Sanskrit
तत्रापश्यत्स्थितान्पार्थः पितॄनथ पितामहान् । आचार्यान्मातुलान्भ्रातॄन्पुत्रान्पौत्रान्सखींस्तथा ॥
tatrāpaśyat sthitān pārthaḥ pitṝn atha pitāmahān ācāryān mātulān bhrātṝn putrān pautrān sakhīṃs tathā
Translation
Then saw Pârtha standing there, uncles and grandfathers, teachers, mother's brothers, cousins, sons and grandsons, comrades,
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
This is the same battlefield Duryodhana surveyed in verses 3–11, but reclassified completely: where he named warriors by rank and fighting ability, Arjuna, looking at the very same people, sees only relationships — uncles, grandfathers, teachers, cousins, sons. It’s the chapter’s central move, restating one roster as the other, and it’s what verse 27 will extend across both armies at once.
Study deeper
Word by word
- tatrāpaśyatतत्रापश्यत्
- there he saw
- sthitānस्थितान्
- standing
- pārthaḥपार्थः
- Pārtha — Arjuna
- pitṝnपितॄन्
- fathers
- athaअथ
- and
- pitāmahānपितामहान्
- grandfathers
- ācāryānआचार्यान्
- teachers
- mātulānमातुलान्
- maternal uncles
- bhrātṝnभ्रातॄन्
- brothers
- putrānपुत्रान्
- sons
- pautrānपौत्रान्
- grandsons
- sakhīṃsसखींस्
- friends
- tathāतथा
- as well
Commentary
Site Commentary
The list moves in a deliberate arc — elders first (uncles, grandfathers), then teachers, then peers and descendants (cousins, sons, grandsons) — tracing an entire generational structure rather than naming individuals at random. Arjuna isn’t seeing scattered relatives; he’s seeing a whole lineage, old and young at once, standing in a single line of battle.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Concepts
Apply this verse
Lessons
Personal
- When a hard truth becomes real to you, notice whether it arrives as one fact or as a whole structure at once — recognizing the full shape of what's at stake, not just a single piece of it, is often what actually changes how you act.
Professional
- When a decision affects a team, try to see it the way this verse frames the battlefield — as a structure of relationships across levels, not a flat list of names — so you don't miss who above and below you actually carries the impact.
Family & Social
- When conflict touches your extended family, try to see the whole generational structure involved — elders, peers, and the next generation together — rather than treating it as a dispute between just two people.
Ask yourself
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