Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1
Arjuna Vishada Yoga — అర్జున విషాద యోగం
47 verses · The Despondency of Arjuna
Arjuna, seeing his kinsmen, teachers, and friends in the opposing army on the Kurukshetra battlefield, is overwhelmed by grief and refuses to fight. He throws down his bow and asks Krishna to drive his chariot away. This sets the stage for Krishna's teaching — the entire Gita is Krishna's response to Arjuna's despair.
Key Verse
"न योत्स्ये" इति गोविन्दमुक्त्वा तूष्णीं बभूव ह — "I shall not fight," Arjuna said to Govinda, and fell silent.
"Na yotsye" iti Govindam-uktvā tūṣṇīṃ babhūva ha
అర్జునుడు "నేను యుద్ధం చేయను" అని కృష్ణునితో చెప్పి మౌనం వహించాడు
Spiritual Lesson
Even the bravest warriors face moments of paralyzing doubt. Arjuna's collapse is the necessary precondition for spiritual awakening — only one who has reached the limits of his own resources can receive divine guidance.
Where Chapter 1 sits in the Bhagavad Gita
Arjuna Vishada Yoga is the 1st of the Bhagavad Gita's eighteen chapters and runs to 47 verses. The longest of the eighteen is Chapter 18 at 78 verses and the shortest are Chapter 12 and Chapter 15 at 20 verses, so this one sits toward the longer end of that range. Its name is written అర్జున విషాద యోగం in Telugu, and in English it is given as the Despondency of Arjuna.
It opens the dialogue and runs on into Chapter 2, Sankhya Yoga, the Path of Knowledge / Yoga of Discrimination. The eighteen chapters are one continuous conversation rather than eighteen separate readings, so a chapter read on its own carries the argument of the one before it. All eighteen chapters are listed here.
Questions about Chapter 1
How many verses are in Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1?
Chapter 1, Arjuna Vishada Yoga, has 47 verses. Chapter lengths across the Gita are uneven, and this page publishes the count for this chapter alone rather than a running total, because editions differ over how one chapter is numbered.
What does Arjuna Vishada Yoga mean?
In English it is given as the Despondency of Arjuna. The name is written అర్జున విషాద యోగం in Telugu. Chapter names in the Gita describe what the chapter is about rather than acting as titles a reader has to decode.
Which chapter comes before and after Chapter 1?
Before: Nothing comes before it — Chapter 1 opens the Gita, with Arjuna surveying the two armies before the fighting starts. After: Chapter 2, Sankhya Yoga — The Path of Knowledge / Yoga of Discrimination. The Gita is a single conversation, so the chapters are numbered in the order they are spoken and are meant to be read that way.