eṣhā te ’bhihitā sānkhye buddhir yoge tvimāṁ śhṛiṇu
buddhyā yukto yayā pārtha karma-bandhaṁ prahāsyasi|| 39||

My Understanding : To determine whether your actions are good or bad, you must cultivate a pure heart. To maintain a good heart, surround yourself with nourishing food and a positive environment. When your heart is pure, your actions will benefit those around you. Align your actions with your duties, and you will free yourself from the cycle of karmic relationships. While performing your duties, do not let fear control you, for fear will only bind you to the karmic cycle again and again.

sukha-duḥkhe same kṛitvā lābhālābhau jayājayau
tato yuddhāya yujyasva naivaṁ pāpam avāpsyasi|| 38||

My Understanding : When you take action, do not base your decisions on whether it will bring you happiness or not. Your focus should be on performing your duty without evasion. Never resort to wrongdoing, even if it seems to promise happiness—like accepting a bribe for personal gain. Similarly, do not fixate on the results of your efforts, whether you succeed or fail. Instead, remain steadfast and never retreat from your responsibilities, even in the midst of battle.

atha chet tvam imaṁ dharmyaṁ saṅgrāmaṁ na kariṣhyasi
tataḥ sva-dharmaṁ kīrtiṁ cha hitvā pāpam avāpsyasi|| 33||
akīrtiṁ chāpi bhūtāni kathayiṣhyanti te ’vyayām
sambhāvitasya chākīrtir maraṇād atirichyate|| 34||
bhayād raṇād uparataṁ mansyante tvāṁ mahā-rathāḥ
yeṣhāṁ cha tvaṁ bahu-mato bhūtvā yāsyasi lāghavam|| 35||
avāchya-vādānśh cha bahūn vadiṣhyanti tavāhitāḥ
nindantastava sāmarthyaṁ tato duḥkhataraṁ nu kim|| 36||
hato vā prāpsyasi swargaṁ jitvā vā bhokṣhyase mahīm
tasmād uttiṣhṭha kaunteya yuddhāya kṛita-niśhchayaḥ|| 37||

My Understanding : You must change your mindset and commit to fighting this war for the sake of dharma. Your conscience, like water vapor, is fleeting and must be steadied to fulfill your duty. Avoid becoming attached to materialistic things, as they are temporary and distract from your true purpose.

avyaktādīni bhūtāni vyakta-madhyāni bhārata
avyakta-nidhanānyeva tatra kā paridevanā || 28||
āśhcharya-vat paśhyati kaśhchid enan
āśhcharya-vad vadati tathaiva chānyaḥ
āśhcharya-vach chainam anyaḥ śhṛiṇoti
śhrutvāpyenaṁ veda na chaiva kaśhchit || 29||
dehī nityam avadhyo ’yaṁ dehe sarvasya bhārata
tasmāt sarvāṇi bhūtāni na tvaṁ śhochitum arhasi || 30||
swa-dharmam api chāvekṣhya na vikampitum arhasi
dharmyāddhi yuddhāch chhreyo ’nyat kṣhatriyasya na vidyate || 31||
yadṛichchhayā chopapannaṁ swarga-dvāram apāvṛitam
sukhinaḥ kṣhatriyāḥ pārtha labhante yuddham īdṛiśham || 32||

My Understanding : In this universe, nothing is truly created anew, nor is anything ever completely destroyed. Everything we see has existed in some form since the beginning of the universe. The same is true for the soul—when the body perishes, the soul transitions to a new body but never ceases to exist. Krishna reminds Arjuna that his sole duty is to fight this war, as fulfilling his role is his ultimate responsibility.

vāsānsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya
navāni gṛihṇāti naro ’parāṇi
tathā śharīrāṇi vihāya jīrṇānya
nyāni sanyāti navāni dehī|| 22||
nainaṁ chhindanti śhastrāṇi nainaṁ dahati pāvakaḥ
na chainaṁ kledayantyāpo na śhoṣhayati mārutaḥ|| 23||
achchhedyo ’yam adāhyo ’yam akledyo ’śhoṣhya eva cha
nityaḥ sarva-gataḥ sthāṇur achalo ’yaṁ sanātanaḥ|| 24||
avyakto ’yam achintyo ’yam avikāryo ’yam uchyate
tasmādevaṁ viditvainaṁ nānuśhochitum arhasi|| 25||
atha chainaṁ nitya-jātaṁ nityaṁ vā manyase mṛitam
tathāpi tvaṁ mahā-bāho naivaṁ śhochitum arhasi|| 26||
jātasya hi dhruvo mṛityur dhruvaṁ janma mṛitasya cha
tasmād aparihārye ’rthe na tvaṁ śhochitum arhasi|| 27||

My Understanding : Surrender yourself completely to God, offering your mind and thoughts to Him. The senses are easily drawn to worldly attractions perceived by the eyes, but the soul is eternal and unchanging. While everyone faces death, it is merely a transition, leading to rebirth.

