Shloka 14
Puruṣottama-yoga
The Discipline of the Supreme Person) — Chapter 15 (Bhagavadgītā
ततः स विस्मयाविष्टो हृष्टरोमा धनंजय: । प्रणम्य शिरसा देवं कृताउज्जलिरभाषत
tataḥ sa vismayāviṣṭo hṛṣṭaromā dhanañjayaḥ | praṇamya śirasā devaṃ kṛtāñjalir abhāṣata ||
Sañjaya said: Then Dhanañjaya (Arjuna), overwhelmed with wonder and thrilled to the very hairs of his body, bowed his head to the Divine. With hands joined in reverence, he began to speak—his response shaped by awe, devotion, and the ethical gravity of what he had just beheld amid the war’s crisis.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the proper ethical and spiritual response to a direct encounter with the Divine: humility, reverence, and readiness to listen and speak truthfully. In the midst of war and moral tension, Arjuna’s awe and folded-hands salutation signal that dharma is approached not through arrogance but through surrender, clarity, and devotion.
Sañjaya narrates that Arjuna, struck with astonishment and devotional exhilaration, bows his head to the Lord (Kṛṣṇa) and, with joined palms, begins to speak. The moment marks a transition from silent witnessing to Arjuna’s verbal response after an overwhelming divine revelation.