निमित्तानि च पश्यामि विपरीतानि केशव ।न च श्रेयोऽनुपश्यामि हत्वा स्वजनमाहवे ॥
nimittāni ca paśyāmi viparītāni keśava |na ca śreyo 'nupaśyāmi hatvā svajanam āhave ||
- निमित्तानि · nimittāni
- omens, signs
- च · ca
- and
- पश्यामि · paśyāmi
- I see
- विपरीतानि · viparītāni
- adverse, contrary, ill-boding
- केशव · keśava
- O Keshava (Krishna)
- न · na
- not
- च · ca
- and
- श्रेयः · śreyaḥ
- good, welfare, the highest good
- अनुपश्यामि · anupaśyāmi
- I foresee, perceive
- हत्वा · hatvā
- having slain, by killing
- स्वजनम् · svajanam
- one's own people
- आहवे · āhave
- in battle
“I see adverse omens, O Keshava, and I foresee no good in killing my own people in battle.”
— Original plain-language translation
Arjuna reads the universe as agreeing with him — ill omens everywhere. Grief recruits superstition: when the heart has decided, the world obligingly supplies signs. Krishna will later answer omens with metaphysics.
— Reader's notes (original)