antavanta ime dehā nityasyoktāḥ śharīriṇaḥ
anāśhino ’prameyasya tasmād yudhyasva bhārata|| 18||
ya enaṁ vetti hantāraṁ yaśh chainaṁ manyate hatam
ubhau tau na vijānīto nāyaṁ hanti na hanyate|| 19||
na jāyate mriyate vā kadāchin
nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ
ajo nityaḥ śhāśhvato ’yaṁ purāṇo
na hanyate hanyamāne śharīre|| 20||
vedāvināśhinaṁ nityaṁ ya enam ajam avyayam
kathaṁ sa puruṣhaḥ pārtha kaṁ ghātayati hanti kam|| 21||

My Understanding : Conscience and senses are like windows that shift with the direction of the wind. It is essential to steer our minds toward good and positive thoughts, regardless of external influences. The soul is eternal; it neither takes birth nor faces death.

dehino ’smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati || 13||
mātrā-sparśhās tu kaunteya śhītoṣhṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ
āgamāpāyino ’nityās tāns-titikṣhasva bhārata || 14||
yaṁ hi na vyathayantyete puruṣhaṁ puruṣharṣhabha
sama-duḥkha-sukhaṁ dhīraṁ so ’mṛitatvāya kalpate || 15||
nāsato vidyate bhāvo nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ
ubhayorapi dṛiṣhṭo ’nta stvanayos tattva-darśhibhiḥ|| 16||
avināśhi tu tadviddhi yena sarvam idaṁ tatam
vināśham avyayasyāsya na kaśhchit kartum arhati|| 17||

My Understanding : Krishna explains that if Arjuna’s family faces death, he will feel sorrow, and if they are safe, he will feel joy. However, since death is beyond human control, one must endure both happiness and sorrow as part of life. Arjuna then asks what would happen if they are defeated. Krishna responds that Arjuna’s duty is to perform his responsibilities, accepting whatever results may come with courage and faith.

tam-uvācha hṛiṣhīkeśhaḥ prahasanniva bhārata
senayorubhayor-madhye viṣhīdantam-idaṁ vachaḥ || 10||
śhrī bhagavān uvācha
aśhochyān-anvaśhochas-tvaṁ prajñā-vādānśh cha bhāṣhase
gatāsūn-agatāsūnśh-cha nānuśhochanti paṇḍitāḥ || 11||
na tvevāhaṁ jātu nāsaṁ na tvaṁ neme janādhipāḥ
na chaiva na bhaviṣhyāmaḥ sarve vayamataḥ param|| 12||

My Understanding : Krishna acknowledges Arjuna’s feelings but reminds him that dharma and adharma must be determined based on the situation, not emotions. He emphasizes that this war is a fight for dharma, and those who die in it will attain heaven. This battle is for the greater good and the preservation of righteousness. Krishna urges Arjuna to fulfill his duty, ensuring dharma for future generations. He reassures Arjuna that while he hesitates to kill, no one is meant to live on this earth forever.

arjuna uvācha
kathaṁ bhīṣhmam ahaṁ sankhye droṇaṁ cha madhusūdana
iṣhubhiḥ pratiyotsyāmi pūjārhāvari-sūdana ||4||
gurūnahatvā hi mahānubhāvān
śhreyo bhoktuṁ bhaikṣhyamapīha loke
hatvārtha-kāmāṁstu gurūnihaiva
bhuñjīya bhogān rudhira-pradigdhān  || 5||
na chaitadvidmaḥ kataranno garīyo
yadvā jayema yadi vā no jayeyuḥ
yāneva hatvā na jijīviṣhāmas
te ’vasthitāḥ pramukhe dhārtarāṣhṭrāḥ|| 6|| 
kārpaṇya-doṣhopahata-svabhāvaḥ
pṛichchhāmi tvāṁ dharma-sammūḍha-chetāḥ
yach-chhreyaḥ syānniśhchitaṁ brūhi tanme
śhiṣhyaste ’haṁ śhādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam || 7||
na hi prapaśhyāmi mamāpanudyād
yach-chhokam uchchhoṣhaṇam-indriyāṇām
avāpya bhūmāv-asapatnamṛiddhaṁ
rājyaṁ surāṇāmapi chādhipatyam || 8||
sañjaya uvācha
evam-uktvā hṛiṣhīkeśhaṁ guḍākeśhaḥ parantapa
na yotsya iti govindam uktvā tūṣhṇīṁ babhūva ha || 9||

My Understanding : Arjuna admits that he has never felt such inner turmoil about a war before. However, this time is different because he is facing his own family on the battlefield. Conflicted and overwhelmed by emotions, he finds himself unable to make a clear decision about participating in the war.

śhrī bhagavān uvācha
kutastvā kaśhmalamidaṁ viṣhame samupasthitam
anārya-juṣhṭamaswargyam akīrti-karam arjuna || 2||
klaibyaṁ mā sma gamaḥ pārtha naitat tvayyupapadyate
kṣhudraṁ hṛidaya-daurbalyaṁ tyaktvottiṣhṭha parantapa ||3||

My Understanding : Krishna explains that birth and death are beyond human control. Arjuna, burdened by guilt, believes he will be responsible for the deaths caused by the war. However, Krishna reminds him that no one lives forever; death is inevitable, whether it occurs now or years later. Arjuna must rise above his doubts, confront his enemies, and uphold dharma.