अर्जुन उवाच ।ज्यायसी चेत्कर्मणस्ते मता बुद्धिर्जनार्दन ।तत्किं कर्मणि घोरे मां नियोजयसि केशव ॥
arjuna uvāca |jyāyasī cet karmaṇas te matā buddhir janārdana |tat kiṃ karmaṇi ghore māṃ niyojayasi keśava ||
- अर्जुन · arjuna
- Arjuna
- उवाच · uvāca
- said
- ज्यायसी · jyāyasī
- superior, greater
- चेत् · cet
- if
- कर्मणः · karmaṇaḥ
- than action
- ते · te
- by you
- मता · matā
- considered, held
- बुद्धिः · buddhiḥ
- understanding, wisdom
- जनार्दन · janārdana
- O Janardana (Krishna)
- घोरे · ghore
- dreadful, terrible
- माम् · mām
- me
- नियोजयसि · niyojayasi
- you engage, you urge
- केशव · keśava
- O Keshava (Krishna)
“Arjuna said: If you hold that understanding is greater than action, O Janardana, then why do you urge me into this dreadful action, O Keshava?”
— Original plain-language translation
Arjuna has heard Krishna praise steady wisdom (2.49-53) and now senses a contradiction: if insight is higher, why fight? The question is honest and sets the whole chapter in motion. Krishna will answer not by ranking the two paths, but by showing how they belong together.
— Reader's notes (original)