Chapter 1 ; Verse 29 ; Bhagavad Gita

TEXT 29

vepathus ca sarire me 
roma-harsas ca jayate 
gandivam sramsate hastat 
tvak caiva paridahyate

SYNONYMS

vepathuh--trembling of the body; ca--also; sarire--on the body; me--my; roma-harsah--standing of the hair on end; ca--also; jayate--is taking place; gandivam--the bow of Arjuna; sramsate--is slipping; hastat--from the hands; tvak--skin; ca--also; eva--certainly; paridahyate--burning.

TRANSLATION

My whole body is trembling, and my hair is standing on end. My bow Gandiva is slipping from my hand, and my skin is burning.

PURPORT

   There are two kinds of trembling of the body, and two kinds of standings of the hair on end. Such phenomena occur either in great spiritual ecstasy or out of great fear under material conditions. There is no fear in transcendental realization. Arjuna's symptoms in this situation are out of material fear--namely, loss of life. This is evident from other symptoms also; he became so impatient that his famous bow Gandiva was slipping from his hands, and, because his heart was burning within him, he was feeling a burning sensation of the skin. All these are due to a material conception of life.