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Bhagavad-gītā 1.28

अर्जुन उवाच दृष्ट्वेमं स्वजनं कृष्ण युयुत्सुं समुपस्थितम् । सीदन्ति मम गात्राणि मुखं च परिश‍ुष्यति ॥ २८ ॥
arjuna uvāca
[arjuna uvaacha]
dṛṣṭvemaṁ sva-janaṁ kṛṣṇa
[drishtvemam sva-janam krishna]
yuyutsuṁ samupasthitam
[yuyutsum samupasthitam]
sīdanti mama gātrāṇi
[seedanti mama gaatraani]
mukhaṁ ca pariśuṣyati
[mukham cha parishushyati]
Word-for-word
arjunaḥ uvāca — Arjuna said dṛṣṭvā — after seeing imam — all these sva - janam — kinsmen kṛṣṇa — O Kṛṣṇa yuyutsum — all in a fighting spirit samupasthitam — present sīdanti — are quivering mama — my gātrāṇi — limbs of the body mukham — mouth ca — also pariśuṣyati — is drying up .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
arjuna uvāca
arjunaḥ uvāca
Arjuna said
dṛṣṭvemaṁ sva-janaṁ kṛṣṇa
dṛṣṭvā
after seeing
yuyutsuṁ samupasthitam
sīdanti mama gātrāṇi
imam
all these
sva - janam
kinsmen
kṛṣṇa
O Kṛṣṇa
yuyutsum
all in a fighting spirit
samupasthitam
present
sīdanti
are quivering
mama
my
gātrāṇi
limbs of the body
mukhaṁ ca pariśuṣyati
mukham
mouth
ca
also
pariśuṣyati
is drying up .
Important Words
  • sva - janam — kinsmen
    *Sva* (one's own) + *jana* (person). Literally *one's own people*. Same root *sva-* that runs through *svadharma*, *svabhāva*, *svarūpa*. Arjuna sees the enemy and his eye registers *sva-jana* — *mine*. The pronoun-error of verse 1 (*māmakāḥ*) now repeats in Arjuna's mouth. The Gītā treats both sides as suffering from the same illusion.
  • yuyutsum — all in a fighting spirit
    Desiderative of *yudh* — fourth recurrence of this root in the chapter (vv.1, 22, 23, 28). Vyāsa wants the auditor to feel the rhythm of *yudh, yudh, yudh*. Then suddenly Arjuna's body announces: I no longer have it.
  • sīdanti — are quivering
    Same root *sad* (to sink) as *viṣīdan* (v.27). The body is *sinking*. Vyāsa is layering the *sad*-root: psychological *viṣāda* (v.27) becomes physical *sīdana* (v.28). The Gītā traces the descent of an inner state into the body.
  • gātrāṇi — limbs of the body
    *Gātra* — a limb, a body-part. From *gam* (to go) — that which *goes*, that which moves. The mobile body is becoming immobile. The instrument of action is refusing the verb of action. The Gītā will later teach that the body is meant to *go* in dharma; when it cannot go in adharma, that is health, not weakness.
  • pariśuṣyati — is drying up
    *Pari-* (around, completely) + *śuṣ* (to dry). Total drying. The same root as *śuṣka* (dry, withered). Arjuna's mouth is going through what the Vedic tradition names as a classical sign of intense fear — drying of the saliva, drying of the inner channels. The body is in *vairāgya* against the act it is being asked to do.
Arjuna said: My dear Kṛṣṇa, seeing my friends and relatives present before me in such a fighting spirit, I feel the limbs of my body quivering and my mouth drying up.
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)
Arjuna's very first words break the heroic register: "My limbs are failing, my mouth dries up." The greatest archer of the age describes himself in the language of physical breakdown — pure somatic terror — and addresses Kṛṣṇa for the first time by the name of intimate friendship.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
The verb sīdanti (from √sad, the root of viṣāda) literally 'they sink' — limbs giving way. This section (1.28-46) lists the classical aṣṭa-sāttvika-bhāvas (eight involuntary bodily responses to overwhelming emotion): trembling, sweating, voice-failure, change of color, hair-standing-on-end, etc., tabulated by Bharata in Nāṭya-śāstra. Sva-jana ('own people') is the operative concept: the war becomes intolerable not because of fear of defeat but because of the relational identity of the enemy.
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
हे कृष्ण! युयुत्सुं समुपस्थितम् इमं स्व-जनं दृष्ट्वा मम गात्राणि सीदन्ति मुखं च परिशुष्यति ।
he kṛṣṇa! yuyutsuṃ samupasthitam imaṃ sva-janaṃ dṛṣṭvā mama gātrāṇi sīdanti mukhaṃ ca pariśuṣyati |
O Kṛṣṇa, on seeing this my own people, present and eager to fight, my limbs fail and my mouth dries up.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
अर्जुनः उवाच
arjunaḥ uvāca
दृष्ट्वा इमं स्व-जनं कृष्ण युयुत्सुं समुपस्थितम् । सीदन्ति मम गात्राणि मुखं च परिशुष्यति ॥
dṛṣṭvā imaṃ sva-janaṃ kṛṣṇa yuyutsuṃ samupasthitam | sīdanti mama gātrāṇi mukhaṃ ca pariśuṣyati ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
दृष्ट्वा dṛṣṭvā √दृश् abs. (absolutive) having seen
इमम् imam इदम् dem. (demonstrative) pron. (pronoun) acc.sg. (accusative singular)m. this
स्व-जनम् sva-janam स्व + जन (m.) acc.sg. (accusative singular), karmadhāraya cpd. (compound) own people
कृष्ण kṛṣṇa कृष्ण (m.) voc.sg. (vocative singular) O Kṛṣṇa
युयुत्सुम् yuyutsum desid. (desiderative) of √युध्, युयुत्सु adj. acc.sg. (accusative singular)m. desiring to fight
समुपस्थितम् samupasthitam सम्+उप+√स्था p.p.p. (past passive participle) acc.sg. (accusative singular)m. come near, present
सीदन्ति sīdanti √सद् pres. (present) 3pl.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) sink, fail
मम mama अस्मद् gen.sg. (genitive singular) my
गात्राणि gātrāṇi गात्र (n.) nom.pl. (nominative plural) limbs
मुखम् mukham मुख (n.) nom.sg. (nominative singular) mouth, face
च ca ind. (indeclinable) and
परिशुष्यति pariśuṣyati परि+√शुष् pres. (present) 3sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) dries up completely
Purport

