Shloka 181

अनुक्रमणिकाध्यायः (Anukramaṇikā Adhyāya) — Invocation, Narrator Frame, and Textual Scope

Devanagari script

यदाश्रौषं कश्मलेनाभिपन्ने रथोपस्थे सीदमानेअर्जुने वै । कृष्णं लोकान्‌ दर्शयानं शरीरे तदा नाशंसे विजयाय संजय,संजय! जब मैंने सुना कि रथके पिछले भागमें स्थित मोहग्रस्त अर्जुन अत्यन्त दुःखी हो रहे थे और श्रीकृष्णने अपने शरीरमें उन्हें सब लोकोंका दर्शन करा दिया, तभी मेरे मनसे विजयकी सारी आशा समाप्त हो गयी

Transliteration

yadāśrauṣaṁ kaśmalenābhipanne rathopasthe sīdamāne 'rjune vai | kṛṣṇaṁ lokān darśayānaṁ śarīre tadā nāśaṁse vijayāya sañjaya ||

Translation

When I heard that Arjuna, overcome by delusion, was sinking in despair upon the rear of the chariot, and that Kṛṣṇa was showing him all the worlds within his own body, then, Sañjaya, I no longer held any hope of victory. The moment divine revelation entered the battlefield, mere martial strength ceased to be the measure of the outcome.

Word by Word

• {'yadā': 'when', 'aśrauṣam': 'I heard', 'kaśmalena': 'by confusion, moral bewilderment, despondency', 'abhipanne': 'overcome, seized', 'rathopasthe': 'on the chariot-seat

• on the chariot (lit. on the lap/seat of the chariot)', 'sīdamāne': 'sinking down, collapsing, losing heart', 'arjune': 'in/with Arjuna', 'vai': 'indeed, certainly', 'kṛṣṇam': 'Kṛṣṇa', 'lokān': 'worlds, realms, beings (collectively)', 'darśayānam': 'showing, causing to be seen', 'śarīre': 'in (his) body', 'tadā': 'then', 'nāśaṁse': 'I do not expect

• I lost hope', 'vijayāya': 'for victory', 'sañjaya': 'Sañjaya (addressed)'}

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• Kṛṣṇa
• Sañjaya
• chariot (ratha)
• worlds/realms (lokāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse contrasts human calculations of victory with the decisive force of dharma and divine agency: when Kṛṣṇa reveals a cosmic vision, the conflict is no longer merely political or military, and confidence based on power alone collapses.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker reports hearing that Arjuna, stricken by moral confusion, is collapsing on the chariot, while Kṛṣṇa reveals within his own body the vision of all worlds; this news makes the speaker abandon hope of victory.