FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Bhagavad-gītā 2.1

सञ्जय उवाच तं तथा कृपयाविष्टमश्रुपूर्णाकुलेक्षणम् । विषीदन्तमिदं वाक्यमुवाच मधुसूदनः ॥ १ ॥
sañjaya uvāca
[sanjaya uvaacha]
taṁ tathā kṛpayāviṣṭam
[tam tathaa kripayaavishtam]
aśru-pūrṇākulekṣaṇam
[ashru-poornaakulekshanam]
viṣīdantam idaṁ vākyam
[visheedantam idam vaakyam]
uvāca madhusūdanaḥ
[uvaacha madhusoodanah]
Word-for-word
sañjayaḥ uvāca — Sañjaya said tam — unto Arjuna tathā — thus kṛpayā — by compassion āviṣṭam — overwhelmed aśru - pūrṇa - ākula — full of tears īkṣaṇam — eyes viṣīdantam — lamenting idam — these vākyam — words uvāca — said madhu - sūdanaḥ — the killer of Madhu .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sañjaya uvāca
sañjayaḥ uvāca
Sañjaya said
taṁ tathā kṛpayāviṣṭam
tam
unto Arjuna
tathā
thus
kṛpayā
by compassion
āviṣṭam
overwhelmed
aśru-pūrṇākulekṣaṇam
aśru - pūrṇa - ākula
full of tears
īkṣaṇam
eyes
viṣīdantam idaṁ vākyam
viṣīdantam
lamenting
idam
these
vākyam
words
uvāca madhusūdanaḥ
uvāca
said
madhu - sūdanaḥ
the killer of Madhu .
Important Words
  • kṛpayā — by compassion
    Instrumental case — Arjuna is moved *by* compassion, acted upon by it, not its master. Kṛṣṇa will soon show that compassion uncoupled from knowledge of the self is itself a form of bondage.
  • viṣīdantam — lamenting
    Present participle of vi-√sad, to sink down. The whole chapter is named after this verb: Sāṅkhya-yoga begins because Arjuna has *sunk*. The Gītā is the rope thrown to a sinking soul.
  • madhu - sūdanaḥ — the killer of Madhu
    Kṛṣṇa is named for a past demon-killing at the very moment a new demon — Arjuna's bewildered compassion — needs slaying. The name is a signal: the doctor is at the bedside.
  • aśru - pūrṇa - ākula — full of tears
    Tears for the body are a śūdra's grief, Prabhupāda notes. The hero's eyes have flooded for the wrong object — the dress, not the wearer.
Sañjaya said: Seeing Arjuna full of compassion, his mind depressed, his eyes full of tears, Madhusūdana, Kṛṣṇa, spoke the following words.
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)
Sañjaya frames Kṛṣṇa's coming discourse by painting Arjuna in pure pathos — tear-streaked, sinking, conquered by misplaced pity. The very title 'Madhusūdana' (slayer of the demon Madhu) signals that the speaker about to reply is no ordinary friend.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
Chapter 2 opens with Sañjaya's narration to Dhṛtarāṣṭra. The choice of epithet 'Madhusūdana' is deliberate: the one who once destroyed a demon is now about to destroy Arjuna's mental confusion (moha). The bahuvrīhi compound aśru-pūrṇa-ākula-īkṣaṇam compresses the whole visual of BG 1.46–47 into a single word.
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
मधुसूदनः तथा कृपया आविष्टम् अश्रु-पूर्ण-आकुल-ईक्षणम् विषीदन्तम् तम् इदम् वाक्यम् उवाच ।
madhusūdanaḥ tathā kṛpayā āviṣṭam aśru-pūrṇa-ākula-īkṣaṇam viṣīdantam tam idam vākyam uvāca |
Madhusūdana spoke this following word to him (Arjuna), who was thus overcome with compassion, whose eyes were full of tears and distressed, and who was lamenting.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
सञ्जयः उवाच
sañjayaḥ uvāca
तम् तथा कृपया आविष्टम् अश्रु-पूर्ण-आकुल-ईक्षणम् । विषीदन्तम् इदम् वाक्यम् उवाच मधुसूदनः ॥
tam tathā kṛpayā āviṣṭam aśru-pūrṇa-ākula-īkṣaṇam | viṣīdantam idam vākyam uvāca madhusūdanaḥ ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
सञ्जयः sañjayaḥ सञ्जय (m.) nom.sg. (nominative singular) Sañjaya
उवाच uvāca √वच् perf. (perfect) 3sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) said
तम् tam तद् (dem. (demonstrative) pron. (pronoun)) acc.sg. (accusative singular)m. him
तथा tathā ind. (indeclinable), adv. thus, in that way
कृपया kṛpayā कृपा (f.) ins.sg. (instrumental singular) by compassion
आविष्टम् āviṣṭam आ+√विश् p.p.p. (past passive participle) acc.sg. (accusative singular)m. overcome, filled
अश्रु-पूर्ण-आकुल-ईक्षणम् aśru-pūrṇa-ākula-īkṣaṇam अश्रु (n.) + पूर्ण (adj.) + आकुल (adj.) + ईक्षण (n.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)m., bahuvrīhi cpd. (compound) whose eyes were tear-filled and distressed
विषीदन्तम् viṣīdantam वि+√सद् pres. (present) part. acc.sg. (accusative singular)m. lamenting, despondent
इदम् idam इदम् (dem. (demonstrative) pron. (pronoun)) acc.sg. (accusative singular)n. this
वाक्यम् vākyam वाक्य (n.) acc.sg. (accusative singular) speech, word
मधुसूदनः madhusūdanaḥ मधुसूदन (m.) nom.sg. (nominative singular), tatpuruṣa cpd. (slayer of Madhu) Madhusūdana (Kṛṣṇa)
Purport

