan maatulaan bhraatreen]
putrān pautrān sakhīṁs tathā
[putraan pautraan sakheems tathaa]
śvaśurān suhṛdaś caiva
[shvashuraan suhridash chaiva]
senayor ubhayor api
[senayor ubhayor api]
Word-for-word
tatra — there apaśyat — he could see sthitān — standing pārthaḥ — Arjuna pitṝn — fathers atha — also pitāmahān — grandfathers ācāryān — teachers mātulān — maternal uncles bhrātṝn — brothers putrān — sons pautrān — grandsons sakhīn — friends tathā — too śvaśurān — fathers-in-law suhṛdaḥ — well-wishers ca — also eva — certainly senayoḥ — of the armies ubhayoḥ — of both parties api — including .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tatrāpaśyat sthitān pārthaḥ
tatra
there
apaśyat
he could see
sthitān
standing
pārthaḥ
Arjuna
pitṝn atha pitāmahān
pitṝn
fathers
atha
also
pitāmahān
grandfathers
ācāryān mātulān bhrātṝn
ācāryān
teachers
mātulān
maternal uncles
bhrātṝn
brothers
putrān pautrān sakhīṁs tathā
putrān
sons
pautrān
grandsons
sakhīn
friends
tathā
too
śvaśurān suhṛdaś caiva
śvaśurān
fathers-in-law
suhṛdaḥ
well-wishers
ca
also
eva
certainly
senayor ubhayor api
senayoḥ
of the armies
ubhayoḥ
of both parties
api
including .
Important Words
  • apaśyat — he could see
    Imperfect of *paś* — same root as Kṛṣṇa's imperative *paśya* in v.25. Kṛṣṇa said *see*, and Arjuna *saw*. The mechanism of Gītā teaching is in the verb sequence: the Lord directs the gaze, the devotee then sees.
  • pitṝn — fathers
    Plural — *fathers*. The Vedic family was extended: a man had many *fathers* (his father's brothers, his teacher, the elders of the clan). The plural is not a mistake; it is the moral scale of the offence Arjuna is being asked to commit. *Pitṛ-hatyā* — the killing of fathers — is one of the worst Vedic crimes.
  • ācāryān — teachers
    Plural of *ācārya*. Same word Duryodhana used (v.2) to address Droṇa. Here Vyāsa applies the same word — in the plural — to the men Arjuna must face. Killing a teacher (*guru-hatyā*) is among the gravest sins in Vedic dharma. The Gītā does not flinch from naming this.
  • sakhīn — friends
    *Sakhi* — friend, comrade. The Gītā will later use this same word at its highest pitch: Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa are *sakhā* (BG 4.3). The word here on the battlefield carries its ordinary meaning, but the listener already knows: *Kṛṣṇa is also Arjuna's sakha*. The category is sacred and is being violated.
  • suhṛdaḥ — well-wishers
    *Su* (good) + *hṛd* (heart) — "good-hearted ones," those who wish you well. A specific Sanskrit category: not friends one shares meals with, but those who silently want the best for you. The Mahābhārata had many such on both sides; Arjuna sees them all in one glance.
There Arjuna could see, within the midst of the armies of both parties, his fathers, grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, friends, and also his fathers-in-law and well-wishers.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning (तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
