Bhagavad Gita 3.1
Spoken by Arjuna · Verse 1 of 43 · Arjuna's Journey
अर्जुन उवाच । ज्यायसी चेत्कर्मणस्ते मता बुद्धिर्जनार्दन । तत्किं कर्मणि घोरे मां नियोजयसि केशव ॥
arjuna uvāca | jyāyasī cet karmaṇas te matā buddhir janārdana | tat kiṃ karmaṇi ghore māṃ niyojayasi keśava ||
Arjuna's honest confusion: if wisdom is better than action, why push me into this terrible fight?
Word by word (3)
- jyāyasī buddhiḥ karmaṇaḥ
- — wisdom is superior to action · Jyāyasī = comparative of jya (superior, better). Arjuna has absorbed Ch.2's teaching that buddhi-yoga surpasses mere action (V49). He is now applying it — but in a way that justifies inaction. This is a sincere confusion, not sophistry: he genuinely cannot reconcile 'wisdom is better' with 'now fight.'
- karmaṇi ghore
- — into terrible / dreadful action · Ghora = dreadful, terrible, intense. Arjuna uses 'ghora' (terrible) to describe the battle, revealing that his paralysis is still present. He has listened to all of Ch.2 but has not yet been fully convinced. This is the honest persistence of doubt.
- niyojayasi
- — why do you urge / engage me · From ni+yuj (to yoke, to employ, to set to a task). The same root as yoga — niyojayasi means 'why do you engage me.' The irony: Arjuna uses the yoga-root word to question being given a task, while Krishna will spend Ch.3 explaining how action itself is yoga.
Arjuna says: If you consider wisdom superior to action, O Krishna, then why are you urging me into this terrible battle? Your words seem to contradict each other.
A modern analogy
A student reads a philosophy book saying 'inner peace comes from detachment and contemplation,' then the teacher says 'now go take on the hardest project of your life.' The student asks: 'Didn't you just say peace is better than action?' Arjuna's question is genuine, intelligent, and one most readers feel too.
Take with you
- Arjuna's question opens Ch.3 — the entire chapter is Krishna's answer to this one honest confusion.
- The gap between 'wisdom is better' and 'yet you must act' is the central tension the Gita resolves.
- This is your question too: if inner peace matters most, why engage fully with a difficult, messy world?
- Honest confusion asked clearly is the beginning of wisdom — not a sign of spiritual failure.
Public-domain translations (5) compare all →
Arjuna said: If Thou considerest that knowledge is superior to action, O Janardana, why dost Thou urge me to do this terrible action, O Keshava? [1]
Arjuna said: If Thou thinkest that knowledge is superior to action, O Janardana, why then dost Thou engage me in this terrible action, O Keshava? [4]
Arjuna said: If Thou deemest that the use of the understanding is superior to the practice of deeds, O Janardana, why then dost Thou urge me to this fearful deed, O Keshava? [6]
Arjuna: If meditation is, as say'st thou, higher Than deeds, why dost thou urge to deeds of blood? Thy speech is mixed and makes my reason reel. [7]
Arjuna said: If, O Janardana, knowledge is superior to action in Thy opinion, why dost Thou urge me to this fearful action, O Keshava? [9]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Acting for reward is the lowest form of action. Seek the wisdom that transcends reward-seeking.
Two paths: knowledge for the reflective, action for the active. Both lead to the same summit.
Arjuna asks: You praise both renunciation and action — tell me decisively which is truly better.
Even the wise are confused about action vs. inaction. I will explain — knowing this frees you from all wrong.
Action renounced through yoga, doubt cut by knowledge, self-possessed — actions cannot bind that person.
The wisdom-yoked person rises above good and bad karma alike. Yoga is supreme skill in action.
Verse 1 of 43 · back to Chapter 3