BG 1.28
सीदन्ति मम गात्राणि मुखं च परिशुष्यति
My limbs collapse, my mouth dries up, my body trembles, my hair stands on end.
Chapter 1 of 18 · 47 verses · Vishada Yoga (Yoga of Sorrow)
अर्जुनविषादयोग
Arjuna's Despair
Arjuna-viṣāda-yoga
Theme: Despondency on the battlefield
Speaker: Mostly Arjuna; Sanjaya narrates
Chapter summary
Arjuna surveys both armies at Kurukshetra and is overwhelmed seeing his kinsmen, teachers and elders arrayed against him. He drops his bow, refuses to fight, and turns to Krishna for guidance. The chapter establishes the moral crisis that the entire Gita addresses.
Key verses
BG 1.46
न योत्स्य इति गोविन्दमुक्त्वा तूष्णीं बभूव ह
Saying "I will not fight" to Govinda, he fell silent.
Central takeaway
When duty conflicts with attachment, seek the counsel of the wise rather than acting from emotion.
Jump to chapter
1. Arjuna's Despair2. The Yoga of Knowledge3. The Yoga of Action4. The Yoga of Knowledge & Renunciation of Action5. The Yoga of Renunciation of Action6. The Yoga of Self-Restraint / Meditation7. The Yoga of Knowledge & Realization8. The Yoga of the Imperishable Brahman9. The Royal Knowledge, The Royal Secret10. The Yoga of Divine Manifestations11. The Yoga of the Vision of the Universal Form12. The Yoga of Devotion13. The Yoga of the Field and the Knower of the Field14. The Yoga of the Three Gunas15. The Yoga of the Supreme Person16. The Yoga of the Divine & Demoniac Natures17. The Yoga of the Threefold Faith18. The Yoga of Liberation by Renunciation