Any man who has genuine devotion to the Lord has all the good qualities which are found in godly persons or in the demigods, whereas the nondevotee, however advanced he may be in material qualifications by education and culture, lacks in godly qualities. As such, Arjuna, just after seeing his kinsmen, friends and relatives on the battlefield, was at once overwhelmed by compassion for them who had so decided to fight amongst themselves. As far as his soldiers were concerned, he was sympathetic from the beginning, but he felt compassion even for the soldiers of the opposite party, foreseeing their imminent death. And while he was so thinking, the limbs of his body began to quiver, and his mouth became dry. He was more or less astonished to see their fighting spirit. Practically the whole community, all blood relatives of Arjuna, had come to fight with him. This overwhelmed a kind devotee like Arjuna. Although it is not mentioned here, still one can easily imagine that not only were Arjuna’s bodily limbs quivering and his mouth drying up, but he was also crying out of compassion. Such symptoms in Arjuna were not due to weakness but to his softheartedness, a characteristic of a pure devotee of the Lord. It is said therefore: yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā mano-rathenāsati dhāvato bahiḥ “One who has unflinching devotion for the Personality of Godhead has all the good qualities of the demigods. But one who is not a devotee of the Lord has only material qualifications that are of little value. This is because he is hovering on the mental plane and is certain to be attracted by the glaring material energy.” ( Bhāg. 5.18.12 )

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
28-29. O Kṛṣṇa, seeing all my relatives and friends gathered to fight, my limbs are weakening, my mouth is drying up, my body is trembling and my hairs are standing on end. My bow is falling from my hand and my skin is burning.
Commentary

Seeing all these known people, my mouth has dried up. The phrase “As I stand here” should be added at the beginning of the sentence. “As I stand here seeing this, my limbs become weak.”

