Bhagavad Gita 1.20
Spoken by Sanjaya · Verse 20 of 47
अथ व्यवस्थितान् दृष्ट्वा धार्तराष्ट्रान् कपिध्वजः। प्रवृत्ते शस्त्रसम्पाते धनुरुद्यम्य पाण्डवः॥
atha vyavasthitān dṛṣṭvā dhārtarāṣṭrān kapidhvajaḥ / pravṛtte śastrasampāte dhanur udyamya pāṇḍavaḥ
Arjuna lifts his bow — then pauses. The crisis begins here.
Word by word (8)
- atha
- — then / now / at this point
- vyavasthitān
- — arrayed / standing in position
- dṛṣṭvā
- — having seen / upon seeing
- dhārtarāṣṭrān
- — the sons of Dhritarashtra (the Kauravas)
- kapi-dhvajaḥ
- — Arjuna (whose flag bears the monkey/Hanuman symbol) · Arjuna's chariot flag bore an image of Hanuman — the devoted warrior-servant. The name 'kapi-dhvaja' places Arjuna symbolically under Hanuman's protection and devotion.
- pravṛtte śastra-sampāte
- — when the discharge of weapons was about to begin
- dhanuḥ udyamya
- — raising his bow
- pāṇḍavaḥ
- — the son of Pandu (Arjuna)
Then Arjuna, whose banner bore the image of Hanumān, beholding the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra drawn up for battle as the clash of weapons was about to begin, took up his bow —
A modern analogy
You've been preparing for a confrontation. The moment has arrived. You raise your hand to begin — and something stops you. Not cowardice. Something deeper. A question you didn't know you had until right now. This is Arjuna's moment.
What it does NOT mean
The verse ends mid-action — Arjuna raises his bow but has not yet spoken. This is the last moment of the warrior Arjuna before the human Arjuna takes over. This verse is technically incomplete without the lines that follow, where he asks to be driven between the two armies so he can look at the men he is about to fight.
Take with you
- The moment of action-about-to-begin is a powerful moment to pause and ask: am I seeing this clearly?
- Hanuman on Arjuna's flag represents devoted, surrendered action — exactly the quality Arjuna will lose temporarily and need to rediscover.
- There is sometimes a deeper wisdom in the pause before action than in the action itself.
Public-domain translations (3) compare all →
Then, seeing the people of Dhritarashtra's party standing arrayed, and the discharge of weapons about to begin, Arjuna — whose flag bore the sign of Hanuman — took up his bow. [4]
Then Arjuna, whose banner bore the sign of Hanuman the monkey-god, beholding the men of Dhritarashtra arrayed, prepared to shoot, raised his bow. [6]
Then Arjuna — on the flag of whose car sits the ape — seeing the people of Dhritarashtra's side standing arrayed, and the discharge of weapons commenced, taking up his bow... [9]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Before fighting, Arjuna wants to see — a warrior who must look before he acts.
I am your student. My mind is bewildered about what is right. Teach me.
Those whose sin has ended — virtuous in deed, freed from dvandva-delusion — worship Me with firm resolve.
Do My work, hold Me supreme, be My devotee, attachment-free, without enmity toward all — such a one comes to Me!
Sāttvic sukha: poison-like at first, nectar-like at the end — born of the clarity of Self-knowing intellect.
Bow down, arrows scattered, warrior collapsed — this is where the Gita begins.
Verse 20 of 47 · back to Chapter 1