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Bhagavad-Gītā with Śaṅkara's bhāṣya · 2.10

tam uvāca hṛṣīkeśaḥ prahasann iva bhārata | senayor ubhayor madhye viṣīdantam idaṃ vacaḥ

Translation. Hṛṣīkeśa, as though smiling, addressed him, O Bhārata— as he desponded between the two armies—with this utterance:

Grammar check: 12 words pass / 0 flagged / 0 beyond the checkerPāṇini-verified

Every word's claimed grammar is re-derived with vidyut-prakriya, software implementing Pāṇini's rules. Flags are shown, never hidden; some are the text taking epic or Vedic liberties the classical rules do not generate.

Word by word

surfacelemmagrammar
tamtadpass
uvācavacpass
hṛṣīkeśaḥhṛṣīkeśapass
prahasanprahasatpass
ivaivapass
bhāratabhāratapass
senayoḥsenāpass
ubhayoḥubhayapass
madhyemadhyapass
viṣīdantamviṣīdatpass
idamidampass
vacaḥvacaspass

How the commentary settled it

Where the verse alone is ambiguous, the reading follows Śaṅkara's commentary; the deciding lines are quoted below each decision.
Hṛṣīkeśaḥ is the subject and denotes Bhagavān Vāsudeva, the speaker who is about to teach Arjuna.
→ The name is retained in translation, while its referent is identified as Bhagavān Vāsudeva because Śaṅkara explicitly names him as the speaker of aśocyān and the ensuing instruction.
gita [10]tad-upadidikṣuḥ sarva-lokānugrahārtham arjunaṃ nimittīkṛtya āha bhagavān vāsudevaḥ--- aśocyān ityādi
Wishing to teach that, for the benefit of all people, Bhagavān Vāsudeva made Arjuna the occasion and spoke, beginning with ‘Those not to be grieved for…’
gita [57]bhagavān vāsudevaḥ tataḥ kṛpayā arjunam uddidhārayiṣuḥ ātma-jñānāyāvatārayann āha -
Then Bhagavān Vāsudeva, out of compassion and wishing to raise Arjuna up, introduced him to knowledge of the Self and spoke.
prahasann iva is taken as a mitigated description, ‘as though smiling,’ rather than as an assertion that Kṛṣṇa mockingly laughed at Arjuna.
→ The particle iva explicitly mitigates prahasan ([MW s.v. iva, 168,3]); although pra-has can denote laughter or ridicule ([MW s.v. prahas, 700,3]), Śaṅkara describes the speech as motivated by compassion and a wish to rescue Arjuna. ‘As though smiling’ therefore avoids importing derision.
gita [57]tataḥ kṛpayā arjunam uddidhārayiṣuḥ ātma-jñānāyāvatārayann āha -
Then, out of compassion, wishing to raise Arjuna up and introducing him to knowledge of the Self, he spoke.
bhārata is a masculine singular vocative and a narratorial aside, not an argument of uvāca or part of Hṛṣīkeśa’s forthcoming speech.
→ The form is Sambodhana Eka of bhārata, ‘descended from Bharata’ ([MW s.v. bhārata, 753,1]). Its position and the syntax mark it as ‘O Bhārata.’
gita []
senayor ubhayor madhye is construed as ‘between the two armies’: senayoḥ and ubhayoḥ are genitive duals dependent on locative madhye.
→ madhye conventionally takes a genitive specifying what surrounds the middle ([MW s.v. madhya, 781,3]). ubhayoḥ adjectivally agrees with feminine senayoḥ, and senā means ‘army’ ([MW s.v. senā, 1246,2]).
gita []
tam and viṣīdantam corefer with Arjuna: tam is the personal accusative with uvāca, and viṣīdantam is its agreeing participial modifier. viṣad denotes psychological despondency here, not literal physical sinking.
→ Accusative agreement links viṣīdantam with tam. Śaṅkara identifies Arjuna as overwhelmed by grief and delusion and metaphorically submerged in an ocean of grief, confirming the psychological sense ‘desponding’ ([MW s.v. viṣad, 996,2]).
gita [4]śoka-mohābhyāṃ hy abhibhūta-viveka-vijñānaḥ svata eva kṣatra-dharme yuddhe pravṛtto 'pi tasmād yuddhād upararāma |
His discriminative understanding overwhelmed by grief and delusion, although he had naturally undertaken battle as his warrior duty, he withdrew from that battle.
gita [57]dharma-saṃmūḍha-cetaso mithyā-jñānavato mahati śoka-sāgare nimagnasya arjunasya
Of Arjuna, whose mind was confused regarding duty, who possessed false understanding, and who was submerged in a great ocean of grief.
vacaḥ is accusative singular, not accusative plural, and together with idam supplies the content of uvāca: ‘this utterance.’
→ The neuter s-stem vacas has singular nominative/accusative vacaḥ, whereas its plural is vacāṃsi. Agreement with neuter singular idam and the construction with uvāca select Dvitiya Eka; vacas means ‘speech, word, utterance’ ([MW s.v. vacas, 912,3]).
gita []
idaṃ vacaḥ points forward to the speech beginning in 2.11, so the translation ends with a colon.
→ The cataphoric use agrees with the dictionary’s observation that idam often refers to what immediately follows ([MW s.v. idam, 165,2]). Śaṅkara’s transition says that Bhagavān ‘spoke’ and immediately supplies aśocyān anvaśocas tvam as that speech.
gita [57, 58, 59, 60]ātma-jñānāyāvatārayann āha - śrī-bhagavān uvāca aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṃ prajñā-vādāṃś ca bhāṣase | gatāsūn agatāsūṃś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ
Introducing him to knowledge of the Self, he spoke: ‘The Blessed Lord said: You grieve for those who should not be grieved for, yet speak words of wisdom; the learned grieve neither for the dead nor for the living.’
hṛṣīkeśa is analyzed synchronically as a ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa, hṛṣīkāṇām īśaḥ, while the proper name itself is left untranslated.
→ The conventional synchronic analysis hṛṣīka + īśa is adopted for the required compound analysis. Śaṅkara does not gloss the name here, and [MW s.v. hṛṣīkeśa, 1303,2] records uncertainty, so no etymological translation is imposed on the verse.
gita []

