BhG 2.11

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṃ prajñā-vādāṃś ca bhāṣase
gatāsūn agatāsūṃś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

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syntax


śrī-bhagavān (the glorious Lord) uvāca (he spoke):
tvam (you) aśocyān (things not to be grieved upon) anvaśocaḥ (you lamented),
prajñā-vādān ca (and words of wisdom) bhāṣase (you speak).
paṇḍitāḥ (the learned) gatāsūn (for those whose breaths are gone) agatāsūn ca (and for those whose breaths are gone) na anuśocanti (they do not lament).

 

grammar

śrī-bhagavān śrī-bhagavant 1n.1 m.; TP: śriyā yukto bhagavān itithe Lord  united with majesty (from: śrī lustre, majesty, fortune; bhaj – to share, to love, to rejoice, to worship, bhaga – a share, good fortune, opulence; -mant / -vant – suffix denoting one who possesses, bhagavant – who possesses opulence);
uvāca vac (to speak) Perf. P 1v.1he spoke;
aśocyān a-śocya (śuc – to grieve,  to burn) PF 2n.3 m.not to be grieved upon;
anvaśocaḥ anu-śuc (to lament, to bewail) Imperf. P 2v.1you lamented;
tvam yuṣmat sn. 1n.1you;
prajñā-vādān prajñā-vāda 2n.3 m.; TP: prajñāyā vādān iti – words of wisdoom (from: pra-jñā – to know, to understand, to discern, prajñā – discrimination, wisdom, judgement; vad – to speak, vāda – speech, dispute, doctrine);
ca av.and;
bhāṣase bhāṣ (to speak) Praes. Ā 2v.1you speak;
gatāsūn gata-asu 2n.3 m.; BV: yeṣām asavo gatāḥ santi tānthose whose breaths are gone (from: gam – to go, PP gata – gone; asu – breath, life, plural: breaths of life);
agatāsūn a-gata-asu 2n.3 m.; BV: yeṣām asavo ‘gatāḥ santi tānthose whose breaths are not gone (from: gam – to go PP gata – gone; asu – breath, life, plural: breaths of life);
ca av.and;
na av.not;
anuśocanti anu-śuc (to lament, to bewail) Praes. P 1v.3they lament;
paṇḍitāḥ paṇḍita 1n.3 m.the learned, wise (paṇḍā wisdom, knowledge);

 

textual variants


anvaśocas tvaṁ → anuśocaṁs tvaṁ / anvaśocyas tvaṁ / avaśocas tvaṁ (you are grieving / is being grieved, you… / you lament);
prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase → prājñavan nābhibhāṣase / prajñāvān nābhibhāṣase (having kowledge you do not speak…);

… → verse, not found in critical edition, after verse 2.11:
tvaṁ mānuṣyeṇopahatāntarātmā viṣāda-mohābhibhavād visaṁjñaḥ
kṛpā-gṛhītaḥ samavekṣya bandhūn abhiprapannān mukham antakasya

You, whose inner nature is rendered helpless by humanity,
are unconscious because of the grief and bewilderment,
grasped by the pity after seeing your relatives,
who got close to the lips of death.

 
 



Śāṃkara

The key:
an excerpt from the commented verse
quotes from the scriptures
starting polemic

The Self is immortal.
Now finding no means other than Self-knowledge for the deliverance of Arjuna who was thus confounded as to his duty and was deeply plunged in the mighty ocean of grief, Lord Vasudeva who wished to help him out of it introduced him to Self-knowledge in the following words:

tatraiva dharma-saṃmūḍha-cetaso mithyā-jñānavato mahati śoka-sāgare nimagnasya arjunasya anyatrātma-jñānād uddharaṇam apaśyan bhagavān vāsudevaḥ, tataḥ kṛpayā arjunam uddidhārayiṣuḥ ātma-jñānāyāvatārayann āha

The Lord said:
11. For those who deserve no grief thou hast grieved, and words of wisdom thou speakest. For the living and for the dead the wise grieve not.

