निमित्तानि च पश्यामि विपरीतानि केशव ।
न च श्रेयोऽनुपश्यामि हत्वा स्वजनमाहवे ॥
न च श्रेयोऽनुपश्यामि हत्वा स्वजनमाहवे ॥
Hindi · हिन्दी
हे केशव मैं लक्षणों शकुनों को भी विपरीत देख रहा हूँ और युद्ध में स्वजनोंको मारकर श्रेय लाभ भी नहीं देख रहा हूँ ॥
English
O Keshava, I see only inauspicious signs, and I see no good in killing my own people in battle.
What this verse means
Arjuna says he sees bad signs and no real good in killing his own relatives in battle.
Context & commentary
On Kurukshetra, Arjuna stands frozen before the two armies. After feeling his body fail and his mind shake, he tells Krishna that the signs around him feel wrong and that killing his own kin cannot lead to anything good.
Why this verse still matters
You are about to send the message that will end a friendship, and every detail feels wrong. The mind keeps warning: forcing this will not make life better.
The takeaway
When the heart is already broken, even victory can look empty.
Word-by-word translation
निमित्तानि (signs) / च (and) / पश्यामि (I see) / विपरीतानि (opposite, inauspicious) / केशव (O Keshava) / न (not) / च (and) / श्रेयः (good, welfare) / अनुपश्यामि (I see) / हत्वा (having killed) / स्वजनम् (my own people) / आहवे (in battle)
This verse is part of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1: Arjuna Vishada Yoga — The Yoga of Arjuna's Despair, which contains 47 verses.
Explore related themes: kurukshetra (95 verses), arjuna vishada (14 verses)