Śaṅkara's commentary on this unit

1atra ca dṛṣṭvā tu pāṇḍavānīkam ity ārabhya yāvat na yotsya iti govindam uktvā tūṣṇīṃ babhūva ha ity etad-antaḥ prāṇināṃ śoka-mohādi-saṃsāra-bīja-bhūta-doṣodbhava-kāraṇa-pradarśanārthatvena vyākhyeyo granthaḥ |
2tathā hi -- arjunena rājya-guru-putra-mitra-suhṛt-svajana-saṃbandhi-bāndhaveṣu aham eteṣām mamaite ity evaṃ bhrānti-pratyaya-nimitta-sneha-vicchedādi-nimittau ātmanaḥ śoka-mohau pradarśitau |
3kathaṃ bhīṣmam ahaṃ saṃkhye ity ādinā |
4śoka-mohābhyāṃ hy abhibhūta-viveka-vijñānaḥ svata eva kṣatra-dharme yuddhe pravṛtto 'pi tasmād yuddhād upararāma |
5para-dharmaṃ ca bhikṣā-jīvanādikaṃ kartuṃ pravavṛte |
6tathā ca sarva-prāṇināṃ śoka-mohādi-doṣāviṣṭa-cetasāṃ svabhāvata eva svadharma-parityāgaḥ pratiṣiddha-sevā ca syāt |
7sva-dharme pravṛttānām api teṣāṃ vāṅ-manaḥ-kāyādīnāṃ pravṛttiḥ phalābhisaṃdhi-pūrvikaiva sāhaṃkārā ca bhavati |
8tatraivaṃ sati dharmādharmopacayād iṣṭāniṣṭa-janma-sukha-duḥkhādi-prāpti-lakṣaṇaḥ saṃsāro 'nuparato bhavati |
9ity ataḥ saṃsāra-bīja-bhūtau śoka-mohau |
10tayoś ca sarva-karma-saṃnyāsa-pūrvakād ātma-jñānāt nānyato nivṛttir iti tad-upadidikṣuḥ sarva-lokānugrahārtham arjunaṃ nimittīkṛtya āha bhagavān vāsudevaḥ--- aśocyān ityādi |
11atra kecid āhuḥ-sarva-karma-saṃnyāsa-pūrvakād ātma-jñāna-niṣṭhā-mātrād eva kevalāt kaivalyaṃ na prāpyata eva |
12kiṃ tarhi ? agnihotrādi-śrauta-smārta-karma-sahitāt jñānāt kaivalya-prāptir iti sarvāsu gītāsu niścito 'rtha iti |
13jñāpakaṃ cāhur asyārthasya -- atha cet tvam imaṃ dharmyaṃ saṃgrāmaṃ na kariṣyasi [gītā 2.33] karmaṇy evādhikāras te [gītā 2.47], kuru karmaiva tasmāt tvam [gītā 4.15] ity ādi |
14hiṃsādi-yuktatvāt vaidikaṃ karma adharmāya itīyam apy āśaṅkā na kāryā |
15katham ? kṣātraṃ karma yuddha-lakṣaṇaṃ guru-bhrātṛ-putrādi-hiṃsā-lakṣaṇam atyantaṃ krūram api sva-dharma iti kṛtvā nādharmāya |
16tad-akaraṇe ca tataḥ sva-dharmaṃ kīrtiṃ ca hitvā pāpam avāpsyasi [gītā 2.33] iti bruvatā yāvaj jīvādi-śruti-coditānāṃ paśv-ādi-hiṃsā-lakṣaṇānāṃ ca karmaṇāṃ prāg eva nādharmatvam iti suniścitam uktaṃ bhavati -- iti |
17tad asat |
18jñāna-karma-niṣṭhayor vibhāga-vacanād buddhi-dvayāśrayayoḥ |
19aśocyān ity ādinā bhagavatā yāvat svadharmam api cāvekṣya ity etad-antena granthena yat-paramārthātma-tattva-nirūpaṇaṃ kṛtam, tat sāṃkhyam |
20tad-viṣayā buddhir ātmano janmādi-ṣaḍ-vikriyābhāvād akartā ātmeti prakaraṇārtha-nirūpaṇād yā jāyate, sā sāṃkhya-buddhiḥ |
21sā yeṣāṃ jñāninām ucitā bhavati, te sāṃkhyāḥ |
22etasyā buddher janmanaḥ prāk ātmano dehādivyatiriktatvakartṛtvabhoktṛtvabhoktṛtvādyapekṣo dharmādharma-viveka-pūrvako mokṣa-sādhanānuṣṭhāna-lakṣaṇo yogaḥ |