The trap snaps shut: Arjuna does not see 'enemies' — he sees fathers, grandfathers, teachers, uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, friends, in-laws, well-wishers. Sañjaya itemizes the categories of kinship to show how every relational tie in Arjuna's life is now standing armed against him.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
Ten categories of kinship are enumerated — virtually the whole social world of a kṣatriya. The verse has three pādas instead of two, packing the list into a single moment of seeing. Pitṛ here includes paternal uncles (Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Pāṇḍu's brother); pitāmaha = grandfathers like Bhīṣma (grand-uncle technically, but addressed as grandfather); ācāryas Droṇa and Kṛpa; mātulas like Śalya and Śakuni. Sañjaya is staging the *cause* of Arjuna's crisis: not war as such, but war against family.
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
तत्र पार्थः उभयोः अपि सेनयोः स्थितान् पितॄन्, अथ पितामहान्, आचार्यान्, मातुलान्, भ्रातॄन्, पुत्रान्, पौत्रान्, तथा सखीन्, श्वशुरान्, सुहृदः च एव अपश्यत् ।
tatra pārthaḥ ubhayoḥ api senayoḥ sthitān pitṝn, atha pitāmahān, ācāryān, mātulān, bhrātṝn, putrān, pautrān, tathā sakhīn, śvaśurān, suhṛdaḥ ca eva apaśyat |
There Pārtha saw, stationed in both armies, fathers, then grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, friends, fathers-in-law, and well-wishers.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
तत्र अपश्यत् स्थितान् पार्थः पितॄन् अथ पितामहान् । आचार्यान् मातुलान् भ्रातॄन् पुत्रान् पौत्रान् सखीन् तथा । श्वशुरान् सुहृदः च एव सेनयोः उभयोः अपि ॥
tatra apaśyat sthitān pārthaḥ pitṝn atha pitāmahān | ācāryān mātulān bhrātṝn putrān pautrān sakhīn tathā | śvaśurān suhṛdaḥ ca eva senayoḥ ubhayoḥ api ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
तत्र tatra ind. (indeclinable) there
अपश्यत् apaśyat √दृश् impf. (imperfect) 3sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) he saw
स्थितान् sthitān √स्था p.p.p. (past passive participle) acc.pl. (accusative plural)m. standing, stationed
पार्थः pārthaḥ पार्थ (m.) nom.sg. (nominative singular) Pārtha
पितॄन् pitṝn पितृ (m.) acc.pl. (accusative plural) fathers (paternal uncles)
अथ atha ind. (indeclinable) and then
पितामहान् pitāmahān पितामह (m.) acc.pl. (accusative plural) grandfathers
आचार्यान् ācāryān आचार्य (m.) acc.pl. (accusative plural) teachers
मातुलान् mātulān मातुल (m.) acc.pl. (accusative plural) maternal uncles
भ्रातॄन् bhrātṝn भ्रातृ (m.) acc.pl. (accusative plural) brothers
पुत्रान् putrān पुत्र (m.) acc.pl. (accusative plural) sons
पौत्रान् pautrān पौत्र (m.) acc.pl. (accusative plural) grandsons
सखीन् sakhīn सखि (m.) acc.pl. (accusative plural) companions, friends
तथा tathā ind. (indeclinable) likewise
श्वशुरान् śvaśurān श्वशुर (m.) acc.pl. (accusative plural) fathers-in-law
सुहृदः suhṛdaḥ सुहृद् (m.) acc.pl. (accusative plural) well-wishers
च ca ind. (indeclinable) and
एव eva ind. (indeclinable), emphatic
सेनयोः senayoḥ सेना (f.) gen.du. (genitive dual) of the two armies
उभयोः ubhayoḥ उभय pron. (pronoun) gen.du. (genitive dual) of both
अपि api ind. (indeclinable) even, indeed
Purport

