Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 2, Verse 9

सञ्जय उवाच |
एवमुक्त्वा हृषीकेशं गुडाकेश: परन्तप |
न योत्स्य इति गोविन्दमुक्त्वा तूष्णीं बभूव ह || 9||

sañjaya uvācha
evam-uktvā hṛiṣhīkeśhaṁ guḍākeśhaḥ parantapa
na yotsya iti govindam uktvā tūṣhṇīṁ babhūva ha

sañjayaḥ uvāchaSanjay said; evamthus; uktvāhaving spoken; hṛiṣhīkeśhamto Shree Krishna, the master of the mind and senses; guḍākeśhaḥArjun, the conquerer of sleep; parantapaḥArjun, the chastiser of the enemies; na yotsyeI shall not fight; itithus; govindamKrishna, the giver of pleasure to the senses; uktvāhaving addressed; tūṣhṇīmsilent; babhūvabecame ha

sanjaya uvacha
evam-uktva hrishikesham gudakeshah parantapa
na yotsya iti govindam uktva tushnim babhuva ha

Translation

BG 2.9: Sanjay said: Having thus spoken, Gudakesh, that chastiser of enemies, addressed Hrishikesh: “Govind, I shall not fight,” and became silent.

Commentary

The sagacious Sanjay, in his narration to Dhritarasthra, uses very apt names for the personalities he refers to. Here, Arjun is called Guḍākeśh, or “conqueror of sleep.” The power of sleep is such that sooner or later, all living beings succumb to it. But with his determination, Arjun had disciplined himself in such a way that sleep would come to him only when he permitted it, and only for the amount of time he chose. By using the name Guḍākeśh for Arjun, Sanjay is subtly hinting to Dhritarasthra, “Just as this “hero amongst men” conquered sleep, so too will he conquer his despondency.”

And the word he uses for Shree Krishna is Hṛiṣhīkeśh, or “master of the mind and senses.” The subtle hint here is that he who is the master of his senses will definitely ensure that the events are properly managed.

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