23tad-viṣayā buddhiḥ yoga-buddhiḥ |
24sā yeṣāṃ karmiṇām ucitā bhavati te yoginaḥ |
25tathā ca bhagavatā vibhakte dve buddhī nirdiṣṭe eṣā te 'bhihitā sāṃkhye buddhir yoge tv imāṃ śṛṇu iti |
26tayoś ca sāṃkhya-buddhy-āśrayāṃ jñāna-yogena niṣṭhāṃ sāṃkhyānāṃ vibhaktāṃ vakṣyati purā vedātmanā mayā proktā iti |
27tathā ca yoga-buddhy-āśrayāṃ karma-yogena niṣṭhāṃ vibhaktāṃ vakṣyati - karma-yogena yoginām iti |
28evaṃ sāṃkhya-buddhiṃ yoga-buddhiṃ ca āśritya dve niṣṭhe vibhakte bhagavataiva ukte jñāna-karmaṇoḥ kartṛtvākartṛtvaikatvānekatva-buddhy-āśrayayoḥ yugapad-eka-puruṣāśrayatvāsaṃbhavaṃ paśyatā |
29yathā etad-vibhāga-vacanam tathaiva darśitaṃ śātapathīye brāhmaṇe - etam eva pravrājino lokam icchanto brāhmaṇāḥ pravrajanti [bau 4.4.22] iti sarva-karma-saṃnyāsaṃ vidhāya tac-cheṣeṇa kiṃ prajayā kariṣyāmo yeṣāṃ no 'yam ātmāyaṃ lokaḥ [bau 4.4.22] iti |
30tatraiva ca prāg dāra-parigrahāt puruṣa ātmo prākṛto dharma-jijñāsottara-kālaṃ loka-traya-sādhanam |
31putraṃ, dvi-prakāraṃ ca vittaṃ mānuṣaṃ dvi-prakāraṃ ca |
32tatra mānuṣaṃ karma-rūpaṃ pitṛ-loka-prāpti-sādhanaṃ vidyāṃ ca daivaṃ vittaṃ deva-loka-prāpti-sādhanam |
33so 'kāmayata [bau 1.4.17] iti avidyā-kāmavata eva sarvāṇi karmāṇi śrautādīni darśitāni |
34tebhyo vyutthāya, pravrajanti [bau 4.4.22] iti vyutthānam ātmānam eva lokam icchato 'kāmasya vihitam |
35tad etad vibhāga-vacanam anupapannaṃ syād yadi śrauta-karma-jñānayoḥ samuccayo 'bhipretaḥ syād bhagavataḥ |
36na cārjunasya praśna upapanno bhavati jyāyasī cet karmaṇas te [gītā 3.1] ity ādiḥ |
37eka-puruṣānuṣṭheyatvāsaṃbhavaṃ buddhi-karmaṇoḥ bhagavatā pūrvam anuktaṃ katham arjuno 'śrutaṃ buddhā ca karmaṇo jyāyastvaṃ bhagavaty adhyāropayen mṛṣaiva jyāyasī cet karmaṇas te matā buddhiḥ iti |
38kiṃ ca -- yadi buddhi-karmaṇoḥ sarveṣāṃ samuccaya uktaḥ syāt arjunasyāpi sa ukta eveti, yac chrāya etayor ekaṃ tan me brūhi suniścitam iti katham ubhayor upadeśe sati anyatara-viṣaya eva praśnaḥ syāt ? na hi pitta-praśamanārthinaḥ vaidyena madhuraṃ śītalaṃ ca bhoktavyam ity upadiṣṭe tayor anyatarat-pitta-praśamana-kāraṇaṃ brūhi iti praśnaḥ saṃbhavati |
39athārjunasya bhagavad-ukta-vacanārtha-vivekānavadhāraṇa-nimittaḥ praśnaḥ kalpyeta, tathāpi bhagavatā praśnānurūpaṃ prativacanaṃ deyam -- mayā buddhi-karmaṇoḥ samuccaya uktaḥ kim artham itthaṃ tvaṃ bhrānto 'si -- iti |
40na tu punaḥ prativacanam ananurūpaṃ pṛṣṭād anyad eva dve niṣṭhā mayā purā proktā iti vaktuṃ yuktam |
41nāpi smārtenaiva karmaṇā buddheḥ samuccaye abhiprete vibhāga-vacanādi sarvam upapananam |