On the battlefield Arjuna could see all kinds of relatives. He could see persons like Bhūriśravā, who were his father’s contemporaries, grandfathers Bhīṣma and Somadatta, teachers like Droṇācārya and Kṛpācārya, maternal uncles like Śalya and Śakuni, brothers like Duryodhana, sons like Lakṣmaṇa, friends like Aśvatthāmā, well-wishers like Kṛtavarmā, etc. He could see also the armies which contained many of his friends.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
26. Arjuna saw standing there fathers, grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, friends, fathers-in-law and well-wishers on both sides.
Commentary

Putra and pautra refer to the sons and grandsons of Duryodhana and others on the opposing side.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
26. Arjuna saw fathers, grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, friends, fathers-in-law and well-wishers on both sides standing there.
Commentary

When the Lord spoke thus, Arjuna then looked at the opposing army. This is described in a verse and a half. In the opposing army, he saw elders like Bhūriśravaḥ [Note: He was a king in the Kuru dynastya, and was killed by Sātyaki.] (pitṛṇ), grandfathers Bhīṣma and Somadatta [Note: Somadatta was the father of Bhūriśravā. He was killed by Sātyaki.] (pītāmahān), teachers like Droṇa and Kṛpā (ācāryān), maternal uncles like Śalya [Note: Śalya was the brother of Mādrī, wife of Pāṇḍu. He sided with Duryodhana and was killed by Yudhiṣṭhira.] and Śakuni [Note: Śakuni was the brother of Gāndhārī, wife of Dhṛtarāstra.] (mātulān), brothers like Duryodhana (bhratṛn), [Note: Actually they were cousins to Arjuna.] sons like Lakṣmaṇa (putrān), [Note: Lakṣmaṇa was the son of Duryodhana. He was killed by Abhimanyu, son of Arjuna.] grandsons like the sons of Lakṣmaṇa (pautrān), contemporaries of the same age such as Aśvatthāmā and Jayadratha (sakhīn) [Note: Jayadratha was a competitor for Draupadī and later tried to abduct her from the Pāṇḍavas. He had a boon that whoever made his head touch the ground would have his own head burst into a hundred pieces. Later śiva gave him the boon that he could defeat all the Pāṇḍavas except Arjuna. Arjuna defeated him by shooting and arrow which chopped off his head and sent it onto the lap of his father in meditation, who, on seeing the head threw it off his lap, and had his own head burst.] and well-wishers like Kṛtavarma and Bhagadatta [Note: Bhagadatta was a friend of Pāṇḍu and later Yudhiṣtḥira. However he fought on the side of Duryodhana. He was killed by Arjuna. Kṛtavarma sat in Yudhiṣṭhira’s court but later fought on the side of Duryodhana. He later set fire to the camp, killing the sons of the Pāṇdāvas.] (suhṛdaḥ). This description indicates that he also looked at the troops within his own army. He reviewed both the armies that were situated there (senayor ubhayor api). The verb samīkṣya (seeing) is in the next verse.

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Translation
There Arjuna could see, within the midst of the armies of both parties, his fathers, grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, friends, and also his fathers‑ in‑law and well‑wishers. (cn/DS) REVIEW: The opening scenes of the battle of Kuruksetra were described and how Sanjaya was describing to Dhrtarastra what was happening in the battlefield, and first we see Duryodhana going to Dronacarya and describing the armies of the opposing side. And then, he describes his own army and Bhismadeva who is there, the valliant grandsire of both sides, blows his conchshell. After that Krsna, Arjuna and the other Pandavas and the other worriers on their side, they also blow their conchshells. And the sound of the transcendental conchshell of Krsna shatters the hearts of Dhratastra's sons. Then Arjuna after picking up his bow and arrows and just as he is prepared to fight, he asks Krsna to drive the chariot in the midst of both the armies. And Krsna, the Supreme Lord, He drives that chariot directly in front of Bhisma and Drona. And when Arjuna sees these two great warriors, his grandfather who protected him since he was a young boy and his martial‑arts' teacher, his heart becomes overflooded with compassion. He looses in this way, his desire to fight. He sees just before him, his brothers, his uncles, his friends, etc, and seeing his kinsmen, he looses completely his desire to take part in this ghastly warfare. And yet, while Arjuna is feeling like this, both armies are still lined‑up just ready to begin the trial of arms.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

COMMON THEME: Arjuna sees all the relatives assembled on both the sides and thus overwhelmed with

compassion, he starts speaking

Focus of Learning

(a) Different grades of relatives mentioned

Grandfathers Bhisma and Somadatta; Father’s contemporaries like Bhurisrava
Teachers like Dronacharya and Krpacharya; Maternal uncles like Salva and Sakuni
Brothers like Duryodhana; Sons like Laksma
Friends like Asvatthama; Well-wishers like Krtavarma etc.
The armies containing many of his friends

(a) Lord as Hrsikesa – Lord knows Arjuna’s mind and thus knows everything being the Supersoul of all

living entities

(b) Arjuna referred to as ‘Partha’ – Indicates son of aunt ‘Prtha'. Thus Krishna wants to point out:

He became charioteer because Arjuna is son of aunt (Queen Kunti)
Krishna said to Arjuna: “Behold the Kurus” – This phrase indicates Arjuna’s mind “Do you want to stop and not fight?”
Krishna does not expect such cowardly action from the son of his aunt
Mood of friendly joking expressed here.

