Having fully surrendered to Lord Krishna as his spiritual master, Arjuna now gives one final, detailed account of his condition. This is not an argument, but an explanation of the depth of his ailment for his new guru. In the Na Hi Prapasyami Mamapanudyad verse, Arjuna clarifies that his problem is not one that can be solved by any worldly or even heavenly gain. He is articulating that his grief is so fundamental that it transcends any material remedy, thus setting the stage for a truly transcendental solution.
Sanskrit Verse
न हि प्रपश्यामि ममापनुद्याद् यच्छोकमुच्छोषणमिन्द्रियाणाम् ।
अवाप्य भूमावसपत्नमृद्धं राज्यं सुराणामपि चाधिपत्यम् ॥ ८ ॥Transliteration
na hi prapaśyāmi mamāpanudyād yac chokam ucchoṣaṇam indriyāṇām
avāpya bhūmāv asapatnam ṛddhaṁ rājyaṁ surāṇām api cādhipatyamWord for Word Translation
na hi — certainly not; prapaśyāmi — I see; mama — my; apanudyāt — can drive away; yat — that which; śokam — grief; ucchoṣaṇam — is drying up; indriyāṇām — my senses; avāpya — after achieving; bhūmau — on the earth; asapatnam — without rivals; ṛddham — prosperous; rājyam — kingdom; surāṇām — of the demigods; api — even; ca — also; ādhipatyam — sovereignty.
English Translation
I can find no means to drive away this grief, which is drying up my senses. I will not be able to dispel it even if I win a prosperous, unrivaled kingdom on Earth or sovereignty over the demigods in heaven.
Explanation
Each Bhagavad Gita verse whispers ancient truths, let’s listen closely with Vedic Stories…
Arjuna is making it unequivocally clear that his problem is spiritual, not material. He considers and dismisses the two highest possible forms of success a mortal being could imagine.
- Śokam ucchoṣaṇam indriyāṇām: “This grief which is withering my senses.” This is one of the most powerful descriptions of profound sorrow in scripture. Arjuna’s grief is not just a mental state; it is a physical ailment that is drying up his ability to experience the world. His senses (`indriyas`) are losing their power. The world is losing its taste, its color, and its joy.
- Asapatnam ṛddhaṁ rājyaṁ: “A prosperous, unrivaled kingdom on Earth.” He imagines the best-case scenario for a warrior: not just victory, but total victory. A kingdom with no enemies, filled with prosperity. This is the ultimate goal of any worldly king, and Arjuna states plainly that even this perfect outcome would leave his inner grief untouched.
- Surāṇām api cādhipatyam: “Even sovereignty over the demigods.” He then takes it a step further. He considers an even greater prize—attaining the position of Indra, the king of the heavenly planets. This is the highest position one can achieve through pious, worldly activities. Even this celestial throne, he concludes, would be powerless to heal his inner wound.
By dismissing the greatest possible worldly gains, Arjuna is confirming that he understands his problem is not about what he can *get*. His crisis is about his very being, his Dharma, and his soul. He has closed every escape hatch that materialism has to offer, leaving only the spiritual path as a viable solution.
Conclusion
This final, desperate declaration from Arjuna is the perfect setup for Krishna’s divine teachings. By clearly stating that no material solution—no matter how grand—can solve his problem, he demonstrates that he is truly ready for a spiritual one. He has diagnosed his own disease as being beyond the cure of worldly medicine. Now, the divine physician has the patient’s full consent to administer the transcendental cure that will begin in the verses to come.
Read Next: Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 – Verse 9 – Sanjaya Uvaca Evam Uktva Hrsikesam