42kiṃ ca -- kṣatriyasya yuddhaṃ smārtaṃ karma sva-dharma iti jānataḥ tat kiṃ karmaṇi ghoro māṃ niyojayasi ity upālambho 'nupapannaḥ |
43tasmād gītā-śāstre īṣan-mātreṇāpi śrautena smārtena vā karmaṇā ātma-jñānasya samuccayo na kenacid darśayituṃ śakyaḥ |
44yasya tv ajñānāt rāgādi-doṣato vā karmaṇi pravṛttasya yajñena dānena tapasā vā viśuddha-sattvasya jñānam utpannaṃ paramārtha-tattva-viṣayam ekam evedaṃ sarvaṃ brahma akartṛ ca iti, tasya karmaṇi karma-prayojane ca nivṛtte 'pi loka-saṃgrahārthaṃ yatna-pūrvaṃ yathā pravṛttiḥ, tathaiva pravṛttasya yat pravṛtti-rūpaṃ dṛśyate na tat karma yena buddheḥ samuccayaḥ syāt |
45yathā bhagavato vāsudevasya kṣatra-dharma-ceṣṭitaṃ na jñānena samuccīyate puruṣārtha-siddhaye, tadvat tat-phalābhisaṃdhy-ahaṃkārābhāvasya tulyatvād viduṣaḥ |
46tattvavin nāhaṃ karomīti manyate, na ca tat-phalam abhisandhatte |
47yathā ca svargādi-kāmārthino 'gnihotrādi-karma-lakṣaṇa-dharmānuṣṭhānāya āhitāgneḥ kāmye eva agnihotrādau pravṛttasya sāmi kṛte vinaṣṭā 'pi kāme tad eva agnihotrādy-anutiṣṭhato 'pi na tat-kāmyam agnihotrādi bhavati |
48tathā ca darśayati bhagavān - kurvann api na lipyate na karoti na lipyate iti tatra tatra ||
49yac ca pūrvaiḥ pūrvataraṃ kṛtam karmaṇaiva hi saṃsiddhim āsthitā janakādayaḥ iti, tat tu pravibhajya vijñeyam |
50tat katham ? yadi tāvat pūrve janakādayaḥ tattva-vido 'pi pravṛtta-karmāṇaḥ syuḥ, te loka-saṃgrahārtham guṇā guṇeṣu vartante iti jñānenaiva saṃsiddhim āsthitāḥ, karma-saṃnyāse prāpte 'pi karmaṇā sahaiva saṃsiddhim āsthitāḥ, na karma-saṃnyāsaṃ kṛtavanta ity arthaḥ |
51atha na te tattva-vidaḥ |
52īśvara-samarpitena karmaṇā sādhana-bhūtena saṃsiddhiṃ sattva-śuddhim, jñānotpatti-lakṣaṇāṃ vā saṃsiddhim, āsthitā janakādaya iti vyākhyeyam |
53etam evārthaṃ vakṣyati bhagavān sattva-śuddhaye karma kurvanti iti |
54sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya siddhiṃ vindati mānavaḥ ity uktvā siddhiṃ prāptasya punar-jñāna-niṣṭhāṃ vakṣyati -- siddhiṃ prāpto yathā brahma ity ādinā ||
55tasmād gītā-śāstre kevalād eva tattva-jñānān mokṣa-prāptiḥ na karma-samuccitāt iti niścito 'rthaḥ |
56yathā cāyam arthaḥ, tathā prakaraṇaśo vibhajya tatra tatra darśayiṣyāmaḥ ||
57tatraiva dharma-saṃmūḍha-cetaso mithyā-jñānavato mahati śoka-sāgare nimagnasya arjunasya anyatrātma-jñānād uddharaṇam apaśyan bhagavān vāsudevaḥ tataḥ kṛpayā arjunam uddidhārayiṣuḥ ātma-jñānāyāvatārayann āha -
58śrī-bhagavān uvāca
59aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṃ prajñā-vādāṃś ca bhāṣase |
60gatāsūn agatāsūṃś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