अर्जुन उवाच | दृष्ट्वेमं स्वजनं कृष्ण युयुत्सुं समुपस्थितम् || 28||
arjuna uvācadṛṣṭvemaṁ sva-janaṁ kṛṣṇayuyutsuṁ samupasthitamsīdanti mama gātrāṇimukham ca pariśuṣyati
Translation
Arjuna said: O Krishna, seeing my own kinsmen arrayed for battle here and intent on killing each other, my limbs are giving way and my mouth is drying up.
Word Meanings
arjunaḥ uvāca — Arjuna said dṛṣṭvā — after seeing imam — all these sva-janam — kinsmen kṛṣṇa — O Krishna 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
Understanding the Verse
Arjuna, upon witnessing the battlefield and seeing his own relatives, friends, and teachers arrayed for war, is struck by a deep sense of sorrow and confusion. His body begins to tremble, and his mouth dries up in response to the sight of this immense destruction. These are not mere warriors for him; they are family members, and the thought of fighting them fills him with dread. This moment of weakness in Arjuna's emotional state highlights the internal conflict he is facing. The warriors arrayed against him are his cousins, uncles, and revered elders—people he once held in great affection. His attachment to his bodily relatives makes him feel disconnected from his higher spiritual self. The duty of a warrior calls for courage, yet the sight of bloodshed and destruction on his own kin shakes his resolve. Arjuna's lament is an expression of the universal human condition: we often find ourselves torn between duty and attachment. His emotional turmoil represents the struggle between the material world and the pursuit of higher spiritual goals. His mind is clouded by love and attachment to his family, making it difficult to see beyond the immediate pain of war and loss. In this verse, Arjuna’s sorrow is not merely physical but deeply emotional and spiritual, setting the stage for the profound teachings that Lord Krishna is about to deliver in the following verses.