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṃ prajñā-vādāṃś ca bhāṣase
|
gatāsūn agatāsūṃś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ ||2.11||

Such people as Bhishma and Droṇa deserve no grief, for they are men of good conduct and are eternal in their real nature. You have grieved for them saying „I am the cause of then death; of what avail are pleasures of dominion and other things to me left alone without them?” (1.32).

na śocyā aśocyāḥ bhīṣma-droṇādayaḥ | sad-vṛttatvāt paramārtha-svarūpeṇa ca nityatvāt, tān aśocyān anvaśoco ’nuśocitavān asi te mriyante man-nimittam, ahaṃ tair vinābhūtaḥ kiṃ kariṣyāmi rājya-sukhādinā (BhG 1.32) iti |

And you also speak the words of wise men. Thus you exhibit inconsistency in yourself, – foolishness and wisdom, – like a maniac.

tvaṃ prajñā-vādān prajñāvatāṃ buddhimatāṃ vādāṃś ca vacanāni ca bhāṣase | tad etat mauḍhyaṃ pāṇḍityaṃ ca viruddham ātmani darśayasi unmatta iva ity abhiprāyaḥ |

For , the wise (paṇḍitāḥ) – those who know the Self – grieve neither for the living nor for the dead.

yasmāt gatāsūn gata-prāṇān mṛtān, agatāsūn agata-prāṇān jīvataś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ ātmajñāḥ |

They alone are wise who know the Self. For, the śruti says:
Having obtained wisdom (pāṇḍitya., i. e., knowledge of the Self) in its entirety…[1] (Bṛh-up. 3.5.1)

paṇḍā ātma-viṣayā buddhir yeṣāṃ te hi paṇḍitāḥ, pāṇḍityaṃ nirvidya (Bṛh-up. 3.5.1) iti śruteḥ |

That is, you grieve for those who are really eternal and who really deserve no grief; wherefore you are foolish.

paramārthatas tu tān nityān aśocyān anuśocasi, ato mūḍho ’si ity abhiprāyaḥ ||2.11||


[1] Bṛh-up 3.5.1:
tasmād brāmaṇaḥ pāṇḍityaṃ nirvidya bālyena tiṣṭhāset |
bālyaṃ ca pāṇḍityaṃ ca nirvidyātha muniḥ |

 

Rāmānuja

aśocyān prati anuśocasi patanti pitaro hy eṣāṃ lupta-piṇḍodaka-kriyāḥ [gītā 1.41] ity ādikān dehātma-svabhāva-prajñā-nimitta-vādāṃś ca bhāṣase | dehātma-svabhāva-jñānavatāṃ nātra kiñcit śoka-nimittam asti | gatāsūn dehān agatāsūn ātmanaś ca prati tayoḥ svabhāva-yāthātmya-vido na śocanti | atas tvayi vipratiṣiddham idam upalabhyate | yad etān haniṣyāmīty anuśocanam, yac ca dehātiriktātma-jñāna-kṛtaṃ dharmādharma-bhāṣaṇam | ato deha-svabhāvaṃ ca na jānāsi, tad-atiriktam ātmānaṃ ca nityam, tat-prāpty-upāya-bhūtaṃ yuddhādikaṃ dharmaṃ ca | idaṃ ca yuddhaṃ phalābhisandhi-rahitam | ātma-yāthātmyāvāpty-upāya-bhūtam | ātmā hi na janmādhīna-sad-bhāvo na maraṇādhīna-vināśaś ca; tasya janma-maraṇayoḥ abhāvāt; ataḥ sa na śoka-sthānam | dehas tv acetanaḥ pariṇāma-svabhāvaḥ, tasya utpatti-vināśa-yogaḥ svābhāvikaḥ, iti so’pi na śoka-sthānam ity abhiprāyaḥ

 

