Shloka 29
ब्रवीहि वाचाद्य गुणानिहात्मन- स्तथा हतात्मा भवितासि पार्थ | तथास्तु कृष्णेत्यभिनन्द्य तद्बचो धनंजय: प्राह धनुर्विनाम्य
bravīhi vācādya guṇān ihātmanaḥ tathā hatātmā bhavitāsi pārtha | tathāstu kṛṣṇety abhinandya tad-vaco dhanañjayaḥ prāha dhanur vināmya ||
Sañjaya said: “Speak now, in words, of the qualities of your own self; then, O Pārtha, you will become ‘hatātmā’—your pride and self-will struck down.” Hearing this, Dhanañjaya (Arjuna) approved the counsel, saying, “So be it, O Kṛṣṇa,” and, bending his bow in readiness, he spoke—signaling disciplined submission to guidance amid the moral strain of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined humility: accepting guidance (“tathāstu”) and restraining ego (“hatātmā”) so that action in war proceeds under counsel and dharmic control rather than impulsive self-assertion.
Sañjaya reports that Arjuna assents to Kṛṣṇa’s words, saying “So be it,” and physically signals readiness by bending/drawing his bow, then begins to speak—marking a transition from counsel to resolved action.