The first chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, “Arjuna’s Despair,” comes to a silent and devastating close with this final verse. Narrated by Sanjaya, the Sanjaya Uvaca Evam Uktvarjunah verse describes the physical culmination of Arjuna’s profound emotional and moral collapse. It is a moment of pure action—or rather, inaction—that speaks louder than all the arguments that preceded it.
Sanskrit Verse
सञ्जय उवाच
एवमुक्त्वार्जुनः संख्ये रथोपस्थ उपाविशत् ।
विसृज्य सशरं चापं शोकसंविग्नमानसः ॥ ४७ ॥Transliteration
sañjaya uvāca
evamuktvā'rjunaḥ saṅkhye rathopastha upāviśat |
visṛjya saśaraṁ cāpaṁ śokasaṁvignamānasaḥ || 47 ||Word for Word Translation
sañjayaḥ uvāca – Sanjaya said; evam – thus; uktvā – having spoken; arjunaḥ – Arjuna; saṅkhye – in the battlefield; ratha-upasthe – on the seat of the chariot; upāviśat – he sat down; visṛjya – casting aside; sa-śaram – with arrows; cāpam – the bow; śoka – by lamentation; saṁvigna – distressed; mānasaḥ – in mind.
English Translation
Sanjaya said: Having spoken these words on the battlefield, Arjuna cast aside his bow and arrows and sat down on the chariot, his mind overwhelmed with grief.
Explanation
Each Bhagavad Gita verse whispers ancient truths, let’s listen closely with Vedic Stories…
This final action is the full stop at the end of Arjuna’s lament. It is the physical manifestation of his decision, a complete surrender to his sorrow. Two key actions seal his refusal to fight:
- Visṛjya saśaraṁ cāpaṁ: “Casting aside his bow and arrows.” This is the most significant act. The Gandiva bow is a divine gift, the symbol of his identity, his power, and his sacred duty as a warrior. To cast it aside is to renounce his very `kshatriya-dharma`. It is an act of complete and total renunciation of his role in the battle.
- Rathopastha upāviśat: “He sat down on the seat of the chariot.” A warrior *stands* to fight. By sitting down, Arjuna is making a silent, powerful statement of non-participation. He has physically removed himself from the state of readiness, collapsing under the weight of his “śoka-saṁvigna-mānasaḥ”—a mind agitated and overwhelmed by grief.
This is the final report from Sanjaya in this chapter. He has shown his king the full arc of Arjuna’s despair, from a confident warrior to a broken man. The greatest hero of the age is now sitting, disarmed and weeping, on the floor of his chariot.
Conclusion
The first chapter of the Bhagavad Gita ends not with a solution, but with a perfect problem. Arjuna has been brought to a state of utter helplessness, a complete deconstruction of his identity as a warrior, a hero, and a man of duty. His logic has failed him, his strength has abandoned him, and his heart is broken. He has completely surrendered, not to the enemy, but to his own compassion and confusion.
This state of being, however, is the perfect and necessary prerequisite for true learning to begin. A cup that is already full cannot be filled with new water. By emptying himself of all his worldly certainties, pride, and duties, Arjuna has become the perfect disciple. He is now ready to receive the divine knowledge of the soul from his divine friend and master, Krishna. This final verse of despair is, in fact, the dawn of the highest wisdom.
Read Next: Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 – Verse 1 – Sanjaya Uvaca Tam Tatha
