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Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.31.21

अर्जुन: प्रेयस: सख्यु: कृष्णस्य विरहातुर: । आत्मानं सान्त्वयामास कृष्णगीतै: सदुक्तिभि: ॥ २१ ॥
arjunaḥ preyasaḥ sakhyuḥ
[arjunah preyasah sakhyuh]
kṛṣṇasya virahāturaḥ
[krishnasya virahaaturah]
ātmānaṁ sāntvayām āsa
[aatmaanam saantvayaam aasa]
kṛṣṇa-gītaiḥ sad-uktibhiḥ
[krishna-geetaih sad-uktibhih]
arjunaḥ — Arjuna preyasaḥ — of his dear sakhyuḥ — friend kṛṣṇasya — Lord Kṛṣṇa viraha — because of the separation āturaḥ — distressed ātmānam — himself sāntvayām āsa — consoled kṛṣṇa-gītaiḥ — with the song sung by Lord Kṛṣṇa (the Bhagavad-gītā) sat-uktibhiḥ — with the transcendental words.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
arjunaḥ preyasaḥ sakhyuḥ
arjunaḥ
Arjuna
preyasaḥ
of his dear
sakhyuḥ
friend
kṛṣṇasya virahāturaḥ
kṛṣṇasya
Lord Kṛṣṇa
viraha
because of the separation
āturaḥ
distressed
ātmānaṁ sāntvayām āsa
ātmānam
himself
sāntvayām āsa
consoled
kṛṣṇa-gītaiḥ sad-uktibhiḥ
kṛṣṇa-gītaiḥ
with the song sung by Lord Kṛṣṇa (the Bhagavad-gītā)
sat-uktibhiḥ
with the transcendental words.
Arjuna felt great distress over separation from Lord Kṛṣṇa, his dearmost friend. But he consoled himself by remembering the transcendental words the Lord had sung to him.

According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, Arjuna remembered such verses from the Gītā as:

nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ mūḍho ’yaṁ nābhijānāti loko mām ajam avyayam

(Bg. 7.25)

“I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My eternal creative potency ( yoga-māyā ), and so the deluded world knows Me not, who am unborn and infallible.”

Similarly, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has mentioned the Gītā verse mām evaiṣyasi satyaṁ te pratijāne priyo ’si me ( Bg. 18.65 ): “You will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.” He has also quoted from the Svarga-parva of the Mahābhārata as follows:

dadarśa tatra govindaṁ brahmaṇe vapuṣānvitam tenaiva dṛṣṭa-pūrveṇa sādṛśyenopasūcitam

dīpyamānaṁ sva-vapuṣā divyair astrair upaskṛtam cakra-prabhṛtibhir ghorair divyaiḥ puruṣa-vigrahaiḥ

upāsyamānaṁ vīreṇa phālgunena su-varcasā yathā-svarūpaṁ kaunteya tathaiva madhusūdanam

tāv ubhau puruṣa-vyāghrau samudvīkṣya yudhiṣṭhiram yathārhaṁ pratipedāte pūjayā deva-pūjitau

“There Yudhiṣṭhira saw Lord Govinda as the Absolute Truth in His original, personal form. He appeared just as Yudhiṣṭhira had seen Him before, with all the same characteristics. He was glowing brilliantly with the effulgence coming from His own body, and He was surrounded by His transcendental weapons — the disc and so on — which appeared in their fearsome personified forms. O descendant of Kuntī, Lord Madhusūdana was being worshiped by the effulgent hero Arjuna, who also appeared in his original form. When these two lions among men, who are worshipable by the demigods, noticed the presence of Yudhiṣṭhira, they approached him with proper respect and offered him worship.”

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Arjuna felt great distress over separation from Kṛṣṇa, his dear friend. But he consoled himself by remembering the pure words the Lord had sung to him.
Related verses
Arjuna felt great distress over separation from Kṛṣṇa his dearest friend, but consoled himself by remembering the transcendental words the Lord had sung to him. Grief is met by memory of teaching.
Reflection Questions
  • What sung teaching of the Lord has consoled me through loss?
  • Do I carry it where I can reach it?
📝 My note

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