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
28-29. O Kṛṣṇa, seeing all my relatives and friends gathered to fight, my limbs are weakening, my mouth is drying up, my body is trembling and my hairs are standing on end. My bow is falling from my hand and my skin is burning.
Commentary

Having been described as afflicted with lamentation, Arjuna in this verse expresses the same in his speaking. Svajanam, meaning his group of friends, is in the singular case to express a class. Amara Kośa says that svajana is the equivalent of friend or relative. After I, situated here, have seen those relatives assembled, my limbs such as hands and feet are weakening (sīdanti), and my mouth has dried up completely (pariśuṣyati) from fatigue. His hairs were standing on end (roma harṣaḥ) and his body was quivering (vepathuḥ). That his bow was falling from his hand indicated his unsteadiness, and his burning skin indicated his burning heart.

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Translation
Arjuna said: My dear Krsna, seeing my friends and relatives present before me in such a fighting spirit, I feel the limbs of my body quivering and my mouth drying up. (cn/DS) These were people that he grew up with. Naturally so much affection, was in his heart, for all these people ‑ and there they were, to keep the kingdom for themselves, they wanted to fight and kill. But would Arjuna, such a softhearted devotee, wanted to do such a foolish thing? To kill so many, to commit unlimited sins, just to get a kingdom?
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

COMMON THEME: Signs of compassion (9 points)

S.No

Body part

Sign

1.

Limbs

Quivering

2.

Mouth

Drying up

3.

Whole body

Trembling

4.

Hair

Standing on end

5.

Hands

Gandiva bow slipping

6.

Skin

Burning

7.

Legs

Unable to stand any longer due to impatience

8.

“Forgetting myself and mind reeling” – Due to weakness of the heart

9.

Sees only causes of misfortune

PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF SECTION II

Identification with, and attachment to the body disables one from executing his religious duties, which is ultimately to execute Krishna’s will
It is interesting to analyze the cause and effect of Arjuna’s bewilderment
It is brought on by seeing in terms of one’s own self-interest
The result of such vision is fear, loss of composure, indecision, and confusion of moral codes
ARJUNA’S SECOND ARGUMENT — LOSS OF ENJOYMENT (1.31 — 1.35)

REFUTATION:

Lord Krishna refutes this argument in Texts 2.31 – 2.32

Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
1.28 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
1.28. Arjuna said Seeing these, my kinsmen, O krishna, arrayed, eager to fight.
Commentary

1.28 दृष्ट्वा having seen? इमम् these? स्वजनम् kinsmen? कृष्ण O Krishna (the dark one? He who attracts)? युयुत्सुम् eager to fight? समुपस्थितम् arrayed.No Commentary.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
1.28 Arjuna said O Krsna, seeing these relatives and friends who have assembled here with the intention of fighting, my limbs become languid and my mouth becomes completely dry.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
1.28 And his heart melted with pity and sadly he spoke: O my Lord! When I see all these, my own people, thirsting for battle,
Related values & verses
Related values
Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Ahimsa (Non-violence / Compassion)Arjava (Simplicity / Straightforwardness)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Guru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Maitri (Friendship / Goodwill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 1.29 BG 2.1 BG 11.35 SB 1.19.7 SB 3.28.34 SB 11.14.23 CC Madhya 23.18 CC Antya 14.99 CC Madhya 2.25 BRS 2.3.1 Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.1.6
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
When the soul awakens to the gravity of bodily existence, the body itself trembles — these are early symptoms of spiritual seriousness.
Practical Applications
  • Honor the moments of inner shaking; they often signal a deeper layer of the heart preparing to open.
  • When you feel emotionally overwhelmed by a moral question, take it as Kṛṣṇa's invitation to a higher dharma.
  • Avoid medicating spiritual discomfort with entertainment; sit with it in front of the deity or with japa.
Reflection Questions
  • When did I last feel my limbs shake at the weight of a real choice?
  • What am I numbing instead of letting Kṛṣṇa awaken?
Analogy

The body knows what the mind has not yet admitted. Arjuna's limbs are quivering and his mouth has gone dry — the soldier's instrument is already announcing surrender before the soldier himself can speak it.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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