Words of Gita-Chapter 2

5 min readNov 26, 2019

What does it take to familiarise with the vocabulary? Exploring Root Words, Unique Words, High Frequency and a variety of spectrums to reduce the complexity dimensions.

Uddalaka teaches his son Shvetaketu, ‘Son, by knowing one lump of clay, you may learn about everything made of clay.’ -Chandayoga Upanishad

Indeed.. If the words of chapter 2 are known, the message of chapter 2 and words making the rest of the chapters are easily known.

If the Root words are known, the words derived from them are easily known.

‘May the knowledge covered in the golden vessel uncover and reveal itself.’ -Isha Upanishad

Chapter Schema

Chapter 2 mainly addresses these aspects of Arjuna’s dilemma.

‘’’How to get over the deep grief?
How to kill the own people?
Is he violating the Vedas? Is he accumulating paapa?
Inability to take a decision
Path for liberation”

Krishna rebukes Arjuna
Doubts of Arjuna
Attributes of the Self-- Sankhya Glory
Kshatriya Dharma
Buddhi yoga of the Resolute
Karma yoga of detachment and dextrity
Qualities of Sthitha Pragya
Control of Senses . TortoiseShip analogy
Like an ocean.. settle the impulses entering into you..

It is interesting to note the alphabet distribution of the first letter of verses.. A lot of negations, opposites, questions, doubts..impurities..connecters..

I had this question in my mind. Why so many of the verses began with ‘ka’? Chapter 2 first part is like an introduction. Lot of questions from both sides. Arjuna, why are you behaving like this? Krishna, How can I fight with them? And ‘q’uestions in Sanskrit, Hindi always began with ‘ka’.. kutah, katham etc.. And not so perfect behaviour like impurity, miserly, timid also began with ka.. karpanya, klaibyam, kashmalam

I was listening to this conversation between Juhi Chawla and Sampadananda ji and I get my answers. The vowels like we know are free flowing meditative sounds that need no contact. ‘Ka’ is the first consonant because it is the lowest point in our voice apparatus from where the sound is generated. Other consonants sets are generated due to the contact in the palatte, teeth, lip and so on.

And question marks are like interruptions in free thoughts. And these constricted qualities like kashta, katina, kanta have a sense of interruption. This is Wow etymology.

I was also discussing a while back why the connector pairs were always ya-ta kinds. yatra tatra, yatha tatha, yah sah.. Ya being a semi vowel had a dimension of travel.. And ta is a dental landing. Perhaps these connectors had a sense of convergence in their locii. Just as questions had a sense of interruption..

And chapter 2 being an introductory chapter is rife with questions, interruptions at the beginning and has a lot of convergence and ilustrations towards the end..

Question/Impurity
कुतस्त्वा कश्मलमिदं
क्लैब्यं मा स्म गमः पार्थ
कथं भीष्ममहं सङ्ख्ये
कार्पण्यदोषोपहतस्वभावः
[63] क्रोधाद्भवति सम्मोहःNegation
न चैतद्विद्मः कतरन्नो गरीयो
न हि प्रपश्यामि ममापनुद्याद्
[12] न त्वेवाहं जातु नासं
[16] नासतो विद्यते भावो
[20] न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन्
[23] नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणिOpposites
[11] अशोच्यानन्वशोचस्त्वं
[17] अविनाशि तु तद्विद्धि
[18] अन्तवन्त इमे देहा
[24] अच्छेद्योऽयमदाह्योऽयम्
[25] अव्यक्तोऽयमचिन्त्योऽयम्
[29] आश्चर्यवत्पश्यति कश्चिदेनम्
[28] अव्यक्तादीनि भूतानि
[34] अकीर्तिं चापि भूतानि
[36] अवाच्यवादांश्च बहून्Connectors
[15] यं हि न व्यथयन्त्येते
[19] य एनं वेत्ति हन्तारं
[32] यदृच्छया चोपपन्नं
[57] यः सर्वत्र अनभिस्नेहः
[58] यदा संहरते चायं
[69] या निशा सर्वभूतानांथ

Words of Gita

A first attempt into diction of chapter 2. A look into the top words.

Connector Words

“Janaka said: ‘When the sun has set, O Yajnavalkya, and the moon has set, and the fire has gone out, what serves then as his light?’
Yajnavalkya said: ‘Sound is then his light.’ -Brihadaranyaka Upanishad

Names of Arjuna & Krishna

Arjuna had undergone severe austerities and preparations before the war. He had even conquered sleep. A great warrior, He was invincible and threat to the enemies. He was like a bull among the warriors.

अर्जुन white, clear
परन्तपः the terror of foes
गुडाकेशः the one who has conquered sleep
धनञ्जय the Winner of riches
मधुसूदनः Krishna, killer of the demon Madhu
अरि॰सूदन — O Slayer of foes (Krishna)
हृषीकेशम्‌ — to Hrishikesha (Krishna, the Master of senses)
गोविन्दम्‌ — to Krishna (Krishna, the guardian of cows ).
केशव — One with good hair

Root Words — The building blocks

Anatomy of a Sanskrit word has 3 parts to it.. While the root words give the core meaning, prefixes give a sense of highlight and the suffixes add the verb and noun context information.

The High Frequency Root words

The words related to √हन् -√हा -√सद् and prefixes प्र - वि -अभि -अ -अन् are particularly interesting in this chapter.

Yagnavalkya once told King Janaka- ‘For what could a person achieve without the Word? Meditate upon the Word as identical with knowledge. The word is knowledge, Your Majesty.’
‘Through the word is gained knowledge of this world and of the next. The word, Your Majesty, is the Supreme Brahman.’-Brihadaranyaka Upanishad