Bhagavad-gītā 2.6
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
न चैतद्विद्मः कतरन्नो गरीयो यद्वा जयेम यदि वा नो जयेयुः। यानेव हत्वा न जिजीविषाम स्तेऽवस्थिताः प्रमुखे धार्तराष्ट्राः।।2.6।।
na chaitadvidmaḥ kataranno garīyo yadvā jayema yadi vā no jayeyuḥ yāneva hatvā na jijīviṣhāmas te ’vasthitāḥ pramukhe dhārtarāṣhṭrāḥ
And indeed I can scarcely tell which will be better, that we should conquer them, or that they should conquer us. The very sons of Dhritarâshtra,:after slaying whom we should not care to live,:stand facing us.
English rendering by Swami Swarupananda. Public domain first edition, 1909.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| na | not |
| cha | and |
| etat | this |
| vidmaḥ | we know |
| katarat | which |
| naḥ | for us |
| garīyaḥ | is preferable |
| yat vā | whether |
| jayema | we may conquer |
| yadi | if |
| vā | or |
| naḥ | us |
| jayeyuḥ | they may conquer |
| yān | whom |
| eva | certainly |
| hatvā | after killing |
| na | not |
| jijīviṣhāmaḥ | we desire to live |
| te | they |
| avasthitāḥ | are standing |
| pramukhe | before us |
| dhārtarāṣhṭrāḥ | the sons of Dhritarashtra |
Begin with the verse itself, then trace its movement through na (not), naḥ (us), and dhārtarāṣhṭrāḥ (the sons of Dhritarashtra). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to the enduring self and steady wisdom. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 2.6.
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: Trace the movement from grief through self, duty, disciplined action and the description of steady intelligence.
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
And indeed I can scarcely tell which will be better, that we should conquer them, or that they should conquer us
- 2
The very sons of Dhritarâshtra,
- 3
after slaying whom we should not care to live,
Look, link, cover, teach
Look
Picture the enduring self.
Link
Use the line starts: na chaitadvidmaḥ / yadvā jayema / yāneva hatvā / te ’vasthitāḥ.
Cover
Hide the verse and rebuild one line at a time.
Teach
Explain the flow to another person without looking.
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 2.6, 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 2.6 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 2.6 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 2.6 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 2.6, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
Use an authorized edition