Bhagavad-gītā 1.21
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
अर्जुन उवाच हृषीकेशं तदा वाक्यमिदमाह महीपते। सेनयोरुभयोर्मध्ये रथं स्थापय मेऽच्युत।।1.21।।
arjuna uvācha senayor ubhayor madhye rathaṁ sthāpaya me ’chyuta
Arjuna said: O Achyuta, place my chariot between the two armies.
English rendering by Dharma Open School. Original school translation.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| arjunaḥ uvācha | Arjun said |
| senayoḥ | armies |
| ubhayoḥ | both |
| madhye | in the middle |
| ratham | chariot |
| sthāpaya | place |
| me | my |
| achyuta | Shree Krishna, the infallible One |
Use the word map to follow the relation among arjunaḥ uvācha (Arjun said), ratham (chariot), and achyuta (Shree Krishna, the infallible One). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to the crisis that opens the teaching. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 1.21.
Original school explanation. Written independently from the Sanskrit word map. It is not a quotation, translation, or summary of a named modern commentary. Chapter lens: Map the battlefield, speakers, relationships and Arjuna’s reasons before reading later answers backward into the crisis.
Five careful reading routes
The cards below are reading references, not claims about what an acharya says in this verse. Modern wording stays inside authorized editions. Classical commentary will appear only after an independent translation has passed scholarly and rights review.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
O Achyuta, place my chariot between the two armies
- 2
arjunaḥ uvācha: Arjun said
- 3
ratham: chariot
Look, link, cover, teach
Look
Picture the battlefield.
Link
Use the line starts: arjuna uvācha / senayor ubhayor.
Cover
Hide the verse and rebuild one line at a time.
Teach
Explain the flow to another person without looking.
Turn this reading into a study record
Save it, return from memory, and write one idea in your own words. Your record stays in this browser unless you export it.
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 1.21, consult the authorized BBT edition. No purport, translation, or author-attributed summary is reproduced here.
Find the authorized editionBhaktivinoda Thakura
Rasika-ranjanaA verified independent rendering for Bhagavad-gita 1.21 has not yet passed scholarly and rights review. Modern translations are not copied here.
Independent rendering pending reviewBaladeva Vidyabhushana
Gita-bhushana-bhashyaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 1.21 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewVishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
Sarartha-varshini-tikaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 1.21 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 1.21, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
Use an authorized edition