Sanskrit
ततः स विस्मयाविष्टो हृष्टरोमा धनञ्जयः । प्रणम्य शिरसा देवं कृताञ्जलिरभाषत ॥
tataḥ sa vismayāviṣṭo hṛṣṭaromā dhanañjayaḥ praṇamya śirasā devaṃ kṛtāñjalir abhāṣata
Translation
Then he, Dhananjaya, overwhelmed with astonishment, his hair upstanding, bowed down his head to the Shining One, and with joined palms spake.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
The same physiology from chapter 1’s collapse resurfaces almost verbatim — hair standing on end (hṛṣṭaromā here, romaharṣa at 1.29) — but the posture around it has flipped. In chapter 1 the trembling body was refusing to fight; here it’s the involuntary response to something too large to process, and instead of dropping his bow he bows his own head. Arjuna is about to speak for the next thirty-one verses almost without interruption — the longest unbroken outpouring given to any character in the entire poem. The same physiology as chapter 1’s collapse — hair on end (BG 1.29) — but the posture has flipped: then the trembling body refused to fight; here it bows. Arjuna now speaks almost unbroken for thirty-one verses, the longest outpouring in the poem.
Study deeper
Word by word
- tataḥ sa vismayāviṣṭoततः स विस्मयाविष्टो
- then he, filled with wonder (tataḥ + saḥ + vismaya-āviṣṭaḥ)
- hṛṣṭaromā dhanañjayaḥहृष्टरोमा धनञ्जयः
- his hair on end, Dhanañjaya (hṛṣṭa-romā + dhanañjayaḥ)
- praṇamya śirasā devaṃप्रणंय शिरसा देवं
- bowing his head to the God (praṇamya + śirasā + devam)
- kṛtāñjalir abhāṣataकृताञ्जलिः अभाषत
- with joined palms, spoke (kṛta-añjaliḥ + abhāṣata)
Commentary
Site Commentary
The body gives Arjuna the identical signal in both scenes — hair on end — whether he’s about to refuse a war in chapter 1 or bow to a vision in chapter 11. The physiology alone doesn’t disclose what’s happening; the same alarm response accompanies collapse in one place and reverence in the other. What actually distinguishes the two moments is the action chosen next, not the sensation that preceded it.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Concepts
Apply this verse
Lessons
Personal
- When your body signals overwhelm — racing heart, physical alarm — don't assume the sensation itself tells you whether you're facing danger or something you should lean into; the same physical signal shows up in both, and what you do next is what actually decides which one it was.
Professional
- When you feel physically rattled before a high-stakes moment — a big presentation, a critical incident call — recognize that the sensation doesn't diagnose the situation; the same adrenaline response precedes both failure and a strong performance, and your next action determines which.
Family & Social
- When you notice a strong physical reaction in a difficult family conversation, don't let the sensation alone tell you to shut down or lash out — the same bodily alarm can precede either withdrawal or a real moment of connection, depending only on what you choose to do next.
Ask yourself
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