Śrīdhara

dehātmanor avivekād asyaivaṃ śoko bhavatīti tad-viveka-darśanārthaṃ śrī-bhagavān uvāca aśocyān ity ādi | śokasyāviṣayī-bhūtān eva bandhūn tvam anvaśocaḥ anuśocitavān asi dṛṣṭvemān svajanān kṛṣṇa ity ādinā | tatra kutas tvā kaśmalam idaṃ viṣame samupasthitam ity ādinā mayā bodhito ‚pi punaś ca prajñāvatāṃ paṇḍitānāṃ vādān śabdān kathaṃ bhīṣmam ahaṃ saṅkhye ity ādīn kevalaṃ bhāṣase, na tu paṇḍito ‚si, yataḥ gatāsūn gata-prāṇān bandhūn agatāsūṃś ca jīvato ‚pi, bandhu-hīnā ete kathaṃ jīviṣyantīti nānuśocanti paṇḍitā vivekinaḥ

 

Madhusūdana

commentary under the verse BhG 2.18

 

Viśvanātha

bho arjuna ! tavāyaṃ bandha-vadha-hetukaḥ śoko bhrama-mūlaka eva, tathā kathaṃ bhīṣmam ahaṃ saṅkhye ity ādiko vivekaś cāprajñā-mūlaka evety āha aśocyān ity ādi | aśocyān śokānārhān eva tvam anvaśoco ‚nuśocitavān asi | tathā tvāṃ prabodhayantaṃ māṃ prati prajñā-vādān prajñāyāṃ satyām eva ye vādāḥ kathaṃ bhīṣmam ahaṃ saṅkhye ity ādīni vākyāni tān bhāṣase, na tu tava kāpi prajñā vartate iti bhāvaḥ | yataḥ paṇḍitāḥ prajñāvanto gatāsūn gatā niḥsṛtā bhavanty asavo yebhyas tān sthūla-dehān na śocanti, teṣāṃ naśvara-bhāvatvād iti bhāvaḥ | agatāsūn aniḥsṛta-prāṇān sūkṣma-dehān api na śocanti, te hi mukteḥ pūrvaṃ naśvarā eva | ubhayeṣām api tathā tathā svabhāvasya duṣpariharatvāt | mūrkhās tu pirtrādi-dehebhyaḥ prāṇeṣu niḥsṛteṣv eva śocanti, sūkṣma-dehāṃs tu na, te prāyaḥ paricinvantyas atas tair alam | ete hi sarve bhīṣmādayaḥ sthūla-sūkṣma-deha-sahitā ātmāna eva | ātmanāṃ tu ityatvāt teṣu śoka-pravṛttir eva nāstīty atas tvayā yat pūrvam artha-śāstrāt dharma-śāstraṃ balavad ity uktaṃ tatra mayā tu dharma-śāstrād api jñāna-śāstraṃ balavad ity ucyata iti bhāvaḥ

 

Baladeva

evaṃ arjune tūṣṇīṃ sthite tad-buddhim ākṣipan bhagavān āha aśocyān iti | he arjuna ! aśocyān śocitum ayogyān eva dhārtarāṣṭrāṃs tvaṃ anvaśocaḥ śocitavān asi | tathā māṃ prati prajñā-vādān prajñāvatām iva vacanāni dṛṣṭvemaṃ svajanam ity ādīni, kathaṃ bhīṣmam ity ādīni ca bhāṣase, na ca te prajñā-leśo ‚py astīti bhāvaḥ | ye tu prajñāvantas te gatāsūn nirgata-prāṇān sthūla-dehān, agatāsūṃś cānirgata-prāṇān sūkṣma-dehāṃś ca, śabdād ātmanaś ca na śocanti | ayam arthaḥ – śokaḥ sthūla-dehānāṃ vināśitvāt, nāntyaḥ sūkṣma-dehānāṃ mukteḥ prāg avaināśitvāt tadvatām ātmanāṃ tu ṣaḍ-bhāva-vikāra-varjitānāṃ nityatvān na śocyāteti | dehātma-svabhāva-vidāṃ na ko ‚pi śoka-hetuḥ | yad-artha-śāstrād dharma-śāstrasya balavattvam ucyate | tat kila tato ‚pi balavatā jñāna-śāstreṇa pratyucyate | tasmād aśocye śocya-bhramaḥ pāmara-sādhāraṇaḥ paṇḍitasya te na yogya iti bhāvaḥ

 
 



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