Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1 Verse 26 (1.26)

तत्रापश्यत्स्थितान्पार्थः पितॄनथ पितामहान् । आचार्यान्मातुलान्भ्रातॄन्पुत्रान्पौत्रान्सखींस्तथा ॥ २६ ॥

tatrāpaśhyatsthitānpārthaḥ pitṝinatha pitāmahān āchāryānmātulānbhrātṝinputrānpautrānsakhīṁstathā

Word-by-word guide:

Line 1:

तत् (tad) — वह(that)
r joined in tatrāpaśhyatsthitānpārthaḥ
अपश्यत् (apashyat) — देखा(he saw)
स्थितः (sthitah) — स्थित(standing)
n joined in tatrāpaśhyatsthitānpārthaḥ
पार्थः (Parthah) — अर्जुन(Arjuna)
पितॄन् (pitrin) — पिता(fathers)
ata joined in pitṝinatha
इतमह (pitamahan) — पिता(grandfathers)

Line 2:

अचय (acharyan) — आचार्य(teachers)
मउल (matulan) — मउल(maternal uncles)
रइ (bhratrin) — रइ(brothers)
उर (putran) — पुत्र(sons)
पउर (pautran) — पुत्र(grandsons)
सइ (sakhin) — मित्र(friends)
s joined in āchāryānmātulānbhrātṝinputrānpautrānsakhīṁstathā
तत् (tad) — वह(that)
a joined in āchāryānmātulānbhrātṝinputrānpautrānsakhīṁstathā

English: There Arjuna saw fathers, grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, and friends standing in both armies.

💡 Commentary Note

Arjuna sees relatives, teachers, friends, and loved ones on both sides. The battlefield suddenly becomes a family field, not just a place of military duty.

This verse marks the turning point of Chapter 1. Arjuna's mind moves from strategy to relationship, and the weight of action becomes deeply personal.

Learnings from Shloka 26:

Relationships change perception: Arjuna sees not enemies first, but family and teachers.
Duty can conflict with affection: The same people may be tied to us by love and opposed to us by action.
Seeing deeply can unsettle us: Clear vision sometimes reveals pain we had not fully felt.

Gita/Sanskrit Language Quiz

Practice this shloka vocabulary

Match Sanskrit words from shloka 1.26 with their Hindi and English meanings.

Practice vocabulary

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