Shloka 38

Devanagari script

ततः शस्त्र समुत्सृज्य निर्ममो गतचेतन:

Transliteration

tataḥ śastra-samutsṛjya nirmamo gatacetanaḥ

Translation

Da warf Arjuna seine Waffen von sich; jedes Besitzgefühl war erloschen, und sein Geist schien wie betäubt. Überwältigt stand er da, als sei der Entschluss des Kriegers unter dem moralischen Schock der Schlacht zusammengebrochen.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

शस्त्रम्weapon

समुत्सृज्यhaving thrown away, having cast off

निर्ममःfree from possessiveness, without 'mine'-sense

गतचेतनःone whose consciousness has departed; unconscious/senseless

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Arjuna

weapons (śastra)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how extreme sorrow and moral shock can momentarily dissolve attachment and agency—Arjuna becomes ‘nirmama’ (without possessiveness) and ‘gatacetana’ (stunned). In the epic’s ethical frame, such collapse underscores the tension between inner turmoil and the kṣatriya obligation to act according to dharma even amid unbearable loss.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna speaks and is described as throwing away his weapons, appearing mentally overwhelmed and detached from all sense of ownership or purpose. It marks a dramatic pause in combat where grief and shock interrupt the normal momentum of warfare.