Bhagavad Gita · Sankhya YogaChapter 2, Shloka 8 (2.8)
Original Sanskrit · अर्जुनः
न हि प्रपश्यामि ममापनुद्याद्
यच्छोकमुच्छोषणमिन्द्रियाणाम्
अवाप्य भूमावसपत्नमृद्धं
राज्यं सुराणामपि चाऽऽधिपत्यम्
॥ 2.8 ॥
na hi prapaśyāmi mamāpanudyād
yacchokamucchoṣaṇamindriyāṇām
avāpya bhūmāvasapatnamṛddhaṃ
rājyaṃ surāṇāmapi cā''dhipatyam
Translation
"Even if I were to gain an unrivalled, prosperous kingdom on earth, and even lordship over the gods — I see nothing that could remove this grief that is drying up my senses."
Interpretation
Even the greatest gains are useless. Arjuna imagines the greatest external gains — an unrivalled, prosperous kingdom on earth, and beyond that sovereignty over the gods. And he says: none of these will remove my grief. This is a deep realisation: inner sorrow is not wiped out by outer success.
"Ucchoṣaṇam indriyāṇām" — drying up the senses. Arjuna's grief is so deep that it is "drying up" his senses — an echo of the "mouth going dry" of 1.29. Madhusudana: sarvadā santāpa-karam — causing constant anguish.
A reflection — the Gita's answer too will come from within. Arjuna admits that the solution is not external. Krishna's answer too will not be about external gain — it will be knowledge of the self and steadiness of mind.
Madhusudana's pointer: Madhusudana links this shloka to the Narada episode in the Chhandogya Upanishad (see the note on 2.7) — a prayer to cross beyond grief.
AI-assisted draft translation — under review.