Bhagavad Gita · Sankhya YogaChapter 2, Shloka 7 (2.7)
Original Sanskrit · अर्जुनः
कार्पण्यदोषोपहतस्वभावः
पृच्छामि त्वां धर्मसम्मूढचेताः
यच्छ्रेयः स्यान्निश्चितं ब्रूहि तन्मे
शिष्यस्तेऽहं शाधि मां त्वां प्रपन्नम्
॥ 2.7 ॥
kārpaṇyadoṣopahatasvabhāvaḥ
pṛcchāmi tvāṃ dharmasammūḍhacetāḥ
yacchreyaḥ syānniścitaṃ brūhi tanme
śiṣyaste'haṃ śādhi māṃ tvāṃ prapannam
Translation
"My nature is overpowered by the fault of helplessness, and my mind is confused about dharma — so I ask you: tell me what is decisively good for me. I am your disciple; I have come to you for refuge — teach me."
Interpretation
From friend to guru. Until now Krishna and Arjuna were friends and relatives — Krishna was his charioteer. In this shloka Arjuna changes the relationship: śiṣyas te 'ham — "I am your disciple." Tvāṃ prapannam — "I have come to you for refuge." Shridhara: śāsanārhaḥ — "a disciple fit to be taught"; prapannam = śaraṇāgatam.
Three admissions. Arjuna admits three things:
- Kārpaṇya-doṣopahata-svabhāvaḥ — "my nature (my valour) is overpowered by helplessness and fault." That is, Arjuna accepts that his state is not right.
- Dharma-sammūḍha-cetāḥ — "my mind is confused about dharma." Shridhara: "whether giving up the war and begging is the dharma of a kshatriya or adharma — I am in doubt."
- Śiṣyas te 'ham — "I am a disciple."
The changed form of the question. Before, Arjuna was giving answers ("I will not fight"). Now he is asking a question — and not even "what should I do?", but "yac chreyaḥ syān niścitam" — "what is the decisive good for me?" In 1.31 he had said "I see no good"; now he asks Krishna for that good.
Ramanuja's picture. Ramanuja says: Arjuna, atimātra-kṛpaṇa (utterly helpless), came to the lotus feet of the Lord.
AI-assisted draft translation — under review.