Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2, Verse 10

तमुवाच हृषीकेशः प्रहसन्निव भारत । सेनयोरुभयोर्मध्ये विषीदन्तमिदं वचः

tamuvāca hṛṣīkeśaḥ prahasanniva bhārata | senayorubhayormadhye viṣīdantamidaṃ vacaḥ

Translation

To him who was grieving in the midst of the two armies, O descendant of Bharata, Hṛṣīkeśa, as if smiling, spoke these words:

— Alladi Mahadeva Sastri

Word meanings

tam

to him

uvāca

said

hṛṣīkeśaḥ

Hṛṣīkeśa

prahasan

smiling

iva

as it were

bhārata

O Bhārata

senayoḥ

of the (two) armies

ubhayoḥ

(of) both

madhye

in the middle

viṣīdantam

despondent

idam

this

vacaḥ

speech

Śaṅkarācārya's commentary

The portion from i.2 to ii.9 is to be interpreted as showing whence arise those evils — grief, delusion, and the rest — which in sentient creatures cause the misery of saṃsāra. Arjuna's grief and delusion arose from his attachment to dominion, elders, sons, friends, kinsmen, and from his notion that "I am theirs and they are mine." It was when discrimination was thus overpowered that he abandoned the duty of his caste and proposed to lead a mendicant's life. So with all creatures whose intelligence is swayed by grief and delusion: they abandon their proper duties and resort to those that are forbidden, or, when engaged in their duties, their conduct of speech, thought, and deed is egoistic and prompted by longing for reward. Hence the unending wheel of saṃsāra. Seeing that the cessation of this misery is brought about only by Self-knowledge added to renunciation of all works, Lord Vāsudeva — wishing to teach that knowledge for the benefit of the whole world through Arjuna — begins His teaching at ii.11.