(a) Arjuna as Gudakesh – one who conquers sleep

Gudaka means sleep; sleep also means ignorance
Arjuna conquered sleep & ignorance because of friendship with Krishna
Nature of the devotee
Cannot forget Krishna even for a moment (Samadhi); even while walking or asleep condition
Devotee conquers sleep and ignorance; because of constant Krishna consciousness. (This is called Samadhi)

(b) Krishna as Hrsikesa – As director of mind and senses, He could understand Arjuna’s purpose in

placing the chariot in the midst of the armies – “hestitation to fight”

Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
1.26 Sri Sankaracharya did not comment on this sloka. The commentary starts from 2.10.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
1.26 - 1.47 Arjuna said - Sanjaya said Sanjaya continued: The high-minded Arjuna, extremely kind, deeply friendly, and supremely righteous, having brothers like himself, though repeatedly deceived by the treacherous attempts of your people like burning in the lac-house etc., and therefore fit to be killed by him with the help of the Supreme Person, nevertheless said, 'I will not fight.' He felt weak, overcome as he was by his love and extreme compassion for his relatives. He was also filled with fear, not knowing what was righteous and what unrighteous. His mind was tortured by grief, because of the thought of future separation from his relations. So he threw away his bow and arrow and sat on the chariot as if to fast to death.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
1.12 1.29 Sri Abhinavgupta did not comment upon this sloka.
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
1.26. Then, Arjuna (son of Pritha) saw there (in the armies) stationed, fathers and grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons and friends too.
Commentary

1.26 तत्र there? अपश्यत् saw? स्थितान् stationed? पार्थः Partha? पितृ़न् fathers? अथ also? पितामहान्grandfathers? आचार्यान् teachers? मातुलान् maternal uncles? भ्रातृ़न् brothers? पुत्रान् sons? पौत्रान् grandsons? सखीन् friends? तथा too.No Commentary.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
1.26 Then Partha (Arjuna) saw, marshalled among both the armies, (his) uncles as also grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers (and (cousins), sons, grandsons, as well as comrades and fathers-in-law and friends.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
1.26 There Arjuna noticed fathers, grandfathers, uncles, cousins, sons, grandsons, teachers, friends;
Related values & verses
Related values
Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Ahimsa (Non-violence / Compassion)Arjava (Simplicity / Straightforwardness)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Guru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Maitri (Friendship / Goodwill)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 2.2 BG 2.11 BG 13.9 SB 7.9.45 SB 3.25.23 SB 11.23.22 CC Madhya 22.87 CC Madhya 22.95 CC Antya 6.220 Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.1.26Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.4.22
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Confronting our own attachments face-to-face is the first symptom of the spiritual journey beginning in earnest.
Practical Applications
  • Make a list of the people whose disapproval most troubles you — these reveal your attachment structure.
  • Notice which relationships feel like 'mine' in a way that contracts the heart rather than expands it.
  • Bring one such attachment into prayer this week, asking Kṛṣṇa to refine it.
Reflection Questions
  • Whose faces, lined up before me, would shake my resolve to act in dharma?
  • What attachments would I rather not look at directly?
Analogy

Arjuna's first sight from the chariot is not the enemy as enemy but the enemy as *family*. Fathers, grandfathers, teachers, uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, friends, fathers-in-law, well-wishers — the chariot has become a mirror, and the mirror shows his life.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

← Read full Chapter 1