Sanskrit
अथ व्यवस्थितान्दृष्ट्वा धार्तराष्ट्रान्कपिध्वजः । प्रवृत्ते शस्त्रसम्पाते धनुरुद्यम्य पाण्डवः ॥
atha vyavasthitān dṛṣṭvā dhārtarāṣṭrān kapidhvajaḥ pravṛtte śastrasampāte dhanur udyamya pāṇḍavaḥ
Translation
Then, beholding the sons of Dhritarâshtra standing arrayed, and flight of missiles about to begin, he whose crest is an ape, the son of Pându, took up his bow,
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
The narrative narrows from the collective sound of verses 12–19 to a single figure: Arjuna, marked by his Hanuman-crested banner, raising his bow as fighting is about to start. This is the hinge of the whole chapter — the moment the scene shifts from spectacle to Arjuna’s own individual action, which the very next verse turns into speech.
Study deeper
Word by word
- athaअथ
- then
- vyavasthitānव्यवस्थितान्
- drawn up in position
- dṛṣṭvāदृष्ट्वा
- having seen
- dhārtarāṣṭrānधार्तराष्ट्रान्
- Dhṛtarāṣṭra's sons
- kapi-dhvajaḥकपि-ध्वजः
- he whose banner bears the monkey — Arjuna
- pravṛtteप्रवृत्ते
- as it began
- śastra-sampāteशस्त्र-संपाते
- the clash of weapons
- dhanur udyamyaधनुः उद्यंय
- raising his bow
- pāṇḍavaḥपाण्डवः
- the son of Pāṇḍu
Commentary
Site Commentary
For nineteen verses the chapter has been widening outward — armies, rosters, a chorus of conches. This verse is the hinge where it starts narrowing, verse by verse, down to one man’s hand on one bow. Whatever the Gita is actually about turns out to live at that narrow end, not in the panorama it took nineteen verses to build.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Apply this verse
Lessons
Personal
- The big picture of your life or career often needs the wide framing first, but the decision that actually matters usually lives in one narrow, specific moment — don't mistake the panorama for the point.
Professional
- A broad strategy deck sets useful context, but the real decision it's building toward usually narrows down to one specific call someone has to make — don't let the wide framing substitute for actually making it.
Family & Social
- A long, wide-ranging family conversation eventually has to narrow to one specific ask or decision — don't let the breadth of the talk stand in for actually landing it.
Ask yourself
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