Material compassion, lamentation and tears are all signs of ignorance of the real self. Compassion for the eternal soul is self-realization. The word “Madhusūdana” is significant in this verse. Lord Kṛṣṇa killed the demon Madhu, and now Arjuna wanted Kṛṣṇa to kill the demon of misunderstanding that had overtaken him in the discharge of his duty. No one knows where compassion should be applied. Compassion for the dress of a drowning man is senseless. A man fallen in the ocean of nescience cannot be saved simply by rescuing his outward dress – the gross material body. One who does not know this and laments for the outward dress is called a śūdra, or one who laments unnecessarily. Arjuna was a kṣatriya, and this conduct was not expected from him. Lord Kṛṣṇa, however, can dissipate the lamentation of the ignorant man, and for this purpose the Bhagavad-gītā was sung by Him. This chapter instructs us in self-realization by an analytical study of the material body and the spirit soul, as explained by the supreme authority, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. This realization is possible when one works without attachment to fruitive results and is situated in the fixed conception of the real self.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
1. Sañjaya said: Madhusūdana spoke these words to Arjuna, whose eyes were filled with tears, and who was overcome with compassion.
Commentary

In this second chapter, after destroying the darkness of bewilderment and lamentation of Arjuna by distinguishing the soul from the body, Kṛṣṇa speaks about the characteristics of the liberated soul.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
1. Sañjaya said: Madhusūdana spoke these words to Arjuna whose eyes were filled with tears, and who was overcome with compassion.
Commentary

In the second chapter, the Lord explains knowledge of the soul, the method of realizing ātmā, niṣkāma karma, and the characteristics of the sthita prajña. Seeing that Dhṛtarāṣṭra was joyful on hearing that Arjuna was renouncing the kingdom, and was hopeful of not losing the kingdom for his sons, Sañjaya then spoke. Madhusūdana here indicates that Kṛṣṇa, because of being possessed of sweetness (madhu), would destroy (sūdana) the lamentation of Arjuna.

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Commentary

Dhrtarastra was happy to hear about Arjuna's dropping of his bow thinking if he didn't want to fight that would make it easier for his sons to win. But Sanjaya immediatly dispelled Dhrtarastra,s happiness by this verse. By calling Krsna Madhusudana, Sanjaya is telling Dhrtarastra that these doubts that are so prominent in Arjuna's mind are now going to be killed by the killer of the demon Madhu.

Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

By calling Kṛṣṇa “Madhusūdana,” Sañjaya informs Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna’s doubts will now be

killed by the killer of the Madhu demon.

Dhṛtarāṣṭra was happy to hear of Arjuna’s mood of renunciation. Now his sons could be victorious.

Sañjaya’s words, however, dispel Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s happiness.

Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
2.1 Sri Sankaracharya did not comment on this sloka. The commentary starts from 2.10.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
2.1 - 2.3 Sanjaya said - Lord said When Arjuna thus sat, the Lord, opposing his action, said: 'What is the reason for your misplaced grief? Arise for battle, abandoning this grief, which has arisen in a critical situation, which can come only in men of wrong understanding, which is an obstacle for reaching heaven, which does not confer fame on you, which is very mean, and which is caused by faint-heartedness.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
2.1 Sri Abhinavagupta did not comment upon this sloka.
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
2.1 Sanjaya said To him who was thus overcome with pity and who was despondent, with eyes full of tears and agitated, Madhusudana (the destroyer of Madhu) or Krishna spoke these words.
Commentary

2.1 तम् to him? तथा thus? कृपया with pity? आविष्टम् overcome? अश्रुपूर्णाकुलेक्षणम् with eyes filled with tears and agitated? विषीदन्तम् despondent? इदम् this? वाक्यम् speech? उवाच spoke? मघुसूदनः Madhusudana.No commentary.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
2.1 Sanjaya said To him who had been thus filled with pity, whose eyes were filled with tears and showed distress, and who was sorrowing, Madhusudana uttered these words:
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
2.1 Sanjaya then told how the Lord Shri Krishna, seeing Arjuna overwhelmed with compassion, his eyes dimmed with flowing tears and full of despondency, consoled him:
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)
Related verses
BG 1.28 BG 2.10 BG 2.11 SB 1.7.13 SB 1.8.10 SB 10.1.4 CC Ādi 4.1 CC Madhya 8.65 CC Antya 1.78 Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.4BRS 1.2.255
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Material compassion masquerading as virtue is the soul's first signal that it needs higher knowledge.
Practical Applications
  • When you feel a wave of sentimentality before a duty, pause and ask whether it is compassion or evasion.
  • Bring confusing emotional states to a senior devotee rather than acting on them.
  • Notice the difference between Krishna's diagnosis of Arjuna and how the world would diagnose him.
Reflection Questions
  • Whose 'compassion' am I admiring that may actually be ignorance of the soul?
  • How would Krishna name what I am calling kindness right now?
Analogy

A traveler arrives at a river he must cross, then sits on the bank weeping for the boat. Arjuna's tears at the threshold of his duty are exactly this — compassion poured on the wrong place. Kṛṣṇa, called here Madhusūdana, the slayer of the Madhu demon, is about to slay a more cunning demon: misplaced grief.

Stories
Mother Yaśodā and the rope

When Yaśodā tried to bind little Kṛṣṇa to the grinding mortar, the rope was always two fingers too short, no matter how many ropes she joined. Her affection was true, but at first it was directed at the body of the child she imagined hers.

Only when she had exhausted her own strength and surrendered did Kṛṣṇa allow Himself to be bound — by love that had stopped treating Him as merely her son. Material affection, even at its sweetest, must be cleansed before it can touch the eternal.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

← Read full Chapter 2