Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 Verse 4 (2.4)

अर्जुन उवाच

कथं भीष्ममहं सङ्ख्ये द्रोणं च मधुसूदन । इषुभिः प्रतियोत्स्यामि पूजार्हावरिसूदन | | २-४ | |

arjuna uvācha kathaṁ bhīṣhmamahaṁ saṅkhye droṇaṁ cha madhusūdana iṣhubhiḥ pratiyotsyāmi pūjārhāvarisūdana

Word-by-word guide:

Line 0:

अर्जुन (Arjuna) — अर्जुन बोले(Arjuna said)
उवाच (uvacha) — बोले(Arjuna said)

Line 1:

कथम् (katham) — कैसे(how)
भीष्मम् (Bhishmam) — भीष्म को(and `Dronam` name Arjuna's elders and teachers)
अहम् (aham) — मैं(I)
सए (sankhye) — युद्ध(in battle)
dro joined in droṇaṁ
न (na) — नहीं(not)
m joined in droṇaṁ
च (ca) — और(and)
मधुसूदन (Madhusudana) — हे मधुसूदन(and `Ari-sudana` are names for Krishna)

Line 2:

इषुभिः (ishubhih) — बाणों से(shall I fight with arrows)
प्रतियोत्स्यामि (pratiyotsyami) — मैं युद्ध करूंगा(shall I fight with arrows)
pujar joined in pūjārhāvarisūdana
अहम् (aham) — मैं(I)
varisuda joined in pūjārhāvarisūdana
न (na) — नहीं(not)

English: Arjuna asks how he can fight Bhishma and Drona, who are worthy of his reverence.

💡 Commentary Note

Arjuna is caught in a moral conflict between his duty as a warrior and his respect for his elders and teachers. This dilemma shows how personal attachments can clash with higher principles.

Learnings from Shloka 4:

Personal attachments vs. duty:: Relationships and emotional ties can sometimes make it difficult to identify and perform our duties.
Conflict of values:: Life often presents situations where we must choose between personal loyalty and universal righteousness.

Gita/Sanskrit Language Quiz

Practice this shloka vocabulary

Match Sanskrit words from shloka 2.4 with their Hindi and English meanings.

Practice vocabulary

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