कार्पण्यदोषोपहतस्वभावः
पृच्छामि त्वां धर्मसंमूढचेताः।
यच्छ्रेयः स्यान्निश्िचतं ब्रूहि तन्मे
शिष्यस्तेऽहं शाधि मां त्वां प्रपन्नम्।।2.7।।
2.7 With my nature overpowered by weak commiseration, with a mind bewildered about duty, I supplicate You. Telll me for certain that which is better; I am Your disciple. Instruct me who have taken refuge in You.
2.7 My heart is overpowered by the taint of pity; my mind is confused as to duty. I ask Thee: Tell me decisively what is good for me. I am Thy disciple. Instruct me who has taken refuge in Thee.
2.7. With my very nature, overpowered by the taint of pity, and with my mind, utterly confused as to the right action [at the present juncture], I ask you: Tell me definitely what would be good [to me]; I am your pupil; please teach me, who am taking refuge in You.
2.7 कार्पण्यदोषोपहतस्वभावः with nature overpowered by the taint of pity? पृच्छामि I ask? त्वाम् Thee? धर्मसंमूढचेताः with a mind in confusion about duty? यत् which? श्रेयः good? स्यात् may be? निश्चितम् decisively? ब्रूहि say? तत् that? मे for me? शिष्यः disciple? ते Thy? अहम् I? शाधि teach? माम् me? त्वाम् to Thee? प्रपन्नम् taken refuge.No commentary.
2.7 Sri Sankaracharya did not comment on this sloka. The commentary starts from 2.10.
2.7 See Comment under 2.10
2.6 - 2.8 If you say, After beginning the war, if we withdraw from the battle, the sons of Dhrtarastra will slay us all forcibly, be it so. I think that even to be killed by them, who do not know the difference between righteousness and unrighteousness, is better for us than gaining unrighteous victory by killing them. After saying so, Arjuna surrendered himself at the feet of the Lord, overcome with dejection, saying. Teach me, your disciple, who has taken refuge in you, what is good for me.
“Indeed, while speaking the meaning of scripture to bring out a conclusion, though you are a ksatriya, you have decided to become a beggar! What is the use of my speaking?” “Giving up my natural courage as ksatriya is my weakness (karpanyam). My intelligence has become bewildered in trying to understand the implementation of dharma, as the path of dharma is very subtle. Therefore it is better that you decide and tell me.” “But if you defeat my words by posing yourself as learned, what should I say?” “I am your student, and will no longer uselessly oppose you.”
Therefore Arjuna is saying that with his natural qualities of valour and courage subdued by a feeling of helplessness in not having the desire even to live and in sinfulness for even considering to deign to participate in the destruction of a dynasty. When ones mind is perplexed regarding duty and responsibility one should definitely take direction from higher authority. In the case of Arjuna, who was in doubt as to whether or not it was righteous or unrighteous for a ksatriya to give up fighting and take to begging; therefore without hesitation he fully surrendered unto the Supreme Lord and beseeched Him to instruct what was in his best spiritual interests to engage in.
There is no commentary for this verse.
There is no commentary for this verse.
If as in the previous verse Arjuna has determined that life would not be worth living even if winning the battle then it might be questioned what destined designation does he assign for himself? To this query Arjuna has now determined in his mind that unconditional surrender to the Supreme Lord Krishna is the greatest panacea than any other means prescribed in Vedic scriptures. The Vedic scriptures reveal that He who originated the entire creation, from whose breath emanated the eternal Vedas for Brahma to speak, that Supreme Personality, omniscient and effulgent is He who should be sought for shelter. Also in the books of law in the Vedic culture it is written that He who originated Brahma and protects the eternal Vedas is He the Supreme Lord Krishna, all knowing and effulgent who should be sought for shelter. Those who seek shelter of the Supreme Lord Krishna are never deluded. Lord Krishna is known as Janardana or He who always removes the ignorance of His devotees. Arjuna has lost the power of discrimination in knowing what is beneficial for himself and what is not. So realizing this he tells Lord Krishna that he is surrendering to Him whose power is not known by Brahma or Siva and whose attributes and potencies are transcendental to the material existence. Who is an ocean of qualities such as compassion and mercy and this Lord Krishna has descended Himself and incarnated in the Vrsni dynasty in the family of Vasudeva for the benefit of His devotees and all those who follow righteousness in accordance to the Vedic scriptures who are eligible to receive the mercy and compassion of the Supreme Lord. According to Vedic scriptures one who dies in this world without becoming self-realized is a miser. One is called a miser who is desitute of knowledge of the nature and qualities of their immortal soul. In worldly parlance one is known as a miser who is extremely stingy with their money. Miserliness here is the affliction of weakness regarding ones spiritual identity and integrity. Discriminatory power weakened by vices forms the delusion which bewilders the intelligence. Arjuna whose ignorance was removed due to the compassion of the Lord for His devotees, realized this and unconditionally surrendered to Lord Krishna with the words tvam prapannam meaning surrendered unto you and asks the Lord for spiritual guidance as confirmed by the words sadhi mam instruct me. Arjuna qualifies his own fitness to receive these instructions from Lord Krishna by the words sisyah te aham meaning I am your disciple. This was stated by Arjuna so that Lord Krishna would understand that he was serious and not doubt his intentions that he was a fit recipient for the Lords mercy and give him instructions out of His causeless compassion.
KaarpanyadoshopahataswabhaavahPricchaami twaam dharmasammoodha chetaah; Yacchreyah syaan nishchitam broohi tanmeShishyaste’ham shaadhi maam twaam prapannam.
kārpaṇya-doṣha—the flaw of cowardice; upahata—besieged; sva-bhāvaḥ—nature; pṛichchhāmi—I am asking; tvām—to you; dharma—duty; sammūḍha—confused; chetāḥ—in heart; yat—what; śhreyaḥ—best; syāt—may be; niśhchitam—decisively; brūhi—tell; tat—that; me—to me; śhiṣhyaḥ—disciple; te—your; aham—I; śhādhi—please instruct; mām—me; tvām—unto you; prapannam—surrendered
